The role of the regional scientific co-operation among Southeast European countries and between them and the rest of Europe for revitalizing the national S&T&I systems and integrating them into European Research Area has been discussed on several fora¹ . It has been recognized that the development of sound research collaborative projects in some fields of highest priority such as: life sciences, environmental sciences, material science, information and communication technology, problems of sustainable development etc might serve as a breeding ground for developing regional expertise, establishing centers and networks of excellence fostering the reinforcement and stabilization of human potential in science in these countries. The workshop is meant to explore further ways and practical means to support local and (inter) regional research activity. The role of grass-root scientists in this process is essential, and all bottom up initiatives of this kind should be encouraged by policy-decision makers, local and European, as well. Being a pan-European organization, Euroscience encourages the building of strong local sections mobilizing the grass-root scientists, science journalists and other strata in the society for further progress in constructing the European Research Area as conditio-sine-qua-non of the European knowledge based society. The recently created local sections in Bulgaria and Serbia& Montenegro should contribute together with the older one in Romania to the rebuilding of the scientific co-operation among the countries in Southeast Europe and between them and the rest of Europe.

Draft Agenda of the meeting (Proposal by Simeon Anguelov and Eugen Gheorghiu, members of the Euroscience Board)

9:30 - 10:15 Opening Session. Alexandru Athanasiu, Minister of Education Research and Youth (to be confirmed),Jean Patrick Connerade, President of Euroscience,Andrei Plesu, Rector, New Europe College, Jan Sadlak, Director of UNESCO-CEPES

Session 1

Round Table on Mobility schemes, new carrier pathways, return of scientists in their countries of origin

Chairman: Jean Patrick Connerade, President of Euroscience

10:15-10:30 Results of the ES Bischenberg Symposium, Raymond Seltz, Secretary General of Euroscience;

10:30-10:45 Activities of UNESCO-CEPES and their Relevance for Scientific Cooperation in [and for] South East Europe Region, Jan Sadlak (UNESCO CEPES, Bucharest);

10:45-11:00 The bridge between Universities and Research Centers: a two-way road to improve human potential at local and international scale, Ioan Mihailescu, Rector, University of Bucharest;

11:00-11:15 PhD training in conjunction with mobility & co-tutoring schemes, Gheorghe Marian, University Politechnica of Bucharest;

11:15-11:30 UNESCO-ROSTE capacity building assistance in networking and mobility, Iulia Nechifor, UNESCO-ROSTE;

11:30-12:15 General Discution

12:15-13:30 Lunch

Session 2

Round Table on Institutional aspects: Permanent/temporary positions, project and institutional financing & open problems faced by scientists from research institutes (laboratories) with different legal status (National, belonging to National Academies of Science, belonging to Universities, NGO,..) – seeking for a balanced financing from budget and industry

Chairman: Alexandr Belic, Deputy Minister for Education and Research, Serbia & Montenegro

13:30-13:45 Managing Research activity in Romanian Universities, Ioan Dumitrache (President of Romanian National Council for University Research);

13:45-14:00 Open problems faced by active scientists in Serbia & Montenegro, Stevan Jokic, President of the Local Section of ES in Serbia&Montenegro;

14:00-14:15 Open problems faced by active scientists in Bulgaria, Vladimir Kozhuharov, President of the Bulgarian Local Section of ES;

14:15-14:30 Competing in Science while working in the Eastern part of Europe, Eugen Gheorghiu, Director, International Centre of Biodynamics, Convenor of the Romanian Section of ES;

Session 3

A. Round Table on Networking: achievements and perspectives for development; their role in nurturing and stabilizing the human potential

Chairman: Florin Filip, Vice President of Romanian Academy

14:30-14:40 Regional Networks: breeding ground for expertise and original ideas, Simeon Anguelov, Consultant to UNESCO ROSTE, Member of ES Board;

1. Computer Science, Information and Communication Technology

14:40-15:00 Florin Filip, Vice President of Romanian Academy / Evgeni Nikolov, Director, National Laboratory for Computer Virology, Bulgarian Academy of Science

15:00-15:10 Coffee Break;

2. Life sciences (molecular biology, neurophysiology, biotechnology, biomedicine)

15:10-15:30 Elena Marinova (Bg) / Maria Luiza Flonta (Ro)

3. The South-Eastern Branch of the European Astronomical Society - a regional network for the developing countries

15:30-16:00 Kiril Panov (Bg) /Zoran Knezevic (S&M)/ Magda Stavinschi (Ro)

B. Position of the Ministries for Education and Research: pattern of regional collaboration; state-of the art and perspectives

Chairman: Jan Sadlak, Director of UNESCO CEPES, Bucharest

16:00-16:15 Investing in Training and Research: an action plan for development, Radu Damian, State Secretary, Romanian Ministry of Education, Research and Youth

16:15-16:30 Aleksandr Belic, Deputy Minister for Education and Research, Serbia & Montenegro (participation confirmed, title to be submitted)

16:30-16:45 Main Topics of Bulgarian National Science & Research Policy Toward ERA, Stefka Kisselkova, representative, Ministry of Education and Science - Bulgaria

C. Role of Science Journalists in promoting research activity in particular in Southeast European countries

16:45-16:55 Science and Mass-Media, Alexandru Mironov, General Secretary of UNESCO National Commission of Romania, Association of Science Journalists

16:55-17:05 The Third Culture: a non aggressive promotion of science, Andrei Dorobantu, Secretary of Romanian Section of ES and Scientific Secretary of the Center for Complex Studies

17:05-17:45 Conclusions and Next Steps

17:45-18:15 Press Conference

19:00 Cocktail at French Embassy

[1] Exempli gratia: High-Level Expert Workshop on the preparation of FP 6, 11-12 December 2000, Vienna, Austria, UNESCO/AE/ESF Expert Conference on reconstruction of the scientific cooperation in South East Europe, Venice 24th/27th March 2001, Round Table of the ministers of science of the Southeast European countries held in the framework of the 31st general conference of UNESCO in Paris, 24th October 2001; Ministerial conference in Sofia, 3rd of December 2001; " Workshop on Co-operation in Research, Science and Technology with the SEE-Countries within the framework of the SAp" in Bad Honnef 14th/15th March 2002, High- level Conference at UNESCO, 4-5 April, Ministerial conference in Bucharest on 10th April 2002 Ministerial Conference, Sofia, 29-30 September 2003, High Level Officials Meeting, 20-22 February 2003, Thessaloniki, Greece