GSF-23 identifies common priorities for science–business links in five Eastern Partnership countries

As part of Task 1 of the GSF-23 project, “Stimulating science-business links (SBLs) in the EU-Eastern Partnership (EaP) countries”, a regional analysis and five country reports have been prepared to identify priorities for closer cooperation between research organisations and businesses. The reports cover Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine, bringing together policy reviews, quantitative evidence and stakeholder consultations to examine national support for SBLs and participation in Horizon Europe.

The reports document increasing policy attention to SBLs across EaP countries through national strategies, applied research programmes, technology transfer initiatives and start-up support. The regional analysis identifies a common challenge in translating these commitments into operational measures, with clearly assigned responsibilities, sufficient funding and sustained support for implementation.

Growth in publications co-authored by research organisations and industry, alongside the development of incubators and innovation services, indicates increasing interaction between the two sectors. However, the collaboration remains mainly centred on training, consultancy and individual projects. There is still limited incentivisation for businesses and academia to work together and limited commercialisation funding and small technology transfer teams constrain the development of longer-term partnerships and the commercial use of research results.

Horizon Europe and related EU initiatives have strengthened international networks, institutional capacities and support for applicants. Across EaP countries, these benefits are becoming more evident in research cooperation and institutional development than in commercialisation. Greater participation by companies, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises, and closer connections between European projects and national innovation support are therefore important priorities.

The recommendations address four areas common to the country assessments: governance and coordination, funding instruments, innovation support infrastructure and cooperation with European partners.

Proposed governance measures include inter-ministerial coordination bodies, joint work programmes specifying responsible institutions and delivery timelines, and monitoring of joint research projects, industry co-funding and licensing activity.

Funding recommendations include co-financed research projects, innovation vouchers and dedicated support for proof-of-concept work, prototyping and validation, with instruments adapted to national needs. These measures would help research teams and companies develop and test technologies before seeking further investment or commercial partners.

Further recommendations target the capacity of technology transfer offices and other innovation intermediaries to provide intellectual property advice, licensing support, partner matching and collaboration agreements. Specific measures include dedicated staffing, shared legal and intellectual property expertise, and training and twinning with technology transfer and innovation offices in EU Member States. 

Improved support for proposal preparation, partner searches and project management would also help research organisations and companies develop joint European projects.

The analysis, together with lessons from the study visit to Austria, will help define the thematic focus of the Science-Business Dialogues, a one-day matchmaking event planned for 2027.