Thematic Session 1:

Building the knowledge triangle as a means to address societal challenges - Western Balkans

HERE Annual Conference 201712 December 2017

BernhardFabianek

Research and innovation

Rationalemain drivers of international cooperation

• You can only succeed on excellence when there is exchange and competition among the world’s best brains

• Challenges such as infectious diseases and clean energy are global in nature and cannot be dealt solely with local/national interventions

• Science and international research cooperation can provide a common basis for engagement, trust and facilities with shared governance that can be blueprint for governance of broader issues

Research and innovation

EU Strategy for International R&I CooperationCOM(2012)497

Objectives:

a) Strengthening the Union's excellence and attractiveness in research and innovation as well as its economic and industrial competitiveness

b) Tackling global societal challenges

c) Supporting the Union's external policies

Research and innovation

International cooperation in Horizon 2020Associated countries

Iceland

Faroe islands

Norway

Ukraine

Turkey

IsraelTunisia

Switzerland

Bosn & Herz

AlbaniaFYRoM

Serbia

Montenegro

Moldova Georgia

Armenia

H2020 associated countries

Research and innovation

International cooperation in Horizon 2020Lessons learnt: Secured funding is important incentive

Research and innovation

Cooperation on Research and Innovation An EU - Balkan success story

• Chapter 25 of accession negotiations (Science and Research) has been provisionally closed with Montenegro and Serbia

• Integration of the Western Balkans (but Kosovo) is fostered through their association to Horizon 2020 as part of the Open to the World policy

• Observer status in all Horizon 2020 Programme Committees and in the European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures

Research and innovation

Direct Impact

Centres of Excellences set up with EC support (e.g. ANTARES on ICT in agriculture):

• attractive for the scientific diaspora

• contribute to combating the brain drain in the region

• direct economic impact

• triggering growth through innovation

• enable joint R&I activities across borders

• contribute to building trust, reconciliation and stability in the region

Research and innovation

Figures

Research and innovation

Mixed Performance Figures

Research and innovation

10 most active WBC organisations in Horizon 2020

Organisation Country participationsEU contribution

(in million euros)

BioSense Institute - Research and Development

Institute for Information Technologies in BiosystemsSerbia 16 21.2

Univerzitet u Beogradu Serbia 9 1.7

Privredno Drustvo za Pruzanje Usluga Istrazivanje i

Razvoj Nissatech Innovation Centre dooSerbia 6 1.7

Inosens doo Novi Sad Serbia 8 1.4

Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje Macedonia 11 1.0

Institut Mihajlo Pupin Serbia 7 1.0

Univerzitet u Beogradu- Saobracajni Fakultet Serbia 6 0.8

Univerzitet u Novom Sadu Serbia 7 0.6

Ministarstvo Prosvete, Nauke i Tehnoloskog Razvoja Serbia 5 0.3

Javna Ustanova Univerzitet Crne Gore Podgorica Montenegro 7 0.1

Research and innovation

Horizon 2020 Performance Assessment

• Balkan countries suffer from brain drain and are lacking capacities in the area of research and innovation

• Serbia is the regional research power-house and it is doing reasonably well in Horizon 2020 (success-rate similar to the one of Hungary or Slovenia)

• Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina are performing close to the EU average (i.e. similar to Spain or to the Czech Republic)

• Macedonia and Albania have a Horizon 2020 performance similar to the one of Bulgaria and are trailing the list

Research and innovation

Specific Support Measures

• Development of national and regional Smart Specialisation Strategies

• Horizon 2020 Policy Support Facility contributes to the design, implementation and evaluation of modern national research and innovation reform measures :

• Start-up scheme in Montenegro

• Innovation Strategy for Serbia

Research and innovation

Outlook

• Promote cross-regional science and innovation initiatives such as the ANTARES Centre of Excellence or the International Scientific Institute in South East Europe

• Research and Innovation are important elements (and early successes) in the EU Accession process and in our Open to the World priority

• Research and Innovation give a lot of (uncontested) visibility in the Balkans and have a direct impact on the local and regional innovation system