Final Report Summary - BILAT-RUS-ADVANCED (Advancement of the bilateral Partnership in scientific Research and Innovation with the Russian Federation) Executive Summary:The project BILAT-RUS-Advanced has been supporting the science-, technology- and innovation (STI) cooperation between the Russian Federation and the European Union, the EU member states and countries associated to the framework programme Horizon 2020. The project has been contributing to the sustainable implementation of the “Common Space on Research, Education and Culture” that the EU and Russia have defined as a common goal for their cooperation in 2003. BILAT-RUS-Advanced has also been strengthening the participation of Russia in FP7 and Horizon 2020. The main objectives of BILAT-RUS-Advanced have been:• Supporting the coordination of cooperation framework and instruments towards a sustainable STI dialogue between the EU MS/AC, the EU Commission and the Russian Federation• Endorsing innovation and research cooperation by promoting and supporting cooperation opportunities• Paving the way for sustainable cooperation and for a sustainable support system for FP7 and Horizon 2020• Fostering innovation and paving the way for sustainable EU-Russian cooperation towards the utilization of R&D resultsBILAT-RUS-Advanced started in November 2012. In early 2013 and again in early 2014, the description of the project has been altered, the reason for this being the idea that the project should contribute in conceptualising and implementing the EU-Russia Year of Science 2014 (YoS). The project has taken up this challenge, seeing it as a brilliant opportunity of highlighting the rich record of EU-Russian STI cooperation and the promising cooperation potential for the future. The YoS has been successfully implemented within the period November 2013-November 2014.The project had a positive impact with regard to awareness raising within the EU and Russia about achievements and potential of cooperation of researchers and innovation actors from the EU and Russia. This impact was first of all achieved through the project’s important role in the implementation of the YoS, creating a momentum that contributed to further and sustainable cooperation on political level as well as with regard to the cooperation of excellent researchers and innovators. The project has also contributed to the further development of the EU-Russian STI policy dialogue, e.g. through giving input to the EU-Russian JSTCC. In a concerted action with other BILAT projects, BILAT-RUS-Advanced has implemented a study about the operational feasibility and requirement of establishing a joint STI Liaison Office in Russia. The project has had positive impact on fostering EU-Russian cooperation in the realm of innovation.Further details about BILAT-RUS-Advanced are available on the project website: www.bilat-rus.euProject Context and Objectives:There exists a long-standing and fruitful science, technology and innovation (STI) cooperation record between the European Union and the Russian Federation. This cooperation is based on a set of common objectives shared by the EU and Russia. The common objectives of EU-Russian STI cooperation have been articulated in common strategies and agreements. Within the concept of the “Four Common Spaces” which the EU and Russia have agreed upon in 2003, there is one “Common Space on Research, Education and Culture” that is to be established not least of all by Russia’s integration into the European Research Area (ERA). The European Community has expressed the intention to widen the ERA and to open it up to the world already within its 2008 “Strategic European Framework for International Science and Technology Cooperation” that aims at fostering strategic STI cooperation with key third countries such as Russia. This approach has been underlined in the 2012 strategy for international cooperation in research and innovation of the European Commission. The Russian Federation, in turn, has been actively endorsing these ambitions. In early 2014, the S&T cooperation agreement that Russia had concluded with the European Communitiy for the first time in November 2000 has been prolonged for another five years. Before the prolongation, the agreement had been independently evaluated by a team of European and Russian experts. This was the first time that such a review had been carried out jointly by experts from Europe and the partner country. However, within the EU-Russian STI cooperation there are also challenges that need to be tackled. Based on its GDP per capita and its total GDP, Russia’s status in the EU’s Framework Programme as third country has changed with the start of Horizon 2020. Thus, Russia is now being treated as an emerging / industrialised third country not associated to the framework programme. This implies that EU funding for Russian participants is provided only in specific cases. In order to enhance Russian participation in the framework programme, there is the need to define mechanisms and to find (and promote) complementary funding opportunities for the integration of Russian researchers and innovators in the implementation of Horizon 2020.Another challenge for EU-Russian STI cooperation is the need to better coordinate funding programmes of the EU and the EU Member States and Associated Countries (EU MS/AC) with Russian programmes along common objectives. This is one of the shared objectives of EU-Russian STI cooperation, voiced e.g. in the mentioned 2013 evaluation of the EU-Russian S&T agreement. The EU MS/AC will be involved in meeting this challenge, e.g. through the Pilot Initiative with Russia of the Strategic Framework for International Cooperation (SFIC) that was launched in spring 2014. This SFIC Pilot Initiative intents to define a set of common interests of the EU and the EU MS/AC in STI cooperation with Russia with regard to policies, programmes and research infrastructures.There are several challenges the further development of STI cooperation is faced with on the institutional level: Because of changing structures and responsibilities within Russian authorities and within the Russian S&T landscape (reform of the Russian Academy of Sciences, re-distribution of responsibilities for STI funding and creation of new funding organisations) it is necessary to continuously monitor developments and keep contact with relevant decision-makers and stakeholders. This is important in order to ensure stable and improved decision making on the basis of sufficient knowledge and analysis. Also, the Russian innovation system is in a process of very dynamic development which needs to be known and understood on the European side. Concerning the European partners, it is important to further strive for a coherent approach of players in EU MS/AC towards Russia that would strengthen synergies between activities and programmes. Ways of organising multilateral cooperation mechanisms for the time after the ERA.Net Plus instrument need to be defined and developed.Further challenges consist in eliminating specific obstacles to the implementation of STI cooperation, such as visa regulations, taxation and customs obligations or questions of intellectual property rights. Appropriate framework conditions for STI cooperation have to be established within political dialogues. These dialogue processes, in turn, need to be endorsed, above all in times in which foreign relations have become tense.The project BILAT-RUS-Advanced (November 2012 – October 2015) has been supporting the STI cooperation between Russia and the EU, the EU Member States and countries associated to the framework programme Horizon 2020. The project has been contributing to the sustainable implementation of the “Common Space on Research, Education and Culture” that the EU and Russia have defined as a common goal for their cooperation in 2003. BILAT-RUS-Advanced has also been strengthening the participation of Russia in FP7 and Horizon 2020. The main objectives of BILAT-RUS-Advanced have been:• Supporting the coordination of cooperation framework and instruments towards a sustainable STI dialogue between the EU MS/AC, the EU Commission and the Russian Federation• Endorsing innovation and research cooperation by promoting and supporting cooperation opportunities• Paving the way for sustainable cooperation and for a sustainable support system for FP7 and Horizon 2020• Fostering innovation and paving the way for sustainable EU-Russian cooperation towards the utilization of R&D resultsBILAT-RUS-Advanced consisted of six work packages:• WP1: Coordination of frameworks and instruments towards a sustainable research and innovation dialogue between the EU Member States, the EU Commission and Russia • WP2: Stimulating research and innovation cooperation: Promoting and supporting cooperation opportunities • WP3: