Building up knowledge capacity in South East Europe

Celebrating a decade of progress & challenges

SEERC

Table of Contents

A few words 3Professor Paul White, Mr Yannis Ververidis

The South-East European Research Centre (SEERC) 4

South East Europe: a region on the rise 6

Thessaloniki: the crossroads of South East Europe 7

A decade of SEERC 8

Our research tracks 10

Funded research 11

Case studies• ICT research in SEE: planning for the next 20 years 12• Preventing smoking epidemic in SEE 14• Supporting Western Balkan Countries to participate in

the European research area 16

Our Doctoral programme 18

Our publications 20

Our events 21

Networking in SEE and beyond 22

Our people 24

Our future 25

Thank you to our contributors 26

It gives me great pleasure to endorse thepublication to celebrate the tenth anniversaryof the foundation of the South-East EuropeResearch Centre (SEERC). I have a personalinterest in the Centre, having been involved in the discussions whenit was set up, having visited its premises inThessaloniki a number of times, and havingsupervised one of the Centre's first successful research students.South-East Europe, and the wider BalkanRegion, has been in need of actions toincrease research capacity, to bringresearchers together in significant cross-national networks, and to carry out policy-relevant research on key local andregional issues - many of which have a widersignificance or relevance for the wider world.SEERC has provided just such a mechanismfor increasing research activity.The University of Sheffield has been proud tobe associated with its International Faculty,City College and with a number of other higher education institutions in the region increating and delivering research agendas.Friendships and collaborative relationshipshave been formed, and new partnershipshave developed. Research funding has beenobtained from a variety of bodies, and importantfindings have been produced and taken intopolicy discussions.Clearly the 10th anniversary of SEERC meritsnote. On behalf of the University of Sheffield I would like to thank all those who have contributed to its growth to date. And I wishSEERC well for the future.

The establishment of the South EastEuropean Research Centre has been a defining moment for the International Facultyof the University. In 2004 we aspired tocement the Faculty’s research efforts and atthe same time we set the goal of bringing theresearch capacity of our University, a highquality British academic institution, closer toour region. Dedicating our research center tocontact basic, applied and policy relevantresearch for the benefit of the peoples ofSouth East Europe, was our own way of givingback to the people that has helped to establish the International Faculty as a topquality education institution in the region. Now, 10 years after, I am proud to say thatSEERC is a leading research centre in theregion, building capacity and contributing significantly to the development of the people, the societies and the economies inthis important part of Europe. I congratulateSEERC for its achievements and reflect uponthe knowledge and intellectual output thatthe Centre has brought to us. From theopportunity to supervise an excellent array of PhD students to the engagement in highlycompletive, excellence-based, collaborativeresearch at the European level, SEERC hascreated a fine environment for enquiry anddiscovery for the International Faculty and theUniversity as a whole. I and my colleagues atthe International Faculty are looking forwardto the next 10 years with enthusiasm and highexpectations.

ProfessorPaul WhiteDeputy Vice-Chancellor, The University of Sheffield

Mr.Yannis VerveridisPrincipalThe University of Sheffield International Faculty, CITY College

A Few Words

The South-East EuropeanResearch Centre was foundedin 2004 by the University ofSheffield through itsInternational Faculty, CITY College in Thessaloniki, Greece.

0ur founding institutions

The South-East European Research Centre (SEERC) was founded in 2004 by theUniversity of Sheffield through its International Faculty, CITY College in Thessaloniki,Greece. SEERC is an overseas research centre established as a non-profit legal entity, conducting interdisciplinary research in all South East Europe.

3

The South-East EuropeanResearch Centre (SEERC)

SEERC in briefThe University of Sheffield, UK and its International

Faculty, CITY College in Thessaloniki, Greece,

established the South East European Research

Centre (SEERC) in 2004 through the International

Faculty. Based in Thessaloniki, Greece, SEERC is

able to address critical scientific, technological, and

innovation-related challenges and issues in South

East Europe and beyond. The non-profit research

centre aims to enhance teaching and learning, and

act as a think tank in South East Europe by

conducting pure, applied and policy relevant

research.

Our vision Our vision is for SEERC to:

• be a leading research centre in all our fields

of research for SEE and in SEE, addressing

the problems of the region as a whole.

• contribute to the region building by

undertaking research that will develop

knowledge capacity and policy analysis, thus

enabling the countries of the region to play

their full part in Europe in due course.

