FP7 Projects

IncoNet CA: STI International Cooperation Network for Central Asian Countries

There is already a considerable background in the cooperation in Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) between the EU Member States (and the Countries Associated to the Framework Programme - AC) and the Central Asian Countries. Building on this background, the two regions aim at further enhancing their STI cooperation by making optimum use of each other’s academic strengths, sharing respective resources and stimulating the effort to transfer research results to national, regional and worldwide markets, as well as to respond to major Societal Challenges that both regions are facing.

In this context, the “STI International Coope­ration Network for Central Asian Countries” - ­IncoNet CA addresses all the countries targeted by the EU Strategy for Central Asia, namely Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan with the overall aim to support the advancement of the STI policy dialogue between the EU and the CA region and with an explicit focus on the three Societal Challenges (SC) of mutual concern, namely Climate Change, Energy and Health.

WHO WE ARE

The IncoNet CA is implemented by a large consortium of 17 renowned institutions from EU Member States, Associated Countries and all the Central Asian Countries, namely Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

The consortium involves partner institutions engaged in a long standing cooperation, pursuing the work and the valuable experience gained in previous projects of similar type (IncoNet EECA and IncoNet CA/SC), thus ensuring continuity and a smooth implementation of the new project. The Scientific Coordination of the project is ensured by Dr. George Bonas (CeRISS) while the Administrative Coordination is provided by IPPT-PAN.

The project will develop close synergies with the IncoNet targeting the Eastern Partnership Countries – IncoNet EaP.

LIST OF PARTNERS

 EU Member States/Associated Countries and International Organizations

Eastern Partnership Countries

WHAT WE DO

More specifically, with the aim to support the bi-regional STI policy dialogue for joint agenda setting and definition of research priorities in three Societal Challenges (Climate Change, Energy, Health), the project will:

• implement pilot actions such as twinning of projects to promote comprehensive approaches and to reduce fragmentation;
• organize Policy Stakeholders Conferences in the target countries to address the three SC as well as horizontal STI policy issues;
• implement an STI Policy Mix Review in Kyrgyzstan, as well as a benchmarking exercise of research institutes from all the CA countries on a selected Societal Challenge;
• prepare studies e.g. STI cooperation barometer, a bibliometric analysis, feasibility for more coordinated forms of cooperation, etc.
• prepare recommendations for future cooperation strategy involving policy makers and representatives of the research communities in both regions.

In order to promote Innovation and to create synergies with the relevant stakeholders in the EU, the project will:

• stimulate the establishment of specific links between entities in CA and the European Technology Platforms;
• enhance the cooperation of the CA countries with the Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) and explore the extension of the European Innovation TrendChart to CA Countries;
• implement capacity building actions in research and innovation, such as trainings and seminars.

With the aim to promote H2020 in the CA countries and to increase the participation of researchers from CA in the Framework Programme, the project will:

• organize awareness campaigns and trainings of the National Contact Point (NCP) structures in CA, as well as Info Days on H2020 in all the targeted countries;
• implement a grant scheme for the participation of CA researchers to Brokerage events in the EU.

The project envisages a considerable number of dissemination activities (including promotion of key deliverables of joint EU-CA projects), in order to make its activities and results widely visible to all relevant stakeholders for an optimum exploitation and increased impact.

EXPECTED IMPACT

The IncoNet CA project is expected to:

• identify needs in STI to be jointly addressed, by providing a flexible format for the STI policy dialogue between the EU and CA, paving the way for an enhanced STI cooperation;
• mobilize a considerable number of STI stakeholders in the target countries from the broader STI sphere, such as policy makers, representatives of sectorial Ministries/Agencies dealing with the three Societal Challenges, representatives of Innovation related structures such as platforms, clusters, agencies, etc.;
• address through various activities, both at policy-support and research-support level, the Societal Challenges of mutual concern, namely Climate Change, Energy and Health;
• increase the level of cooperation in the entire “research to innovation chain” by developing and/or strengthening partnerships for Innovation;
• increase the participation of researchers from the CA countries in H2020.

The project constitutes the bridge between the 7th Framework Programme for Research, Technological Development and Demonstration and the new Research and Innovation Programme for 2014-2020, Horizon 2020. It also embraces other Community policies and instruments (such as DCI and its successor) as well as additional international initiatives such as those promoted by UNDP, UNECE, UNEP, World Bank, etc. in order to identify complementarities and synergies among the relevant instruments.

COORDINATION

Scientific Coordinator: Dr. George Bonas (CeRISS - Centre for Regional and International STI Studies and Support, Greece, http://www.ceriss.eu/

Administrative Coordination: IPPT-PAN (Poland, www.ippt.pan.pl/en)

IncoNet CA is a project funded under the 7th European Framework Programme for Research and Innovation– Project number 609508. The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of the authors and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Union.