"From what we have learned so far, priority action in the WBCs appears necessary in four different areas, without indicating any priority or specific action at this stage, as follows:

• General awareness actions: role of research policy; how to design an integrated research policy; links with other EU policies; Lisbon strategy;
• Benefits of collaborative research; association to FP7; mapping; setting priorities;
• Human resources: facilitate movement of researchers; attract best researchers; and
• Infrastructure: improve research capacity (laboratories, institutes, equipment).

Given the fact that research requires substantial investments, it is clear that all the above objectives cannot be achieved without creating synergies between research programme funding and other EU financial instruments such as the Pre-accession Funds (IPA).
Coordination of actions with other stakeholders should also actively be pursued. This is in the first place the case with the S&T policies for WBCs from the Member states and candidate countries but also other stakeholders such as the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe; the COST or the Eureka programmes are to be part of these coordinating efforts.
In addition, it should be considered how research can contribute and facilitate the realisation of the overall political objectives such as compliance with acquis communautaire; administrative capacity building and institutional stability."

Link to the background document: /doc/273.html

Article published in eJournal summer 06.