Specific Support to Lithuania

Public policies and measures to support business research and innovation (R&I) were the focus of the kick-off meeting of this Specific Support action requested by Lithuania. These included efforts from the public and private sectors to foster cooperation between the public science base and businesses and to attract R&I-oriented foreign direct investment (FDI). Discussions between Lithuanian authorities and the PSF panel of experts covered bottlenecks, past and existing incentives as well as expectations for the future in research and innovation field in Lithuania.

This first country visit focused on meeting the key stakeholders in Lithuania’s research and innovation (R&I) system, including representatives of public sector organisations, universities, clusters, high-tech as well as traditional industry companies and others. It aimed to assess the current situation, so as to arrive at draft recommendations on how to tackle the key barriers in relation to science-business cooperation and attraction of innovation oriented foreign direct investment (FDI).

In this meeting the expert panel reviewed the draft report and discussed the issues to be addressed during their second visit to Lithuania. This included identifying the stakeholders in Lithuania’s research and innovation (R&I) system that they should meet, such as representatives of public sector organisations, universities, clusters, and businesses. In addition, discussions focused on the next version of the report and some preliminary proposals for recommendations.

Based on background information and the outcomes of the discussions held during the first country visit to Lithuania, the international panel of experts worked on their findings and formulated their first reflections and recommendations. During their second visit to Lithuania, they discussed these findings with a select group of actors in Lithuania’s research and innovation (R&I) system who are interested and involved in the two topics: cooperation between the public science base and business, and attraction of innovation-related foreign direct investment (FDI).

At the final meeting of the PSF Specific Support to Lithuania, the results and recommendations were presented to stakeholders and the Lithuanian research and innovation community. Recommendations covered strengthening the foundations of the R&I system, business-science cooperation and attracting innovative foreign direct investment (FDI).