Results

The central objective of this coordination and support project was to connect high-quality research organisations in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) with those of the European Union. It aimed at supporting the inclusion of some of the best research organisations of Latin America and the Caribbean in projects funded under calls for proposals launched under FP7, focussing on the following thematic priorities: Health; Agriculture, Food and Biotechnology; Information Society Technologies; Energy; Environment; and Social Sciences and the Humanities. he project activities focused on the following:

• to spread the information about the identified institutions to the European research community and National Contact Points (NCPs) for the respective areas,

• to support transcontinental partner search,
• to promote the participation of LAC researchers in major European conferences in order to enabling them to present their research results in Europe and connect to science communities there,
• to promote the setting up of a “help desk” facility in a Liaison Office and
• to edit four thematic reports on the European S&T landscape in thematic fields in which the selected Latin American R&D institutions have revealed scientific strengths.

The directory with information about 98 high-quality R&D institutions in LAC countries was published in June 2008.

All beneficiaries of the grant scheme were able to make a large number of contacts with European researchers and research institutions. This was a major success of the project. More than half of all grantees were able to find European partners for their research projects during their stay in Europe. Eleven of the grantees were invited to join a European research consortium.

The business plan for setting up a Liaison Office in Brussels was based on the results of a survey among identified stakeholders. The Liaison Office should be set up shortly under the lead of the project coordinator and CERCAL in Brussels.

Four thematic reports present information about relevant initiatives and support mechanisms at EU level in thematic areas in which the Latin American R&D institutions in the LAC-ACCESS directory had revealed scientific strengths. The reports are published on the project´s website. A Spanish print version was also sent to relevant decision makers and stakeholders in LAC.

Systematic dissemination in Europe proved to be a challenge, but the website is considered a cost-effective route. The consortium also noted that the incentive structures and some terminologies were different in both regions and could be a source of misunderstandings unless more frequent interaction and cooperation led to greater cooperation.

The project ran from 01/01/2007 to 30/04/2009 and had an EU contribution of € 410.000. The consortium was coordinated by Stefanie Reinberg of the Latin America Institute (LAI). The four partners were from Belgium, Chile and Austria.