Fostering innovation: Paving the way for sustainable cooperation towards the utilization of R&D results • WP4: Outreach and coordination with relevant projects • WP5: Project Management• WP6: EU-Russia Year of Science 2014For BILAT-RUS-Advanced, a ‘parallel work package approach’ was adopted. This means that all six work packages have run throughout the whole duration of the project. The main advantage of this approach was that all BILAT-RUS-Advanced partners have been involved in the project implementation process from the very beginning to the end. This has led to a higher interdependency of the results, the creation of synergies between work packages and the securing of the commitment of all partners throughout the whole duration of the project.The consortium partners of BILAT-RUS-Advanced have a long-standing experience in international S&T cooperation and in cooperating with each other. Thirteen of the 16 consortium partners had already participated in the predecessor projects ACCESS RU and BILAT-RUS. One of the major success factors for BILAT-RUS-Advanced was the equal balance between EU and Russian participants. Both the number of participants and the burden of work load (considering the management obligations of the coordinator) reflected this equal balance between European and Russian partners.The project design for BILAT-RUS-Advanced reflected joint EU-Russian interest and aimed at mutual benefit. The particular Russian interest was highlighted in a support letter of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation. The project was positioned in the context of various other related bilateral or bi-regional EU-Russian activities, highlighting on the one hand Community projects within FP7 with major emphasis on the Specific Programmes ‘Cooperation’ (FP7) and ‘Capacities’ (e.g. IncoNet EECA targeting Eastern Europe and Central Asia and ERA.Net RUS / ERA.Net RUS Plus); on the other hand, bilateral S&T agreements and other initiatives between EU Member States and Russia have been built upon as well.BILAT-RUS-Advanced started in November 2012. In early 2013 and again in early 2014, the description of the project has been altered, the reason for this being the idea that the project should contribute in conceptualising and implementing the EU-Russia Year of Science 2014. The project has taken up this challenge, seeing it as a brilliant opportunity of highlighting the rich record of EU-Russian STI cooperation and the promising cooperation potential for the future. The Year of Science has been successfully implemented within the period November 2013-November 2014. The project BILAT-RUS-Advanced has been completed in October 2015.Especially during the second part of its life cycle, the project had to be implemented on the background of a rather complicated political environment. EU-Russian relations have been marked by growing tensions since early 2014. Despite this, the project managed to fulfil its various tasks in an excellent way. The practical cooperation between the members of the project consortium has not suffered by the worsening political climate.Project Results:As has already been mentioned above, the project BILAT-RUS-Advanced has been implemented in six work packages.• WP1: Coordination of frameworks and instruments towards a sustainable research and innovation dialogue between the EU Member States, the EU Commission and Russia • WP2: Stimulating research and innovation cooperation: Promoting and supporting cooperation opportunities • WP3: Fostering innovation: Paving the way for sustainable cooperation towards the utilization of R&D results • WP4: Outreach and coordination with relevant projects • WP5: Project Management• WP6: EU-Russia Year of Science 2014Work packages 1, 2, 3 and 6 can be considered as thematic work packages. Work package 4 contains thematic (dissemination) but also horizontal (quality assurance) aspects. In contrast, work package 5 is entirely of horizontal nature and thus supports the successful implementation of the whole project. The individual activities and tasks to be implemented in the work packages of the project covered a wide array of activities. They included general information and awareness raising activities about cooperation opportunities, the further operation of the project website as well as an information web-portal. A key input of the project was its support in conceptualising and implementing the “EU-Russia Year of Science 2014” (YoS). Amongst others, a specific website for the EU-Russia Year of Science has been designed and implemented. The project has also contributed to the political dialogue with regard to EU-Russian STI cooperation with practical support and analytical input.1.1.3.1 WP1: Coordination of framework and instruments towards a sustainable research and innovation dialogue between EU Member States, the EU Commission and RussiaA) OverviewWork package leader of WP1 was inno TSD. The main objective of WP1 was to support the bilateral STI policy dialogue between policy makers and other stakeholders from the European and Russian STI communities, helping to reinforce strategic STI partnership between EU and Russia. The sub-objectives include reinforcement of coordination and synergies between the EU Member States concerning bilateral approaches in STI cooperation with Russia, and support to the EU-Russian Joint S&T Cooperation Committee and its Joint Thematic Working Groups.WP 1 consisted of two tasks as follows:• Task 1.1 Bilateral S&T policy dialogue support• Task 1.2 Coordination of European Member States’, Associated Countries’ and pan-European STI policies and programmesB) Progress and achievementsTask 1.1 Bilateral S&T policy dialogue supportTask 1.2 Coordination of European Member States’, Associated Countries’ and pan-European STI policies and programmesThe activities in tasks 1.1 (task leader: DLR) and 1.2 (task leader: inno TSD) were closely linked and complementary. The intended impact of task 1.1 was a more active role of EU MS/AC in common STI activities with Russia. The objectives of task 1.2 were complementary to reinforce coordination between Member States concerning bilateral approaches in STI cooperation with Russia as well as to identify synergies between EU and Member States’ policies and programmes towards Russia. In addition, WP1 also intended to assist the activities of the Joint S&T Cooperation Committee (JSTCC) and to reinforce the role of Russia in SFIC activities. As a result of the various changes implemented in the structure of the Work Package 1, and following discussions with the European Commission, it was decided that the work in both tasks would be merged. The activities of WP1 are thus presented in continuity in the present report.Within WP1 several deliverables were produced during the course of the project. Also, additional activities took place:Deliverable 1.1 “First special report for the EU-Russia S&T Committee” was prepared and elaborated in the period January-June 2013. This input report for the JSTCC provided relevant suggestions for discussion, to proposed recommendations on how to support an effective implementation of existing instruments for collaboration during the first two years of Horizon 2020 and the new Russian Federal Programme in Research and Development, and finally it proposed topics of mutual interest in selected areas for strengthening EU-Russia cooperation within Horizon 2020. The report sums up the results of previous and ongoing projects dedicated to EU-Russia collaboration in different thematic areas. It was also based on independent individual desk research and analytical and empirical work, mutual learning exercises and thematic discussions of the BILAT-RUS-Advanced project participants. It represents both Russian and European experts’ opinions. For the preparation of the report, the opinion of the EU-Delegation to Russia as well as input from the BILAT-RUS-Advanced Advisory Board was regarded. The deliverable was submitted in June 2013 before the meeting of the JSTC in Brussels on 28 June 2013. The project coordinator took part in the meeting.WP1 has contributed to disseminate information about cooperation opportunities to relevant actors through the dissemination of deliverable 1.2: “Mechanisms for EU-Russia research and innovation cooperation”. Following a recommendation of the EU Commission, and subsequent discussions at the third Project Assembly Meeting in Nice (October 2014) a decision was made that the nature and content of the deliverable 1.2 would be modified: instead of a “Second special report for the EU-Russia S&T Committee”, the deliverable would be a short hand-out paper, containing information on EU-Russian STI cooperation opportunities, to be disseminated broadly. The overall objective of the new format of the document was to disseminate