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The 2nd meeting of the EU-Bosnia and Herzegovina Joint R&I Committee under Horizon Europe took place on 14 May in Sarajevo under the co-chairmanship of Anne Haglund-Morrissey, Deputy Head of Unit, DG Research and Innovation, European Commission, and Suvad Džafić, Assistant to the Minister for Science and Culture, Ministry of Civil Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The meeting offered a good occasion for the EU to recall the importance of the Horizon Europe programme for the country’s researchers and its innovation ecosystem, especially in the context of Bosnia and Herzegovina being an EU candidate country.
The EC co-chair welcomed the good progress of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Horizon Europe so far (also since the last JCM on 8 March 2023) and highlighted the advancements that Bosnia and Herzegovina has made in line with the Commission’s strategic priorities, especially as regards the green and digital transitions. The European Commission is ready to continue to assist capacity building efforts in Bosnia and Herzegovina notably through support to its integration into the European Research and Innovation Areas.
The participants exchanged on subjects pertinent to the association of Bosnia and Herzegovina to Horizon Europe such as strengthening R&I cooperation and further promote the integration of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the new European Research Area (ERA), the implementation of the reciprocity principle as well as discussions on how to encourage increased participation in the different parts of the Horizon Europe programme.
The co-Chair from Bosnia and Herzegovina stressed that the country’s participation in Horizon Europe is key for the country’s scientific and technological developments, highlighting in particular the important role of the National Contact Points in Horizon Europe. He expressed its strong interest in having a dedicated Horizon Europe office aiming to provide information and advisory support for the implementation of the Horizon Europe Programme to the National Contact Points, researchers, scientists, innovators, other stakeholders to strengthen cooperation in science, innovation and technology.
University of Banja Luka (POLICY ANSWERS partner) participation in the meeting
Head of the Research Development and Support Centre of the University of Banja Luka, Asst. Prof. Anđela Pepić, PhD, also participated in the meeting of the Joint Committee between Bosnia and Herzegovina and the European Union for the EU programme for research and innovation Horizon Europe on 14 May.
She presented various innovation support schemes, including improving cooperation between the research community and the business sector through projects funded by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), Horizon Europe projects, as well as other national projects such as those funded by the programme “Synergy” of the Ministry of Scientific and Technological Development and Higher Education of the Republic of Srpska.
The University of Banja Luka takes active part in the Horizon Europe programme with a success rate of 17.07% (which is higher than the average for Bosnia and Herzegovina), including two coordination projects, implementation of which begins in September 2024. Moreover, the University has actively been taking part in EIT projects with altogether 7 EIT projects so far, including one coordination project.
The next Horizon Europe Joint Committee Meeting will take place in Brussels in 2025.
The sources of these announcements are: Participation in the Meeting on the Horizon Europe Programme | UNIBL and Second EU – Bosnia and Herzegovina Horizon Europe Joint R&I committee meeting – European Commission (europa.eu)