Europe and Russia innovate online together
As Internet technology marches ahead, scientists and policymakers are thinking of new ways to link valuable research from around the globe together. The EU-funded project 'Technical bridge between Russian and European online infrastructures for innovations' (Techbrid) brought EU and Russian innovators closer by facilitating automated data exchange between online infrastructures in the EU and Russia. Focusing on research and development (R&D), innovation agencies, industry, government, finance and other key elements, Techbrid worked on closing the gap between innovation systems on both sides to improve interaction. It outlined the technical conditions and mechanisms that enable data exchange and knowledge transfer to encourage innovation. This helps nudge Russia closer to European innovation, homes in on needed technologies and disseminates offers related to innovative technologies and products, benefitting researchers on both sides. The project team build a prototype and tools that function as a pilot online service. This has already helped improve communication among innovation-related suppliers and consumers in the two regions. Having achieved this, Techbrid demonstrated the importance of virtual integration of various resources and services into a unified online infrastructure and proposed effective ways to realise a full system. The Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) has already made use of the project's recommendations and tools, while in Europe the EuroCRIS association found the project valuable in furthering its own objectives. The Techbrid platform is expected to improve integration of Russian and European information resources on innovation significantly in the years to come.
