The SCORE project is running an Open Consultation to find out what are the ICT research priorities for the period 2007 – 2013 in each of the following Western Balkan countries: Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, FYR of Macedonia, Serbia.

SCORE is an EC funded project that aims to contribute to the shaping of EU ICT research policy in the Western Balkan region, in a way that meets the interests and actual needs of regional ICT stakeholders.

Its main contribution will be the development of 4 country-specific ICT Strategic Research Agendas for the participating countries, as well as a Policy Paper with “Recommendations for shaping EU scientific co-operation with the Western Balkan Region in the field of ICT research: 2007-2013” for the EU Commission.

Concretely, the ICT Strategic Research Agendas will define the ICT research priorities in each country following an open consultation process.

A first phase of this consultation process has recently involved key local ICT experts who have indicated precise ICT research priorities for their own country, together with related objectives and research areas. Accordingly, an Initial Strategic Research Agenda has been developed by the project team, per each country.

The Open Consultation is now currently aimed at gathering feedback from a broader ICT stakeholder community, so as to finalise the Strategic Research Agenda and render it a concrete basis for the development of the Policy Paper.
By answering to 3 simple questions the participants can personally contribute to the enrichment of the ICT research priorities already defined for each Western Balkan country, and also identify further research priorities that they consider important.

The Open Consultation is accessible on-line from November 5, 2007 until December 10, 2007, by visiting http://consultations.score-project.eu.

It is finally worth to be underlined that the SCORE project has also implemented an information portal providing also networking opportunities to its members.
By registering at www.score-project.eu it is possible to access information, such as:

• News on ICT research topics both at EU and Western Balkan level,
• A calendar of the most important and related events,
• Documents such as country reports, studies, national strategies, policy papers, analyses, etc.
• Information about other related ICT projects,
• Useful links listed by country and ICT, R&D topics, ...

While, the following features support the SCORE portal members’ networking opportunities:

• On-line ICT directories allowing for searching the profiles and contacting other organisations and members
• Interactive on-line communication tool enabling instant messages, uploading and sharing of documents, and exchange ideas for future projects and best practices.

Source: Desiree Pecarz