| Resumo: |
The BOOST project addresses the critical need to enhance the Research and Innovation capacities and competitiveness of Widening Countries in Europe by fostering collaboration between academic and non-academic sectors.
Numerous Widening Countries continue to perform worse than more established EU Member States in terms of innovation capacity, according to the European Innovation Scoreboard (EIS). Countries such as Bulgaria, Romania, and Latvia, for instance, are frequently classified as "Modest Innovators," meaning that their levels of innovation performance fall short of 50% of the EU average. The differences in R&I capability across Europe are further exacerbated by the fact that less than 20% of academics from Widening Countries are involved in significant EU-funded initiatives, as highlighted in the European Research Area (ERA) plan.
By promoting cross-sector collaboration, boosting entrepreneurial capabilities, and elevating research excellence, the BOOST project seeks to overcome these inequities. The emphasis is on creating specialized training curricula and resources that bolster the human capital foundation of expanding nations and improve researchers' employability via international mobility and industrial collaboration. |