Finnish National Evaluation of EUREKA and COST

EUREKA and COST are European intergovernmental initiatives that facilitate international cooperation among companies, universities and research institutes. The emphasis of the EUREKA network is in market-oriented, industrial R&D, where as COST facilitates the coordination of basic and pre-competitive research. With the coming of the European Research Area (ERA) and the EU-Commission's Seventh Framework Programme, the international research landscape and its supporting funding instruments are in change. In addition, national R&D programmes are responding to the needs created by globalisation and, thus, becoming more open to international cooperation. The purpose of the evaluation was to assess participant experiences, the level of utilisation as well as future importance and value added of the EUREKA and COST in the Finnish context against this background. The evaluation is strategic and prospective in nature, and it provides information on how the EUREKA and COST activities should be positioned in Finland as part of the whole research support infrastructure facilitating international networking of companies and research institutes.