Western Balkans Regional R&D Strategy for Innovation Ministerial Meeting

GROWTH THROUGH RESEARCH AND INNOVATION IN THE WESTERN BALKANS — THE

MOMENT FOR ACTION

Paolo Correa, World Bank,Stanka Petkovska, Ministry of Education and Science,

Macedonia21 November 2013

Smart Specialization Workshop, Skopje

7 Policy Reviews of key institutions, policies and programs:

Country Papers

The Western Balkans R&D Strategy for Innovation Technical Assistance:

Inception Report — Regional R&D Strategy for Innovation in the Western Balkan Countries: Key Issues and Implications for Technical Assistance, World Bank (2011).

4 High Level Workshops with representatives from governments, research institutes, universities and private sector from all beneficiary entities, as well as international experts

3 Technical Studies (The State of Scientific Performance of the WBCs; Survey of the status of research Infrastructure and technology transfer activities; and Assessment of Data

Availability on Research and Innovation) and 5 technical notes : Overview and Main Report of the Status of Research and Innovation in the Western Balkans.

Video: Research for Innovation: The moment for action

Website:http://www.worldbank.org/en/events/2013/10/24/balkans-innovation-event

An 18 Months Fact-Based Consensus Building Exercise

12 Visits to the region Outreach exercise and broader consensus building between 12/2011 and 8/2013

A REGIONAL STRATEGY FOR RESEARCH AND INNOVATION:

Governance Structure

Higher education

Private sector

Research institutes

Advisory Body

Regional Experts

Advisory Body

3

Provided support and advice to the Steering Committee and ensured

engagement with regional stakeholders

World Bank,European Commission

& Regional Cooperation Council

Beneficiary Entities

STEERING COMMITTEEProject management and decision-making body

SUMMARY VIEW: THE STATUS OF THE RESEARCH AND INNOVATION SECTOR

What/?

Bosnia and Herzegov-

ina

Croatia The former Yugoslav

Republic of Macedonia

Finland Germany United States of America

0

10000

20000

30000

40000

50000

60000

70000

80000

90000

100000

FYR Macedonia

One patent in Croatia re-quires approximately three times more R&D investments then in the US.

GERD/ Total Triadic patents

COSTLY RESULTS OF R&D INVESTMENTSU

S$ 1

,000

UNDERLYING CAUSES

Four intermediate goals are considered:• Improve the research base and conditions for

research excellence.• Promote collaboration and technology transfer

between research institutions and industry.• Enable business Investments in Research and

Innovation.• Strengthen the governance of research and

innovation policies.

R&D EXPENDITURES PER CAPITA (Predicted and Actual), 2007-11,

Data Source: UNESCO Statistics; World Development Indicators.

BiH

THE WAY FORWARD

REFORMS AND INVESTMENTS TO FOSTER EFFECTIVE RESEARCH COMMERCIALIZATION AND INDUSTRY SCIENCE COLLABORATION

9

Intermediate Goals PROPOSED ACTIONS Measurement

Build expertise and infrastructure for Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) management

Promote higher levels of industry-science collaboration

POLICY REFORMS

Reform of IPRs legal Framework for publicly-funded research

Employment and Higher Education Lawsencourage commercialization and collaboration with industry

INVESTMENTTECHNOLOGY TRANSFER OFFICES : provide assistance in the management and commercialization of research outcomes; training and expertise development for TTOs; link with TT intermediaries.

FUNDING of Prototype Development and Proof-of-Concept; andGrants for industry-science collaboration

• Increased share of research pool coverage by TTO services

• Increased number of research results disclosed to TTOs

• Increased number of patents and other IPRs

• Increased licensing activity

• Larger number of spinoff companies

• Higher number and value of licensing agreements & spinoff companies

• Increased volume of contract research

THE VALUE OF REGIONAL COLLABORATION

How?

THE VALUE OF REGIONAL COOPERATION

• STABILITY of programs and policies (including predictability of funding);

• SCALE (avoiding duplication and reaching appropriate critical mass in key sectors)

• MERITOCRACY (as the rule of the game for the research community);

• GOVERNANCE and results- Orientation

11

REGIONAL PROGRAMS 1. A research excellence fund to increase international collaboration with the

scientific Diaspora and expand opportunities for young researchers.

2. Regional networks of excellence in selected fields – consistent with a strategy for “smart specialization” of the region. The program will promote the concentration of resources in core research groups capable of achieving international standards of excellence. In addition, the program will encourage research mobility within the region, the training of young scientists, and doctorates and master’s degrees in selected sectors.

3. A technology transfer facility to support and provide assistance at national level

4. An early stage innovation facility to complement the support to be provided by the Western Balkan Enterprise Development and Innovation Facility (EDIF).

A non-profit regional organization to supervise the implementation of these programs and promote policy reforms and systematic capacity building — The Western Balkans Innovation Strategy Exercise — (WISE)

SMART SPECIALIZATION ( THE NETWORK OF EXELLENCE PROGRAM)

POTENTIAL PRIORITIES FIELDS:

• renewable energy,

• aquaculture, and marine culture fields;

•fields of technology (nanotechnology and biotechnology)

• specific fields of economic activity (such as agriculture and health);

• and some fields of biological sciences and chemistry in which the region shows a higher scientific performance.

THANK YOU!