Recognizing the need and the importance to provide support to WBs research community, with particular focus on young scholars, the Paris Western Balkan Summit in 2016 launched the Western Balkan Research Foundation (WBRF), designed to enable outstanding junior scientists from the Balkans and Europe to build excellent research labs and teams in the Balkan economies within a period of five years through ad personam grants. A blueprint was endorsed during the 3rd Science Conference held in June 2017 in Paris. The Joint Statement of the 5th Joint Science Conference Western Balkan Process / Berlin Process in London in May 2019 reaffirmed the parties’ unequivocal commitment to the creation of the WBRF, reinforcing the decision of the Heads of State and Government at the 2017 Trieste Western Balkans Summit.

Ever since these strong commitments, there have been high expectations in the WBCs research communities that sooner rather than later, the vacuum of support for research would be substantially addressed thanks also to substantial European support. Although this is the fifth year since the WBRF was launched, to the disappointment of the researcher community in the region, particularly young researchers, that initiative still appears to be far from becoming a reality. The hopes of the young scholars who were once preparing for applying for WBRF are vanishing. The inability of WBRF to come to existence risks being perceived as a lack of commitment from the EU towards WBCs and will not be able to help with stopping the ongoing brain drain.

Considering the presentation of the WB Agenda on Innovation, Research, Education, Culture, Youth and Sport by the European Commission in late 2020, it is the right moment to accelerate the establishment of WBRF. This will also contribute to the integration of WBCs into the European Research Area as Accession Countries. We hereby urge the European Union, Western Balkans Governments, and related stakeholders to implement as soon as possible WBRF considering the clear need for evidence-informed policy making, innovation for smart growth and also as brain drain has become an urgent issue across the region. WBC economies cannot afford to risk losing another generation of aspiring researchers. Time to live up to the commitments undertaken.

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