Buoying the Black Sea region
Trade on the Black Sea has been going on for centuries, bridging several countries in Central Asia and the Balkans with the rest of Europe. The EU-funded project ‘Research potential of the Black Sea countries’ (BS-Respot) aimed to support the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) organisation and the EU to spread collaboration in science and technology (S&T). The project identified key sectors for collaboration involving national and different science academies within BSEC countries as well as the Black Sea Innovation Centre. It mapped and assessed research and technological development (RTD) in each nation using the data to elaborate proposals and recommend policy changes that would enhance cooperation. In addition, BS-Respot identified specific research topics under the EU's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) that are of mutual interest to both the EU and BSEC region. The project's objectives were successfully met by the end of 2006, representing the only in-depth initiative that assessed the potential of all BSEC countries on science and research potential. Results could help improve policymaking in the Black Sea region, promote exchanges with the EU on many levels and open new horizons for an enhanced global knowledge economy.