22.01.2024 - 23.01.2024 | Athens, Greece
On 22-23 January 2015, the Centre for Regional and International STI Studies & Support (CeRISS, Greece) and the Centre for Social Innovation (ZSI, Austria) organised a Kick-off Meeting for the S&T; Policy Mix Peer Reviews of Armenia, Georgia and Kyrgyzstan in the framework of the IncoNet EaP and IncoNet CA projects. At the meeting, senior experts and policy-makers from the EU Member States and Associated Countries as well as high-level stakeholders from Armenia, Georgia and Kyrgyzstan specified the areas to be reviewed and set a time schedule for the on-site visits of the three expert panels in March/ April 2015.
The participation of respresentatives from the national science, technology and innovation authorities of Armenia, Georgia and Kyrgyzstan demonstrates the high interest of these governments in the Policy Mix Peer Reviews and its potential impact on domestic reforms.
impression from the kick-off meeting | © Yannis Kechagiaras (CeRISS)
Most of the countries of the Eastern Partnership and Central Asia are currently undergoing a period of transition, which includes profound reforms of their research and innovation systems. In this context several Eastern Partnership and Central Asian countries have already requested an outside view from European partners. The policy mix peer review suggested by the IncoNet EaP and IncoNet CA projects offers a scientific base that will increase the legitimacy for planned or ongoing reforms in the field of science, technology and innovation (STI).
impression from the kick-off meeting | © Yannis Kechagiaras (CeRISS)
The Policy Mix Peer Reviews of Armenia, Georgia and Kyrgyzstan are a follow-up of similar successful reviews implemented under the IncoNet EECA project in Moldova and Kazakhstan in 2012. This year's evaltuation will benefit from the already developed methodology and the lessons learned. The report of the Reviews will be presented in the respective countries in autumn 2015.
impression from the kick-off meeting | © Yannis Kechagiaras (CeRISS)
Background: What is a PMR about?
A policy mix peer review (PMR) is a systematic examination and assessment of the national STI system by international experts. It aims at improving the design and the implementation of national S&T; policies. It is less an evaluation but more a mutual learning process based on a critical friends approach. Special attention is put on the individual national challenges (and the policy response to these) regarding human resources in S&T;, the public science base, industry or company driven research and innovation, and economic/ market development.
