29/08/2007

Following the signature of Memoranda of Understanding between the European Commission and Croatia, Serbia and FYROM, several supporting policies have been put in place regarding the countries of the Western Balkans. It is within this framework that the ERA WESTBALKAN+ project comes into action, in order to intensify the realisation of the European Research Area in this geographic region by bridging the historic gap between researchers and other key players of the EU and the Western Balkan countries (WBCs).

The project builds on the achievements of the ERA WESTBALKAN project, which established a sustainable mechanism of National Contact Points (NCPs) for Framework Programmes in WBCs, with the support of the experienced NCPs of Member States from South and Central Europe. The follow-up project ERA WESTBALKAN+ focuses on networking and training activities within the 7th Framework Programme (FP7), including:

- Organising trans-regional networking events for research centres in WBCs with their counterparts in Austria, Slovenia and Greece
- Strengthening the network of NCPs in the Western Balkans and their links to NCPs in Member States and Candidate Countries
- Enhancing the participation of the Western Balkan RTD community in FP7 by providing targeted information and trainings

Within the framework of the project, a West Balkan Research Database has been established, aiming to increase the visibility of universities, organisations and researchers active in RTD in WBCs. The database provides European RTD players with a broad pool of RTD profiles from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, FYROM, Montenegro and Serbia for potential strategic partnerships and international cooperation. For registration and more details, please visit http://www.westbalkanresearch.net

The ERA WESTBALKAN+ project is funded by the European Commission under the 6th Framework Programme (FP6). For more information, please visit http://www.erawestbalkanplus.net.