Elina Griniece has over fourteen years of experience in conducting studies and providing intelligence and advice in research and innovation policy. Since 2012, she has focused on the socio-economic impact assessment of research infrastructures, developing methodological guidance materials and offering technical assistance to research infrastructure construction projects. From 2018 to 2020, Elina managed the H2020 RI-PATHS project, which aimed to equip RI funders and managers with tools to assess the economic impact and societal contributions of RIs. She has been instrumental in developing a participatory approach to charting the impact pathways of investments in research infrastructures. The project’s outcomes contributed to a more unified approach to understanding RI impact at the international level, building on the results from the OECD Global Science Forum’s Working Group on the Socio-Economic Impact of Research Infrastructures and engaging key international stakeholders in discussions. Leveraging the contributions of the RI-PATHS project, Elina continues to collaborate with and support individual RIs in operationalizing the developed impact pathway approach. She has conducted technical assistance projects and impact studies for various RIs, including ELIXIR, EATRIS, ALBA, DESY, CERN, GlobalBioimaging, ESO, ESS, among others. Additionally, she has led numerous impact pathway co-design training sessions and delivered presentations and keynotes on this topic at international events such as the ICRI conference and Global Research Council workshop.
Elina is keen to understand how new knowledge and innovation can foster transformative change in the economy and society, and what that change implies in terms of culture and human values. She is an active advocate of transdisciplinary approaches not only in research, but also in life. As a consultant, her experience is that active listening and openness to other perspectives is vital to constructing new and truly meaningful solutions. As a person, she likes puzzles and solving complex problems by finding coherent patterns. This sort of ‘system thinking’ is in her DNA. Elina studied the nexus between society, science and technology (Maastricht University) and development studies (LSE). She has also undertaken dedicated PhD-level courses in responsible research and innovation (Dutch Research School of Philosophy) and innovation policy for transformative change (SPRU). Elina is a native Latvian speaker and is fluent in English and has a good grasp of Russian, French, and German.
