Support for R&I policy making in the EU enlargement countries
Research and innovation play an important role in tackling challenges but also in ensuring a sustainable and inclusive growth while boosting the resilience of production sectors, the competitiveness of economies, and the transformation of the socio-economic systems across Europe. The enlargement countries are trying to advance in the fields of Research, Development and Innovation (RDI). Closer links between research and innovation, and institutional cooperation to produce high-quality knowledge, underpinning economic and societal solutions are paramount to help bridging the R&I gap between the EU Member States and enlargement countries. Actions stemming from this call will foster capacity building efforts in enlargement countries to advance R&I eco-systems, improve the Technology Transfer Process, promote networking of and access to excellence, thus optimising the participation in and impact of Horizon Europe (and successor programme) across the region. Activities from this call will strengthen and foster the development of the human capital base in the region, they will promote the establishment of open, inclusive and responsible national research and innovation eco-systems, support institutional reform through the development of inclusive gender equality plans in line with Horizon Europe and the ERA objectives, as well as support evidence-based policy making.
Underpinning the Western Balkans Agenda on Innovation, Research, Education, Culture, Youth and Sport, this action will foster a comprehensive policy approach, while seeking synergies across the entire Horizon Europe and related EU funding programmes. An action funded under this call will support the coordination and synchronised interaction among a multitude of instruments and programmes targeting enlargement countries in the fields of R&I. This should not only facilitate an increased participation of entities from enlargement countries in relevant European funding programmes, but also create economies of scale, complementarity, synergies, and avoid overlapping of actions.
An action stemming from this topic will support a platform for the co-ordination of various services addressing research, and innovation in enlargement countries in their programming and implementation. All these areas are key for finding new solutions to the challenges we are facing across the region. The actions should also aim to support the implementation of people-to-people cooperation projects with and within enlargement countries, supporting partnerships between higher education institutions as well as creative professionals and industries and European incubation networks for creativity-driven innovation.
This action aligns with ERA and Widening objectives in that it aims to strengthen links with EU partners and opens EU networks, contributes to improving research and innovation management capacities in enlargement countries, and it supports national policy reforms through targeted actions. A key element in this is the support to the development and implementation of Smart Specialisation Strategies and macro-regional strategies in cooperation with the JRC and the Policy Support Facility.
Initiatives in the fields of research, innovation, and skills development create new opportunities, reduce the skills mismatch, support sustainable economic growth, the competitiveness of businesses and industries and the intercultural dialogue, help to tackle climate change, enable digital transformation, and provide better public services for all Europeans.