Our missionTo make a difference in people’s life in South

East Europe. To perform research not only

about the region but for the region.

Our Objectives

• To promote independent, objective analysis

and public discussion on issues related to the

development of South East Europe.

• To provide a research base and an academic

forum for researchers in the SEE Region.

• To engage the University of Sheffield

academic staff capacity on research activity

that contributes to addressing major societal

problems in South East Europe.

• To disseminate findings to academics,

professionals, NGOs, policy-makers and the

general public through conferences, advising,

published research papers, monographs, and

working papers.

• To build capacity and fight brain drain

effectively in South East Europe by establishing

and sustaining a comprehensive quality

Doctoral Programme that will provide PhD

candidates with a rich and rewarding

research environment.

• To assist in the integration of SEE

researchers into networks of excellence.

It all started with "Now is the righttime to launch the South EastEuropean Research Centre" toundertake research and policyanalysis throughout SEE. The timing which coincided with theGreek EU Presidency (2003) andthe Thessaloniki EU summit wasnot at all accidental! SEERC hasconstituted a “Do Tank” andresource center for the businesscommunity and the policy community for the whole of theSouth East European Region, as it is slowly becoming an integralpart of European Union. It is acentre which is used by thesecommunities in the region toshape their business and policystrategy. It does not impose ideasfrom afar on the region, butinstead facilitates home grownanalysis.

ProfessorPanayiotis KetikidisChairman, SEERC Vice Principal: Research,Innovation & External Relationsat The University of Sheffield InternationalFaculty, CITY College

SEERC has grown in statureover the last decade andmade itself a significant player in pursuit of socialand economic developmentin South Eastern Europe.This is a part of Europe thatneeds to be researchedmore fully and to be betterunderstood both by thoseliving and working in theregion and those outside it.The University of Sheffield isdelighted to support thework of SEERC and, in sodoing, recognizes andaccepts a special responsibilityto try to make a differencefor the better to the lives ofthe peoples of this part of ourEuropean continent.

ProfessorTony Payne Chairman of SteeringCommittee, SEERCCo-director of the SheffieldPolitical Economy ResearchInstitute (SPERI)

SEERC is not just a base forsignificant social policyresearch: it is a valuable networking opportunity in SEEfor key leaders to meet together informally. The meetings I have held with senior figures in Albania andFormer Yugoslav Republic ofMacedonia demonstrated tome that there is considerablerespect in the countries neighbouring Greece for theUniversity of Sheffield and itsInternational Faculty, CityCollege in Thessaloniki. Thiscollaboration is clearly workingwell not just in relation toSEERC’s research function butin providing a powerful educationalopportunity for students fromacross the region.

LordRichard Best Chairman of InternationalAdvisory Board, SEERC Life Peer and Member of theHouse of Lords, UK Parliament

Building up knowledgecapacity in SEE

Celebrating a Decade ofProgress and Challenges

5

South East Europe: A Region on the Rise• 16 countries, eight of them EU Member States• More than 200 million people• Sharing a rich history reaching back to more than 3000 years • Diverse ethnic groups and religions• A variant political, economic and social background• A rich and diverse man-made and natural environment

Now is an interesting and challenging time for South East Europe. There are still several challenges that need to beaddressed and the region is still dealing with a confrontational and volatile past. At the same time, a number of South EastEuropean countries are approaching the rest of Europe and the European Union. They are either EU candidates or haverecently become members of the Union. This further calls for reform and growth.At SEERC, we want to be involved in making this possible. By spreading our knowledge and analyses, we believe we can contribute to making South East Europe move forward and develop in a successful and sustainable way.

Mr.Nikos Zaharis Director, SEERC

South East Europe is a unique and fascinating region.Rich in history and culture, with a strikingly elegant andvariant landscape, diverse and yet with so many sharedelements among its people, the region is facing newchallenges in the 21st century: how to become integrated in Europe and its institutional framework;how to define its identities and leave behind a history ofconflict and sorrow; how to overcome the currentfinancial crisis without compromising the future of itspeople and the cultural and historical legacies associatedwith them, and now to avoid stagnation and fight braindrain that deprives SEE peoples of their most valuableassets. These and other questions set the basis for theUniversity of Sheffield researchers to observe, analyze,

define and tackle major societal challenges in the regionthrough the infrastructure provided by SEERC inThessaloniki. SEERC is dedicated to contribute to thedevelopment and well being of the peoples of SEE byraising institutional capacity, providing high - qualityresearch training to its people and contacting researchwith high impact for the society. In the past 10 years wehave been engaged in capacity building, intellectual discourse and creation of a new generation of scholarsthorough our Doctoral Programme. We will continueto confront these challenges in the coming years withincreased dedication to quality and commitment to thepeoples of SEE.

