Periodic Reporting for period 1 - POLICY ANSWERS (R&I POLICY making, implementation ANd Support in the WEsteRn BalkanS)
Période du rapport: 2022-03-01 au 2023-08-31
POLICY ANSWERS supports the policy dialogue between the European Commission, the EU Member States and the Western Balkans (WB) primarily in Research and Innovation (R&I), but also in Education, Culture, Youth and Sports.
The integration of the WB – Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia – into the European Research Area (ERA) and thus fostering stability, prosperity and the European perspective of the region are key priorities of the European Union (EU). The project’s activities are based on the broader strategies highlighting the enlargement perspective, macro-regional strategies and the Agenda on Innovation, Research, Education, Culture, Youth and Sport (WB Agenda), which outline a comprehensive, long-term strategy for cooperation with the region.
The main objectives of the POLICY ANSWERS are to monitor and support the policy coordination between the EU-WB cooperation and coordination, to support the WB in strengthening their potential for successful participation in regional and multilateral R&I activities, to promote regional cooperation and to support networking and access to information.
POLICY ANSWERS addresses these objectives through targeted project activities:
1) Organising policy dialogue events, i.e. Ministerial and Steering Platform meetings; ad-hoc policy coordination meetings (reflected in WP1).
2) Carrying out analytical activities such as mapping of relevant institutions, programmes, initiatives, needs and common priorities in the WB; monitoring ongoing activities related to the implementation of the WB Agenda and to progress made related to ERA integration; providing recommendations for policy making and agenda setting (WP2).
3) Providing and coordinating capacity building and pilot actions in the WB to contribute to the region’s EU integration process and to strengthen their innovation ecosystems (WP3).
4) Designing informed policy recommendations to decision makers in the region in the areas of R&I, Education, Culture, Youth and Sport in addressing the EU’s key priorities such as (1) digitalisation, (2) green economy and (3) health and aligning them (WP4).
5) Implementing regional pilot activities, which reach out directly to academia, industry and civil society; creating new initiatives and initiating success stories at programme level (WP5).
6) Supplying an information hub and web platform addressing R&I, Education, Culture, Youth and Sport in the WB to enable better information sharing, create opportunities for joint actions and bring up the WB to EU policy making (WP6).
These objectives are achieved with professional project management and quality assurance and active stakeholder engagement (WP7).
The integration of the WB – Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia – into the European Research Area (ERA) and thus fostering stability, prosperity and the European perspective of the region are key priorities of the European Union (EU). The project’s activities are based on the broader strategies highlighting the enlargement perspective, macro-regional strategies and the Agenda on Innovation, Research, Education, Culture, Youth and Sport (WB Agenda), which outline a comprehensive, long-term strategy for cooperation with the region.
The main objectives of the POLICY ANSWERS are to monitor and support the policy coordination between the EU-WB cooperation and coordination, to support the WB in strengthening their potential for successful participation in regional and multilateral R&I activities, to promote regional cooperation and to support networking and access to information.
POLICY ANSWERS addresses these objectives through targeted project activities:
1) Organising policy dialogue events, i.e. Ministerial and Steering Platform meetings; ad-hoc policy coordination meetings (reflected in WP1).
2) Carrying out analytical activities such as mapping of relevant institutions, programmes, initiatives, needs and common priorities in the WB; monitoring ongoing activities related to the implementation of the WB Agenda and to progress made related to ERA integration; providing recommendations for policy making and agenda setting (WP2).
3) Providing and coordinating capacity building and pilot actions in the WB to contribute to the region’s EU integration process and to strengthen their innovation ecosystems (WP3).
4) Designing informed policy recommendations to decision makers in the region in the areas of R&I, Education, Culture, Youth and Sport in addressing the EU’s key priorities such as (1) digitalisation, (2) green economy and (3) health and aligning them (WP4).
5) Implementing regional pilot activities, which reach out directly to academia, industry and civil society; creating new initiatives and initiating success stories at programme level (WP5).
6) Supplying an information hub and web platform addressing R&I, Education, Culture, Youth and Sport in the WB to enable better information sharing, create opportunities for joint actions and bring up the WB to EU policy making (WP6).
These objectives are achieved with professional project management and quality assurance and active stakeholder engagement (WP7).
The first major achievement was the successful organisation of the ministerial meeting in June 2022 in Tirana. The policy dialogue activities (WP1) included also the organisation of five online Steering Platform (SP) meetings and one physical meeting of the SP on R&I as well as Education and Training in February 2023 in Skopje.
