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Periodic Report Summary - ACCESSRU (Strengthening EU-Russia Sciences and Technology cooperation and EU access to Russian National Funding Programmes)

Quality validation date:2012-12-12

Abstract
Project context and objectives:

The overall aim of the ACCESSRU project (please see http://www.access4eu.eu/russia online), one of the 11 components of the ACCESS4EU initiative (please see http://www.access4eu.eu online), is to stimulate S&T cooperation between Europe and Russian Federation by providing better access to the European researchers for the Russian research and innovation (R&I) programmes. Russia is known for its excellent scientific, technological and educational environment, having produced generations of talented researchers and scientists. Alongside this, European Union (EU)-Russia science and technology (S&T) cooperation has been developing due to a number of instruments aimed at supporting this work. To improve upon these established programmes, initiated ACCESSRU's support was to provide advice to European R&D organisations to facilitate their access to Russian funding opportunities with the help of Russian partners. The upgrading the strategic S&T cooperation between EU and Russia has been performed by implementing support actions on three levels - analytical, research and policy, each corresponding to a specific project objectives:
- to assess access opportunities in Russia for EU organisations, by screening of Russian S&T landscape and identifying common challenges, needs and opportunities in S&T in Europe and Russia;
- to raise awareness on access opportunities in Russia amongst European research organisations and to stimulate, encourage and facilitate the participation of European organisations in the programmes managed by Russia;
- to enhance the S&T policy dialogue and to formulate the strategic recommendations on scientific collaboration between Europe and Russia, ensuring the reciprocity issues.

Project results:

Following the first project highlights stemming from the mapping and analysing the R&I programmes and initiatives managed by the Russian Federation, the project team focused its effort on the identification of the access opportunities to researchers from the Member States and Associated Countries to Russian programmes.

To archive that, the consortium launched in May 2011 the open consultation targeting European researchers working in Russia (priority group), Russian researchers involved in the cooperation with EU and S&T and innovation stakeholders both in EU and in the Russian Federation. An information campaign has been launched with a support of the CNRS-France website in order to multiple participations. The results of the consultative process have been integrated into opportunity report providing an overview of the Russian innovation system in general and access opportunities to Russian S&T and innovation programs in particular. To help European organisations willing to understand the ways of access to the Russian R&I programmes, the project team analysed entry channels to the Russian Federal Target Programmes (FTP) and to the new Russian programmes and initiatives specially designed to attract top class scientists and foreign innovative companies. To be noted that the bilateral programmes and multilateral programmes have been presented in the report, however, as de facto they were identified as easiest for participation, the project team didn't put a specific attention to such programmes.

The project carried on implementing two interrelated dissemination and awareness raising campaigns: to promote the access to Russian programmes inside the European research community, and to inform Russian research organisations that the involvement of European partners for Russian programmes is possible and welcome.

Potential impact:

ACCESSRU project contributed to bring forward the internalisation of the European Research Area (ERA). Building on the analytical consortium findings, demands demonstrated by the ACCESSRU green paper consultation exercise and work of key S&T stakeholders both from EU and the Russian Federation, the project provides an important impetus for further actions of integration of European researchers into Russian research and innovation programs. The concrete initiatives, such as assistance provided by ACCESSRU team to the EU researchers willing to access the Russian funding or know-how, ACCESSRU rounds tables and help desk have proved the potential for the added value of a reciprocity approach. In addition, the project's EU-Russian S&T collaboration observatory contributed to monitor the Russian programmes. Finally, specific activities of collaboration with EU-Russian working groups tended to enhance the S&T policy dialogue and to formulate the strategic recommendations on S&T collaboration between Europe and Russia.

In summary, ACCESSRU demonstrated the European and Russian efforts and trend for a openness that embedded now in a policy framework of the EU-Russia science and technology collaboration. However, if the wiliness of the Russian government to open domestic research and innovation programs to foreign researchers is obvious, Russia still needs to progress towards a more flexible, simplified and harmonised cooperation framework.

Conclusion:

The potential impact of ACCESSRU support action in the short and medium term perspectives is difficult to measure but it will be scientifically and technologically substantial, as it will facilitate the access of European researchers and research organisations to Russian research and innovation programmes (reciprocity), will provide a real framework for joint S&T research activities based namely on the win-win collaboration approach, and this will be translated into:
(1) a measurable increase of effective collaborations between European and Russian S&T organisations; and
(2) a less readily measurable improvement of mutual understanding of the respective research systems in EU and the Russia Federation. Appropriate dissemination methodology of the access opportunities across Europe and Russia will ensure the maximum impact and open the largest scope of potential cooperation. The cooperation projects that will be initiated by ACCESSRU will impact on the EU R&D expenses efficiency, upstream global consensus, and - in general way - on strengthening science and technological cooperation between EU and the Russian Federation.

Collaboration sought:N/A

Programme	Project reference	Project title
FP7-INCO	244493	Strengthening EU-Russia sciences and technology cooperation and EU access to Russian national funding programmes

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