Founded in 315 BC by Cassander of Macedon,

Thessaloniki's history spans some 2,300 years.

Thessaloniki is the capital of the Greek

Macedonian region. An important metropolis

since the Roman period, Thessaloniki was the

second largest and wealthiest city of both the

Byzantine and Ottoman Empires. Thessaloniki is

the home to numerous notable monuments,

including ancient Greek, Roman, Byzantine,

Ottoman, and Sephardic Jewish structures.

Thessaloniki is the second major economic,industrial, commercial and political centre ofGreece, as well as a major transportation hubfor the rest of Southeastern Europe. In 2011 itreached over 1.1 million inhabitants. The city isrenowned for its festivals, events and vibrantcultural life in general and is considered to bethe cultural capital of Greece. In 2014 Financial Times FDI magazine declaredThessaloniki as the best mid-sized Europeancity of the future for human capital and lifestyle.

Thessaloniki

The International Faculty’s role in the region

The Crossroads ofSouth East EuropeFunctioning as the bridge between South East and both Western and Eastern Europe,Thessaloniki is an important centre of the South East European region in terms of culture, politics, and commerce. In addition to Thessaloniki’s historical and contemporary significance,its central location is one of the advantages of SEERC.

The aspiration is to continue to make an impact on this progressive region and remain activein entrepreneurial and innovative research at a local, regional, and international level.

Thessaloniki: 2300 years of history

Being part of the International Faculty, SEERC

can draw knowledge from the vast network it

provides. The connection to South East Europe

and the rest of Europe is getting even stronger.

The International Faculty is the only British

academic faculty located outside the UK.

Also, in addition to the main campus in

Thessaloniki, the International Faculty has edu-

cational bases in Sofia (Bulgaria), Bucharest

(Romania), Belgrade (Serbia), Kyiv (Ukraine),

Prishtina (Kosovo), and Istanbul (Turkey).

Creating a betterunderstanding of SEE

LordRichard Best Chairman ofInternational AdvisoryBoard, SEERC

Thessaloniki is the perfect

place for academics from

across South East Europe

to consider topical

concerns and build links

to governments and to

practitioners.

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Research Tracks

The 4 Pillars of SEERC

We undertake a broad range of research

projects, often multidisciplinary, of great

importance to South East Europe.

DoctoralProgramme

Students are offered the opportunity to study

towards a PhD degree under joint supervision

from the University of Sheffield and the

International Faculty.

Networking

SEERC functions as the hub of the region by

organising international conferences and

workshops both in Greece and abroad in

order to bring together experts related to

SEERC’s research topics.

Publications

The outcome of our research is disseminated

to stakeholders, policy makers, NGOs, and the

general public.

A Decadeof SEERC

9

Research Track 1: Enterprise, Innovation & Development

Research within this track isfocused on Innovation Policy & Support, Strategic PeopleManagement, Applied Economics& Finance, and Logistics & SupplyChain Management.

Indicative Projects

• ICT2B: Bridging the EntrepreneurialGap: Transforming European ICT Research into Investment OpportunitiesFunding: FP7/ICT Coordinator: Fraunhofer Institute of Optronics, System Technologies and Image Exploitation, Germany

• INTERVALUE: Inter-regional cooperation for valorisation of research resultsFunding: South East Europe Transnational Cooperation Programme Coordinator: Urenio, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece

• MIRIAD: Managing and Infusing Research Investment and DevelopmentFunding: FP6/ Regions of Knowledge Coordinator: University of Sheffield

Research Track 2: Information & CommunicationTechnologies

There are several active researchclusters within the second track;the Intelligent Systems ResearchCluster, the Software Engineering& Service-Oriented TechnologiesResearch Cluster, and theInformation & KnowledgeManagement Research Cluster.

