The INCONET-GCC project aims to strengthen science and technology cooperation between the EU and GCC countries. It develops a bi-regional dialogue to identify common research priorities and support capacity building. The project will survey current research interests and needs in GCC countries, establish an S&T cooperative network, and support national contact points to enhance GCC participation in the EU Framework Programme for Research. Priority research areas identified include environment, health, energy, ICT, aerospace, transport, and materials.

1. INCONET-GCC: Challenges for
Innovation in the GCC region
Stavroula Maglavera
Project Coordinator
Euroconsultants S.A.

2. 2
Overall Objective
INCONET-GCC is bringing together policy
makers and stakeholders of GCC with the EU to
in order to:
• Support a dialogue to identify S&T priorities for
mutual benefit and interest and define
cooperation policy orientations;
• Implement specific activities to promote and
contribute to the participation of GCC in the
Framework Programme
Global Forum, Brussels 8/11/2011

3. 3
INCONET-GCC objectives
• Develops and supports the bi-
regional dialogue by bringing
together policymakers and
stakeholders of GCC and EU.
• Creates a dialogue and action
platform to identify common
interests in research areas, set
up S&T priorities, support
capacity building activities,
and enhance the interaction
between different cooperation
instruments of the EC.
• Creates an observatory of EU-
GCC cooperation in S&T
Global Forum, Brussels 8/11/2011

4. 4
 Support for international S&T policy development;
 Support the bi-regional policy dialogue on S&T policy;
 Improve the bi-regional dialogue for mapping research
needs and setting S&T cooperation priorities
 Strengthen the co-ordination and complementarities with
activities carried out by means of Community foreign
policy instruments;
 Create operational link with policy makers
 Identification of areas with potential for enhanced
coordination
Global Forum, Brussels 8/11/2011

5. 5
 Support the GCC National Contact Points
 Organise awareness actions and dissemination activities
for scientific community
 Training activities for project managers
 Development of efficient knowledge management tools
 Strengthening regional research networking
 Support of future thematic pilot projects
 Link with other existing networks
 Coordination with other activities
Global Forum, Brussels 8/11/2011

6. 6
Survey of the current state in GCC
• Capacity building in research
- Concentration, critical mass, specialisation
• Technology diffusion and innovation
- SMEs, mobility
• Social and non-technical innovation
- Potential, lack of information
• Governance
- Systemic, stakeholders
• Digital convergence and making use of ICT
- Leveraging networks, labs (e.g., multimedia)
Global Forum, Brussels 8/11/2011

7. 7
Towards the identification of research priorities
WP1:
Policy
Advisory
WP2:
Research
Priori;es
oReview
of
current
methodologies
oSurvey
of
current
interests
oIden;fica;on
of
common
prac;ces
oIden;fica;on
of
joint
research
fields
oEstablishment
of
collabora;on
plan
oEstablishment
of
S&T
coopera;ve
network
Global Forum, Brussels 8/11/2011

8. 8
Research areas, identified on the base of the analysis of the
region’s needs and the development’s strategies, are grouped
following the main schemes of the FP7 programme as:
• Environment, Water and Climate (including Marine,
Agriculture, and Food)
• Health
• Energy Security
• ICT
Additional subjects, more related to specific interests in some
countries are: Aerospace, Transport, Materials
Global Forum, Brussels 8/11/2011

9. 9
Global Forum, Brussels 8/11/2011

10. 10
• Support for the development of National Contact Points
in each GCC country
• Training of the local people
• Organisation of Information Days in the different
countries
• Participation of the local NCPs in the European Network
of NCPs
Global Forum, Brussels 8/11/2011

11. Global Forum, Brussels 8/11/2011

12. 12
Thank you
Information is available at:
www.inconet-gcc.eu
Global Forum, Brussels 8/11/2011