Overview of Bilateral Research and Innovation Cooperation Between the Western Balkans and EU Member States

International research and innovation cooperation plays a crucial role in the development of research and innovation ecosystems in the Western Balkans (WB), the European Union (EU) Member States (MS) and beyond. It has become a strategic pillar for the advancement of the research and innovation ecosystems by connecting researchers, institutions and governments across borders. International cooperation facilitates knowledge exchange, strengthens institutional capacities, and fosters scientific progress that no country could achieve alone.

In an increasingly interconnected world, bilateral cooperation between the WB and the EU MS is driving progress, fostering innovation, and building bridges for joint development. Bilateral partnerships allow economies to pool resources, align priorities, and tackle global challenges, from climate change to digital transformation, more effectively than they could alone.

Cooperation can take many forms, ranging from unilateral initiatives that fund international partners, to bilateral and multilateral programmes, as well as global partnerships that address shared challenges on a worldwide scale. While multilateral frameworks such as Horizon Europe, Erasmus+, Eureka, and Interreg Cross-Border-Cooperation Programmes provide essential platforms for fostering broad regional and global collaboration, bilateral cooperation remains a particularly important instrument. Unlike large-scale initiatives, bilateral partnerships allow two countries to align their interests more closely, share resources and infrastructure, and address priority research and innovation needs in a targeted way. They also contribute to stronger economic ties, enhancing trust and mutual understanding between partner countries.

Bilateral cooperation can take different formats, including formalised agreements, joint research funding programmes, researcher mobility schemes, bilateral conferences and workshops, institutional partnerships and joint infrastructures. Examples include:

• Formalised agreements expressed in research and innovation strategies, policies, agreements, memorandum of understandings (e.g., agreements on scientific and technological cooperation between Montenegro and the Czech Republic).
• Diplomatic visits and meetings (e.g., meeting on development of innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem in Kosovo with the Ambassador of Finland).
• Joint research funding programmes (e.g., scientific and technology projects Montenegro-Slovenia).
• Bilateral researcher mobility programmes (e.g., research mobility programme Albania-Italy).
• Bilateral institutional or organisational level cooperations (e.g., AUT-BOKU 2030).
• Research grants and scholarships (e.g., scholarships for students, including PhD from North Macedonia to study at Bulgarian universities).
• Bilateral research and innovation conferences and workshops (e.g., Scientific forum Italy-Serbia, Serbian-French Innovation Forum).
• Joint research and innovation infrastructures (e.g., bi-national French-German Research Institute of Saint-Louis).

Bilateral cooperation leads to stronger research and innovation ecosystems, deeper diplomatic ties, and new opportunities for innovation

Key insights from the Western Balkans

POLICY ANSWERS prepared a structured overview of bilateral research and innovation cooperation between the Western Balkans economies and EU Member States, as well as other EU enlargement countries including Georgia, Moldova, Türkiye and Ukraine. It is based on surveys and desk research conducted in the summer of 2025 and presents data on bilateral agreements, joint funding programmes, researcher mobility, institutional cooperation, and other instruments of collaboration. The overview starts with insights in global trends and motivations in international cooperation and it highlights the main findings in the concluding remarks. The document then provides an overview of data on bilateral cooperation between the WB economies and the EU MS, as well as other enlargement countries.

Find the report here

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