Do you enjoy just pressing a button and the room gets cooler or warmer? Guess what! This would not have been possible if some people or companies hadn’t invested money in research. In a period of high technological development, it is necessary to embrace change, meaning both competence improvement and funds allocation for research.
The lack of public funds in developing research infrastructure – HR competences –, especially for thematic niches in research, is a challenge in the Danube Region. In order to use the existing scarce funding efficiently, common coordination is necessary. But coordination is efficient with the help of adequate knowledge of funding distribution mechanisms, the consequent monitoring of investments and the outlook on future results.
Since, the Danube Region also requires such know-how and funding, EUSDR has been established as a mechanism for better coordination and effective spending of existing resources, so that one of its major objectives is to develop the Knowledge Society (research, technology, development and innovation) with the help of Priority Area 7 – Knowledge Society.
#EUSDR This week’s story presents how nine Danube countries joined their efforts in the ResInfra project and cooperated to build stakeholders’ capacity by offering mutual learning opportunities for policy makers and organisations involved in funding research infrastructure (RI).
Financed from the Danube Transnational Programme, ResInfra managed to implement two important activities: it linked socio-economic actors in the Danube Region in order to stimulate the private companies to co-fund research infrastructure and delivered special training for defined target groups.
Moreover, it created a database of almost 200 experienced evaluators who have the knowledge, experience and ability to conduct ex-ante assessments! The registry offers practical information to the stakeholders from relevant ministries, financing authorities, agencies in charge of RIs and organisations planning RI investments.
A clear focus on the most important asset – human resources – is needed to result in the fully exploited socio-economic potential of current investments in research infrastructure.
For more details about the Priority Area 7 – Knowledge Society and relevant projects in the Danube Region, check the link.
