Research as an integral part of policy decisions

For Philipp Schwartz, BONUS Day provides a good opportunity to reinforce contacts with relevant stakeholders and to talk about the Central Baltic INTERREG IV A Programme’s first priority, that is, a safe and healthy environment. Schwartz acts as Head of the Joint Technical Secretariat of the Central Baltic INTERREG IV A Programme 2007–2013.

Research is part of several cross-border cooperation projects co-funded by the Central Baltic INTERREG IV A Programme 2007–2013, which focuses on issues such as the communication between environmental education providers and the researchers who possess the latest knowledge about environmental research.
According to Schwartz, the basic requirement for cooperation is communication and the ability to understand each other. “Researchers should be able to translate their research activities and findings into a language understood by those who use the research knowledge in their work and policy decisions. At the same time, researchers have to know how and to what extent their work can influence policy decisions.”
“However, it’s not only about understanding each other but also about understanding research as an integral part of policy decisions,” Schwartz points out.

Cooperation between funding sources

According to Schwartz, the question of cooperation between funding sources is very important, especially in view of the implementation of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region.

“The various funding programmes can achieve a lot on their own, as they all have their own priorities, budget and geography. But for the Baltic Sea region as a whole, synergies and added value could be achieved only by interlinking all relevant funding programmes and funding agencies as envisaged in the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region.”

Text: Tea Kalska

www.centralbaltic.eu