The BEFORE project recently delivered its conclusions after performing a comparative analysis (benchmarking) of efficient support instruments for RTD in geographical areas with demographic significant imbalances, analysing specific tools of support for rural companies and entrepreneurs, and developing a set of indicators of impact of the regional RTD support policies in such regions.

The BEFORE Project was approved within the FP6-2004-KNOW-REG-2 call for proposals of the 6th Framework Programme. The specific programme covered by the Project focused on the topic "Integrating and Strengthening the European Research Area" and the activity areas included were "Coherent development of research and innovation policies".

The Consortium, coordinated by ADEuropa Foundation (ADEUROPA), also involved as contractors the Brandenburg Economic Development Board (ZAB), the Regional Development Agency of West Romania (ADR), the Institute of Baltic Studies from Estonia (IBS), as well as the County Administrative Board of Västernorrland (LSTY). These institutions represented the five regions which were analysed within the Project.

Furthermore, the sixth Project contractor was the Policy Research in Engineering, Science and Technology Institute (PREST-UNIMAN) of the Victoria University of Manchester, acting as expert in the design of foresight activities, and not representing any region.

One of the factors for success of the Project remains on the achievement of wide regional consensus and the involvement of regional RTD players. A strong effort was made in order to obtain this actor interaction, integrating key players in the management structure and widely disseminating project results.

Besides, the benchmarking process carried out under BEFORE will contribute to trans-national exchange of experience.

BEFORE R&D Regional Benchmarking

The BEFORE Project final delivery, entitled “Establishing a set of indicators for measuring the impact of R&D policies” focuses on the study and establishment of a set of indicators for measuring the impact of R&D policies for the five regions participating in the Project.

As referred by its author, Phd. Juan Vicente García Manjón, special attention was paid to the case of regions which have experienced significant advances implementing RTD policies in the last years (i.e, regions to which the good use of the resources has allowed, or will allow, to leave the Objective 1). Some regions within the BEFORE Consortium meet those characteristics (Castilla y León, Brandenburg), therefore performing a task of mentoring on the rest of regions in the project.

This final document is structured in five parts:

1. Part One briefly explains the methodological approach of the study
2. Part Two describes the state of the art of the scientific approach to the development of indicators for measuring the impact of R&D policies
3. Part Three makes a comparative analysis of the regional R&D systems for the BEFORE regions
4. Part Four designs a consensus indicator list for the BEFORE regions
5. Part Five makes a summary of the main conclusions of the study

Additional information regarding complementary indicator tables and questionnaires used to elaborate the study, are included in the Annexes of this final Report.

The report, authored by Phd. Juan Vicente García Manjón, Professor at the Miguel de Cervantes European University (Valladolid, Spain), is registered under the ISBN code: 978-84-691-5616-2, and counted upon the collaboration of the consulting firm Gateway Strategic Consultancy Services, as Work-Package Subcontractor, and was edited by TELECYL Group.