Peer Review of the Ukrainian system of research and innovation by an international panel of experts under the Policy Support Facility

The Policy Support Facility (PSF) was a tool set up by the European Commission – DG Research & Innovation – under Horizon 2020, the EU’s funding programme for research and innovation (R&I), to support EU Member States and countries associated to Horizon 2020 in improving the design, implementation and evaluation of national R&I policies.

The Peer Reviews of national R&I systems were one of the main services offered by the PSF. Peer Reviews constituted an in-depth assessment of a country’s R&I system carried out by a panel of international experts at the country’s demand. The Panel formulated concrete and operational recommendations to the national authorities on the reforms which were necessary to improve and strengthen the quality of the national R&I system.

In mid-2015, the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine (MESU) approached the European Commission to support an independent Peer Review of the Ukrainian R&I system under the Horizon 2020 Policy Support Facility. This request was presented as an activity “very important for Ukraine to succeed in the improvement of research landscape of Ukraine and reveal the potential of Ukrainian researchers in the future”. DG RTD replied positively to this request on 9 September 2015.

After a series of internal meetings and discussions, the Deputy-Minister of the Ministry of Education and Science, Mr. Strikha, addressed a second letter to Mr. Smits, Director-General of DG RTD, on 16 December 2015, proposing to focus the Peer Review on three areas listed below.

DG RTD replied to this request on 22 January 2016 and agreed to launch intensive preparations in order to start the Ukrainian Peer Review in March 2016.

In the following weeks a Peer Review panel was composed, which began its work by following the standard methodology for conducting Peer Reviews of national R&I systems in the context of the Horizon 2020 Policy Support Facility (PSF).

The panel included five independent experts from Austria, Belgium, Germany, Lithuania, and the Netherlands, acting in their personal capacity and four peer reviewers as policy-makers from Germany, Hungary, Latvia, and the United Kingdom.

The Panel was chaired by Prof. Hans Chang, Former Director, Royal Academy of Sciences of the Netherlands. Rapporteur is Klaus Schuch, scientific director of ZSI.

Aims and focus areas

The aim of the Peer Review was to give external advice and operational recommendations on possible reforms by reflecting the new Law on Scientific and Technical Activity of Ukraine.

At the request of the national authorities, the review focused on the following three focus areas, explicitly mentioned in a letter of Mr. Strikha to Mr. Smits:

(1) Optimization of available policy instruments to support the national research system, including the assessment and advice on the tools introduced by the new Law on Scientific and Technical Activity, mobility of researchers, potential priority research areas.

(2) Internationalisation of research and integration of Ukraine into the European Research Area, including advice on how to better enhance the presence of the Ukrainian scientists and SMEs in the European cooperation schemes.

(3) Role of science in the development of innovation in Ukraine, including advice on how to improve the links between science and business and the innovation system in Ukraine.

Team:

• Mag. Dr. Klaus Schuch (project leader)

Section: Research Policy & Development

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Tags: Eastern Partnership countries, innovation systems analysis, research and innovation policy, Ukraine