ACCESSRU: Research funding and the EU-Russia relationship

In order to meet the challenges of the ever-evolving world of science and technology, the EU needs to foster international cooperation, which is why the European Commission launched ACCESS4EU: an umbrella project to increase the mobility of European scientists and researchers. 

A subsidiary of this project, the ACCESSRU “support action,” specifically targets Russia and has already brought positive changes into involvement of both European and Russian stakeholders.

Cooperation between the EU and Russia in science and technology has been very strong for many years, with the European Commission subsidizing Russian participation in its recent Framework Programs for Research and Technological Development, which fund research in Europe. However, funding in the other direction, from Russia to EU researchers, under a similar scheme, has been much lower. 

There is potential for an even closer EU-Russia relationship in science and technology, but for this to be fully realized European research organizations must make better use of Russian funding schemes. ACCESSRU, co-funded by the FP7 Capacities Specific Program, is paving the way.

As a consultancy with vast experience in innovation policy consulting, INNOVA Europe’s role in the ACCESSRU project is to disseminate information on project findings, not just to fellow researchers and scientists, but also amongst policymakers. We seek to raise awareness of funding opportunities in Russia to encourage European researchers and scientists to participate in research projects there. 

Identifying obstacles 

Our team of eight partners is the main contact point coordinating the search for open calls and potential partners in the EU and Russia. In addition to this main task, we also seek to increase the project’s international visibility while addressing challenges to cooperation with Russia and the increasing mobility of EU researchers.

The ACCESSRU team recently carried out a consultation among European scientists and researchers on obstacles they encountered in applying for Russian scientific research funds. Based on those responses, we published the ‘Opportunities report,’ which provides an overview of the Russian innovation landscape and funding possibilities, highlighting schemes open for European researchers. In line with the ACCESSRU project objectives, the report lists recommendations for European organizations interested in gaining access to Russian research programs.

The main obstacles identified in applying for Russian funds are related to basic administrative and legal conditions as well as the ever-present language barrier. Additionally, major differences in the conditions for project-specific calls in Russia significantly affect European participation in Russian science and technology projects.

Program successes

Since ACCESSRU was launched in November 2009, cooperation in the fields of atomic energy and space has intensified. In addition, Russia has been much more active in mutual initiatives, something that is best demonstrated by the particle physics laboratory, Cern.

One researcher benefiting from ACCESSRU support is Larisa Nazarova of the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) in Germany. Her project seeks to create a joint Russian-German research laboratory to study environmental dynamics in the Arctic with an emphasis on biological monitoring. Nazarova became coordinator at the new division and received funding under Activity 1.5 of the Federal Target Program on Research and Scientific-Pedagogical Personnel for Innovative Russia for 2009 to 2013.

ACCESSRU support action looks set to continue helping European researchers and research organizations access Russian programs, providing many mutual benefits in the EU-Russia relationship in the long term.