Why invest in Science in SEE? - International Conference and Ministerial Round Table

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization UNESCO was founded on 16 November 1945. Today, UNESCO functions as a laboratory of ideas and a standard-setter to forge universal agreements on emerging ethical issues. The Organisation serves also as a clearinghouse - for the dissemination and sharing of information and knowledge – while helping its 191 Member States and 6 associated States to build their human and institutional capacities in the fields of activities education,natural and social sciences, culture and communication.UNESCO is working to create the conditions for genuine dialogue based upon respect for shared values and the dignity of each civilization and culture (www.unesco.org).
UNESCO Office in Venice - UNESCO Regional Bureau for Science and Culture in Europe (BRESCE) focuses its action in science and culture on Member States of South-East Europe as a priority, and develops initiatives in favor of Central Europe and the Mediterranean basin in close consultation with the other UNESCO Offices concerned. Its programmes seek to enhance scientific cooperation, provide science policy related support, build human and institutional capacities in the basic, engineering and environmental sciences, contribute to the protection of cultural heritage, and promote cultural diversity and intercultural dialogue. (www.unesco.org/venice).

Mustafa El Tayeb, Director of the Division for Science Policy & Sustainable Development at UNESCO (Paris).He is a Founding Member of the Arab Academy of Sciences, a Corresponding Member of the Royal Academy of Overseas Science (Belgium), the Secretary of the UNESCO-EOLSS Joint Committee in charge of the
Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems, and Editor-in-Chief of the UNESCO Science Report. Dr El Tayeb holds an Engineering Diploma from St. Petersburg (Leningrad)
Mining Institute, a Master and a PhD in Geophysics from Bordeaux I Univ., France. He started his career in 1974 as a mining engineer/geophysicist at the Geological
Survey Department of Sudan and then worked as a researcher in the Red Sea. Dr. El Tayeb joined UNESCO in 1981 and in 1996 became Director of the Division of Policy Analysis & Operations. Since then, UNESCO has developed an ambitious programme of assistance to Member States in the evaluation of their national systems of innovation, formulating science policies, strategies, as well as developing university-industry partnership.

Iulia Nechifor is in charge of Science Policy & Capacity-Building activities at UNESCO-BRESCE where she works on fundraising for and implementation of projects related to
regional cooperation, science policy formulation and advice, career of young researchers, scientific networking,women in science. She initiated and is the editor of the Science Policy Series of BRESCE. Prior to joining the Venice Office in 2000, Iulia worked three years at UNESCO’s Headquarters in Paris, as well as at the Faculty of Economics at Iasi Univ. in Romania, where she managed several European Commission funded TEMPUS Projects. Iulia holds a M. A. in European & International Law,a M. A. in Economics of Development (‘Sophia-Antipolis’ University, France). She graduated from ‘Science,Technology and Innovation Policy’ Executive Programme at the JFK School of Government at Harvard University.

Slavo Radošević is Professor of Industry and InnovationStudies at School of Slavonic and East European Studies,University College London (UK).Prof. Radosevic research interests are in the area of science, technology, industry, innovation and growth incountries of Central and Eastern Europe. He is the author of ‘International Technology Transfer and Catch Up in Economic Development’ (Edward Elgar, 1999). He isco-editor of four recent volumes: F. McGowan, S. Radosevic,N. von Tunzelmann, ‘The emerging industrial structure of the wider Europe’ (Routledge, London, 2004), Radosevic,S. and B. Sadowski (eds.) ‘International industrial networks and industrial restructuring in central Europe, Russiaand Ukraine’ (Kluwer, 2004); Piech. K. and S. Radosevic Knowledge based economy in Central and Eastern Europe:
countries and industries in a process of change’, Palgrave,and Edvard Kobal and Slavo Radosevic (Eds.),Modernization of science policy and management
approaches in Central and South East Europe’ (NATO Science Series, IOS Press, Amsterdam 2005). Slavo is a UNESCO Consultant for the organization of the International Conference ‘Why Invest in Science in South Eastern Europe?’.

Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology, Republic of Slovenia - MHEST

The Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology performs tasks in the field of higher education, research, technology, metrology and promotion of the information society in the areas not covered by other ministries. The ministry also co-ordinates work in the field of the information society.

Directorate for Science and Higher Education performs tasks in the field of professional higher and university education, and research.
Department for Higher Educationperforms tasks enabling planning, directing and financing of higher education activities, residential facilities for students and higher education libraries. It defines starting points and objectives of higher education policy; analyses the attainment of concrete goals; draws up the National Higher Education Programme; performs expert tasks related to integration into the European Union Higher Education Area.
Department for Science defines the expert bases for the adoption of political documents in the field of research policy. It drafts laws and implementing regulations on research activities. It establishes and enhances the system of comprehensive analyses and monitoring of the situation and development in research, develops new tools for attaining research policy goals, and plans the required financial resources for research.
Directorate for Technology performs tasks in the field of technological development and innovation by introducing modern concepts that promote technological development and innovation in the Slovenian industry. In its work it follows four basic orientations: horizontal incentives for R&D projects of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs); technology programmes in selected technological fields; R&D infrastructure and human resources development; participation of the economy in the international R&D area.
Directorate for the Information Society is responsible for accelerated, harmonised and efficient development of the information society based on knowledge and life-long learning. This is in practice reflected in the transfer of knowledge, information and communications technologies and contents to schools and research institutions, public administration and local self-government bodies, the economy and civil society.