information about cooperation opportunities to relevant actors within the EU Framework Programme Horizon 2020 as well as about cooperation opportunities within the Russian Federal Targeted Programme (FTP) Research and Development and thus to increase the number of EU-Russian STI cooperation projects. A special focus is given in the document on support available in Russia for participation in Horizon 2020. The hand-out was disseminated broadly in July 2015 (e.g. on the website of the EU Delegation to the Russian Federation, website of the Russian Ministry of Education and Science, as well as on various information platforms and to the applicants to the ERA.Net RUS Plus calls 2014). It was officially submitted in November 2015.Upon request from the European Commission, the project organised the EU-Russia STI Cooperation Forum as the closing event of the EU-Russia Year of Science (YoS), entitled “EU-Russia STI collaboration: Good practice examples from the Year of Science and beyond – closing event of the EU-Russia Year of Science 2014” on 24-25 November 2014 in Brussels. (On details about the YoS: see below the description of WP6). The event gathered nearly 100 participants, both from Russia (60%) and Europe (40%), mainly policy-makers and research representatives. The event featured 5 high-level speeches from policy-makers (EU, Russia, EU MS) on different perspectives about the achievements of the Year of Science, and was the occasion to display 4 success stories from the EU-Russia Year of Science and 5 successful examples of EU-Russia collaboration cases. A highlight of the Forum was also the presentation of Horizon 2020, Federal Targeted Programme (FTP) and synergies between the EU and Russian programmes, and of the co-funding mechanism of Russian-European science and technology cooperation in Horizon 2020, the new procedure made public for the first time. The report of the event was submitted as deliverable 1.4 “EU-Russia S+I Cooperation Forum”.In direct line with the above mentioned activities in the context of deliverable 1.4 and further complemented by a survey and other methodological tools, a report was submitted in August 2015 as deliverable 1.3 entitled: „Second special (input) report for SFIC and the Russian Ministry of Education and Science (MON) on coordinated EU, EU Member States and Associated countries–Russia funding approaches of RDI cooperation“. The report was reviewed by the External Review Panel (established by the project under WP4, Task 4.3) which qualified the input-paper as “a unique overview on EU-Russia relations in particular on the current bilateral cooperation in the fields of research and technology development cooperation”. With this report, the project team replied positively to a need expressed by SFIC and MON, and the report is further dedicated to governmental and non-governmental organisations which finance and/or manage STI funding programmes in EU MS/AC and Russia. The report describes the present status of EU-Russia STI cooperation with a main focus on joint funding instruments implemented at different levels, and their level of coordination and synergy, based on literature analysis, survey analysis and further enhanced by interviews. The survey relevant for this report was elaborated and launched by the project and collected answers from 38 main RDI programmes owners in EU MS/AC and Russia (out of 75 contacted) on a broad range of aspects of STI cooperation. This was a follow-up to a previous survey conducted in 2010 in the context of the FP7 CSA ERA.Net RUS project on the same topic which allowed a comparison of results in the report. This report finally provides recommendations for further coordination and synergy of joint funding instruments, taking into account existing cooperation and interests and feedback of programme owners on both sides. The report was first disseminated in an intermediary version in June 2015 to the JSTCC and further disseminated in November 2015 as an input to the SFIC and to additional audiences (e.g. European Science Counsellors in Russia, EU MS/AC and Russian programme owners, and participants in the closing event of the Year of Science).Pursuing the general objective of identifying and promoting bilateral RDI programmes relevant to cooperation with Russia, and also to allowing a better identification of synergies between EU Member States and Associated Countries’ programmes towards Russia, an online inventory was elaborated which contains information on concrete programmes from MS and AC and Russia, as well as information on Horizon 2020 and the Russian Federal Targeted Programmes relevant to bilateral cooperation. The online inventory is hosted on the common umbrella web portal for BILAT projects (www.bilat.eu). The activity started in the first project period with information gathering, based also on data from the ERA-NET and BILAT-RUS projects and research on existing EU Members States’ programmes and approaches. It was then published in a first version in May 2014, and updated in May-October 2015. In October 2015, a supplementary work was made to update the inventory with information coming from the work done on Deliverable 1.3 with the results of the survey launched and disseminated amongst programme owners in EU MS/AC and Russia which also helped identifying such programmes across Europe. As a result, additional programmes supporting EU-Russia research and innovation cooperation could be integrated in the database and the number of programmes is now around 50. The inventory was previously considered as D1.3 but was changed in agreement with the European Commission into an activity.The outcomes of activities of former task 1.1 on Bilateral S&T policy dialogue support have been discussed during the project’s final meeting in Bonn, October 2015. The discussion during this meeting resulted in a “recommendation paper” about ways to further enhance EU-Russian STI collaboration in the future that was distributed to the EC, the EU Delegation to the Russian Federation as well as the SFIC Working Group on Russia. The “recommendation paper” provides advice on improving EU-Russian STI cooperation in the realm of funding, knowledge/information sharing and with regard to further activities. On the basis of the expertise gathered in WP 1, the brochure “Best practice on S&T priorities setting in the EU and Russia” has been published – both in Russian and English languages. The brochure contains a general description of the following aspects: STI priorities types and their implication in S&T and innovation policy, information on STI priorities in the EU (R&D Framework programmes FP7, Horizon 2020. Technology platforms), STI priorities of several EU Member States (UK, Germany, France, Finland, and others) and their implications for technological forecast systems, STI priorities of Russia, and EU-Russia cooperation in priority fields of S&T development. The brochure, published in December 2015 will be disseminated among the EU and Russian audience on the occasion of international events, via the EU Delegation in Moscow, other EU MS offices in Moscow, mailing via the project partners, etc. The electronic version of the brochure was posted on the web portal S&T Gate RUS and other relevant web-sites.Furthermore, the project has contributed actively to the EU-Russian STI policy dialogue, namely by taking part in the discussions of the “Task Force” of the JSTCC and also by providing input for the discussion. The project team of WP1 has also actively taken part in activities of the SFIC Working Group on Russia, providing input and organisational support. Thus, members of the project team have participated in the meetings of the Working Group. Amongst others, the Working Group received support of project members in the workshop “Internationalisation of the European Research Area: Towards a Common European Approach in STI Cooperation with Russia” (Berlin, October 2014), notably contributing to the “Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda” that is in the state of being developed.1.1.3.2 WP2: Endorsing research in innovation cooperation: Promoting and supporting cooperation opportunitiesA) OverviewWork package leader of WP2 was HSE. The main objective of WP2 was to contribute towards awareness raising for cooperation opportunities through and beyond FP7 and Horizon 2020. It aimed to raise each other’s awareness for EU and Russia STI cooperation potentials and foster partnering at individual researchers´, teams´ and institutional level with close cooperation with industrial sector and SMEs. Its final objective was to promote the STI potential of Russia and the EU as well as to foster EU-Russian contacts and joint activities in STI, and to facilitate the integration of Russian and EU STI communities. WP2 consisted of three tasks as