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Luxemburg
BASIC INFORMATION ABOUT THE GOVERNANCE OF SCIENCE IN LUXEMBURG
The structure of Luxembourg's research and innovation policy system is quite young and has undergone a number of changes in the last decade. Public support to science is provided by the Ministry of Culture, Higher Education and Research, the Ministry of the Economy and Foreign Trade and the Ministry of Middle Class, Tourism and Housing. In addition, the National Research Fund Luxembourg finances research projects and disburses grants on the basis of regular calls for proposals. Luxinnovation, the National Agency for Innovation and Research, offers businesses and organisations free services including information on innovation, research, technology transfer and business start-ups and advice on the choice of instraments and partners. Besides, industrial research is very present in Luxembourg and public-private partnerships are strongly encouraged.
For the past several decades, governmental policies have actively encouraged R&D and innovation projects in Luxembourg thanks to flexible legal and fiscal environments, incubators, specialized industrial development zones, a highly qualified multilingual work force, and multiple financing possibilities.
The government elected in the legislative elections of 2004 redefined research and innovation as national policy priorities and underlined its belief in the Barcelona objectives by planning to increase public investment in R&D to 1% of GNP.
The government has set the following challenges:
to develop scientific and technological capacity within the university and the public research centres in collaboration with the private sector,
to continue to increase public expenditures for R&D,
to increase the number of graduates in scientific fields through the new University of Luxembourg and to improve researcher mobility, between public research and private industry in particular,
to encourage SMEs to innovate more and to create new innovating SMEs.
OPPORTUNITIES FOR SCIENCE & RESEARCH COOPERATION LUXEMBURG-BELARUS
In addition to the cooperation opportunities offered by the EU's Seventh Framework Programme for Research & Technological Development (FP7), the National Research Fund of Luxembourg (FNR) has developed the following tools to promote international cooperation and mobility:
INTER Programme: Promotion of International Cooperation
Duration: 2006-2011 Budget: € 6,000,000
Players involved in Luxembourg public research and international experts recognise the need for international cooperation, particularly with a view to giving research in Luxembourg a higher profile in other countries and to achieving a critical mass within research that cannot be sought if the research context is limited to Luxembourg.
As a result, the INTER programme was created to promote international scientific cooperation, to create synergies between research centres within and outside Luxembourg, to achieve a critical mass in certain fields, to take a better approach to the resolution of certain transnational issues, and to make research in Luxembourg more visible and more competitive.
In order to do this, the INTER programme does not involve participation in individual projects at international level, but solely participation in international programmes that will be developed jointly with other research funds or councils outside Luxembourg, or in programmes already in place at international level in which the Fund may decide to participate.
So far, the INTER programme has fostered cooperation between Luxembourg researchers and foreign institutions or organizations such as the National Science Foundation (United States), the Service federal public de programmation scientifique (Belgium), the European network ERA-Net MATERA, and the European Science Foundation.
Contact person at the FNR: Carlo Duprel (carlo.duprel@fnr.lu, http://www.fnr.lu).
Mobility Fellowship: Accompanying Measure MA6 - Mobility of researchers
The objective of the National Research Fund's mobility fellowship is to facilitate the scientific exchange between Luxembourg researchers and scientists from abroad. The fellowship concerns researchers based abroad coming to Luxembourg (mobility IN) as well as researchers based in Luxembourg going abroad (mobility OUT). Candidates should be at least in the third year of a PhD degree or hold a PhD and have worked for more than two years for the organisation of origin. Their stay is in connection with a research project.
Contact person at the National Research Fund (FNR): Sylvie Heinisch (Sylvie.Heinisch@fnr.lu, http: //www. fnr. lu).
© National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, 2011
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