POLICY ENLARGE is focused on strengthening evidence-based R&I policy-making, implementation of the EU approaches in S&T and innovation policies the interests of EU enlargement countries.

Building on the results of POLICY ANSWERS project, the new project addresses the wider geographical scope and new strategic needs in the evolving EU Research and Innovation (R&I) landscape. The POLICY ENLARGE is focused on 10 EU enlargement countries, covering a wider geographical range of countries and thus it facilitates integration into the European Research Area (ERA), the European Education Area and the European Innovation Agenda..

Project start: April 2026

Project duration: 2026-2028

Members of the consortium:

Coordinator:

• Regional Centre for Information and Scientific Development (RCISD) - Hungary

Partners:

• Barleti University (UniBa) - Albania
• Centre for Social Innovation (ZSI) - Austria
• The University of Sarajevo (UNSA) - Bosnia and Herzegovina
• The University of Banja Luka (UNIBL) - Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Georgian Institute for Research and Innovation (GIRI) - Georgia
• Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR) - Germany
• RIINVEST Institute - Kosovo
• National Agency for Research and Development (NARD) - Moldova
• Science and Technology Park Montenegro (STP MNE) - Montenegro
• Foundation for Management and Industrial Research (MIR) - North Macedonia
• FundingBox Accelerator sp. z o.o. (FBA) - Poland
• Institute of Economic Sciences (IEN) - Serbia
• Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK) - Turkey
• State Organization "Institute for Economics and Forecasting of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine" - Ukraine

Associated partners: 

• Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design in Budapest (MOME) - Hungary
• National Agency for Scientific Research and Innovation (NASRI) - Albania
• Ministry of Civil Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina (MCA B&H) - Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Ministry of Education, Science and Youth of Georgia (MOESYGE) - Georgia
• Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation of Montenegro (MESI) - Montenegro
• Ministry of Science, Technological Development and Innovation (NITRA) - Serbia

Grant agreement with the State Organization "Institute for Economics and Forecasting of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine" No. 101289627

Funding: European Union

Implementation: with the support of the European Commission within the Horizon Europe program.

Project Manager from the State Organization "Institute for Economics and Forecasting of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine" Igor Yegorov

Tasks of the State Organization "Institute for Economics and Forecasting of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine":

• conducting research on the state of science and innovation in Ukraine,
• carrying out, along with partners, a comparative analysis with the state of affairs in other countries - candidates for joining the EU;
• participation in the organization and holding of joint events (seminars, conferences, trainings, etc.) with representatives of interested organizations in Ukraine and partner countries,
• conducting surveys in scientific institutions and higher education institutions regarding the prospects for the development of science and technology in Ukraine,
• at the final stage of the development of substantiated recommendations for the improvement of scientific, technical and innovation policy in order to achieve greater coherence of the actions of EU candidate countries in this area.

Key Project Outputs:

• Structured policy dialogue through high-level ministerial meetings, thematic workshops and peer learning;
• New Third-Party Funding (FSTP) scheme with flexible instruments for joint innovation, uptake of R&I results and people-to-people cooperation;
• Targeted capacity building in R&I reforms, digitalisation, technology transfer and Smart Specialisation Strategies;
• Support for the green and digital transitions, with inclusive participation.

Work Packages (WPs):

• Policy Dialogue
• Policy Guidance and Learning
• Joint calls and actions
• Capacity building
• Communication, Dissemination, Exploitation and Stakeholder Engagement Project
• Management and Coordination

A major innovation is the launch of a new third-party funding scheme with three flexible instruments to foster joint innovation actions; uptake of R&I results and people-to-people cooperation.

An upgraded online information hub and targeted dissemination actions will enhance stakeholder engagement, while inclusive actions ensure the participation of underrepresented groups.