Informative seminar and workshop on Horizon 2020 Programme

On 13 and 14 May 2014 the Faculty of Political Sciences, the University of Banja Luka, hosted the informative seminar and workshop on the EU Framework Programme For Research and Innovation 2014-2020 – HORIZON 2020.

At the opening of the two-day event, organized within the project “Capacity Building in Bosnia and Herzegovina for European programmes and initiatives for research and technological development” (RTDPI), funded by the EU, and in cooperation with the Ministry of Civil Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Ministry of Science and Technology of the Republic of Srpska, it was pointed out that for the participants from Bosnia and Herzegovina it was highly important to start with preparations for the project and partnership in its early phase, for it increases significantly the chances for their full participation in the project and for using the maximal means available until 2020.

   

Recalling the fact that the EU through the Horizon 2020 Programme made available around 80 billion euros of grants for research and innovation, the Minister of Science and Technology of the Republic of Srpska, Prof. Jasmin Komic,  pointed out that such events enable many researchers and businessmen from the Republic of Srpska to participate in the Horizon 2020 Programme. The means of the programme are available to the Member States and potential candidates, which includes Bosnia and Herzegovina too.

The Representative of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, Ms Dina Masnik, stressed out that by the signing the agreement on participation in this programme BiH gained an access to all types of projects, as it was the case with the previous FP7 programme, and added that all those who had made a project fiche and submitted it to the European Commission can also apply for the grants of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, since the Ministry has provided 250,000 BAM for this kind of support.

The Participants of the seminar and workshop in Banja Luka were welcomed by the Vice-Rector for scientific and research work professor, Dr Milan Mataruga. He stated that the University of Banja Luka paid a lot of attention to the programmes such as Horizon 2020, whose objectives are supporting and promoting scientific and research work and innovation, especially prompting young researchers, which is confirmed by the fact that the University of Banja Luka participates in many international programmes which offer support to science and research.

After the official part of the conference, Mr Jurgen Henke, the team leader of the EU RTDPI project, Prof. Steve Quarri and Horizon 2020 expert and trainer, Mr Bosko Nektarijevic, offered the answers to the following questions: what benefit can participants have from Horizon 2020; how to gain access to the EU programme; how to write the project and find partners for Horizon 2020. They also provided other useful pieces of information and advice regarding this programme.

Informative workshops and seminars on this topic were previously held in Mostar and Sarajevo.