Now, after the Kick-off, consortium partners are enthusiastic to start concrete activities in relation to policy dialogue, analysis of R&I in the region, support initiatives and tackling societal challenges. Elke Dall, from Centre for Social Innovation in Vienna and coordinator of the project, stressed the complementarity of the partnership with the capacities to truly reach out to the different communities involved in R&I as well as policy and administration. The positive outlook was supported by other project participants, highlighting the importance of implementing concrete activities in the region.
Danube-INCO.NET is a FP7 funded coordination and support action for the official EU Strategy for the Danube Region (EUSDR) in the field of research and innovation (R&I). While the EUSDR addresses a wide variety of priority areas (ranging from PA 1A „Mobility/Waterways” to PA 11 „Security“), Danube-INCO.NET focuses mainly on two of them: PA 7 „Knowledge Society“ and PA 8 „Competitiveness“.
The EU Strategy for the Danube Region seeks to create synergies and coordination between existing policies and initiatives taking place across the Danube Region – including also Research and Innovation (R&I) policies, projects and programmes. Cooperation in these fields play an important role in several of the priority areas identified in the region and to develop the knowledge society and to support the competitiveness of enterprises are particularly important objectives.
On this basis, the Danube-INCO.NET project was established. The project duration is 36 months, during which different activities are scheduled. The project will be putting in efforts to ensure that events, publications and policy recommendations related to R&I cooperation in the Danube Region will reach an audience as broad as possible interested and engaged in the future macro-regional development of the Danube Region.
Workpackages and partners
The project is structured in seven workpackages:
- Project Management
- Policy Dialogue
- Tackling Societal Challenges (Energy Efficiency/Bio-Economy)
- Analytical Evidence on Research and Innovation
- Promoting Innovative Danube Societies
- Scaling-up Danube Funding Mechanisms
- Communication and Dissemination
It involves partners from almost all countries participating in the EU Strategy for the Danube Region:
- Austria (ZSI as coordinator and FFG)
- Bosnia and Herzegovina (Ministry of Civil Affairs)
- Bulgaria (University of Ruse)
- Croatia (EKO SUSTAV limited liability company)
- Germany (BMBF, DLR and Steinbeis)
- Hungary (RCISD)
- Moldova (National Academy of Sciences, CIP)
- Romania (Ministry for National Education)
- Serbia (University of Novi Sad and Mihaijlo Pupin Institute)
- Slovak Republic (Bratislava Innovation Center)
- Slovenia (Ministry for Education, Science and Sports)
- Ukraine (National Academy of Sciences, IMPEER)
Furthermore, two international organisations (Joint Research Centre IPTS, Central European Initiative) based in Spain and Italy respectively, also participate in the Danube-INCO.NET.
The full project web-portal will be online in April at www.danube-inco.net (currently under construction).
Contact
Ms. Elke Dall: coordinator(at)danube-inco.net
