EU-Palestinian workshop on Research and Innovation

A workshop on EU- Palestinian cooperation in research and innovation took place in Ramallah on 29 May 2013. The workshop was organized jointly by DG Research and Innovation, the European External Action Service and the Palestinian Ministry of Higher Education on the eve of the EU-Palestinian Sub-committee on Research, Innovation, Info Society, Audiovisual and Media, Education and Culture.

Among the topics discussed at the workshop were the current state of the Palestinian science, technology, research and innovation system, its main challenges and prospects for development as well as the EU-Palestinian cooperation in research and innovation. A particular focus of the programme was the exchange of best practices among Palestinian researchers participating in EU funded projects, some of their EU partners and the European Commission. The workshop was very well attended by around seventy representatives of Palestinian ministries, universities, research organizations, industry and European research institutions.

Opening statements included the following:

  • Saeb Bamya - Advisor at the Office of the Palestinian Prime Minister / European File: "Our goal is to create a tri-lateral partnership between the government, academics, and the private sector to achieve a national plan for research and innovation in Palestine. Such workshop brings us closer to this goal."
  • Fahoum Shalabi - Assistant Deputy Minister for Higher Education: "This year the Ministry of Higher Education allocated 4 million Euro to support research proposals in Palestine. We are looking forward to enhance this support through cooperation with European institutions and organization."
  • David Geer - Deputy EU Representative, European External Action Service: "The EU is deeply committed to supporting the development of Palestinian public and private capacity in the area of research and innovation. This is an important way of promoting the prosperity and welfare of the Palestinian people and contributes to state-building."
  • Dr. Imad Khatib - Secretary General of the Palestine Academy for Science and Technology: "There seem to be fragmented efforts that need to be used in the right way. The Ministry of Higher Education needs to go out of the box and reach out to all partners. This workshop is an opportunity to move forward."
  • Angela Liberatore - European Commission, DG Research and Innovation: "Palestinian research institutions have been involved in 18 projects so far in various areas of the 7th Framework Programme. It is relatively small but very encouraging participation with strong potentials for further development."
  • After the workshop, the EU Representative in Palestine Mr John Gatt-Rutter commented, "The EU is delighted to see the keen interest from the Palestinian side in the area of research and innovation through the significant engagement of Palestinian academics and researchers who attended the research and innovation workshop co-organized with the Ministry of Higher Education".

 

The workshop provided input to the EU-Palestine Sub-committee on Research, Innovation, Info Society, Audiovisual and Media, Education and Culture that identified some area for future cooperation to enhance the Palestinian research and innovation sector and increase participation to the forthcoming Horizon 2020 Programme.