A Methodology for Benchmarking RTD Organisations in Central and Eastern Europe [antikvár]

foreword This book in the reader's hands is the first publication of the RECORD project supported by the STRATA initiative of the European Union and it contains the papers presented in the Brighton conference (17-18 June, 2002). When RECORD was set up in 2002 as a joint co-operative effort of West and East an integrated European Research Area (ERA) was envisaged. Experts of the network-member institutions from 9 countries1 are expected to go through an interactive learning process and produce two books: ¦ a manual of benchmarking centres of innovation (i.e. how to benchmark innovation producer research organisations at micro-level), ¦ and an experimentál map of such centres in Centra! and Eastern Europe. Four open thematic conferences built on one another help the above process, in which we would like to accumulate new knowledge about important features of the knowledge-based economy. The United Kingdom, Hungary, Slovenia, and Austria host these events (for more details see www.record-network.net). After each conference, the RECORD network will summarise the most important results in separate yet related proceedings volumes. As a starting step, the Brighton event was clustered around the broad topic of the methodology of innovation benchmarking in the candidate countries. In elaborating the methodology of RECORD, these countries are helped by Austrian, Irish and British organisations. The first part of the book contains papers that focus on the institutional level of a possible benchmarking approach. The often quoted 'Centres of Excellence' concept is discussed as well as possible quantitative and qualitative indicators for assessing the innovative performance and the practice of innovation in research and technology institutions. In the second part, the experience of evaluating R&D in the candidate countries is presented. In the recent past countries such as the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland or Slovenia already used somé methods to leam about the performance of 'domestic' research organisations. Others such as Malta and Slovakia will soon recognise the important role of benchmarking in the coordination of the R&D sector. Finally, the anticipated role of the candidate countries1 research potential in the European Union is analysed. We believe that this proceedings volume can help the awaited successful integration of the candidate countries' research organisations into the European Research Area. Budapest, September 2002 Katalin Dévai project co-ordinator