%0 Journal Article
%T Enhancing science and technology cooperation between the EU and Eastern Europe as well as Central Asia: a critical reflection on the White Paper from a S&T policy perspective
%A Klaus Schuch
%A George Bonas and J rn Sonnenburg
%J Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship
%D 2012
%I Springer
%R 10.1186/2192-5372-1-3
%X This article reflects the main findings of the ¡®White Paper on opportunities and challenges in view of enhancing the EU cooperation with Eastern Europe, Central Asia and South Caucasus in Science, Research and Innovation¡¯, which was released in April 2012, from a science and technology (S&T) internationalisation policy perspective. In the ¡®Internationalisation of R&D from an S&T policy perspective¡¯ section of this article, the ongoing discourse on internationalisation of research and development (R&D) is discussed from an S&T policy perspective. In the ¡®S&T cooperation between the EU and Eastern Europe as well as Central Asia since the early 1990s¡¯ section, the development of S&T cooperation between the EU and EECA is described as a historical snapshot since the early 1990s. In the ¡®Recent S&T internationalisation efforts of Eastern European and Central Asian countries¡¯ section, special emphasis is given to the current EECA countries' dispositions towards R&D internationalisation. For a structured overview, the EECA region is disaggregated in three subregions, namely, (a) Russian Federation, (b) Eastern European countries (without Russia) and (c) Central Asian countries. To better position the R&D internationalisation policies of the region under scrutiny within the overall state-of-the-art of S&T, the ¡®Current state of S&T in the Eastern European and Central Asian countries¡¯ section compares main S&T indicators of the EECA countries. The ¡®The White Paper recommendations in the light of international S&T cooperation policy objectives¡¯ section finally condenses the major recommendations elaborated during the White Paper consultation process and puts them into the context of international S&T cooperation policy. The question is raised on what international cooperation can contribute to improving S&T in the EECA region and which approaches are deemed most adequate to support this. The analysis shows that most recommendations suggested in the White Paper directly target the S&T policy (delivery) system, which is put into an explicit actor's role. Science diplomacy is the identified predominant driver for deepening international R&D cooperation with the EECA region. The main instruments used are international dialogue, exchange and learning platforms, which are supported by the European Commission according to the EU's subsidiarity principle. Other S&T internationalisation policy objectives play a role too, especially if a more regionally differentiated perspective is taken into account.
%K R&D internationalisation
%K Science diplomacy
%K Eastern Europe
%K Central Asia
%K ERA international dimension
%U http://www.innovation-entrepreneurship.com/content/1/1/3/abstract