BSEC Action Plan on Cooperation in Science and Technology (2005)
Introduction
Science and technology are vital not only for the advancement and utilisation of knowledge, but also for achieving steady, sustainable and equitable development, stability and prosperity in all the BSEC Member States.
The purpose of the Action Plan is to provide agreed orientation to the initiatives of the BSEC Member States and to encourage them to concentrate on specific priority domains in order to achieve significant progress in enhancing, through cooperative action, the competitive performance of every country and of the region as a whole in the fields of scientific research and technological development.
The Action Plan should by no means be construed as exclusive or precluding any other initiative to be implemented at local, national, bilateral or regional level.
The primary objective of the Action Plan is to develop mutually beneficial cooperation at a regional level among all the BSEC Member States in the sphere of science and technology. At the same time, it is intended to open prospects for wider cooperation with interested countries and organisations outside the region. To this end it is expected that they would take into consideration the jointly agreed indicative priority domains in the elaboration of their policies and instruments relevant for the BSEC region.
1. Areas of action and specific activities
A. Human resources
The countries of the BSEC region have a long tradition and notable accomplishments in the fields of scientific research and technological development. Despite the serious adversities that some of them had to face in the past fifteen years, many research units and individual scholars have demonstrated their ability to operate at the forefront of science in many domains. In order to preserve and exploit the remarkable creative potential and accumulated expertise as assets for national and regional development, specific measures are required:
i) Highlighting the crucial social role of the experts involved in science and technology in advancing the goal of knowledge-based sustainable development;
ii) Providing reasonable conditions for the stability and professional advancement of scientists and researchers according to clearly defined criteria of competence and actual performance;
iii) Creating an attractive environment and proper incentives for the young talent to pursue careers in scientific research and technological development;
iv) Enhancing the performance of research personnel through improved mobility, effective exchanges, mutual participation in scientific events and professional cross-border networking supported by existing and new schemes and instruments;
v) Developing special mechanisms operating on a continuing basis designed to keep research personnel up to date on available sources of funding and the procedures to be followed for securing the financing of specific projects in a competitive environment;
vi) Encouraging the introduction of training schemes for policy makers and research administrators on the modern organisation of research systems, the development of multiannual programmes and the implementation of evaluation procedures;
vii) Enhancing public understanding of science by organising specific activities as a way to mobilise popular support for research programmes and to inspire young people to pursue scientific careers.
B. Capacity building
Significant steps have been taken in most BSEC Member States over the past few years toward developing coherent, future-oriented policies in the sphere of science and technology, building new mechanisms for the modern administration and management of those activities or adjusting the existing ones to the requirements of market economy, and re-organising their research structures accordingly. Those efforts should be further supported and expanded to all BSEC Member States through additional measures such as:
i) Preparation of region-wide studies, evaluations of best practice and benchmarking exercises to support the re-organisation of the national research systems through the involvement of the public and private sectors in a mutually compatible manner;
ii) Encouraging the implementation of evaluation procedures according to transparent national or accepted international standards for research centers and institutes the scope of which will be determined by national Governments;
iii) Encouraging effective evaluation of research programmes and projects on a competitive basis;
iv) Supporting the operation of individual research centres that have undertaken to coordinate activities for the entire BSEC region in specific domains (water quality, seismic research, etc.);
v) Review of the existing bilateral cooperation schemes (at the level of countries and institutions) in order to enhance their impact through the development of synergies;
vi) Development of a regional system of national contact points designed to analyse the activity of the units cooperating in the BSEC framework and to provide timely and accurate information on the on-going or planned research activities that are open to, and can benefit from, cross-border cooperation and/or co-financing;
vii) Conducting regional reviews of the existing legal and administrative dispositions concerning the protection of intellectual property rights, resulting in proposals for measures to promote regulatory compatibility among the BSEC Member States in line with international standards;
viii) Harmonisation of existing standards and certification systems in the BSEC Member States with a view to achieving a progressively generalised application of International Standards Organisation (ISO) norms;
ix) Streamlining of the operation of the BSEC Project Development Fund, ensuring continued replenishment of its resources, as a proven instrument for financing the development of project ideas through pre-feasibility studies and a conduit to substantial outside funding on a commercial or grant basis.
C. Research infrastructure
The research infrastructure needs considerable upgrading in most of the BSEC Member States. A renewed financial investment is imperative both at a national level, also through public/private partnerships, and by tapping new sources of external funding, which are now available to practically all BSEC Member States, through measures such as:
i) Encouraging the submission to national and international funding authorities of soundly documented proposals, preferably linked to research projects of mutual interest, containing specific provisions for the renewal and modernisation of research infrastructure;
ii) Giving priority to multinational projects of regional importance by pooling the resources of several participating countries or research institutions (e.g. BSEC Research Centers) and international sources of funding resulting in shared utilisation of modern infrastructure, including pilot regional facilities in BSEC Member States;
iii) Interlinking the national research and education electronic networks of the BSEC Member States, including generalised connection to, and active participation in, the European gigabit network GEANT/GEANT-2 and other European e-infrastructures (e-Science, Grids, etc.).
D. Innovation
There is a growing preoccupation in all the BSEC Member States to enhance the cost-effectiveness and efficiency of scientific research and technological development, to shorten the time frame and the route between the laboratory and the market and accelerate the transformation of research results into innovative products and processes that contribute to economic growth and increased prosperity. The positive experience already accumulated in some BSEC Member States (innovation relay centers, science and technology parks, incubators, etc) needs to be further supported through:
i) Analytical comparative studies on the actual performance of select innovation-related structures;
ii) Evaluations of the effectiveness of cooperation among innovation centers, the academic and the business community with a view to identifying and removing existing barriers and enhancing the interfacing of the producers and users of knowledge;
iii) Initiation of feasibility studies for the development of new innovation structures and identification of resources available and required to that end;
iv) Multilateral schemes, preferably in the BSEC regional format, for the training of specialist and managerial personnel involved in innovation structures;
v) Networking of innovation units at a regional level and with similar international structures, including those in the EU, to exchange information and best practice.
