Bosnia and Herzegovina

Smart Specialisation in Bosnia and Herzegovina

The Smart Specialisation (S3) process in Bosnia and Herzegovina is currently in preparation, following a recent decision by the Council of Ministers. The S3 process will follow the Joint Research Centre (JRC)'s methodological Framework for Smart Specialisation in the EU Enlargement and Neighbourhood countries. The S3 working group of Bosnia and Herzegovina has been recently formed. The S3 of Bosnia and Herzegovina will be developed by taking into consideration the country's governance architecture including the state level, the two entities of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Republika Srpska), and Brcko District. At moment, on the state level, the government approved its revised Science and Technology Development Strategy 2018-2022. The Republika Srpska has a Strategy and Policy of Industrial Development 2016-2020 that includes innovation policy measures as well as a Strategy for Scientific and Technological Development. A draft strategy for the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina was published in 2012.

Bosnia and Herzegovina is an associated country to the EU's science and innovation framework programme Horizon 2020, meaning that legal entities from Bosnia and Herzegovina can participate under the same conditions as legal entities from EU Member States.

Bosnia and Herzegovina is among the countries that have not yet initiated their S3 process development (Source: JRC)
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The Republika Srpska registered in the Smart Specialisation Platform (S3P) in January 2018.
 

Institutional Capacity Building

From 2013 to 2018, the Programme for Local Self-government and Economic Development (EU ProLocal) co-funded by the EU and implemented by German technical cooperation (GIZ) introduced participatory approaches of economic development on the local level and set up local action groups including municipalities and the private sector in four locations.

In April 2018, a comprehensive training on S3 with focus on the entrepreneurial discovery process (EDP) was organised in Ljubljana. In November 2018, a TAIEX workshop on Smart Specialisation took place in Brussels.
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Bosnia and Herzegovina is covered by the Technology Transfer Capacity Building in the Western Balkans (EU4Tech) project funded by DG NEAR. This project aims at enhancing technology transfer, contract research, management of science parks and incubators, financial instruments for technology transfer, and investor readiness.

Analysis of Economic, Scientific and Innovative Potential

The mapping process will be supported by technical assistance from JRC.

Stakeholder Dialogue

The EDP will start after the mapping phase. A particular task in the case of Bosnia and Herzegovina will be to ensure the adequate participation of stakeholders representing all territorial and administrative entities.

Institutional Capacity for the S3 Implementation

According to the OECD, Bosnia and Herzegovina's governance capacities in science, technology and innovation policy may be marked by a lack of overall strategies and missing innovation agency. Institutional capacities and competences in implementing measures of innovation policy can refer to different ministries’ responsibilities as well as across territorial governmental levels, which claims for more of an internal coordination The EDP may eventually offer a chance to improve coordination and alignment between government agencies and stakeholders from different territorial levels.
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Status on Drafting and Consultation of the RIS3, and Implementation Process

The Smart Specialisation (S3) process in Bosnia and Herzegovina has not started yet. The territorial level at which to design RIS3 and to carry out the EDP will have to be agreed upon prior to starting the process.

Remaining Challenges

In Bosnia and Herzegovina's S3 process, some challenges will have to be overcome. Recommended steps include the following ones:

  • Performing a thorough qualitative mapping exercise to compensate for a possible lack of data for the quantitative mapping;
  • Coordinating stakeholders from the federal level and the two entities, the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republika Srpska as well as from Brcko District;
  • Aligning policy priorities across policy areas and sectors.

Latest news

News article |
Bosnia and Herzegovina keeps working closely with the JRC on Smart Specialisation

The Joint Research Centre (JRC) together with the Directorate of Economic Planning of Bosnia and Herzegovina organized an S3 awareness-raising event within the implementation of the project Support to Smart Specialisation in the Enlargement and Neighbourhood region. The initiative took place in...

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Events

EVENT |
Awareness raising event on Smart Specialisation in Bosnia and Herzegovina
During the last decade, Smart specialisation has become one of the core strategic approaches to Research and Innovation as well as an effective policy instrument for higher competitiveness and increasing opportunities. The European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) is working closely with...
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Publications

PUBLICATION |
Supporting an Innovation Agenda for the Western Balkans - Tools and Methodologies

This report gives an overview of the Western Balkans region, looking at challenges and emerging potentials for innovation. It also presents tools and methodologies available at the JRC to support an innovation agenda for economic transformation and inspired by Smart Specialisation. Each challenge...

MATUSIAK Monika; KLEIBRINK Alexander; ANDONOVA Elena; BODEN John Mark; CETL Vlado; DIUKANOVA Olga; DOSSO Mafini; DUSART Jean; GKOTSIS Petros; GNAMUS Ales; KLEIBRINK Alexander; KOTSEV Alexander; LAVALLE Carlo; MANDRAS Giovanni; MATUSIAK Monika; RADOVANOVIC Nikola; RAINOLDI Alessandro; SLAVCHEVA Milena; VESKOVIC Miroslav; HOLLANDERS Hugo; NDUBUISI Gideon; OWUSU Solomon; RADOSEVIC Slavo