follows:• Task 2.1 Promotion of access opportunities for European researchers in Russia• Task 2.2 Information, brokerage and twinning events• Task 2.3 Feasibility study Joint European STI Liaison Office in the Russian FederationB) Progress and achievementsTask 2.1 Promotion of access opportunities for European researchers in RussiaThe main objective of the task was raising awareness of EU researchers on access opportunities to Russian STI programmes, including conditions and rules for participation. To achieve this objective, the following activities have been undertaken:A specific BILAT-RUS-Advanced website (www.bilat-rus.eu) has been created under the umbrella of a common BILAT web portal (www.bilat.eu). For more information about the project website including website statistics see below section on task 4.1 Outreach.The existing web-portal “S&T Gate RUS.EU” (www.st-gaterus.eu) has been maintained and updated with information about access opportunities for EU researchers to Russian STI programmes on the following items:• Documents regulating international S&T activity of the Russian Federation;• Documents regulating international S&T activity of the European Union of relevant for Russia;• Agreements of relevance for EU-Russia S&T collaboration;• Bilateral Agreements between the Russian Federation and the Member States of the European Union;• Documents on science and innovation landscape in the Russian Federation;• Documents on S&T policy issues in the Russian Federation;• Inventory on governmental programmes and programme owners for cooperation of Russia and Europe;• Inventory on non-governmental programmes and programme owners (e.g. independent organisations) for cooperation of Russia and Europe;• Link guide for web-resources for cooperation of Russian and Europe.During the whole project period, this information has been updated 30 times, including information about:• 178 documents regulating international S&T activity of the Russian Federation,• 2 agreements of relevance for EU-Russia STI collaboration,• 5 documents on science and innovation landscape in the Russian Federation,• 4 documents on S&T policy issues in the Russian Federation,• 33 new calls of governmental programmes,• 1 new call of non-governmental programme,• 24 links for web-resources for cooperation of Russia and Europe,• 281 events targeting EU-Russian S&T cooperation.This information, as far as relevant, was published on the web-portal “S&T Gate RUS.EU”.A presentation of Russian programmes supporting mobility of researchers was given by HSE at the EU-Russia Mobility Forum that took place within EU-Russia Year of Science on 25 September 2014 in Brussels. A presentation of Russia’s key programmes and initiatives supporting researcher mobility was given by HSE at the meeting of the Joint EU-Russia S&T Cooperation Committee (JSTCC) on 19 June 2015 in Brussels. Many other events and occasions have been used to disseminate relevant information. For more information about the web portal including website statistics see below section on task 4.1 Outreach.Task 2.2 Information, brokerage and twinning eventsThe main objective of the Task was promoting the STI potential of Russia and the EU to the best scientists and organisations as well as information dissemination on FP7 results and opportunities of FP7 and Horizon 2020 through information days in Russia and brokerage events which were planned to implement within the official information days/proposer days organized by the European Commission. To achieve this objective the following number of information and brokerage activities have been implemented:In total, 15 information and twinning events were organised or co-organised. More than 500 representatives of Russian and EU research and innovation organisations attended these events. About 60 brokerage meetings were held. It has lead to nine (at least) preliminary agreements for future cooperation like organising of joint events or discussion of project proposals. These activities have been summarised in deliverable 2.1 “Information days” and in deliverable 2.2 “Brokerage events”.Task 2.3 Feasibility study Joint European STI Liaison Office in the Russian FederationThis task examined the operational feasibility and requirements of establishing a Joint European Science, Technology and Innovation Office (abbreviated in the following JELO) in Russia. A JELO is supposed to be a common representation of European organisations funding and performing research and innovation. The task has addressed two main issues:• A survey amongst scientific organisations and research funding agencies, questioning the possible intention and prospects of taking part in a JELO in Russia.• A desk study on the establishment of a STI Joint European Liaison Office in the Russian Federation.In order to analyse the operational feasibility and requirements for the establishment of a JELO a survey addressing the current type, scale, scope and structure of existing STI representations in Russia was undertaken. The survey aimed to highlight both the benefits, and the shortcomings associated with the potential establishment of a joint European office, which might include also already existing representations. The survey has been developed through the involvement of partners of existing Bilateral Projects. The target group of survey respondents included European Research Organisations, Research Funding Agencies, Universities, University Associations, SMEs, Clusters, and/or Technology Transfer Offices. The desired number of responses varied from 1-2 organisations per each smaller EU country, and 3-5 for larger EU members. As a first step, the European research organisations were contacted via e-mail and were asked to fill in the online questionnaire. For countries where the response rate was too low, a telephone contact was established with the relevant organisations in order to encourage their participation in the online survey. The survey gathered 94 active participants, corresponding roughly to 15% of the overall contacts originally established. From a total of 94 organisations filling in the questionnaire on establishing JELOs, 75 were public and 19 private, bringing the public/private ratio to 4:1. The Research and Innovation Institutions which participated in the survey and have a major interest for the establishment of a JELO in Russia are distributed according to the following pattern: Applied research (71%), basic research (63%) and innovation activities (56%), followed by experimental development (36%), research management (35%), transnational research (31%), research funding (26%) and other types of activities not falling under the previous categories (10%). This pattern was included in the report to highlight which organisations and related STI components could be interested in the establishment of a JELO in Russian Federation.An integration report (deliverable 2.3) was established (2015), containing a feasibility study that discussed the question of whether and how a JELO may be established in the Russian Federation. The report was based on the survey described above, on desk research, on interviews with already established liaison offices in Russia (e.g. CNRS, DFG, etc.). The study provided an analysis and suggestions on the operational feasibility and requirements for the establishment of such a Joint STI European Liaison Office in the Russian Federation.Given the challenging situation for establishing offices of foreign institutions in Russia, the study suggested the following approach:• Quick start option: in a first ramp-up phase for such a JELO, it is suggested to place one additional staff member with the EU delegation, supporting the S&T Councillor. This person should take care of core JELO tasks, such as coordinating the research and research funding organisations already represented in Russia, being a contact point for organisations not yet represented in Russia, facilitating contacts for those organisations to Russian authorities and similar Russian organisations (research and innovation performers and funders). The JELO ramp-up phase tasks should also include preparing the establishing of a separate JELO entity, which will not be linked anymore directly to the EU delegation, and which will include more staff and a more comprehensive task list.• A virtual approach to JELO: to avoid legal problems and get things quickly started, it could be considered that such a liaison office will be hosted by one or more Russian institutions.