The intensification of R&D - relationships with SEE partners has been identified as an important success factor regarding applied R&D in the company mission of JR itself. To place emphasis on the necessity of cooperation and the achievement of common R&D objectives, formal cooperation agreements with the Jožef Stefan Institute in Ljubljana and the Ruđer Bošković Institute in Zagreb have been established recently.

All of JR’s strategies are embedded in an overall communication concept, where different aims and instruments serve as a general guideline regarding cooperation efforts.

To achieve its communication aims, such as presenting success stories and signalling R&D and project management competence, various important instruments have been launched and used effectively.

The JOANNEUM RESEARCH “Round Table on Internationalisation of R&D” was initiated in 2006 as a sort of exchange platform for R&D topics in South East and Eastern Europe. The Round Table events are organised twice a year and can be considered as a qualified discussion among experts (representatives of research organisations, universities, firms, policy makers, etc.). Usually four to five short presentations about different experiences with international R&D are held and talked about in a casual atmosphere. The number of participants is kept rather small (20–30 persons) to ensure good discussions. The timeline of a Round Table Event is usually up to three hours with the possibility of networking in the end.

The SEE Project Database gives an overview about all JR activities in SEE countries or with SEE cooperation partners since 2002 and is updated once a year. Analysing the database can be done according to the R&D focus and the running period of each activity, the funding, the responsible institute of JR and the participating countries. Additional information is given about the project manager, the customer and the contents. The valuable data is used in internal meetings, in presentations at the Round Table and other conferences as well as in reports, brochures and newsletters.

The SEE Newsletter is published three times a year and sent to more than 400 recipients in Austria and the SEE countries. It is an excellent means for making the activities of JR in South East and Eastern Europe visible to partners, customers and other R&D target groups and gives information about current and future events, successful common R&D projects and the efforts for obtaining more mobility of researchers.