Research, development and innovation in South East Europe

Research and development is systematically undertaken in creative work to increase the sphere of knowledge or invent new ways of applying existing knowledge. Innovation is the introduction of a new or improved product, service or process. This chapter on the Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) Dimension considers four sub-dimensions in its assessment of RDI performance and policy development. The RDI Policy Governance Sub-Dimension assesses co-ordinated strategy development and implementation as well as public research organisations. The Research Base Sub-Dimension measures research organisation funding. The Private Sector RDI Activities Sub-Dimension examines government activities to facilitate private sector RDI through business grants, fiscal support, promotion and public procurement practices. The Business-Academia Collaboration Sub-Dimension evaluates government initiatives to bring the two communities together to foster innovation such as business-academia mobility, researcher evaluation and IPR legislation.