Potential for enhanced EU-Russia ST&I cooperation realised
Russia has been one of the biggest third country participants in the Framework Programmes for Research and Technological Development. With this in mind, the EU-funded BILAT-RUS-ADVANCED (Advancement of the bilateral partnership in scientific research and innovation with the Russian Federation) project aimed at continuing to develop and strengthen the bilateral partnership between the EU and Russia regarding ST&I. To strengthen strategic ST&I partnerships between the EU and Russia, BILAT-RUS-ADVANCED reinforced bilateral ST&I policy dialogue among policymakers and key actors from European and Russian ST&I communities. To this effect, the project coordinated the research policies and programmes of Member States and Associated Countries concerning Russia. It also promoted bilateral cooperation between leading scientists and organisations by boosting awareness of the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) and Horizon 2020 (H2020) cooperation opportunities, including information on Russian co-funding. Project partners held several brokerage and information events for researchers and innovation stakeholders to facilitate the preparation of collaborative research activities and exploitation of research outcomes in FP7 and H2020. They also focused on opportunities for European researchers to participate in Russian research and innovation programmes. The BILAT-RUS-ADVANCED team was responsible for the 'EU-Russia Year of Science 2014', a series of events showcasing EU-Russian ST&I cooperation. It selected, managed and coordinated over 170 YoS events, in addition to carrying out communication and outreach activities. It also organised the closing conference. A series of strategic documents were delivered. These include an analysis of the Russian innovation system presenting challenges in innovation cooperation, a report providing recommendations on future EU Russia ST&I policy and activities, and a paper containing information on EU-Russia ST&I cooperation opportunities under H2020. BILAT-RUS-ADVANCED gave new momentum to ST&I synergies by enabling Europeans and Russians to jointly develop approaches for future collaborative actions.
Keywords
EU-Russia, science, technology and innovation, BILAT-RUS-ADVANCED, bilateral partnership
