The Policy Stakeholders Conference “Energy Research and Innovation in the Eastern Partnership” was held in Minsk, Belarus on 12-13 October 2015. It was the second PSC organised by IncoNet EaP and the seventh one in a series of similar successful forums for policy dialogue between stakeholders organized in the framework of the predecessor S&T International Cooperation Network for Eastern European and Central Asian Countries (IncoNet EECA2 ) project. The event was adjusted to the ENERGY EXPO – 2015, the largest expo in the energy sector in Belarus which marked this year its 20th anniversary.

The conference provided the opportunity for an in-depth exchange of views on regional and international STI policies, research programmes and projects addressing Energy – primarily energy efficiency, renewable energy – among high-level policymakers, international donors, and representatives of the research communities in the EU MS&AC and the EaP countries, as well as other key stakeholders active in the region.

The main goals of the Conference, among others, were to identify regional, international initiatives, common objectives, operational instruments (programmes), to shape future cooperative initiatives addressing Energy between the EU and the EaP countries and to formulate recommendations on the enhancement of the STI cooperation in addressing Energy.

The conference gave overview of the best practices of the EU-EaP STI Cooperation on the Energy, offered ideas and recommendations for a more efficient STI cooperation on Energy addressed to researchers and other stakeholders in the EaP countries. Besides the main policy related bottlenecks of innovation and potential of innovation in the energy sector in Eastern Partnership countries were also identified. During the conference several regional, international initiatives and programmes – that support to Eastern Partnership countries in fields of energy efficiency and sustainable, renewable energy – were introduced.

More information: PSC Report