E. Priority domains for research
In line with its sovereign prerogatives, every BSEC Member State has its own priority domains for research, according to its national development targets, human research potential and material infrastructure, the requirements of the private sector, and other specific conditions and needs.
There are, however, several areas of science, including fundamental research, where some countries of the region have an acknowledged comparative advantage that can justify a joint regional effort since they are apt to respond to the main challenges of sustainable and equitable development in each individual country and in the region as a whole.
These areas are listed indicatively in the BSEC Economic Agenda for the Future (2001) and include such fields as environmental research, Black Sea and seismological studies, energy and transportation, agriculture and food safety, information and communication technologies, etc.
2. Sources of funding
It is not envisaged at this stage to have a dedicated budget at the regional BSEC level allocated to the implementation of the Action Plan. The funding for relevant activities will be provided on a project-by-project basis from the currently available national and international financing schemes or a combination thereof. In order to facilitate the access to, and rational use of, the existing sources of funding, the following measures are recommended:
i) Encouraging the national authorities in the BSEC Member States to provide adequate information, training and advisory services for the proper preparation and presentation of project proposals by research centers, institutes, teams or individual scholars, with a view to assist their submission for funding according to internationally accepted standards and procedures.
ii) Promoting the dissemination of relevant information concerning the operation of the BSEC Project Development Fund and the technical requirements for accessing various sources of funding (the European Community Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development, other financial instruments for subregional and bilateral activities under EU programmes, development aid programmes administrated by various United Nations agencies, the World Bank and other IFIs, bilateral assistance schemes, private foundations, etc.), with the support of national contact points and information multipliers, to prospective users throughout the BSEC region.
3. Implementation and Monitoring
The Working Group on Science and Technology, as a permanent subsidiary body of BSEC, shall monitor the implementation of the Action Plan and submit regular progress reports to the BSEC Committee of Senior Officials, the Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs and to the Ministers responsible for Science and Technology of the BSEC Member States. The practical steps envisaged to that end include:
i) The Country Coordinator for Science and Technology in cooperation with the Chairman-in-Office, BSEC PERMIS and with support from the ICBSS as appropriate shall prepare a Workprogramme to be presented for consideration and appropriate action to the following Working Group meeting. The Workprogramme should include a list of ongoing and planned activities in the context of the Action Plan, with contact details of responsible persons and institutions, provided by the BSEC Member States. This exercise will also serve to prioritise the specific thematic content of region-wide cooperation in scientific research and technological development through concrete activities such as joint workshops, seminars, publications, etc.
ii) Whenever necessary and practicable, at the initiative of the Country Coordinator and the Chairmanship-in-Office, an ad-hoc meeting of high level officials may be convened to review the implementation of the Action Plan, to update the Workprogramme, to prepare an interim report for the Working Group meeting and to propose new activities.
iii) The Working Group on Science and Technology will engage, on a regular basis, in exchanges of information and practical cooperation with other BSEC Working Groups in related spheres of activity in order to provide better coordination and to create new synergies for the implementation of this Action Plan.
iv) The European Commission shall be invited to attend the meetings of the Working Group on Science and Technology in order to exchange views and create synergies between the Action Plan and the European Community Framework Programmes for Research and Technological Development and other EU financial instruments.
4. Duration and Revision of the Action Plan
The duration of the Action Plan shall be 4 years. It is subject to revision by the Meetings of the Ministers responsible for Science and Technology, to be endorsed by the Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the BSEC Member States.
PLAN OF ACTION of the BSEC Working Group on Cooperation in Science and Technology
for the period of 2008-2010
Background
The Ministers Responsible for Science and Technology of the BSEC Member States adopted on 28 September 2005 in Athens a comprehensive four-year Action Plan which is recognized as key policy document for the enhancement of the competitive performance of every BSEC Member State and of the Organization as a whole in the fields of scientific research and technological development. The aim of the Action Plan is “to provide orientation to the initiatives of the Member States and to encourage them to concentrate on specific domains in order to achieve significant progress also at a regional level.
In accordance with the provisions of the Athens’ Declaration, a Mid-Term Ministerial Meeting took place in Istanbul on 31 October 2007 to review the progress in the implementation of the BSEC Action Plan and of the Athens Declaration. The Ministers approved the Mid-term Report and reconfirmed the importance of the Athens Declaration and of the objectives and content of the BSEC Action Plan. In addition, they recognized the importance and benefits for the scientific communities of our countries of a closer cooperation with other organizations and in particular form the participation in the 7th Framework Programme for Research, Technological Development and Demonstration Activities (FP7) of the European Community.
Priority objectives
a) Joint RTD projects
b) Development of Human Resources
c) Capacity building
d) Research infrastructures
e) Innovation related activities
Priority domains for research
- deepening cooperation in priority domains for research, applying “variable geometry” approach as a valuable tool for creating new synergies with a medium and long term effect
- Exchange of information on existing research infrastructure and actual infrastructure needs and on this bases enhancing the networking and coordination of activities for mutually beneficial collective use, as well as for renewal and modernization of research infrastructure; priority will be given to multinational projects of regional importance;
- Exchange of experience and best practices in dealing with human resources, project evaluation procedures, protection of IPR, new approaches in developing joint research activities and programmes;
- Enhancing the networking and promoting the opportunities for cooperation among scientific teams in joint RTD projects in the frame of BSEC region, with other international organizations, programmes and projects, the EU in particular, for participation in the 7th Framework Programme, including mutual participation in scientific events;