Indicative Projects

• Business Process FUSION based onSemantically-enabled Service-Oriented Business ApplicationsFunding: FP6 - Information Society TechnologiesCoordinator: SAP, Germany

• MORMED: Multilingual Organic Information Management in the Medical DomainFunding: CIP ICT Policy Support Programme Coordinator: SEERC, Greece

• Embed4Auto: Upskilling to Model-Based Software Development in the Automotive and Embedded Software SectorFunding: Leonardo da Vinci programmeCoordinator: Fraunhofer Institute for Experimental Software Engineering (IESE), Germany

Research Track 3: Society & Human Development:Psychology, Politics, Sociology,and Education

Through this track, SEERCembraces the study of innovativeideas and current trends in manyareas within psychology, politics,sociology, and education; for example, Social Policy, EuropeanIntegration, Migration, Ethnicity &Identity, Public Administration,Language, Energy Politics &Economics, International PoliticalEconomy, International RelationsTheories, Cognitive Neuroscience,Cognitive Neuroscience of Ageing.

Indicative Projects• YOU RESPOND: Developing a good

practice guide and training manual for young people's participation in research, policy and practice developments to prevent and combat violenceFunding: DAPHNE III programmeCoordinator: University of Sheffield

• SILVER: Successful Intergenerationallearning through Validation, Education & ResearchFunding: GRUNDTVIG Coordinator: Inholland University ofApplied Sciences, Netherlands

• Multi-level Governance in SEE: Institutional Innovation and adaptation in Croatia, Greece, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and SloveniaFunding: British Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)Coordinator: University of Sheffield

Our Research Tracks

ProfessorPaul Knepper

Director ofInternational Affairs forthe Faculty of SocialSciences (SEERC RT3Leader)Editor to the EuropeanJournal of Criminology

Research at SEERC addresses a wide range of economic, technological, social, and cultural challenges facing an enlarged and developing Europe. It is organised along three Research Tracks. Each track is promoting interdisciplinary research cooperation between the International Faculty and the University of Sheffield. SEERC encourages research clusters which focus on specific sets of research objectives.

Think broadly about your research and get

involved with SEERC. The South-East

European Research Centre has lots of net-

working possibilities in South East Europe and

elsewhere, very valuable to me and the kind of

research activities we do.

Funded ResearchSEERC initiates activities that lead to funded research projects tackling issues ofimportance at a regional, European and international level, with a particular focuson South East Europe. Since its establishment in 2004, SEERC has received fundingfor a significant number of research projects by various funding agencies and funding programmes. These include programmes of the European Commission (FP7, eContentplus, FP6,DAPHNE III, Youth in Action, Leonardo da Vinci, eTen), programmes from the UKEconomics and Social Research Council (ESRC) and the UK Foreign &Commonwealth Office, programmes of the Greek General Secretariat for Researchand Technology, as well as the International Labour Organization (ILO) of the UnitedNations.

Research Projects’ Reviews

The Final projectreview report for the“Business processFUSION based onSemantically-enabledService-OrientedBusiness Applications”project(September 4, 2008)

“….(FUSION) has successfully… achievedits main objectives.FUSION has effectivelydelivered the expectedresult…. The consortiumhas been motivated anddedicated. It has impressivetechnical expertise in EAIand semantic technologies,as clearly demonstrated inits state of the art deliverables…”

The Final projectreview report for“OrganiK: An OrganicKnowledgeManagement Systemfor Small EuropeanKnowledge-intensiveCompanies” project (October 1, 2010)

“The consortium as awhole without any exceptionhas worked to meet theproject’s objectives anddeliverables…. TheOrganiK KnowledgeManagement System definitely contributes tothe State of the Art…”

The Final projectreview report for “ICT-WEB-PROMS:Promoting ICT cooperation opportunities and policy dialogue withthe Western BalkanCountries” project (March 18, 2011)

“… All project partnershave shown high commitment and produced high quality output…. SEERC delivered a high qualityand insightful policyreview document with policy recommendations…”

Enhancing interdisciplinaryresearch in SEE

11

SEERC pursuing its mission, to assist the

development of the SEE, has looked at its ICT

research with a vision of the next 20 years. With

this in mind, SEERC’s Information and

Knowledge Management Research Cluster

(IKM), has been driving research in the area of

Cloud Computing. Cloud Computing is an

emerging area of Computer Science that is

anticipated to revolutionise, primarily, the

enterprise computing, in a way similar to how

GUI (Graphical User Interface), revolutionised

computing and dragged it from the "specialist" to

the reach of everyone, thus creating the land-

scape of personal computing as it is known today.