• At a later stage and given the ramp-up phase will be successful, a full independent office can be considered, which could include 4 staff for covering activities such as outreach, dissemination of information on research and innovation cooperation, etc.1.1.3.3 WP3: Fostering innovation: Paving the way for sustainable EU-Russian cooperation towards the utilization of R&D resultsA) OverviewWork package leader of WP3 was RTTN. The main objective of this Work Package 3 was to establish tools and measures for sustainable EU-Russian cooperation in the realm of innovation. Activities have been based on an analysis of how EU-Russian research cooperation through FP7 and other measures have contributed to the utilization of research and development results. Further, the Russian innovation system and its framework conditions have been analysed. On the basis of this analysis recommendations for the utilization of research and development results have been given. Finally, measures have been taken to support the integration of Russian innovation actors in established European innovation networks.WP3 consisted of three tasks as follows:• Task 3.1 Analysis of the evolution of EU-Russia STI cooperation: FP7 and other programmes and their impact on innovation and scientific excellence• Task 3.2 Paving the way for the utilization of common R&D results• Task 3.3 Integration of Russian innovation actors into European networksB) Progress and achievementsTask 3.1 Analysis of the evolution of EU-Russia STI cooperation: FP7 and other programmes and their impact on innovation and scientific excellenceThe main objective of the Task was to provide an analysis of how EU-Russian research cooperation through FP7 and other measures have contributed to the utilization of research and development results. As a first step, the relevant database has been analysed in order to identify all Russian participants and coordinators within FP7 projects and the corresponding data. On that base it has been possible to elaborate a first statistical outline on the Russian participation within FP7. Furthermore, the necessary contact details for the envisaged online survey have been made available. In a further step, an online survey has been finalised, after having been jointly developed by the project team. The online survey has been implemented by a special IT tool of the Higher School of Economics. From May until mid of June 2014 the online questionnaire has been tested several times and adapted regarding the arisen complications. The survey has been launched on 18 June 2014 and has been closed on 1 September 2014. The participation to the online survey was satisfying with 90 responses; the response rate was 14%. Starting with the evaluation of the results of the online survey, HSE analysed the results for the Russian experts and ZENIT analysed the results for the EU experts. Subsequently the results have been merged and consolidated into one report. Out of the online questionnaire the team received the contact details of interested experts for the telephone interviews. An interview guideline has been developed within the task 3.1-team and in total twelve interviews have been conducted between December 2014 and February 2015 (six with Russian experts and six with experts from the EU). The interviews have deepened the insight into the cooperation activities, which the project consortium has already gathered through the online analysis. On this basis, the networking guide 2nd edition has been produced and published in 2015 both in English and Russian as a part of deliverable 3.1 which also includes the detailed report on analysis of the evolution of EU-RUS STI cooperation based on survey and interviews. Moreover, other activities of the project (beyond Task 3.1) have been used as a source of info for the new Guide (e.g. Task 3.3). The guide is available in both versions (English and Russian) on the project website.Task 3.2 Paving the way for the utilization of common R&D resultsThe task aimed at studying the Russian innovation system, analysing support measures, innovation infrastructures and framework conditions for innovation. This concerned innovation support measures, such as funding instruments of FASIE, the Russian Venture Company, innovation infrastructures such as Technology Transfer Offices and Networks, Technology Platforms, Innovative Regions, Skolkovo Hightech Centre, Innovative Regional Clusters and Special Economic Zones. Framework conditions for innovation activities were also studied. The overall objective was to support an integrated approach for bringing the results of common R&D or innovation projects to the market. On this basis guidelines for facilitating the utilisation of results of R&D projects between EU MS/AC and Russia have been developed. As a result of these activities, deliverable 3.2 “Guide on Innovation Stimulation Instruments of the Russian Federation” has been prepared and published. The guide presents in one-page table overviews, the key information on the main Russian innovation support instruments, and on EU innovation support (e.g. EUREKA, EEN) relevant for innovation cooperation with Russia. The guide provides an overview of the current status of the Russian innovation system as an introduction. This format enables distributing information on Russian innovation instruments, which have been introduced in particular in the last years and which are not yet well known among EU and Russian research partners. The guide provides information on the type of innovation support, aim/mission of the instrument, the kind of support available, and contact details. The draft of the guide underwent a quality control by the External Review Panel. Moreover, changes among the status and tasks of innovation instruments which took place inside Russia (e.g. change of status of RFTR) had to be taken into consideration and related updates were done. The electronic and printed versions of the guide have been published in summer 2015. Comprehensive dissemination measures were taken: 300 printed versions were distributed among the BILAT-RUS-Advanced project partners, and a contingent of 70 exemplars was sent to the EU Delegation in Moscow. The electronic version was also distributed among the project partners with the aim of further dissemination (websites, mailing to suitable target groups via newsletters, etc.). The guide was disseminated to the ERA.Net RUS Plus Group of Funding Parties, and to all applicants of the ERA.Net RUS Plus calls. The guide is available on the project website.Furthermore under this task, an inventory of rules and regulations (e.g. IPR, import/export rules, employment regulations, or procurement) prepared under the forerunner project BILAT-RUS was updated under the guidance of partner MEPhI. Changes in regulation since 2011 were taken into account. The inventory was published at the BILAT-RUS website.Task 3.3 Integration of Russian innovation actors into European networksThe objective of this task is to provide support for the integration of Russian innovation actors in European networks. The methodology applied was twofold:(1) Identification of relevant innovation actors in Russia (public and private funding agencies, technology transfer centres and incubators, technology platforms, innovation networks)(2) Organization of four Innovation Policy and Practice Workshops between European and Russian innovation actors. The goals of those workshops were (1) to raise the awareness on collaboration potential and their benefits; (2) to present the best practice of EU-Russian collaboration projects regarding their impact on scientific and innovation excellence - as a guide for further developments and as a discussion base; and (3) to encourage practitioners for further cross-border development and innovation and to involve practitioners into the policy discussion. For the implementation, focus areas have been identified; a concept paper for each workshop topic was then developed; relevant innovation actors have been defined separately for each workshop. The following workshops have been successfully organized:• Technology Platforms (20 May 2014, Moscow) • Clusters (1October 2014, Düsseldorf) • Competence Centers (28 May 2015, Moscow)The following workshops have been planned but not organized due to various reasons.• Workshop with TAFTIE Agencies (reason for cancellation: political tensions)• Workshop focusing on EEN (reason for cancellation: The workshop aimed to support EEN proposal development for 2015-2020. However due to a change of structures in EEN, it was not relevant anymore.) The main result of the workshops was the development of a concept for sustainable integration of Russian innovation actors into European networks. This concept has been submitted as deliverable 3.3 in July 2015. It is available on the project website.The concept was based on the following two major components: (1) Improvement of Russian innovation capacity and framework conditions to assure more effective cooperation base(2) Better utilization of existing networksThus, the most important aspects of the concept are the following recommendations:1. Development of the framework conditions to nurture innovation: The innovation focus of HORIZON 2020 is a new opportunity for Russian policy makers and innovation actors, as they aim to increase their innovation capacity at the national level. Attention must be given to the following framework conditions: • improving conditions of regulatory and business environments • promotion of human capital (including industry-academia cooperation) • improving market conditions, research and development capacities and infrastructures • increasing innovation output Without any substantial improvement in these framework conditions in Russia cooperation with Europe will be limited on a project base and not create and visible impact on the society.