Establishing research relationships from Paris to Almaty – "incrEAST" web portal launched to aid co-operation

Co-operations of this kind are not ends in themselves, but rather an important prerequisite to, for example, addressing global issues that are becoming increasingly urgent. The web portal thus supports the aim of the 7th EU Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development of expanding the European Research Area and intensifying collaboration with non-member countries.

However, numerous questions often arise before collaboration can actually begin: How is the research landscape structured in the potential partner country? Who is currently working on which subject there? What sponsorship and exchange programmes are there? Is there any previous experience of co-operation between EU researchers and colleagues from the partner country, and what can be said about it?

Questions to which the new web portal began providing answers on 1st August 2008. Its main focus is on information relating to scientific and research policy co-operations between EU member states, associated states, and those countries of Eastern Europe and Central Asia that are to be systematically included in the European Research Area as part of the new EU project IncoNet EECA (see below): Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.

The “incrEAST” web portal
– offers comprehensive and current information on the development of science, technology and research sponsorship in the countries of Eastern Europe and Central Asia (EECA) and in the EU,
– provides information on collaborative projects with EECA countries, current calls for proposals, research and sponsorship programmes, research policy developments and partner organisations,
– contains news, event announcements, links to relevant publications and co-operation agreements and

– allows interested scientists to contact research managers and national points of contact in the respective countries.

In addition, external users can publish current news and information on their own events, important publications, calls for proposals, projects etc., and thus actively contribute to the information content of the web portal. The comprehensive offering also includes an e-newsletter with relevant and current news, to which users can subscribe.

The “incrEAST” web portal can be found at http://www.increast.eu. Responsible for maintaining and managing it is the International Bureau (IB) of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) at the German Aerospace Centre (DLR).

“incrEAST” is part of the project “Expanding S&T Synergies: S&T International Cooperation Network for Eastern European and Central Asian Countries” (IncoNet EECA), which is sponsored by the EU Commission in the 7th Framework Programme (project no. 212226) and was launched in January 2008 for a period of initially four years. Along with the above-mentioned EECA countries, Austria, Bulgaria, Germany, Estonia, Finland, France, Norway, Poland, Romania, Sweden and Turkey are also participating in the project (for more information on the IncoNet EECA project see http://www.inco-eeca.net).

To find out more about the web portal, please contact:
Maria Valkova (tel.: +49-228-3821 415; e-mail: maria.valkova@dlr.de) and
Karola Gowers (tel.: +49-228-3821 477; e-mail: karola.gowers@dlr.de)
International Bureau (IB) of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)at the German Aerospace Centre (DLR)
Heinrich-Konen-Str. 1
53227 Bonn, Germany