Service for International Co-operation and European Affairs
The Ministry’s basic areas of work in the field of international co-operation encompass bilateral and multilateral scientific and technological co-operation. The Ministry represents Slovenia and participates on its behalf in the work of the European Commission committees. It is actively involved in the 5th, 6th and 7th EU Framework Programmes. It also covers the activities of Slovenia in the R&D field of South Eastern Europe.
- Service for International Co-operation and European Affairs is involved in 16 ERA NET projects, 11 SSA and 2 EURATOM projects. Between them are SEE-ERA.NET and ERA-WESTBALKAN projects.
- In the year 2005 service organized 23 events for promotion of FP 6 calls and preparation of project proposal in FP6, obtained by more than 1500 researchers and potential applicants.
Multilateral co-operation encompasses also co-operation with various international organisations (UNDP, EMBC, ICTP, ICS, ICGEB, CIESM, GBIF, IIR). Bilateral co-operation is based on bilateral acts concluded with individual countries. According to government decisions, priorities in bilateral co-operation include the European Union Member States, neighbouring countries and developed overseas countries and regionally important countries. Within the Ministry, the UNESCO Office performs tasks concerning Slovenia’s co-operation with UNESCO.The Metrology Institute of the Republic of Slovenia (MIRS) is also a body within the Ministry. The Metrology Institute determines and runs the national metrology system in Slovenia, including t he field of precious metal articles, and procedures related to the Slovenian Business Excellence Prize. It represents these systems in the corresponding international organisations, and develops them in an internationally comparable and recognisable way.

Slavi Krusič graduated at Faculty of Arts Ljubljana (1981) and at Faculty of Social Sciences Ljubljana, Department of International Relations (1985). She has been working for more than ten years as Undersecretary in the Ministry for Higher Education, Science and Technology in the International Cooperation Department, responsible for scientific cooperation with South-East European Countries. She is a member and secretary of various Slovene state delegations within the frame of bilateral joint boards for scientific cooperation and a member of Intergovernmental Working group for Stability Pact for SEE and a member of the Intergovernmental Working group for International Development and Humanitarian Aid. She is also the responsible work-package leader for SEE-ERA.NET and ERA-WESTBALKAN projects.

Austrian Science and Research Liaison Office (ASO) Ljubljana
The Austrian Science and Research Liaison Office Ljubljana has been established in October 1990 as branch office of the Vienna based Austrian Institute for East and Southeast European Studies to foster scientific co-operation between Austria and Slovenia.
ASO Ljubljana has been reorganised in March 2004 and is since that time part of the Centre for Social Innovation(ZSI; managing director: Mr. Klaus Schuch) in Vienna. ASO Ljubljana receives its funding mainly from Austrian Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Culture (bm:bwk) but partially also from Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology of Republic of Slovenia.
ZSI is in charge of coordination (coordinator: Mrs. Andrea Mayr) of activities of ASO Ljubljana and ASO Sofia with bm:bwk as well as of coordination of ASO activities with regard to national, bilateral and international initiatives and programmes in the field of international scientific cooperation. The Austrian Science and Research Liaison Offices in Ljubljana and Sofia support the new science policy of the bm:bwk in South Eastern Europe which is co-ordinated on European level with projects and initiatives like SEE-ERA.net www.see-era.net, Information Office of the Steering Platform on Research for the Western Balkanswww.see-science.eu, etc.
Some highlights of ASO Ljubljana work:
ASO Ljubljana has initiated and co-organised together with Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology of Republic of Slovenia, Austrian Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Culture and Hellenic Ministry of Development in February 2005 in European Parliament the international conference “Participation of Western Balkan Countries in EU RTD Framework Programmes” www.aso.zsi.at/de/slo/veranstaltung/190.html .
In November 2005 ASO Ljubljana and UNESCO Office in Venice organized in cooperation with European Association of Research Managers and Administrators EARMA a Training Seminar on International Project Management for Research Managers from South-east European countries in Ljubljana, from 9 to 11 November, 2005. 21 participants were chosen from 260 applications from both governmental agencies and academia and came from all of the Balkan countries as well as Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey and the host country Slovenia. As this Ljubljana seminar has substantially contributed to the awareness of S&T policy makers that capcity building in international project management is a key prerequisite for successful integration into ERA, ASO Ljubljana has been invited to contribute to several activities of ministries of science of SEE countries in this area in late 2005 in Belgrade and Skopje, in late 2006 in Zagreb and in early 2007 in Istanbul.
In November 2002 ASO Ljubljana organised a Round table on “Challenges for RTD co-operation with non-candidate countries in South-eastern Europe” at the official FP6 Launching conference in Brussels.
ASO staff:

Miroslav Polzer, Director of ASO Ljubljana since 1996; Mr. Polzer is an expert in international scientific co-operation management; he has written his PhD in the field of development economics and environmental economics at the Karl Franzens University of Graz on environmental problems in Calcutta; Mr. Polzer is Member of the Permanent Committee of the International League of Humanists, Sarajevo/Philadelphia, Individual Member of the Academic Council on United Nations System (ACUNS) and Individual Member of European Association of Development Research and Training Associations (EADI)

Gorazd Weiss works as programme manager at ASO office in Ljubljana. He studied academic interdisciplinary studies in Education - Adult Education and Political Science at University of Ljubljana; Key Competences: management and administration of international S&T co-operation projects, project programming & financial management, organisational management.