The aims of the priority setting exercise is are the following:

• Input to the workprogrammes of FP7 in selected themes
• Organisational learning, identifying suitable processes for stakeholder involvement
• Input to the SEE-ERA.NET PLUS call to be launched in autumn 2009
• Regional Research Strategy: Generic activities to be implemented at regional level

WBC-INCO.NET had a quite elaborated analysis on how to select priorities with the involvement of UNU-MERIT (The Netherlands) and PT-DLR (Germany). The selected approach is to combine expert consultations and quantitative data analysis.

It starts with the development of national background reports:

• Basis: existing regional priority setting results if available
• Preparation of „national background reports“ by analytical experts based on a template for the report and a questionnaire (including SWOT, identification of ongoing research projects and relevant institutions; Analysis of expenditure, publications and citations, patents, FP participation, human resources in the field, etc. if available)
• National expert panels (optional) to receive input for the background reports
• Review by the ministerial partners
• Finalisation of the national background reports

Followed by Consultation Sessions:

• Presentations by the national experts on their findings
• Involvement of external experts (e.g. previous projects)
• Invited stakeholders, delegations from WBC:
  • policy maker,
  • NCP,
  • experts from higher education/research institution,
  • expert from industry,
  • analytical expert.
• Discussion based on prepared input sheets and tables, moderated by PT-DLR, BMBF, UNU-MERIT, ZSI
• Introduction of identified priorities in the background reports, confirmation and adaptation of priorities, development of table
• Voting Rounds and Discussions
• Ranking list
• Refinement (specification)

The result is the list of common/regional research priorities (incl. areas) confirmed by all WBC:

1. Food / feed safety and quality, food biotechnology
-  Preservation of indigenous species and traditional food products (in SEE/WBC) - Combined exposure of food and feed to environmental pollutants

2 Biodiversity
- Investigation of regional genetic resources in the WBC (plants, animals and microorganisms)
- Interdisciplinary field: Land use impact in agriculture on biodiversity (Topic: Renewable energy production in the agricultural sector and biodiversity conservation)

(In the concrete case, no delegation from Bosnia and Herzegovina voted on these priorities, but it can be assumed that these topics are also of interest to the research community in BiH based on the country report).