Analytical activities implemented (WP2) included a stakeholder mapping activity, thorough assessment of the WB ERA integration, an assessment of the implementation of the WB Agenda in key areas and a foresight workshop held in March 2023 in Podgorica. Results of the analytical activities were presented during policy dialogue meetings.
The project organised more than 20 capacity building activities (WP3) which were co-designed with stakeholders at the beginning of the project based on a harmonised methodology, reflecting the needs of the implementation of the WB Agenda. Each economy drafted tailored programmes with specific actions.
The consortium analysed the participation in various EU instruments in relation to key priorities of digital-green-health and assessed potentials for alignment of priorities (WP4). A survey with EU Partnerships was implemented and a major conference scheduled for 13 September 2023 in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The definition of pilot activities (WP5) progressed in particular in relation to the industry-academia cooperation vouchers and in relation to the selection of research infrastructure ambassadors with whom a seminar was organised on 14 Sept. 2023 in Sarajevo. Other pilots prepared for the main implementation steps in the next months, e.g. a workshop on researcher mobility programme was also held in Sarajevo. The partners also performed the collection of educational resources for the Regional Innovation Academy to be launched in the second reporting period.
The Western Balkans Info Hub has been rebranded and a major relaunch of the website has been prepared. The newsletter of the hub was sent out monthly, reaching more than 11.000 recipients and social media was regularly active. Dissemination and communication activities took also place with bilaterally with key stakeholders.
The project also implemented the kick-off meeting in March 2022 in Vienna, two meetings with the Project Advisory Board, an online workshop on financial issues and 16 regular monthly online team meetings.
Analytical activities implemented (WP2) included a stakeholder mapping activity, thorough assessment of the WB ERA integration, an assessment of the implementation of the WB Agenda in key areas and a foresight workshop held in March 2023 in Podgorica. Results of the analytical activities were presented during policy dialogue meetings.
The project organised more than 20 capacity building activities (WP3) which were co-designed with stakeholders at the beginning of the project based on a harmonised methodology, reflecting the needs of the implementation of the WB Agenda. Each economy drafted tailored programmes with specific actions.
The consortium analysed the participation in various EU instruments in relation to key priorities of digital-green-health and assessed potentials for alignment of priorities (WP4). A survey with EU Partnerships was implemented and a major conference scheduled for 13 September 2023 in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The definition of pilot activities (WP5) progressed in particular in relation to the industry-academia cooperation vouchers and in relation to the selection of research infrastructure ambassadors with whom a seminar was organised on 14 Sept. 2023 in Sarajevo. Other pilots prepared for the main implementation steps in the next months, e.g. a workshop on researcher mobility programme was also held in Sarajevo. The partners also performed the collection of educational resources for the Regional Innovation Academy to be launched in the second reporting period.
The Western Balkans Info Hub has been rebranded and a major relaunch of the website has been prepared. The newsletter of the hub was sent out monthly, reaching more than 11.000 recipients and social media was regularly active. Dissemination and communication activities took also place with bilaterally with key stakeholders.
The project also implemented the kick-off meeting in March 2022 in Vienna, two meetings with the Project Advisory Board, an online workshop on financial issues and 16 regular monthly online team meetings.
POLICY ANSWERS is ambitious and potential impacts are manyfold on the level of the individual economies (e.g. through capacity building measures), the region (e.g. through policy dialogue and pilot activities) and between the region and the EU initiatives (e.g. missions and partnerships, etc.).
Highlights include the Ministerial Meeting in Tirana, which brought together the ministers of all six economies with the Commissioner. Conclusions from the analytical reports have been presented to the Ministries at the SP meetings. Our capacity building activities achieved impact through trainings, study visits, etc.
Furthermore, the Western Balkans Info Hub has been declared a “Flagship” project of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region, which is an important acknowledgement of the relevance of the activity beyond the Western Balkans.
Highlights include the Ministerial Meeting in Tirana, which brought together the ministers of all six economies with the Commissioner. Conclusions from the analytical reports have been presented to the Ministries at the SP meetings. Our capacity building activities achieved impact through trainings, study visits, etc.
Furthermore, the Western Balkans Info Hub has been declared a “Flagship” project of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region, which is an important acknowledgement of the relevance of the activity beyond the Western Balkans.