• Support for Bilateral Programmes: Science and technology agreements between universities and agencies can have a positive effect on improvement of the framework conditions. Therefore their internationalization must be encouraged and supported.2. Better utilization of existing networks: • The changing role of NCPs in the HORIZON 2020 should be considered by Russia. NCPs should not only be limited to promotion of their specific field, but should be rather widely covering various cross-cutting horizontal issues such as innovation, SMEs, transnational programmes and international cooperation. Horizontal issues should be added to their areas of responsibility in order to have better coordination among them, better knowledge management and to provide more comprehensive consultancies and guidance to researchers and companies. Russian NCPs are recommended to view these new structures and adapt the most suitable ones for them• Knowledge and expertise gain by the Russian EEN consortia in the past should be used and further developed throughout Russia, covering all major S&T active regions that provide high potential. Policy makers should promote EEN activities in Russia at the regional level in order to foster regional innovation capacity of the SMEs through business and technological cooperation as well as through strong support services.• Interest from the governmental side to Eureka network should be regenerated in order to foster the internationalization of activities of Russian innovation actors with Europe especially in the market oriented research and technology development where Russia needs to put more focus on. Further recommendations are:• Active participation in Transnational Programmes and shaping the STI landscape and resources in Europe by aligning the national programmes.• Clusters and Competence Centers should be seen as good and widely used examples of industry-academia cooperation in Europe and to some extend in Russia.• Technology Platforms are good examples of public private partnerships in driving innovation, knowledge transfer and European competitiveness by focusing on advancing technology in specific fields. However, cooperation so far does not work well. It is recommended to conduct a review and assessment on Russian TPs considering the Strategy for European Technology Platforms: ETP 2020 as a guiding document.1.1.3.4 WP4: Outreach and coordination with related projectsA) OverviewWork package leader of WP4 was DLR. The main objective of this Work Package 4 was to systematically inform about the project and its results, relating and harmonising activities with that of other relevant actors and using external advice for the highest possible quality of its results. In order to optimally support the implementation of the EU-Russia Year of Science 2014 (YoS), communication and information activities of this work package have been reoriented and focused on the YoS during its lifetime. In this period, it was the main task to disseminate information about the YoS and its results. Dissemination activities regarding the project itself have been reduced accordingly.WP4 consisted of three tasks as follows:• Task 4.1 Outreach• Task 4.2 Coordination with other FP7 or thematically related projects• Task 4.3 External Review Panel / Advisory BoardB) Progress and achievementsTask 4.1 OutreachThe implementation of the project’s awareness rising and dissemination strategy was objective of this task. It was to be ensured that the results of all relevant project activities were distributed to its respective target groups. For this, the new version of the project website (www.bilat-rus.eu) was launched in December 2013. The existing S&T Gate RUS.EU web portal (www.st-gaterus.eu) has been maintained and operated by the project continuously. A summary of activities concerning the website und web portal was submitted as deliverable 4.1 in May 2014. The website will be operated also after the end of the project. During the project lifetime, there have been 4.300 visits to the project website. The S&T Gate RUS.EU web portal will also be operated after the end of the project. During the whole project period, there have been 7.500 visits to the S&T Gate RUS.EU web portal. During the whole project life time, seven editions of the “S&T Gate RUS.EU” e-newsletters have been published (and submitted as deliverable 4.2). All editions of the newsletter can be found as separate documents on the project website (section “documents”). The newsletters have been distributed via the project’s web-portal and related websites of the project’s partners (as e.g. on the website of HSE http://fp7.hse.ru/mobility/news/120513933.html or the Regional information portal www.ric.vsu.ru). Apart of this, the following other central elements of the project’s awareness rising and dissemination strategy have been implemented in this task:• Dissemination of project related information via the Regional information portal (http://www.ric.vsu.ru). Use of relevant information of the Regional information portal for the project website and the S&T Gate.RUS.EU web-portal.• Project news – during the EU-Russia Year of Science 2014 (YoS) mainly news regarding the YoS activities – have also been published via www.Kooperation-International.de.• Translation of relevant project documents or executive summaries into Russian. Amongst others, the translation of the English versions of the two YoS-booklets were implemented in task 4.1.• Promoting the YoS and its events on HSE web portals (www.hse.ru; http://issek.hse.ru/ http://fp.hse.ru/).• Disseminating information on open calls for proposals in Horizon 2020 among HSE’s subscribers.• Posting Horizon 2020 news and announcements on the HSE web-site http://fp.hse.ru/. Task 4.2 Coordination with other FP7 or thematically related projectsThis originally planned task was deleted (during the first reporting period) in order to re-focus resources for the implementation of the EU-Russia Year of Science. Task 4.3: External Review Panel / Advisory BoardAn External Review Panel (three persons) was established in the first year of the project. The following deliverables have been defined for being reviewed by the External Review Panel:• Del. 1.3 Second special (input) report for SFIC and the Russian Ministry of Education and Science (MON) on coordinated EU, EU Member States and Associated countries–Russia funding approaches of RDI cooperation• Del. 2.3 Feasibility study for a joint European STI Liaison Office in the Russian Federation (due month 24)• Del. 3.1 Guide “Networking and communication in international STI projects” (due month 27)• Del. 3.2 Guide for utilization of results of joint STI projects (due month 20)• Del. 3.3 Concept for sustainable integration of Russian innovation actors into European networks (due month 30)These deliverables have been reviewed by the ERP. The results have been fixed down in separate review documents. The feedback from the ERP has been taken into consideration in order to enhance the quality of the respective deliverables.The members of the External Review Panel were:• Irina Dezhina (SkolTech; formerly Head of the Economics of Science and Innovations Division at the Institute of World Economy and International Relations of the Russian Academy of Sciences)• Peter Mayr (Austrian Council for Research and Technology Development)• Leopoldo Stefanutti (SunDrone Project promoter; Institute for Applied Optics, National Research Council (IFAC-CNR), Florence)An Advisory Board (at first seven, after October 2013 seven persons) was established in the first year of the project. The Advisory Board was responsible for continuously monitoring the activities of the project. The detailed responsibilities have been described in a special document “terms of reference”. This document had been prepared prior to the kick-off meeting of the project in November 2012. The members of the Advisory Board were appointed by the project during the kick-off meeting and for one additional candidate by e-mail voting in January/February 2013. A further candidate was appointed in October 2013. The