In a similar fashion, Cloud Computing is

anticipated to bring changes that will set the

technological pillars for the institutionalization

of computing into our everyday life in a

ubiquitous and pervasive manner.

Towards that direction, IKM has engaged in

research, since 2009, that has been investigating

the challenges of opportunities that Cloud

Computing is bringing about with an emphasis in

Software Engineering and how this is to be

affected by the new paradigm.

This was done through the CAST research

project that looked at how PaaS (Platform as a

Service) could be structured in such a way as

to allow customisation of SaaS (Software as a

Service) by third parties. That is, the research

challenge was to decide on the architectural

design of platform as a service, that will allow

the development of software with the use of

third party software. From the platform's

architecture this represents a challenge since

you develop and deliver a solution based on a

third entity software were you have no control

on its availability, reliability, change or even

withdrawal. The findings of CAST project gave

rise to a number of research questions (software

development, software co-development,

governance of software within a platform to

ensure stability of platform) that proved

instrumental in pursuing subsequent projects,

namely RELATE and Broker@Cloud.

Case StudyICT Research in SEE: Planning for the Next 20 Years

Key People

Dr Iraklis Paraskakis

Dr Symeon Veloudis

Mr. Chris Petsos

Mr. Rustem Dautov

Mr. Fotis Gonidis

Mr. Isaak Kavasidis

Mr. Ioannis Arampatzis

Dr Anthony Simons

Dr Mike Stannett

Mr. Dimitrios Kourtesis

Mr. Konstantinos Bratanis

DrIraklis Paraskakis

Senior Research Officer,SEERC

All this knowledge and experience fromour research has proved unique in shaping our minds but, more importantly,the curriculum of our undergraduateand postgraduate studies to ensure thatthe knowledge and skills obtained in ourdegrees are current, topical and mainlysetting the foundations of tomorrow’scomputing. Thus, in this way SEERC isreaching its goal of building capacity forthe area of SEE.

DrAndreas Friesen

Senior Researcher, SAP AG,Germany

The collaboration with SEERC, datingback to 2006, has proved instrumental,in forming and shaping, interestingresearch ideas that promote our knowledgeand understanding of enterprise computingand how this can be transformed withthe use of various technologies. We currently explore how Cloud Computingcould affect the way tomorrow enterprisesystems could be transformed, and therole of SEERC in this research is vital inthe pursue of this research results.

Researchexcellence

At Broker@Cloud, we are pursuing the establishment of an infrastructure, that willenable a number of actors to be assisted in thepursue of their goals. The actors could be thecustomer, who is looking for a calendar to keephis diaries, appointments meetings etc, thesoftware developer who wants to find the bestmarketplace for his application, and so on. Inthis context SEERC is pursuing research in thearea of governance where the emphasis is todevelop a framework where the rules and regulations are defined and operated upon with the notion of "separation of concerns".

In RELATE, a Marie Curie ITN, the main questionis to educate and set the foundations for thedevelopment of the software engineers oftomorrow. Within this context SEERC, hasbeen investigating how to assist the softwareengineers in developing applications in terms ofmore available and interchangeable basic building blocks in a transparent and agnosticmanner. Furthermore, in RELATE we explorethe infrastructure that needs to be deployed toensure that software is behaving in an autonomic manner that allows software to configure and reconfigure itself in accordancewith the situation at hand. Within this contextwe are pursuing research in the areas ofAutonomic Computing, Autonomic Platform as a Service, cross cloud development, vendor lock in issues etc.

s

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SEERC research tackles the smoking epidemic in South East EuropeTobacco use is the leading cause of preventabledeath in the world, and according to the W.H.O. itkills 5.4 million people every year, or one personevery six seconds. South-East Europe suffersfrom the tobacco epidemic as most countries inthis region have comparably high smoking rates,and existing tobacco control policies are hard toimplement. Greece and Bulgaria top the list ofthe countries with higher smoking prevalencerates in Europe, whereas Cyprus faces difficulties inimplementing smoke-free policies in publicplaces. Since 2007, SEERC has implementedseveral research projects to tackle tobacco useand accordingly inform tobacco control policiesin South East Europe. Research has been carriedout in Greece, Albania, Bulgaria, and Cyprus inorder to identify the drivers of smoking behaviourin young people, better understand smoking

