Through the Southeast European Era-Net (SEE-ERA.NET) project, the European Union is supporting networking between countries through international research initiatives. However, the joint call budget for projects comes from the countries themselves, which are deeply interested in the process, also because of their financial involvement. As the target region of the project, the project partners from the Western Balkans have the same rights as the EU partner countries in all decision-making processes. Summer schools, research and network projects are being supported by the first SEE-ERA.NET call in the areas of “Food, Agriculture and Biotechnology”, “Information and Communication Technologies” and “Environment”. For an application to be accepted as eligible, at least three (five) research teams from three (five) different countries must be involved, with at least one (two) of them from the Western Balkans. SEE-ERA.NET is funded by the European Commission under FP6. It is coordinated by the Centre for Social Innovation (Zentrum für Soziale Innovation) in Austria, with project partners, research ministries and agencies in the project countries Austria, Albania, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, and Slovenia.

Article published in see-science.eu eJournal spring 07.