Advisory Board started its work with a telephone conference in March 2013. Since then, a second meeting of the Advisory Board was held in connection with the project’s General Assembly meeting in Athens in October 2013 (partly as a video conference). The Advisory Board included representatives of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation and the German Ministry of Education and Research. Apart of that, leading Russian and European scientists have been members of the Advisory Board, as well as representatives of Russian and European business.1.1.3.5 WP5: Project ManagementA) OverviewWork package leader of WP5 was DLR. The main objectives of this Work Package 5 were to organise and coordinate project activities, to assure an effective information flow, to provide a smooth interface between the individual work packages and to ensure the proper implementation of the work packages and corresponding tasks. Further objectives were to execute the overall legal, financial and administrative management, to provide the optimum implementation of the contract.WP5 consisted of two tasks as follows:• Task 5.1 Coordination of project activities• Task 5.2 Organisation and implementation of annual Project Assembly MeetingsB) Progress and achievementsTask 5.1 Coordination of project activitiesThe coordinator DLR was in charge of the general administrative, legal and financial management of BILAT-RUS-Advanced (WP 5). DLR was the intermediate between the project consortium and the European Commission. Following duties were carried out:Project implementation• Monitoring of the project progress according to the contractual obligations and schedule (deliverables, milestones)• Ensuring quality assurance of the deliverables• Maintaining an up-to-date directory of the consortium partners• Preparation and presentation of management reports to the Commission (with the contribution of all consortium partners)Financial management• Management of funds• Distribution of funds among contractors in accordance with the consortium agreement and the decisions of the Project Assembly• The collection of cost-statements from partnersModeration of communication and decision- making processes• Proactive internal communication managementTask 5.2 Organisation and implementation of annual Project Assembly MeetingsThe Project Assembly has met four times during the project lifetime: Kick-off meeting in Moscow (November 2012), meetings in Athens (October 2013) and Nice (October 2014), as well as a final meeting in Bonn (October 2015). The first three meetings have been reported as deliverable 5.1. The meetings have been vital occasions to discuss and decide upon the implementation of the project activities. The final conference has additionally been used to discuss the course of the project implementation and to prepare a document (“recommendation paper”) with concrete recommendations on EU-Russian STI cooperation. This document has been provided to the EC, the EU Delegation to the Russian Federation as well as the SFIC Working Group on Russia.1.1.3.6 WP6: Supporting the EU-Russian Year of Science 2014 (YoS)A) OverviewWork package leader of WP6 was DLR. The objectives of this work package 6 were planning, organising and implementing of the EU-Russian Year of Science 2014 (YoS). The idea of an EU-Russia Year of Science was informally discussed at the Joint EU-Russia S&T Committee Meeting in July 2012. It was positively welcomed by the Russian side, as well as, subsequently, by representatives of Member States. It was then put on the agenda of the EU-Russia Summit in December 2012, formally endorsed by EU and Russian leaders, and included in the Summit Report. With a letter written on 20 March 2013, the EU-Commission has asked the project to take over responsibility for conceptualising, preparing and implementing the EU-Russia Year of Science 2014 (November 2013 – November 2014). Accordingly, the Description of Work of the project was changed, and the activities to serve as a “Secretariat” for the YoS have been fixed in the new Work Package No. 6. After a request by the EU-Commission, the Description of Work was again adjusted in early 2014, with more resources being concentrated in WP6.With more than 170 joint European-Russian events having taken place all over Europe and Russia throughout the year, the Year of Science has succeeded to highlight the diversity and richness of links in research, innovation and higher education between the EU, its Member States and the Russian Federation. These events have provided an opportunity for individual researchers, enterprises, laboratories, research and higher education institutions to present their scientific achievements as well as to submit their ideas for future projects to a broader public. As a result, many new long-term arrangements between European and Russian researchers have been established, promising a bright future for cooperation between the EU and Russia in the areas of science, technology, higher education and innovation.WP6 consisted of two tasks as follows:• Task 6.1 Management and Coordination of the YoS (‘Secretariat’)• Task 6.2 Communication and OutreachB) Progress and achievementsTask 6.1 Management and Coordination of the YoS (“Secretariat”)In close cooperation with the EU-Commission, the project has contributed to the conceptualisation, planning and implementation of the YoS. Starting with a first meeting with the EU-Commission in early May 2013, the project has participated in various meetings of the YoS Steering Board. Also, the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), being part of the BILAT-RUS-Advanced Advisory Board, has actively contributed with advice for the conceptualisation of the YoS. Within task 6.1 the “Secretariat” coordinated the process of evaluating and selecting applications of external events in order to be included into the official calendar of YoS-events. All in all, more than 170 events have been registered via the YoS-website. The maintenance of the YoS-calendar was also the responsibility of the project within task 6.1.Task 6.2 Communication and OutreachWithin this task, the project has participated in a series of activities that make up the core of the YoS. Thus, the project has contributed to the YoS in the following way: • Developing a YoS-logo and a YoS-website. The project has coordinated the selection process of the YoS-logo with the YoS Steering Group. The first version of the website has gone online in early September 2013. The full version has gone online in late November, shortly prior to the opening events of the YoS. The project was responsible for the maintenance and up-dating of the website during the whole YoS. During the lifespan of the YoS, there have been around 27.500 visits to the YoS website.• The process of assessing the involvement of a professional media agency was supported by the project upon request of the EU Commission (finally it has been decided note to involve such a media agency). • The project has established a bilingual YoS-Brochure of 35 pages that was published in time before the opening events of the YoS.• The project has established a bilingual YoS booklet on the results of the YoS (deliverable 6.2) that was published in time before the closing event of the YoS, during which it was disseminated to participants. A second version including descriptions of all events that have taken place during the YoS has been published in 2015. The booklet has been printed and distributed in 600 copies. It has also been distributed broadly in an electronic version.• The project has actively participated in the preparation of the opening events of the YoS in late November 2013 in Moscow. This included the invitation management (supporting the Russian organisers and the organisers from the ERA.Net RUS and ERA.Net RUS Plus projects).