From alignment to participation
A key outcome highlighted in Tirana is the transition from policy alignment to active participation. The WB are not only adapting to EU frameworks, but increasingly contributing to shared policy agendas, engaging in Horizon Europe projects and partnerships and building research and innovation ecosystems capable of interacting with EU-level instruments.
Bernhard Fabianek, Policy Officer, Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, European Commission, commented: «POLICY ANSWERS was the oil in the machinery that made possible what ten years ago was unimaginable. EU accession is now on the table. Enlargement is just happening. The integration into the framework programme — I would say it is done».
This evolution is reflected in growing participation rates, improved proposal quality and stronger institutional readiness. In several cases, organisations in the region moved from being project partners to taking on coordination roles, signalling increased maturity of the research and innovation systems.
Policy dialogue and capacity building
A central legacy of POLICY ANSWERS is the establishment of structured and continuous policy dialogue at regional level. The project was instrumental in bringing together ministries and high-level policy actors, facilitating joint priority setting and shifting from fragmented national approaches to a coordinated regional positioning within the ERA, thus enabling common strategic orientations.
The project helped to bridge the gap between policy design and implementation, translate EU-level frameworks into national processes, accompany policy instruments with operational tools and anchor reforms in measurable indicators.
Capacity building emerged as a core transformation mechanism. Across the region, POLICY ANSWERS strengthened skills for proposal development and project implementation, supported the creation of institutional structures such as project management offices and governance mechanisms and improved policy design as well as monitoring and evaluation capacities.
In this context, targeted support to businesses and public institutions contributed to improved access to EU funding, stronger academia-industry collaboration and more effective policy implementation frameworks.
Evidence-based policy-making and integrated ecosystems
The project demonstrated the importance of evidence-based policy-making: through analytical work, policy briefs and monitoring tools, it contributed to better understanding system performance and gaps, enabling more informed decision-making processes.
It supported the development of more integrated ecosystems by fostering dialogue between academia, industry, public administration and civil society, supporting entrepreneurial discovery and promoting cross-sectoral priorities such as green transition, digitalisation and health. This led to the emergence of more structured coordination mechanisms, including quadruple helix approaches and strategic advisory platforms.
At the same time, political reflections highlighted that participation alone is not sufficient. Sustained investment, institutional reforms and stronger national frameworks remain critical to ensure long-term impact.
Looking ahead: continuity and scaling up
The outcomes of POLICY ANSWERS are expected to continue through its successor project POLICY ENLARGE, ensuring continuity of policy dialogue, scaling up of successful instruments and deeper integration into EU research and innovation programmes.
The next phase will focus on consolidating results and accelerating integration pathways, building on the networks, tools and trust established over the past four years. Mina Stareva, Deputy Head of Unit, Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, European Commission, said: «There are lots of challenges but also opportunities in this common journey. By thanking POLICY ANSWERS today I would also like to wish a very impactful and successful collaboration to POLICY ENLARGE in the three years to come».
Watch the full recording of the final event (YouTube).
The event was moderated by the project coordinator Elke Dall (ZSI) and highlighted capacity building activities in the Western Balkans: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia presented by the project partners from the region as well as results from policy dialogue, analytical activities and the project’s pilot programmes through a series of lightning talks. Representatives of the European Commission, Mina Stareva and Bernhard Fabianek, then shared strategic policy insights and lessons from the past period and discussed perspectives for future collaboration. The floor was then opened to cooperation partners and stakeholders from the audience, who created a lively exchange sharing their perspectives. The event closed with an introduction to the follow-up project POLICY ENLARGE, highlighting its objectives, planned activities and anticipated contributions to research and innovation development in the Western Balkans and other enlargement countries.
Read also the interview with POLICY ANSWERS coordinator Elke Dall on the project’s key achievements and lessons learned on the Western Balkans Info Hub: https://westernbalkans-infohub.eu/news/final-project-considerations-an-interview-with-elke-dall-policy-answers-coordinator/