cessation among smokers, and address the roleof public attitudes and social norms on tobaccocontrol policy implementation. Overall, morethan 10 research papers have been published ininternational peer - reviewed journals, and threeinternational projects on tobacco control havebeen successfully implemented. SEERC’sresearch has been usefully incorporated in policy-making. A notable example is a projectthat was completed in Cyprus in 2012 andshowed that smoke-free policies in hospitalityvenues do not hurt financial revenues. Based onthese findings the Ministry of Health counteredthe arguments against the implementation ofsmoke-free public places in Cyprus. SEERCrecently expanded its tobacco control researchin Romania by addressing the advertisementpractices and sales promotion strategies of thetobacco industry in points-of-sale with closeproximity to schools.

Key People

Dr Lambros Lazuras

Professor J. Richard Eiser

Dr Angelos Rodafinos

Dr Erika Melonashi

Dr Martin Zlatev

Case StudyPreventing Smoking Epidemic in SEE

Anti-smoking campaignin Thessaloniki

The OECD Health at a Glance Report for Europe (2012) demonstrated that the smoking rates in

South-East European countries is still high. More effort and stronger enforcement in existing

policies is needed to counter the increasing prevalence of tobacco use.

Facts and figures

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Research Highlights

Both smokers’ compliancewith tobacco controlpolicies, and non-smokers’ assertivenessin policy violations aredriven to a great dealby personal beliefs andsocial norms.

Smoking is still seen aslargely social and normative behaviour inmost SEE countries westudied, especiallyamong younger peopleand adolescents.

Contrary to whatsmokers believe,smoke-free policies donot hurt business inhospitality venues.

Research with impact

DrLambros Lazouras Research Associate, SEERC

Our research at SEERC is important because it addresses

an important public health, societal, and financial issue. The

turbulent economies of South-East Europe will have to lift

the additional burden of tobacco use, unless successful

tobacco control policies are implemented. We work

towards enabling and informing such policies with scientific

evidence.15

Key People

Mr. Nikos Zaharis

Mr. Dimitris Bibikas

Ms Athanasia Halatzouka

Ms Christina Miariti

Dr Dialecti Fotopoulou

Mr. Athanasios Papakonstantinou

Dr Yannis Tolias

Dr Bratislav Stankovic

Ms Stavroula Maglavera

Participation on equal footing to the European

Research Area and the Framework Programmes that

support collaborative research across Europe is

one of the main challenges for the Western Balkan

Countries (WBC). Research excellence, extroversion,

high - quality networking and innovation are

indispensable for the competitiveness of

economies and for societies that aspire to fulfill

the targets of “Smart, Sustainable and Inclusive

growth” as described in the EUROPE 2020 strategy.

WBC who are candidates for EU accession and

associated to FP7 and HORIZON 2020 need

to strengthen their research and innovation

communities in order to enhance

collaboration, mobility and quality research outputs.

Through a series of projects, SEERC has been

actively engaged since 2008 in supporting and

facilitating the WBC researchers’ access to the

European Research Area and participation to

FP7 and subsequently the HORIZON 2020

programmes. This has been achieved through the

organization of specialized trainings, brokerage

events and conferences; the facilitation of

dialogue at the policy level (i.e. between the EC

and the relevant WBC ministries of Science

and Technology) and the production of

specialized reports on R&D and Innovation

potential, challenges and strategies.

Case StudySupporting Western BalkanCountries to Participate in theEuropean Research Area

Research highlightsInitial Regional Innovation SmartSpecialisation Strategy (RIS3) assessment ofthe Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

Review of the prospects, challenges and recommendations for continuous improvementof ICT R&D in the Western Balkan Countries

Research ProjectsWBC-INCO.NET: WesternBalkan CountriesInternational CooperationNetwork 2008 – 2014(funded by FP7/INCO).

ICT-WEB-PROMS:Promoting ICT cooperationopportunities and policydialogue with the WesternBalkan Countries 2009 -2010 (funded by FP7/ICT).

ICT-KOSEU: SupportingDialogue and Cooperationbetween Europe and Kosovo(UNSCR 1244) inCollaborative ICT R&D 2012– 2014 (funded by FP7/ICT).

