Specific support

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.  This activity aims to further implement the recommendations of the 2015 PSF Peer Review of the Bulgarian R&I system, in particular recommendation n°5 concerning the allocation system for institutional funding.

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 specific support to Lithuania will focus 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.

The PSF specific support provided assistance to Malta for the development of a set of key performance indicators to be used to monitor and evaluate the implementation of the national R&I Strategy and the measures in its Action Plan.

The PSF support to Romania is aimed to assess the country's entrepreneurship ecosystem and provide a set of concrete recommendations on how to implement a reform for stimulating innovative entrepreneurship and for creating an environment conducive for growth of technological start-ups.

The PSF support to Slovakia was conducted in the context of the national "Strategy to support start-ups and further develop the start-up ecosystem" and the envisaged creation of a start-up committee. Its goal was to provide recommendations on how to promote entrepreneurship and start-ups, how to improve the incubation/acceleration system and how to establish a scheme to support business angels.

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.