Research and innovation in the Slovak Republic
Promoting research and innovation in the Slovak Republic through effective use of European funds
Sustainable growth is increasingly dependent on the capacity of economies to innovate and adapt to an ever-changing and more competitive environment. This incentivises countries to devote greater efforts to create ecosystems that encourage innovation. The European Commission (EC) is allocating significant funds to its member states to support this endeavour.
The Slovak Republic benefits from one of the largest shares of the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) oriented to the programme to promote Research and Innovation (R&I). Investments in this programme will provide benefits to the extent that they are effectively spent on projects that drive innovation in the country. However, the country ranks among the EU member states with the lowest absorption of R&I ESIF. In 2017, administrative inefficiencies and irregularities even resulted in further decommitments by the EC.
The Government of the Slovak Republic and the European Commission called upon the OECD to assist in developing an action plan to improve the absorption of the ESIF for R&I and avoid further decommitments of EU funds, for the programming period 2021-27.
Funded by DG Reform, the general objective of this project is to recommend reforms that would lead to improved absorption of the ESIF for R&I projects to avoid further decommitments of EU funds, notably by:
- Analysing current practices related to the implementation of the ESIF in the Slovak Republic to identify bottlenecks across the entire project life cycle, from the preparation of calls and project selection stage through the public procurement stage
- Benchmarking current practices related to the implementation of the ESIF in the Slovak Republic against good practices in the other EU Member States
- Developing recommendations and an action plan to improve the absorption capacity of the ESIF for R&I in the Slovak Republic
Fast Facts
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Country: Slovak Republic |
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Timeframe: May 2020 – July 2021
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Counterparts:
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Areas of focus: |
List of Deliverables
- > Policy paper that includes a stocktaking of current practices related to the implementation of the ESIF, benchmarking exercises, recommendations and an action plan to help the Slovak Republic in improving the absorption capacity of the ESIF for R&I
- > Workshops to discuss key findings and recommendations with stakeholders
Timeline
- > May 2020: Kick-off meeting of the project
- > June 2020 – November 2020: Analysis of current practices
- > November 2020: 1st workshop to discuss initial findings and recommendations
- > November 2020 – January 2021: Drafting of the stocktaking report
- > February 2021: Advisory Group Meeting to discuss the draft stock-taking report
- > March 2021 – April 2021: Benchmarking exercise and drafting of an action plan
- > April 2021: 2nd workshop to discuss and disseminate an action plan
- > May 2021 – July 2021: Finalisation of the policy paper
Content of the project
Output 1: A stocktaking report that includes the main findings and recommendations from the analysis.
This output includes the following activities:
1. Assessment of the current practices in the R&I system, procurement processes and strategies, and absorption of ESIF in this sector
2. Analysis of selected issues within the R&I system linked to incentives for researchers, available skills and empowerment of researchers in the process of managing the projects
3. Analysis of selected management and control procedures in procurement processes for the ESIF R&I measures (e.g. grant scheme decision making and procurement controls)
4. Benchmarking exercise with international good practice in the EU Member States
5. Draft of a stocktaking report
Output 2: Organisation of a workshop to build consensus around the main findings of the report and recommendations to move forward
This output will include the following activities:
1. The organisation of a workshop with stakeholders to gather input around outstanding issues
Output 3: Draft Action Plan to improve absorption of ESIF funding for R&I and avoid further decommitments of EU funds.
This output will include the following activities:
1. Developing an action plan based on the stocktaking report and international good practices
2. Dissemination of the action plan in the workshop
Outputs and resources
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Promoting research and innovation in the Slovak Republic through effective use of European funds |
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OECD Recommendation on Public Procurement |
