A special event at the Alpbach Technology Forum 2007 dedicated to “Bulgaria and Romania as partners in European science and research” provided an opportunity to present the latest developments in science and research in Bulgaria and Romania as well as an outlook on future activities.

Based on these reports, experts from the region and from Austria discussed short and medium term perspectives on how to intensify the cooperation in science and research on a bilateral, regional as well as on a multilateral level with a special focus on the joint participation in FP7.

In order to further strengthen the bi- and trilateral co-operation a Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Bulgaria, the Ministry of Education, Research and Youth of Romania and the Austrian Federal Ministry of Science and Research was signed by the Ministers.

In the Memorandum the Ministers "emphasise the importance of the cooperation in science and research between their countries and weicome initiatives to strengthen cooperation such as

• increased networking of high level officials responsible for science and research in the respective countries by regular meetings and mutual invitations to relevant events and activities,
• enhanced cooperation of national, regional or institutional Contact Points in view of the Seventh Framework Programme (2007-2013) of the European Community for research, technological development and demonstration activities (FP 7),
• enhanced networking between universities and higher education institutions, also in regional cooperation programmes such as CEEPUS (Central European Exchange Program for University Studies),
• increased efforts in fully integrating South Eastern Europe and the West Balkan Countries in the European Research and Higher Education Areas, e.g. in the framework of the SEE-ERA.Net activities and in the core objective "Fostering and Building Human Capital" in the framework of the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe.
• Enhanced cooperation between funding organizations for mutual exchange of evaluators for national research projects and programmes"

The Memorandum and the Conclusions of the Alpbach seminar are available in the attachment.
The presentations which were held during the workshop are avaiable from http://www.bmwf.gv.at/index.php?id=137.

CORDIS also published an article focussing on this event but also on the above mentioned meeting in Salzburg:

Austria works to boost regional research cooperation
2007-08-29

'There can never be enough cooperation between Central and Eastern Europe,' said Austrian Science and Research Minister Johannes Hahn on the signing of a trilateral Memorandum of Understanding between Austria and the EU's two newest Member States, Bulgaria and Romania.

The document pays particular attention to collaboration between the three countries under the EU's Seventh Framework Programme and calls for wider cooperation between universities.

'Cooperation with the new EU Member States is an important matter for me,' commented Minister Hahn. 'As a science and research location we need a strong network in Central and Eastern Europe.'

In addition to his Bulgarian and Romanian counterparts, Dr Hahn invited the research ministers or state secretaries of the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Hungary, Slovakia, Poland and Switzerland to Austria.

There they agreed to work more closely on common infrastructure projects. Currently, many of these initiatives are located in Germany, France and the UK, with few being found in the rest of Europe.

'We need a geographical balance for research infrastructures,' commented Dr Hahn. 'Through common infrastructure projects with our neighbours from Central, Eastern and Southern Europe we can become visible in the Europe of 27 in the long run.'

According to Dr Hahn, it is important for Austria to have neighbours who are economically strong and have resources for science and infrastructure projects at their disposal.

At their meeting in Salzburg, the ministers also discussed 'brain drain', and hoped that by locating major infrastructures in the region, more scientists would be tempted to move to and stay in the countries involved.

The ministers will meet again in Salzburg later this year.

Source:
http://cordis.europa.eu/search/index.cfm?fuseaction=news.simpledocumentLucene&RCN=28258