• The project has actively participated in the preparation of the closing event of the YoS in late November 2014 in Brussels with nearly 100 participants. The event was organised within task 1.2 (regarding the closing event cf. WP 1, task 1.2 deliverable 1.4). This final event was the occasion to highlight the achievements of the EU-Russia Year of Science, present good practice from the areas of mutually beneficial cooperation and finally illustrate the potential for Science, Technology and Innovation cooperation in the future. Potential Impact:The project BILAT-RUS-Advanced has succeeded in promoting and strengthening the science-, technology- and innovation (STI) cooperation between the Russian Federation and the European Union. The project has supported the bilateral STI policy dialogue between Russia and the EU Member States (MSs) and Associated Countries (ACs). It has promoted bilateral cooperation opportunities to the best scientists and organisations by increasing the awareness on FP7 cooperation opportunities. With the active support of BILAT-RUS-Advanced, the EU-Russia Year of Science 2014 was successfully prepared and implemented, making it an important sign of good EU-Russian cooperation in times of difficult political relations. With its specific focus on “innovation”, the project has furthermore contributed to the strengthening of economic ties and technological cooperation between Europe and Russia. BILAT-RUS-Advanced has given both practical support and analytical input to the bilateral STI policy dialogue between Russia, the EU, and the EU MSs and ACs. Thus, the project has provided analytical input to the EU-Russia Joint S&T Cooperation Committee (JSTCC), including recommendations on how to support an effective implementation of existing collaboration instruments during the first two years of Horizon 2020 and the Russian Federal Programme in Research and Development (JSTCC meeting of June 2013). Throughout the whole project lifetime, the BILAT-RUS¬-Advanced team has been in close contact with relevant actors from the EU-Commission and the Russian Ministry of Education and Science, following and contributing to the discussion on how to organise and promote practical cooperation opportunities for Russian and European researchers and innovation actors within Horizon 2020. Recommendations on topics of mutual interest in selected areas in order to strengthen EU-Russia cooperation in Horizon 2020 have also been given by the project. The practical and analytical support provided to the Year of Science 2014-Steering Group, to the “Task Force” of the EU-Russian Joint S&T Cooperation Committee as well as to the SFIC Working Group on Russia has helped to continue the political STI dialogue in times of political tensions between Russia and the EU.BILAT-RUS-Advanced has also provided a unique overview on existing EU-Russia relations, in particular on the current bilateral cooperation in the fields of research and technology development cooperation. With the intention to foster cooperation and coordination in funding-activities between the EU, EU MSs and ACs and Russia, the project described the present status of EU-Russia STI cooperation with a main focus on joint funding instruments implemented at different levels, and their level of coordination and synergy. On this basis, the project has also given recommendations for further coordination and synergy of joint funding instruments, taking into account existing cooperation and interests and feedback of programme owners on both sides. A report containing this analysis and these recommendations was disseminated in 2015 to the JSTCC, to SFIC and to additional audiences (e.g. European Science Counsellors in Russia, EU MS/AC and Russian programme owners, and participants in the closing event of the Year of Science).A specific set of recommendations of BILAT-RUS-Advanced resulted from a discussion on occasion of the project’s final meeting in October 2015. Summing up the analytical work of the whole project, advice on improving EU-Russian STI cooperation in the realm of funding, knowledge/information sharing and with regard to further activities was directed to the EU-Commission, the EU Delegation to the Russian Federation as well as to the SFIC Working Group on Russia. Beyond its impact on the level of political dialogue and coordination of EU MS/AC cooperation activities, a specific focus of the project has been to support researchers and innovation actors in Europe and Russia concerning practical cooperation. This impact has been achieved through the project’s various information and dissemination activities (print and web-based information provision, information and brokerage activities). It is hard to measure the impact of these activities in concrete numbers of cooperation projects. More so, because the change from FP7 to Horizon 2020 and the new status of Russian cooperation (as not being any more funded “automatically”) within the framework programme has resulted in a considerable amount of uncertainty within the researcher community. Against this background, which was further aggravated by the difficult political climate, the project’s impact on cooperation should not be underestimated. In other words, the project has helped to maintain a high level of cooperation in a general context that has not always been ideal during the period of the project lifetime. The same is true for the project’s activities specifically targeted at raising the awareness of European researchers and innovation actors for cooperation opportunities within Russia and funded by Russian programmes.A unique measure to highlight the value and prospects of European-Russian STI cooperation was implemented with the EU-Russia Year of Science (YoS) that was supported decisively by the project. Whilst the impact of the YoS as such resulted in raising the awareness about the achievements and future possibilities of cooperation – both on the political level and on the level of concrete cooperation – the project played an important role in conceptualising and implementing this series of EU-Russian events. Thus, what concerns the YoS, the impact of the project has been decisive, putting the idea of an EU-Russian Year of Science into reality. BILAT-RUS-Advanced has devoted considerable attention to the challenge of endorsing EU-Russian cooperation in the field of innovation. Activities have been based on an analysis of how EU-Russian research cooperation through FP7 and other measures have contributed to the utilization of research and development results. Further, the Russian innovation system and its framework conditions have been analysed. On the basis of this analysis recommendations for the utilization of research and development results have been given. Finally, analytical work has been done regarding the integration of Russian innovation actors in established European innovation networks. It is expected that these steps will have a positive impact on EU-Russian innovation cooperation, even in times in which economic cooperation is negatively influence by political relations. BILAT-RUS-Advanced has shown impact on different levels:• At EU level, it has supported the further development of a structured, sustainable and long-lasting framework of EU-Russia cooperation in S&T.• At Member State/Accession Country level, it has offered information on cooperation opportunities. Also, it has provided input that should be used to establish further coordination and to use synergies in funding cooperation with Russia.• At Russian level, it has provided advice and support for future cooperation between Member States and Russia; also it has endorsed Russian participation in the framework programme.• At the level of the international dimension of the ERA, it has helped to open up the ERA to the world and to strengthen European research by maintaining strong links between the EU and Russia. It has provided input for the debates in the European Strategic Forum for International Cooperation (SFIC).List of Websites:Consortium members:1. German Aerospace Centre (DLR), Germany 2. Institution of the Russian Academy of Sciences, A.N. Bach Institute of Biochemistry of RAS (INBI RAS), Russia 3. The European Science Foundation (ESF), France4. The Foundation for Assistance to Small Innovative Enterprises (FASIE), Russia5. Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG) / Division of European & International Programmes, Austria6. HELP-FORWARD (FORTH), Greece7. State University – Higher School of Economics (HSE), Russia8. International Centre for innovation in Science, Technology and Education (ICISTE)9. inno TSD, France10. National Nuclear Research University (MEPhI), Russia11. National University of Science and Technology (MISIS), Russia 12. Russian Technology Transfer Network (RTTN), Russia 13. Tomsk Polytechnic University (TPU), Russia14. Voronezh State University (VSU)15. Centre for Innovation and Technology in NRW (ZENIT), Germany16. Centre for Social Innovation (ZSI/ZSI GMBH), AustriaContact information:Coordinator:Dr. Kirsten KienzlerHead of Unit CIS StatesGerman Aerospace Center (DLR)Project Management Agency European and International CooperationInternational BureauHeinrich-Konen-Str. 153227 Bonn, GermanyPhone: +49 228 3821-1458Fax: +49 228 3821-1400Email: Kirsten.Kienzler@dlr.de Scientific representative of the coordinator:Dr. Jörn GrünewaldGerman Aerospace Center (DLR)Project Management Agency European and International CooperationInternational BureauHeinrich-Konen-Str. 153227 Bonn, GermanyPhone: +49 228 3821-1457Fax: +49 228 3821-1400Email: Joern.Gruenewald@dlr.deProject website: www.bilat-rus.euWeb-portal: www.st-gaterus.eu final1-logo_bilat_rus_advanced.jpg Powiązane dokumenty final1-logo_final_jpg.ppt final1-bilat-rus_advanced_final_report_2015-12-21.pdf
