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Romanian Research and Innovation Days
(RoDI)
Proposal
abstract
The main goal of RoDI is to
encourage and to stimulate Romanian entities to participate in the
priority themes 1 (biotechnology) and 2 (ICT) of FP 6 and in the
field of research and innovation.
The project aims to strengthen the
weak Romanian research and innovation systems to integrate Romanian
Research into the European Research Area (ERA). Therefore the
project shall increase the knowledge about FP 6 amongst researchers
and interested business and the participation of Romanian
organisations in FP 6 projects.
Biotechnology and ICT are regarded
by the government as key themes for the creation of future
competitive advantages. In order to achieve these objectives there
are concrete actions planned within the project:
- the creation of two high quality
networks (one on ICT and one on biotechnology)
- the organisation and
implementation of two annual RTDI conferences
- the organisation of a series of
six regional workshops per year (twelve workshops in total)
In relevance to the objectives,
RoDI will concentrate on research and innovation, including the FP 6
priorities ICT and biotechnology compatible with FP 6 “structuring
the ERA”.
Furthermore the Ministry of
Education and Research intends to network players of scientific and
economic fields and to build up sustainable co-operative structures
and networks. The networks will provide help for high quality
centres of research to communicate amongst each other about specific
research results in particular to the business sector.
To increase the knowledge about FP
6 the project envisaged the organisation of two event formats: the
conferences inform about latest developments and current calls in FP
6 and the workshops covered precise project results and specific
technical advice regarding proposal preparation.
Our objective is to mobilise
already existing and emerging human and material resources in order
to create synergies and additional momentum for these two strategic
research topics in Romania.
Objectives of the proposed project
The research, technological
development and innovation (RTDI) situation in Romania has seen
dramatic changes in the last 14 years. The communist system tried to
establish an isolated and autarkic research system which was aimed
at making the national industry independent from foreign know how.
In terms of quantities the
Romanian RTDI systems was quite impressive: 26 university research
institutions, 75 research institution under the roof of the Romanian
Academy of Science and additionally more than 450 smaller research
institutions.
However, after the revolution and
the introduction of a market orientated economy the deficits of the
system became evident: the lack of international co-operation led to
inefficient research efforts, high capacities were build up in
sectors where demand was dramatically declining and finally a total
lack of demand orientation amongst the research scene.
Consequently the whole system
collapsed in the aftermath of the Romanian revolution.
The Romanian government, in
particular the Ministry of Education and Research (MER), and to some
extent the newly established Ministry for SMEs also, therefore tried
to stabilise the system by specific support measures in this field.
Targeted R&D funding schemes,
co-operative research programmes for R&D institutions and industry
as well as the privatisation of former public institutions belong to
the most prominent of those measures.
However, R&D expenditures are much
below European average and far away from the three per cent
objective set by the European Council in Barcelona in 2002.
According to the latest European Innovation Scoreboard GERD/GDP
amounts to some 0.4 per cent in 2002 (with a decreasing tendency;
1996: 0.71 per cent).
In addition to the insufficient
R&D expenditures, a further major deficit in Romania concerning RTDI
is usually seen in the non-existing links between the academic
system and industry. The Romanian research and innovation system is
thus in its infancy and at regional level those systems hardly
exist.
It is therefore a vital interest
of the Ministry of Education and Research, General Directorate for
Technological Transfer and Innovation (MER-GD TTI), to overcome the
situation briefly outlined above.
The creation of national and
regional RTDI systems, the encouragement for in particular private
investments in RTDI and eventually the integration of Romanian
research into the European Research Area (ERA) are hence important
milestones for our future policy making.
Against this background the major
objective of the current proposal is to promote the participation of
both national and regional/local actors in European research as well
as in innovation orientated projects, in particular in those
co-financed by FP 6.
The mission of RoDI will therefore
be
– to raise awareness about the
opportunities of European research projects,
– to increase the knowledge about
FP 6 amongst researches and interested businesses,
– to increase the participation of
Romanian entities in FP 6 projects; mainly in the fields of
innovation and in the research fields of ICT and biotechnology (the
latter two topics are being regarded by the government as key themes
for the creation of future competitive advantages; - on the one hand
Romania can build here upon relatively strong past competences and
on the other hand these themes are being assumed as future
orientated high potential business fields; this is by the way the
reason why a current foresight project financed under STRATA is also
focussing on these two topics which are of strategic relevance for
the RTDI scene but also for the economic catching up process of
Romania as well).
Concrete objectives of the project
proposed herewith are
– the creation of two high level
networks (one on ICT and one on biotechnology)
– the organisation and
implementation of two annual RTDI conferences (2004 and 2005)
– the organisation of a series of
six regional workshops per year (twelve workshops in total).