SmartEIZ is twining project funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation programme which has a double goal – to improve research excellence in the area of innovation and technology analysis and to enhance its policy impact. Its principal focus is research linked to smart specialization (S3) as the major policy activity in this area in the EU new members. The key feature of S3 is broad involvement of stakeholders in the process identifying a limited number of S3 priority areas for knowledge–based investments, focusing on their strengths and comparative advantages addressing country and region specific R&D and innovation challenges. It is also expected that the S3 approach will also impact other Western–Balkan (WB) candidate and neighbourhood countries in a way of improving their compatibility with the EU–wide policy approach.

To implement this broad involvement of relevant stakeholders a questionnaire was formed that hopefully encompassed key insights on the issue of design and implementation of research & innovation policies, and smart specialization, in particular. Its aims are twofold – (a) to generate insights about the existing R&D and innovation policies and (b) to deepen understandings of research and policy support needs in WB countries, especially those related to Smart Specialisation.

The survey should give insights on gaps in policy capabilities of the WB countries and the priorities in closing these gaps. This should help us to better program SmartEIZ activities regarding training workshops. Moreover, the aim of the Workshops will be also to identify and design policy/research network which could collaborate in future EU calls. The training workshops are planned to be carried out in autumn of the next year.