Vilnius event to focus on Eastern Partnership

The Lithuanian Presidency of the EU Council is hosting the “Enhancement of European International Co-operation and Eastern Partnership in research, development and innovation” conference today in Vilnius.

The conference, which will be opened by the Lithuanian Minister of Education and Science, Professor Dr Dainius Pavalkis, will focus on co-operation in RDI at the international level with special emphasis on Eastern Partnership countries in the context of the European Research Area, Innovation Union, Europe 2020 and Eastern Partnership Roadmap initiative.

Pavalkis said: “The aim of the conference is to contribute to the policy debate on co-operation in research, development and innovation between the European Union and Eastern Partnership countries and to share possible steps forward in the context of the Horizon 2020 programme.

“I expect and believe that together we will find new ways to contribute to the gradual development of the Common Knowledge and Innovation Space”.

The conference will be attended by the EU Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, as well as the chief research policy makers of the Eastern Partnership countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. It will cover the issues related to current EU policies on RDI, the Eastern Partnership dimension and EU research framework programme Horizon 2020, as well as sharing best practices among different member states and Eastern Partnership countries.