Five Western Balkan countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia), and the Republic of Moldova have secured full access to the European Union’s new seven year research and innovation programme, Horizon 2020.
The six countries signed association agreements in Brussels together with Robert-Jan Smits, Director-General for Research and Innovation at the European Commission. All six countries have experience of cooperation on research and innovation with the EU through the seventh framework programme (FP7), and are seeking to build on this under Horizon 2020.
European Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science Máire Geoghegan-Quinn said: “The agreements signed today are good for these countries and good for the European Union. Increased cooperation in research and innovation will create new opportunities for growth, competitiveness and jobs in all our economies,” said European Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science Máire Geoghegan-Quinn.
“Association to Horizon 2020 will facilitate the mobility of excellent scientists, strengthen national research systems, and help the countries integrate into the European Research Area,” Geoghegan-Quinn added.
Researchers, businesses and other research partners from the six countries are already well embedded in EU research projects and networks. The fact that all the countries are associating at the same time will also increase the opportunities for regional cooperation.
The association agreements, which will apply retroactively as from 1 January 2014, will allow research and innovation entities from all five Western Balkan Countries and Moldova to take advantage of the funding opportunities offered under Horizon 2020 right from the start. Horizon 2020 runs from 2014 to 2020. Following the July 1 signatures, 10 countries are now associated to Horizon 2020.
The agreements were signed by the Albanian Minister of Education and Culture and Sports Lindita NIKOLLA, Bosnia’s Ambassador and Head of Mission to the EU Igor DAVIDOVIC, Abdilaqim ADEMI, Minister for Education and Science of The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro’s Science Minister Sanja VLAHOVIC, Serbia’s Minister of Education, Science and Technological Development Dr Srdjan VERBIC and Gheorghe DUCA, President of the National Academy of Sciences of Moldova.
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