On 20 October 2025, the European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) took part in the Western Balkans Ministerial Meeting in Podgorica, Montenegro, with a dedicated session highlighting its key role in promoting research cooperation in the region. The Platform meets annually at the Ministerial level to encourage the integration of the Western Balkans into the European Research Area. These yearly Ministerial meetings serve as a forum to identify common priorities, assess recent policy developments, define new initiatives, and identify opportunities for regional cooperation, with support from the European Union.
Ekaterina Zaharieva, Commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation, underlined that fierce competition is not driven by funds but by talent. The true strength of any region lies in its people, keeping talent local is what sustains innovation, growth, and a truly competitive edge.
“The implementation of the Western Balkans Growth Plan and greater participation in European programmes like COST and Eureka were identified as priority areas for advancing regional economic competitiveness.” Ekaterina Zaharieva, Commissioner.
Signe Ratso, Deputy Director General for Research and Innovation at the European Commission, spoke about the significant impact of COST on the Western Balkans: “COST is fundamental for the Western Balkans’ connection to ERA”
Amer Kapetanovic, Secretary General of the Regional Cooperation Council, highlighted that the success of the region’s innovation agenda relies on close cooperation between governments, research institutions, businesses, and civil society, emphasising that the Western Balkans should aim to be not merely a participant but a driving force within Europe’s innovation ecosystem.
On the sidelines of the event, President Åse Gornitzka met with EIT Director Martin Kern to discuss key policy developments, strategic priorities, and opportunities for future collaboration.
“COST has played a pivotal role in fostering connections between researchers from the Western Balkans and their counterparts across Europe. Over the decades, these links have grown stronger, with an increasing number of researchers from the region actively participating in COST Actions. Creating open spaces where ideas and opportunities can grow, COST Actions provide an ideal platform for researchers and innovators from the Western Balkans to deepen their engagement with the ERA. COST has thus served as an important entry point, supporting the European integration of these countries through research and innovation cooperation.” Prof. Åse Gornitzka, President of the COST Association
“The EIT stays committed to strengthening the Western Balkans’ innovation ecosystem and unlocking its full potential. Whether through Europe’s largest innovation network or targeted programmes, the EIT Community is here to help talents, entrepreneurs, and organisations across the Western Balkans grow.” EIT Director Martin Kern
From Collaboration to Impact! COST is About People
Over the past decades, the Western Balkan region has played an active and integral role in COST’s activities. Six Action participants, each representing their community, were invited to share their journeys with COST. Their stories are diverse. Some introduced new fields of study at their universities or secured additional funding. In contrast, others returned to their hometowns after international careers or developed leadership skills and advanced their professional paths through COST’s networking opportunities.
Montenegro Factsheet 2024
COST has been a true catalyst for scientific growth — not only for me personally, but for my University as a whole. Through COST, I was able to collaborate with experts from disciplines that do not yet exist in my country, gaining access to advanced research infrastructure and know-how that significantly impacted my work.
These interdisciplinary partnerships have led to joint projects, training opportunities for young researchers, and even co-authorship in high-impact publications such as Nature Methods. COST creates an environment where researchers from smaller systems can connect, learn, and contribute on an equal footing with their European peers. It truly embodies the idea that science advances when people, knowledge, and opportunities are shared without borders.“ Dr Masa Zdralevic
University of Montenegro Working group member in TRANSLACORE and ML4NGP Actions
Albania Factsheets 2024
My journey with Multi3Generation COST Action began in 2019, when I had the honour of representing Albania for the first time as a Management Committee Member, interim Vice-Chair, and co-leader of a working group. It was a transformative experience that opened opportunities for collaboration, organisation, exchange and leadership while raising Albania’s visibility along with my institution in the European Research Area.
COST created a truly inclusive space where smaller academic communities could connect and grow alongside Europe’s leading researchers. Six years later, Albania’s progress is inspiring: in 2024, 1,269 of 1,612 national COST members were women. These figures tell a story of empowerment, gender equality, and the growing contribution of Albanian researchers to Europe’s shared goals in science and innovation. COST is giving us the trust to co-lead, guide, and exchange with others as equal members.“ Dr Mirela Alhasani, Centre for European Studies, Epoka University, Albania, Management Committee Member in Multi3Generation Action.
BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA Country Factsheets
“Through two years of COST Academy trainings, I have grown from a Leadership Workshop attendee to becoming a Young Researcher and Innovator from an Inclusiveness Target Country who successfully obtained her own COST Action, the first-ever to be coordinated from Bosnia and Herzegovina. This achievement is a direct result of the continuous learning, collaboration, and mentorship within the COST community. The values that COST promotes: openness, inclusiveness, diversity, and excellence, have shaped my professional journey and personal growth, proving that empowering people truly leads to impactful European cooperation.” Dr Adna Asic, The Verlab Research Institute, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Science Communication Coordinator in EU-LI-PHE and main proposer of CardioPharmaGENET Actions.
NORTH MACEDONIA Country Factsheets
“Coming from North Macedonia, I faced a familiar Western Balkans challenge: legacy and active mining sites, fragmented data, and limited capacity. COST turned that local problem into a European collaboration. As a young researcher, being entrusted to lead WG3 in the REMINDNET Action accelerated my leadership, project management, and consensus-building. Through STSMs, training sessions, and peer exchange, we co-created practical, open tools: a Best Practices database, a Web GIS app, and a monitoring workflow. Together, these tools make post-mining assessments faster, reproducible, and comparable across sites. COST is about people: trust, mobility, and a network that helps early-career scientists learn by doing and deliver results that matter. It strengthened my career, expanded my partnerships, and gave our region a shared, scalable path from evidence to action.” Prof. Vancho Adjiski, Goce Delcev University, North Macedonia. Working group leader in REMINDNET Action.
SERBIA Country Factsheets
“COST has been very important in transforming my career from academia to the private sector. After completing my PhD, I joined an SME, continuing to collaborate with researchers through COST Actions such as FruitCREWS, as well as other international projects. This experience has allowed me to remain connected to science while applying my skills in communication and innovation management. COST’s trainings and networking opportunities have not only strengthened my expertise as a science communication professional but also helped me build a strong regional network of young researchers and practitioners. By transferring this knowledge to my team, we have enhanced our company’s capacity and competitiveness in European projects. COST truly empowers people, it builds bridges between research and industry and nurtures talent and collaboration across the Balkan region and beyond.” Dr Vladimir Mrkajić, Head of Research & Development at InoSens, Serbia. Science Communication Coordinator in FruitCREWS Action.
NNC Factsheets with KOSOVO
“Being part of FinAI COST Action was an invaluable experience that significantly contributed to both my personal and professional development. Through this collaboration, we identified a critical gap in the academic curriculum and worked together to develop a missing component that enabled students at the University of Pristina – Faculty of Economics to complete their full academic journey, with a curriculum enriched by innovative courses, including in the field of FinTech. This advancement not only strengthened local academic institutions but also increased opportunities for students to participate in international competitions and academic initiatives.
COST was truly about connections – it empowered researchers, fostered collaboration, and created meaningful opportunities for knowledge exchange. It allowed us to be actively involved in organising conferences, workshops, international competitions, and calls for papers across Europe and beyond. I am truly grateful to have been part of this journey”. Dr Albulena Shala, University of Pristina, Kosovo. Working group member in Action FinAI
From knowledge to impact: Nurturing research and innovation in Southeast Europe
On October 21, Science Business, in partnership with the University of Montenegro, the EIT, and COST, hosted an event alongside the ministerial meeting of the Western Balkans Steering Platform on Research and Innovation. The aim is to unlock the full potential of EU instruments to boost their regional impact. COST President Åse Gornitzka was invited as a keynote speaker to discuss the COST role as a platform for the WB region’s R&I ecosystem and its connection with the rest of Europe.
“When we talk about COST, we also refer to equality, ensuring equal status, access, rights, and responsibilities for researchers from both the European Union and the Western Balkans.” Åse Gornitzka
The discussion drew on real-life case studies to spark fresh thinking about the future of R&I in the region. This conference aimed at bringing together influential voices from science, policy, industry, and finance, both from the Western Balkans and beyond, to exchange bold policy ideas, showcase success stories, and shape practical recommendations.
Further information
Download the COST Western Balkans booklet
More information about the Western Balkans in COST Actions
EU and Western Balkans further strengthen cooperation in research and innovation – Research and innovation
The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT)
The Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) Western Balkans Info Hub