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12.10.2015 – 13.10.2015 | MINSK, BELARUS Policy Stakeholders Conference ‘Energy Research and Innovation in the Eastern Partnership’

This was the 2nd Policy Stakeholders Conference (PSC) organised by the IncoNet EaP project and the 6th in a series of events targeting the Eastern Partnership region,which was started by its predecessor project IncoNet EECA. Focusing on ‘energy efficiency’, this year’s PSC was adjusted to the ‘ENERGY EXPO 2015’, which currently takes place in Minsk until 16 October 2015.

The Policy Stakeholders Conference  ‘Energy Research and Innovation in the Eastern Partnership’ took place in Minsk on 12-13 October 2015. The event was adjusted to ENERGY EXPO – 2015, the largest expo in the energy sector in Belarus which this year marked its 20th anniversary.

The main aim of the Policy Stakeholders Conferences (PSCs) organised by the IncoNet EaP project is to bring together policy makers, representatives of the research community and the private sector to address specific problems that countries in the region face and that are of mutual interest and benefit. The PSCs also take stock and showcase best practices regarding EU-EaP scientific cooperation, discuss concrete innovation cooperation projects, and promote international collaboration, networking, matchmaking. In addition the Conferences provide the opportunity for bringing together a good number of projects from the region as best practise examples with the aim to create synergies among them for future cooperation activities in H2020 and beyond.´

Being the second event of this type after the first conference in Yerevan, Armenia, in May 2014, which focused on Climate Change, the recent PSC opened a series of events within the 20th Belarusian Energy and Ecology Forum, the largest international energy event in the country.

The Conference was organised by the three IncoNet EaP partners: the Regional Centre for Information and Scientific Development, Budapest, Hungary; the Centre for Regional and International Studies and the Promotion of STI, Athens, Greece; and the Belarusian Institute of System Analysis and Information Support of Scientific and Technical Sphere.

The event was administratively supported by the State Committee for Science and Technology and Department for Energy Efficiency of the Republic of Belarus.

The Conference brought together 128 experts. They represented 81 organisations from 15 European countries, including 6 EaP ones:
Austria, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Hungary, Germany, Georgia, Greece, Iceland, Moldova, Poland, France, Turkey, Switzerland, and Ukraine.

A number of international organisations (organisations of the UN family, the Central European Initiative, the Energy Charter, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development), as well as from the European Commission and the European energy-related technological and innovation platforms took part in the event. Participants represented public policy coordination bodies in the field of research, innovation, energy and international STI cooperation at national and EU level, international organisations, major international projects in the energy sector, as well as the civil society organisations, research community and business. One third of the participants were women.

The welcome speeches were provided by Mr. Alexander Shumilin, Chairman of the State Committee for Science and Technology of the Republic of Belarus and Mr. Andrei Minenkov, Head of the Unit of foreign economic relations and S&T policy of the Department for Energy Efficiency of the Republic of Belarus. Dr. George Bonas, Executive Director of the Center for Regional and International Studies and the promotion of STI (Greece), the scientific coordinator of the IncoNet EaP project introduced the goals of the Conference as part of the project activities.

The business agenda was opened by Dr. Karina Firkavichiute, representative of the Directorate General for Research and Innovation, European Commission with a report on the main directions of research funded by the EU and the tools to support them. The next  participants presented the current international strategies, initiatives and programmes operating in the EU member states, associated countries  and in the Eastern Partnership region, starting with the United Nations multilateral initiatives and major projects funded by the EU and ending with bilateral projects between the EU and the Eastern Partnership, as well as national programmes in the Eastern Europe. The second part of the Conference was devoted to discussing the problems of innovation activity in the EaP countries and the promising areas of cooperation with the European Union.

By the end of 2015, the Conference recommendations will be developed to enhance the EU – EaP STI cooperation in the energy sector. They will be proposed for inclusion in the existing and emerging programmes and instruments to the European Commission, other interested organisations, international donors and national governments in the EU member states and countries of the Eastern Partnership.

This Policy Stakeholders Conference was the 2nd organised by the IncoNet EaP project. Learn more about the previous Policy Stakeholders Conferences.

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Contact

Ildikó Dorogi
Regional Centre for Information and Scientific Development, RCISD
Huvösvölgyi út 54. V./1
H-1021 Budapest | Hungary
E-mail: ildiko.dorogi@rcisd.eu

Olga Meerovskaya
Belarusian Institute of System Analysis
and Information Support of S&T Sphere
7, Pobediteley ave., off. 1013
220004 Minsk | Belarus
E-mail: meerovskaya@fp7-nip.org.by