Implementation of synergies between Horizon 2020 and Structural Funds and strengthening the cooperation between academia and businesses in Estonia Ene Kadastik Estonian Ministry of Education and Research Deputy Head of Research Policy Department
Estonian specific characteristics Small country population 1,3 M Still having its own language based culture and higher education R&D needs to balance between specialisation and cultural/educational coverage Strong education OECD PISA 2015: Estonia's basic school students rank among the best in the world while being at the top in Europe. The share of graduates in the fields of natural and technical sciences is 27% (one of the highest in OECD). Dynamic economy Unfavoured starting point, but catching up. Number of startups and seed stage investments per capita are one of the best in Europe Lean government Very simple tax structure (incl. no tax incentives for R&D) Easy to start a company, easy to declare taxes (e-services) e-estonia Digital Society First e-elections in the world (parlamentary election 24% votes) First e-residency in the world (22 300 e-residents 2000 new companies established)
Outline of the Presentation Strategies and main goals Synergies between Horizon 2020 and Structural Funds in practice Strengthening the cooperation between academia and businesses in Estonia
National RDI strategy 2014-2020 Knowledge-based Estonia PRIORITIES 1. Excellence and diversity 2. Increasing socio-economic impact of R&D 3. Changing the economic structure through Smart Specialisation 4. International cooperation Smart Specialisation areas: ICT horizontally through other sectors Healthcare Biotechnology E-health Resource valorisation Chemical industry (shale oil) Innovative construction (wood) Functional food Innovative materials
RDI strategy 2014-2020 Reinforce, with the help of European Union Structural Funds and activities financed from the state budget, the capacity of Estonian research institutions to participate in forms of cooperation based on quality competition, incl. in the programme Horizon 2020. it is important to achieve a closer connection with the initiatives of the European Research Area.To enhance domestic research and development, it is also important to use the potential of the European Union research and innovation framework programme Horizon 2020.
ESTONIAN OPERATIONAL PROGRAMME FOR COHESION POLICY FUNDS 2014-2020
Synergies in Estonian OP R&D-related activities will support the institutional reforms of universities and R&D institutions, high level research, international cooperation (incl. synergy with the EU Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Framework Programme), the mobility of students, university teachers and researchers, and the emergence of their next generation (OP, p9) As regards international research cooperation, priority will be given to investments that will enhance Estonia s participation and visibility in international research cooperation and leverage synergy between the objectives of the Structural Funds and Horizon 2020, while avoiding potential overlaps. (OP, p91)
SOME PRACTICAL EXAMPLES FOR SYNERGIES
ESTONIA IN HORIZON 2020
Teaming for Excellence Horizon 2020 Spreading Excellence and Widening Participation Teaming for Excellence Structural Funds Support for infrastructure and equipment Support for human capital, internationalisation and business cooperation Directly linked to Smart specialisation + national long-term commitment to ensure sustainability
ERA Chairs Horizon 2020 Structural Funds Spreading Excellence and Widening Participation ERA Chairs (4+1) Support for research costs and equipment that is not covered by the H2020 Support from Mobilitas Pluss up to 200 000 per project
European Research Council Horizon 2020 Excellent Science European Research Council grants Structural Funds Support for applicants who achieve high results in ERC evaluation, but who do not receive a positive financing decision (in the amount of national personal grant up to 100 000 per year, for up to 1,5 years) Trainings and study visits for researchers (to prepare for a successful application)
ERA NET support Horizon 2020 Structural Funds ERA-NET projects Support for participation in the ERA-NET projects, which are not financed by the European Commission Support from Mobilitas Pluss is up to 150 000 per project
EIT - KIC Horizon 2020 Structural Funds European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs) - 3 Support for costs that is not covered by the H2020 Support from Mobilitas Pluss is up to 60 000 per project
NL DK LU BE CY FI IE SE AT SI UK EE DE ES EL EU28 FR PT MT IT LV HU CZ SK LT HR BG PL RO Revenue from Horizon 2020 per capita by May 2017 E-CORDA extraction date: 2017/05/31 250% 200% 150% 100% 120% 100% 50% 0% EE participation: 114 Organizations 216 Projects 64 Collaborating countries 30% SME participation Estonian success rates: Applications: EE=12,7% EU28=14,4% Financial contribution: EE=8,7% EU28=13,3%
STRENGTHENING THE COOPERATION BETWEEN ACADEMIA AND BUSINESSES IN ESTONIA
Support for applied research and product development in cooperation between research institutions and businesses in smart specialisation areas Doctoral studies in cooperation with enterprises and scholarships in smart specialisation areas. in 2016 we changed the calculation formula of institutional performance-based funding of the research institutions and raised the share of contract research in the formula from 40 to 50%. To motivate the research institutions to focus more to the cooperation with business sector, in 2017, we doubled the weight of business sector contracts in the institutional performance-based funding formula. Including companies in the activities of popularisation of research. Improving the work practice system at all levels of education, including higher education The entrepreneurial platform ADAPTER which brings together the needs of the entrepreneurs and development potential of universities to raise the global competitiveness of Estonian companies. Opening up the infrastructure of research institutions for cooperation with businesses and other external users
The statistics show continuation of positive trends in the volume of contract research between public R&D institutions and private sector. In 2016 the volume of contract research increased by 9,6%, reaching 8 mln euros.
Ene.kadastik@hm.ee Thank you