Influencing policy and building capacity

Working with South East Europe and theWestern Balkans without SEERC - impossible!Centre for Social Innovation has been activein the region for more than 10 years, coordinatingprojects such as the WBC-INCO.NET, SEE-ERA.NET (PLUS) and the Information Officeof the Steering Platform on Research for theWestern Balkan countries. Between 2008and 2014, WBC-INCO.NET was implementedtogether with SEERC and 28 partners. Our colleagues at SEERC had an eye on the quality of the project and its performanceand we hope to continue cooperation withSEERC for the next 10 years and more.Happy anniversary!

CoordinatorWBC-INCO.NET project, ZSI, Austria

Working with SEERC was an exceptionalexperience for me. It was as a team work ona special task within the WBC-INCO.Net project, SEERC being the leader. Highestprofessionalism, outstanding consultancy, efficiency and quality wereamong the best elements of the SEERC performance. It was a very successful collaboration resulting in an important document for us, the Initial Research andInnovation Smart Specialisation Strategyassessment. And herewith, I would like toextend my congratulation on your 10thanniversary, express my gratitude and wishes for future successful projects.

MsAtanasovska Violeta

Working with Western Balkan researchercommunities since 2008 has been a privilege for SEERC. During these past 7years we engaged in training and networkingactivities, we exchanged ideas and experiencesand most importantly we learned; that theWestern Balkans as a region have able butlatent capacity; that the researchers andinnovators are resourceful and mostimportantly that challenges are similar tothose that research and innovation communities are facing all around Europe:how to engage in meaningful collaborativeresearch; how to overcome isolation; howto better coordinate policies and how tocreate value out of research results forthe economy and local societies.

Mr.Nikos Zaharis Director, SEERC Senior Adviser, FP 7 Coordinator, Ministry

of Education and Science, FormerYugoslavian Republic of Macedonia

17

MsElke Dall

Our Doctoral Programme

This experience has, up to now, definitelyshaped both my personaland professional skills byenabling me to developmultilaterally under closeguidance at a global levelthrough high qualitysupervision, conferencesand state of the art networking events withacademics and practitioners from my field.

Mr.Adrian SolomonPhD Student

Doing a PhD at SEERC underthe joint supervision schemeis a unique opportunity toget the most out of thetwo countries. On onehand, you get a world-classdegree from an establishedand recognisable British university, and exposeyourself to the Britishresearch community andhighly competitive job market. On the other hand,you spend most of yourtime in the rapidly developingMediterranean region,which is highly interestedin new blood and opensnew horizons for youngspecialists.

Mr.Rustem DautovPhD StudentMarie Curie Early Stage Researcher

The fact that all SEERCPhD students are situatedin the same building,offered me the wonderfulopportunity to enjoy aneveryday interaction withmy colleagues; theexchange of experiences,knowledge and the longdiscussions with themwhen I got "stuck" whilewriting my doctoral thesiswere definitely factorsthat largely contributed tothe completion of my PhDand I thank them for this!

DrAristea LadasPhD Alumni

My studies deal with thesocial factors that influence cognitive declinewith aging. This is an issuethat nowadays is drawingincreased attention in politics and science. My PhD studies have givenme the opportunity to familiarize myself with the issue, as well as to be in the frontier of thisfield’s development.

Mr.George PavlidisPhD Student

Current PhD students40 PhDs Awarded17

Students enrolled in the SEERC Doctoral programme are skilled individuals who are able totackle the major challenges of the South EastEuropean region. The Doctoral programme offerscandidates a unique opportunity to undertake doctoral studies in Thessaloniki, Greece, and to enjoythe benefits of an international community and a top-tier academic environment. SEERC supports

multidisciplinary research and connectsdoctoral topics to a range of issues of importance tothe South East European region. All PhD students arejointly supervised by one supervisor from theUniversity of Sheffield and one from the InternationalFaculty CITY College. This is a way to ensure that students are exposed to a wide range of perspectivesand that innovation is encouraged.

The Annual South East EuropeanDoctoral Student Conference (DSC)The South East European DoctoralStudent Conference is an event that hasbeen hosted by SEERC annually since2006. Until today, a total of nine conferenceshave taken place. The aim is to encourageexchange of knowledge between youngresearchers and to consolidate the established network of scholars currentlyundertaking research in South East

Europe. Attracting papers related toSEERC’s research tracks from all over theSouth East European region, the conferenceprovides early-career researchers withthe opportunity to present their work inan academic and friendly environmentwhich promotes active dialogue andassists in building a greater understandingof research at all levels.

