CONTRIBUTION TO THE ACTION PLAN

Purpose: to increase innovation capacities in the whole region of the Western Balkan Countries (WBC).

Title of the suggested Action: 
Evaluation of Innovation Climate within the Research Institutions in the Western Balkans
Subtitle (or short description in one sentence):
The project aims to set up a sustainable platform of strengthening innovation climate via regional cooperation within scientific organizations in the Western Balkan region.  
Description of the Action (approx. 1 page):
The project would be implemented in two phases. In the first phase, researches of innovation climate in two selected scientific research institutions will be conducted, one in Croatia and one in Serbia. In the second phase, accompanied the results of analyses for each scientific research institution will be provided and suggestions for improving innovation climate as well. Moreover, during the implementation of the second phase it is planned the results of the first phase to be disseminated in the other Western Balkans (WB) and to the other interested countries (e.g. South Eastern European - SEE) in two ways:
-	Training aimed at improving innovative climate including know-how for conducting of innovation climate research; additional materials include detailed on-line tutorials at the project Internet portal
-	Supporting further research in the WB and SEE countries for the agents which would be interested (with help in planning and consultations via e-mail, phone and other available electronic resources on request). Therefore the main activities within the project will include 
•	Deliver methodology for innovation climate research including the provision of the Internet research platform, participating in creating the climate innovation questionnaire and data analysis and analytical reports after data collection and conducting research of innovation climate in Croatia and Belgrade. 
•	Providing education deliverables within the WB and SEE countries during the second year of the project including the workshop organization and deliverance and preparing the electronic training resources for the Internet platform;  

The main deliverables of the project: 

•	Innovation Climate Empirical Research – the countries’ reports  
•	Workshop 1: Introduction to Research of Innovation Climate 
•	Workshop 2:  How to plan and conduct Innovation Climate Research in your Research Organisation
•	Consultations for partners agreed to conduct research in their institutions : via e-mail and phone (other electronical media resources possible as well)
•	Internet portal with tutorials, video clips and additional advices for WB-inco-net. Members
References to running activities, lessons learnt from other regions, etc. (one paragraph):
Considering the Evaluation of Innovation Climate within the Research Institutions in the Western Balkans there is no comparative research which has been made or is running in any WB research institutions (according to the knowledge of the authors). Some attempts has been made in the business sector in different Croatian companies to measure the so called „innovation quotient“ but the validation of the proposed measure is still to be performed.
It is important that innovation climate measurement in scientific organisation is included as one of two pilot projects in the Croatian National Strategy of Innovation 2013-2020 in the framework of the innovation indicators deliverables.
This activity 
This activity is has a large potential for dissemination in research sector as much as in the business sector. Innovation climate with innovation indicators is extremely important in providing the appropriate surrounding for innovation development.
Actors to be involved in the implementation and their roles (max. half a page):
Zoran Aralica – The Institute of Economics, Zagreb – expert within Innovation Dialogue Forum; 
Barbara Ambrus - The Institute for Research and Development of Human Resources  - external expert;
The Ivo Pilar Institute – Croatia; 
The Institute Mihajlo Pupin – Serbia - WBC INCO.NET partners; 
Expected impact (one paragraph): 
Promotion of innovation climate within the scientific organization within the developing countries means strengthening innovation capacity in the national economies, primarily, through increase of innovation cooperation within the science sector as well as on relation science and business sector. The quality of the innovation capacity within the business and science sector is tightly connected with quality of innovation policy process in national economies. Thus, stimulating a new policy initiative increases the innovation capacity (i.e ability of conducting innovation activities) in the science sector and the business sector.   
Relevance to the WBC region (one paragraph):
Research in the field of innovation economics, presents the main horizontal activities in the regional cooperation within the WB region. The introduction of the project may increase efficiency of the in the innovation policy introducing a new instrument promotion of innovation climate into the policy practice within the WB countries, as well as facilitating formal and informal cooperation between science and business sectors.  
Author: name, affiliation, contact details (but you may also submit contributions anonymous) 
Zoran Aralica – The Institute of Economics, Zagreb; Contact: EIZ, Trg JF. Kennedy 7 10000 Zagreb , Tel. 00385-1-2362-218; e-mail: zaralica@eizg.hr
Barbara Ambruš - The Institute for Research and Development of Human Resources, Svetice 24/I, 10000 Zagreb; GSM 00385 997554861; e-mail: hr_institute@rocketmail.com