Fostering Evaluation Competencies in Research, Technology and Innovation in the SEE Region

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In front of more and more differentiating innovation policy and funding mixes in SEE, which increasingly leverage national budgets and bridge between different policy fields, the absence of sufficient endogenous RTDI evaluation capacities causes a serious bottleneck for the entire innovation management cycle. Thus, the key objective of EVAL-INNO is to strengthen regional as well as national evaluation capacities in order to improve framework conditions for innovation policies, programmes, institutions and projects. In particular, the project aims to + promote the role of RTDI evaluation as crucial condition for a reflexive learning innovation system + develop needed capacities/competencies for comprehensive RTDI evaluations + provide procedural and methodological know-how and tool-kits both on the side of evaluators and on the side of awarding authorities. EVAL-INNO focuses on capacity building and institutional support. Main target groups are policy-makers and policy-delivery systems, innovation infrastructures and (potential) RTDI evaluators. An easily accessible and systematically structured Regional RTDI Evaluation Platform is programmed, subdivided in four distinct databases which will be continuously updated. The Platform serves the information needs of both evaluators and awarding authorities (agencies, ministries). For them distinct training modules are prepared and implemented with an emphasis on methodological and procedural issues. Special training and knowledge for an optimum use of public procurement for RTDI evaluations and promotion of innovation is provided too. In addition, 3 RTDI programme evaluations and a comparative benchmarking of intermediary innovation organisations will be carried out based on sound methodological designs. Outputs and results of EVAL-INNO will be promoted through a large international conference. A business plan for sustaining the Regional RTDI Evaluation Platform based on a fee-based membership system will be developed.

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