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On 5 December 2025, a Steering Group Meeting was held of the Priority Area 7 of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region. It was organised in Belgrade and hybrid.
The Western Balkans Info Hub (by the POLICY ANSWERS project) has previously been designated as a flagship project of the EUSDR PA7 and thus we had the opportunity to share our recent work with the Steering Group members.
The day overall was provided a comprehensive overview of current developments in the Danube Region Strategy with a focus on research, innovation, higher education, smart specialisation, funding coordination and knowledge-society governance.
For example, updates from DG REGIO and the Danube Strategy Point emphasised continued efforts to strengthen the embedding of macro-regional priorities into EU funding instruments, improve coordination mechanisms and enhance the monitoring of cooperation actions. The Priority Area highlighted the need for stronger alignment with EU initiatives such as the European Research Area (ERA), Horizon Europe, the European Institute of Innovation and Technology, COST, EUREKA, and Erasmus+. The thematic Working Groups reported on progress and challenges in their respective domains. The Funding Coordination group outlined opportunities to improve linkages between national and European R&I funding streams and announced plans to involve a new partner country in the 2026 joint call. The Higher Education and Mobilities group addressed the role of universities in fostering democratic resilience, cross-border mobility and institutional cooperation. The RIS3 group presented analytical findings demonstrating fragmentation in national smart specialisation strategies and the need for stronger interregional connections, shared infrastructures and joint innovation priorities. The ERA Working Group focused on system-level developments, including tools to monitor ERA alignment and explore options for shared research infrastructures in the Danube Region.
Several flagship project presentations complemented the policy and governance discussions: HARMONMISSIONS, TiCCA4DANU and GeoNetSee demonstrated concrete initiatives aiming to build mission-oriented cooperation, develop regional innovation networks and deploy AI/IoT systems for environmental monitoring, respectively. Collectively, the presentations underscored that the Danube Region’s research and innovation landscape remains fragmented but holds significant potential for greater integration, shared strategic planning, and cross-border knowledge-driven development.
POLICY ANSWERS was finally presented as a key instrument supporting research and innovation system development in the Western Balkans, with strong relevance for regional cooperation under PA7. The project contributes to capacity building, policy analysis and alignment with EU frameworks such as ERA and Horizon Europe. It facilitates coordination between Western Balkan institutions and EU bodies. POLICY ANSWERS plays a role in monitoring R&I developments in the region, producing analytical outputs and supporting integration processes by fostering dialogue, improving strategic planning, and guiding participation in European programmes. Its activities strengthen the evidence base for policymaking and help position Western Balkan partners within broader European knowledge and innovation ecosystems. One of it’s upcoming newsletters will also focus on S3.
For more information about the presentations, please visit Steering Group Meetings – PA 07.