Haris Muhic (SUS BiH) has been involved in several EU funded initiatives, also in cooperation with ZSI, the Centre for Social Innovation (who was also main organiser of the conference, on behalf of the Austrian Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research and with financial support from the European Commission).

During this two days, Haris appreciated the good presentations and could met some old and some new colleagues with whom to discuss on different objectives and new projects. While talking with Haris, several points from the conference were underlined as important for himself and the community in the Western Balkan countries:

• Bearing in mind the objectives of the Research, Technology and Innovation EU Strategy 2020, the issue of ENHANCING DIGITAL SKILLS AND INNOVATION IN EDUCATION needs to be a priority in the Balkans.
• In particular, the possibilities to enhance the professional skills, knowledge and competencies of the new, young generation and students need to be in the focus. Teaching digital skills should start at an early age. Projects in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education prepare pupils for the new challenges.
• Horizon 2020 as well as the future programme HORIZON EUROPE supports cooperation projects in different sectors and countries, these opportunities need to be systematically exploited to make the region stronger and more competitive.
• Research, innovation and digitalisation need to be further promoted by the authorities to address the global challenges and improve industrial competitiveness. In order to anticipate the economic and societal implications, social sciences and humanities have an active and important role. SSH add value in interdisciplinary projects and need to be well integrated in forthcoming projects and programmes.

For the Balkan region, it is therefore very important to follow the processes of shaping the next European research framework programme ‘Horizon Europe’ (2021-2027) to build the networks for participation in the opportunities offered by the new programming period. Haris eventually highlighted that universities and research institutes in the Balkans are operating in an ever-evolving complex context, at the crossroads of Science, Technology and Innovation systems in transition but they need to figure out how researchers can work efficiently towards addressing the challenges of society today through ambitious research projects while being constrained by limited funding.

Haris is looking for a answers and we hope that WBC-RTI.info can give some pointers and open up further opportunities!