Office of Science & Technology: Bridges

bridges -- The OST's Publication on Science & Technology Policy
Vol. 4 -- December 7, 2004
Feature Articles
© OST 2004
http://bridges.ostina.org

by Klaus Schuch

Abstract

After the cessation of violent conflict in the West Balkan region, the international community soon began to support the reform of higher education systems in the region. Modernization of the university structure and teaching was at the center of many initiatives. The Austrian Development Cooperation was among the forerunners in this respect. However, it was some time until attention was directed toward the miserable situation of science and technology (S&T) in the target region. The Ministerial Conference in Thessaloniki in 2003 and the EU-Balkan Countries Action Plan for S&T, which was adopted there, were major milestones in this respect. The Southeast European ERA-NET, initiated by Austria and supported by the European Commission, has been established to add to the Action Plan by emphasizing a better synergy of the existing and planned activities that single EU member states conduct with the West Balkan countries on a bilateral basis.

Status Analysis

The systemic problems that negatively affect the sphere of S&T in most West Balkan countries are connected with

The overdue reform of S&T policy and R&D structures
The revitalization of R&D activities
The internationalization of R&D

As regards (1) the first issue, the major problems are

The disruptive S&T policy formulation processes and the overall marginal status of S&T in governmental policy priorities
The weak policy delivery systems in terms of institutional structures and capacities
The lack of sufficient public budget allocations for R&D
The reform of the university system and the associated allocation struggle
The generation change, related conflicts and the problem of brain drain.

As regards (2) the second issue, the major problems include

The very low industry demand for R&D results
The imbalance between basic and applied research and between disciplinary and interdisciplinary research
The need to improve the knowledge base in the technical disciplines—with a potential for industrial exploitation—as well as in the social sciences and humanities
The deterioration of physical R&D infrastructure.

As regards (3) the third issue, the major problems concern the following:

The marginal position of most West Balkan scientific communities vis-à-vis European scientific communities
The rebuilding of S&T links between the West Balkan countries.

Challenges to Problem Solving

From a system-of-innovation perspective, one has to differentiate the system’s elements (such as “R&D,” “higher education,” “industrial structure,” “finance and banking,” “school education,” “vocational adult education,” etc.) from the connections between them. The quality of the system’s elements varies by country, but the system’s links are too weak everywhere.

During the transition period of the last fifteen years (which was heightened by the armed conflicts, the problem of nation building and the problem of governance), R&D itself became one of the most negatively affected system elements. The research budgets in many of the West Balkan countries are below any critical mass. The modernization of institutions and structures is long overdue. The links to other subsystems, like education or economy, are underdeveloped.

Some of the structural and development-oriented issues mentioned above are being actively tackled by the Austrian Development Agency. This is especially so in terms of the improvement of the university system and its connections with regional economies and labor markets, as well as with international know-how and technology transfer.

As regards the third block of problems mentioned above (i.e., the internationalization of R&D), the Austrian Ministry for Education, Science and Culture has started a new initiative in the field of science. It is targeting the West Balkan countries by contributing to the EU-Balkan Countries Action Plan. This Austrian “West Balkan Initiative” includes, inter alia, the Southeast European ERA-NET (SEE-ERA.NET) and the Austrian Science and Research Liaison Offices (ASOs). The S&T relations between the EU and the West Balkan countries will be a priority topic during the Austrian EU presidency in the first half of 2006.

The Southeast European ERA-NET (SEE-ERA.NET)

SEE-ERA-NET is a major pillar of this new Austrian initiative toward the West Balkan countries. It is the first regional European Research Area (ERA) network supported by the European Commission. The main objective of SEE-ERA.NET is to enhance R&D cooperation between already established and new EU member states and candidate countries, as well as the West Balkan countries. SEE-ERA.NET is designed to support a much better exploitation of existing bilateral R&D cooperation under a flexible network that enables

A systematic exchange of information and best practices on bilateral R&D programs and activities supported hereunder on the project level
A sound understanding of the state-of-the-art research systems of the West Balkan countries
A comprehensive needs analysis from the viewpoint of collaborating researchers, especially from the West Balkan countries as regards international R&D cooperation
Awareness raising on important, yet insufficiently tackled, problems and opportunities, including the identification of joint strategic activities and the development of practical policy recommendations
The implementation of joint instruments and initiatives under a variable geometry
The conduct of multinational research by the implementation of a regional R&D program with a pilot multilateral call for proposals.

SEE-ERA.NET comprises fifteen partners. Most of them are ministries, though there are a few agencies, from twelve countries (Austria, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, France, FYROM, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Montenegro, Romania and Slovenia). The project will last for five years and constitutes one of the major platforms to enhance S&T cooperation at an explicitly strategic level. In Austria, SEE-ERA-NET is coordinated by the Zentrum für Soziale Innovation (ZSI) on behalf of the Austrian Ministry for Education, Science and Research.

Other West Balkan Activities of the ZSI

Since March 1, the Austrian Science and Research Liaison Offices (ASOs), which are located in Ljubljana and Sofia and coordinated by the ZSI in Vienna, have been operating on the basis of yearly thematic programs with a regional focus in order to address—in addition to the relevant scientific communities in Austria, Bulgaria and Slovenia—researchers and S&T policy delivery systems from the West Balkan countries. A series of conferences and seminars has been launched on topics such as Ethnic Minorities in Science and Higher Education; Women and Science in Southeast Europe; Benchmarking R&D Organizations in Southeast Europe; Participation of West Balkan Countries in the 6^th and 7^th European Framework Program for R&D; The Role of Research in the Bologna Process in Southeast Europe; and so forth. In addition, a dedicated call for proposals has been prepared on behalf of the Austrian Ministry for Education, Science and Culture to foster regional cooperation between researchers from Austria; the two ASO host countries, Bulgaria and Slovenia; and the West Balkan countries. The call addresses important topics of the target region, such as Civil Society Development; Governance; Inequality and Minorities; Knowledge, and so forth. The call for proposals will be launched in December 2004.

In addition, the ZSI acts as a monitoring agency under the Austrian Development Cooperation. It supports the respective activities of the Austrian Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the Austrian Development Agency in the field of (higher) education implemented in the West Balkan countries. It helps to establish education programs for the target region and to identify relevant projects, and it assists in public procurement procedures. The main activity of the ZSI is to monitor and evaluate the funded projects that are implemented by different Austrian service providers such as the World University Service Austria, which is a strong key player in the region.

Last but not least, the ZSI represents a resource and knowledge pool in many different fields that are important for the target region. It is engaged in research projects dealing with technology-enhanced learning, migration and labor market policies, international S&T policy and technology assessment. On behalf of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), it implements, for instance, the OECD Forum on Partnerships and Local Governance, which explicitly addresses the West Balkan region, among other countries. Policy advice given by ZSI experts on the establishment of a new industrial-oriented Austrian R&D program with explicit international focus toward Central and Southeast Europe might serve as another example. Calls for proposals under this new program, labeled CIR-CE—Cooperation in Innovation and Research with Central and Eastern Europe—will be launched in the first half of 2005. CIR-CE will be managed by the Austrian Research Promotion Agency on behalf of the Austrian Ministry for Economic Affairs and Labor.

More information can be obtained by visiting the following links:

http://www.zsi.at

http://www.aso.zsi.at

http://www.oecd.org/els/leed

http://www.see-era.net