Specific Support

The Armenian authorities have asked the PSF Specific Support to Armenia to provide external advice and operational recommendations on possible reforms to address three challenges: developing a model for evaluation and assessment of public research institutions’ performance; assessing and improving the country’s performance-based funding system and advising on its implementation; and designing measures to bridge the gap between higher education and research.

The purpose of the PSF Specific Support to Cyprus is to provide tailored advice and concrete recommendations to the Cyprus authorities for the development of a policy framework and procedures that lift regulatory barriers and provide incentives to optimise the use of publicly funded laboratories by the business community. The recommendations will be used by the Cyprus authorities as a basis for the development of an action plan.

The Specific Support to Montenegro provides external advice and operational recommendations on how the country could develop its entrepreneurial innovation ecosystem. Specifically, the expert panel will provide advice on the necessary legislative changes, the design of a functional entrepreneurial innovation and startup support ecosystem model and the necessary funding schemes for startups and other actors of the ecosystem.

The goal of the PSF Specific Support to Tunisia – implemented by a team of independent European R&I policy experts – is to provide external advice and operational recommendations to the Tunisian authorities on possible reforms to undertake in the context of the ongoing restructuring of the national R&I system.

The main objectives of the PSF Specific Support to Georgia - to be implemented by the team of independent European R&I policy experts - will be to assist the Georgian government in identifying promising research fields, suggesting measures for narrowing the gap between research and industry/business, and developing a proposal for the performance-based funding of research organisations.

The aim of this PSF activity is to support the Bulgarian authorities in the development of (1) a research performance-based funding system, inspired by Member States best practices, and (2) a model for the evaluation and assessment of the public research institutions' performances.

The Specific Support to Lithuania focused on an assessment of the current situation, an identification of the policy levers to be used and concrete recommendations (policy and implementation schemes level) to tackle the key barriers in relation to science-business cooperation and attraction of innovation-oriented FDI.

In order to support the Latvian authorities in the completion of the reform of the Latvian funding system for public research, the PSF experts' panel will review the funding allocation systems and processes (for both project funding and institutional funding) and propose any improvements required to correspond to best practice while being adapted to the Latvian situation. An overall institutional/ organisational structure for managing the funding system, tailored to the specificities of the Latvian situation will be developed.

The main objectives of the PSF Specific Support to Slovenia are to identify and recommend measures to further develop (1) The internationalisation of the Slovenian science base (through both cross-border researchers' mobility and cooperation), and (2) The cooperation between the science base and businesses. The final report will include an assessment of the current situation, an identification of the policy levers to be used and concrete recommendations to tackle the key barriers in relation to both focus areas.

The PSF support to Romania was aimed at assessing the country's entrepreneurship ecosystem and providing a set of concrete recommendations on how to implement reforms to stimulate innovative entrepreneurship and create an environment conducive for the growth of technological start-ups.