Greater participation in EU-funded programmes
There are obstacles to effective exploitation of EU-funded programmes for research, development and innovation, particularly in relation to local conditions and norms, availability of resources and a specific system's assets. This is even more challenging for new EU Member States. The EU-funded MIRRIS (Mobilizing institutional reforms for better R&I systems/institutions in Europe) project targeted better exploitation of European R&I programmes and wider participation in the European Research Area (ERA) of New Member States. These are Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Croatia, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Romania, Slovenia and Slovakia. MIRRIS aimed to help these countries overcome the various difficulties they face in this area. Activities included three rounds of policy dialogues for each country, involving stakeholders from three levels: decision-makers, implementation institutions and operational structures. The first policy dialogues identified gaps impacting participation in EU research programmes in the 13 target countries. These dialogues were successfully organised, with an average participation of between 15 and 20 stakeholders per country. The second round of policy dialogues provided a platform to select and prioritise a set of intervention actions specific to each country. The third cycle foresees agreement on an action plan and building consensus around a roadmap that will be implemented. As result of the policy dialogues and with a clear understanding on what needs to be mobilised, the 13 new EU countries were provided with a set of recommendations, an action plan with a roadmap and a decision on pilot activities. Overall, since 2013, MIRRIS initiated around 40 policy dialogues in these countries, along with 13 coaching exercises. Over 800 stakeholders and 85 national ministries were involved in the dialogues, helping to identify priorities and barriers towards enhanced participation in ERA. Several research, development and innovation roadmaps were also investigated, presenting a solid base for national authorities to build on. Noteworthy as well, a MIRRIS workshop held in 2014 under the title 'European Research Funding in the post-2004 Member States' gathered over 40 participants. Best practices regarding participation in EU programmes were collected from EU Member States and beyond. Project activities and efforts have helped drive greater participation of New Member States in EU-funded programmes as well as supporting excellence in research on their part. MIRRIS has accelerated the catching-up process, anticipated solutions and set a foundation for meeting similar challenges in the future.