EECA Clustering Projects

 

 

Svetlana Klessova
SOYUZ-ISTOK project coordinator

Iakovos Delioglanis
SCUBE-ICT project coordinator

Raphael Koumeri
EXTEND project coordinator

During the last years, the European Commission has undertaken significant efforts to strengthen strategic global partnerships in the field of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) R&D activities. Under the 7^th Framework Programme (FP7), the European Commission has decided to encourage the International Cooperation in the ICT Research domain between the European Union and Eastern European and Central Asian (EECA) countries.

These countries have indeed exhibited ICT scientific potential in the past; however it has not yet been feasible for Europe to exploit their scientific capacity. One of the barriers in this process has been the absence of effective mechanisms for the identification of the scientific stakeholders of EECA countries. This is an issue which must be addressed if the kind of strategic ties, which can allow organizations and specialists from EECA and Europe to benefit fully from each others’ specific areas of scientific expertise, are to be developed.

In this context, the European Commission decided to support a cluster of three support initiatives with similar objectives – ISTOK-SOYUZ, SCUBE-ICT and EXTEND – to enable the exploration of new opportunities for ICT R&D collaboration between European Union and EECA organizations, and the diffusion of information about European Union’s ICT Thematic area of the 7^th Framework Programme. The targeted EECA countries are: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.

All three projects will:

- Help in improving the visibility of ICT R&D competences of organisations and specialists from EECA countries on the European research arena;

- support policy dialogue between EU and EECA countries and contribute to the definition of collaboration strategies in the ICT R&D areas of common interest;

- support partner research on dynamic bases, including networking and brokerage events (establishment of direct contact) between ICT specialists from target regions.

ICT R&D organizations and their specialists now have a unique chance to benefit from the support services of our three projects. You will be able to:

- participate in training sessions to enhance your skills towards successful involvement in FP7-ICT research activities

- participate in networking / brokerage events that will bring together EU and EECA specialists,

- benefit from Help-Desk facility by receiving guidance related to EU supported ICT research,

- enhance the visibility of your ICT competences on the international arena, in particular through EU-EECA ICT competence platform,

- benefit from hands-on tailored support services that will be provided for a limited number of organizations.

Again, we want to highlight that the three clustering projects aim at identifying and promoting visibility of mutual ICT R&D potential and collaboration opportunities in order to increase the number of FP7 ICT R&D partnerships between researchers from Europe and EECA countries.

 

 Projects presence in EECA countries

For more information visit the EU-EECA Gateway.

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