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The case for Performance-based Research Funding Systems (PRFS) is building as more countries adopt them to increase the performance of their research system. To date, few comparative studies have been conducted bringing together practices and experiences with this relatively new policy instrument.
The objective of the PSF Specific Support to Montenegro, carried out by a panel of independent European Research and Innovation policy experts, is to provide tailored advice and concrete recommendations to help the Montenegrin government in three areas:
- Creating an entrepreneurial and start-up friendly environment by addressing legislative barriers
- Setting up funding schemes for start-ups
- Developing a proposal for an organisational model for a functional entrepreneurial innovation and start-up ecosystem
This report was developed between February 2017 and February 2018 as a Specific Support Action to Bulgaria under the Horizon 2020 Policy Support Facility (PSF), which provides expertise and operational support to Member States in designing, implementing and evaluating national research and innovation policies, including country Peer Reviews and Specific Support to policy reforms, as well as thematic Mutual Learning Exercises to improve policy-making practice through exchanges among several countries.
Despite solid economic development and a strong report card from the World Bank, Georgia faces a serious challenge as it looks for ways to improve its research and innovation performance. The Georgian Government turned to the EU’s Horizon 2020 Policy Support Facility to draw up a list of recommendations for revamping its science, technology and innovation system.
The quarterly review of academic literature on research and innovation as sources for growth.
May 2018 issue of the monthly newsletter on STI data and indicators.
A growing number of countries are using performance-based research funding systems (PRFS) as part of their research policy mix. The European Commission as well as other international entities such as the OECD and the UNESCO often promote PRFS as a solution for research governance issues. Their comparative novelty as policy instruments, however, means that often, the complexity in their design is underestimated, their value as policy instruments misunderstood, or the risks and negative (undesired) effects that they may have on the research system not sufficiently accounted for.
This report summarises the main learnings drawn from the exercise and makes a number of policy recommendations about how and when to design and use PRFS for policymakers and PRFS designers. A longer report is published in parallel with this one, which presents the evidence and analysis underlying this one, together with the lessons and recommendations.
A growing number of countries are using performance-based research funding systems (PRFS) as part of their research policy mix. This article brings together evidence and experience about when and how PRFS can fruitfully be used to support policy development based on a number of studies conducted under DG RTD’s Policy Support Facility (PSF), in particular the Mutual Learning Exercise (MLE) on performance-based research funding systems in universities, but also in the MLE on Open Science and in the Specific Support actions for Latvia, Slovenia, Georgia and Bulgaria.
This report summarises the work of the PSF panel of four independent experts, from January to December 2017, including a mission to Sofia to consult stakeholders and discuss potential recommendations, to support the Bulgarian government.
Download the report