Empowering thenext generationof academia and research in SEE

19

Social Policy andInternational Interventions in SouthEast Europe

YOU RESPOND -Promoting effective projectparticipation by youngpeople who have experienced violence

IFIP Working Conferenceon Virtual Enterprises(PRO-VE)

WBC-INCO.Net

SEERC is one of the organisations contributing to WBC-INCO.Net, which is aplatform for high qualityresearch on the WesternBalkan countries. It is funded by the European FP7Community's Programmefor InternationalCooperation. The goal is topromote WBC researchers’participation to the ERA.

Democratisation in Southeast Europe

This book builds on the assumptionthat the election process in anintegral part of a stable democraticsystem. It investigates issuesrelated to the electoral processin South East Europe and howdifferent alterations of it canaffect the democratisationprocess of this region. It waspublished in 2005 by SEERC andwritten by authors DusanPavlovic, Goran Petrov, DespinaSyrri, and David A. Stone.

Integrating the WesternBalkans into Europe

After the Greek Presidency’sEU Summit in 2003, SEERChosted a meeting with policyexperts, NGO leaders, andscholars to evaluate the outcomes of the summit inregards to inclusion of theWestern Balkan countries withinthe EU. The results of thismeeting are presented in thispublication by David A. Stoneand Despina Syrri.

Our Publications

361 107Conference papers Journal papers Books & book chapters

229

Proceedings of the AnnualDoctoral StudentConference (DSC)

For the past 9 years,

SEERC publishes the

proceedings of the DSC,

giving the opportunity to

PhD students from over

30 countries to have

their work peer-

reviewed, discussed

and published.

Dealing with the subject of theinfluence of internationalactors on social policy in SouthEast Europe, SEERC publishedthis book edited by Bob Deaconand Paul Stubbs in 2007. Thebook consists of an introductorychapter about transnationalismand Europeanisation, which isfollowed by nine linked casestudies about social policy inthe South East European region.

This book was published in2011 and compiled by a numberof authors associated withSEERC. It investigates how todesign and plan group trainingcourses for people who wantto or are already involved inparticipatory practices withvulnerable children and youngpeople.

SEERC hosted the 10th IFIPWorking Conference onVirtual Enterprises that tookplace in Thessaloniki in 2009.The conference was aboutleveraging knowledge forinnovation in CollaborativeNetworks and attracted 120people from all over theworld.

Our Events

Transmittingknowledge andknowledgeexchange

International Conferenceon Supply ChainManagement andInformation Systems(SCMIS)

The TII is an annual conferencewhich brings together technologyprofessionals, scholars, and otherstakeholders to share experiences,facilitate business, and to network.In 2009, the conference took placein Thessaloniki, Greece, and wasco-hosted by SEERC andTechnology InnovationInternational, Luxembourg. Thetheme was “Regional Excellence inInnovation: Case Studies fromaround the World” and attractedover 120 participants from 30 different countries.

International AnnualConference on TechnologyInnovation (TII)

The ICEIRD conference is held

every year by SEERC in

collaboration with other

universities and affiliated parties.

The purpose is to provide an

opportunity to discuss and

present issues and trends within

entrepreneurship and innovation.

In 2014 ICEIRD was held in Nicosia,

Cyprus, and in 2015 it is scheduled

to be held in Sheffield, UK.

International Conferenceon Entrepreneurship,Innovation and RegionalDevelopment (ICEIRD)

In 2009, SEERC hosted the 10th IFIP Working

Conference on Virtual Enterprises that took place in

Thessaloniki. The conference was about leveraging

knowledge for innovation in Collaborative Networks

and attracted 120 people from all over the world.

IFIP Working Conference on Virtual Enterprises (PRO-VE)

Together with the World Bank, IMF, the Greek Government,

DFID-UK, and UNDP, SEERC organised a conference in

order to report on the challenges with poverty reduction,

educate Balkan countries about successful job creation, and

to develop ideas on how to strengthen job creation.

Conference on Labor Markets, Growthand Poverty Reduction Strategies

184 Events 38Workshops 114 Seminars 32 Conferences

21

In 2005, SEERC hosted the 3rdInternational Conference on SupplyChain Management and InformationSystems (SCMIS) together with theUniversity of Sheffield and itsInternational Faculty, the Hong KongPolytechnic University, the Universityof Nottingham, the AristotleUniversity of Thessaloniki,the University of Macedonia,the University of MassachusettsDartmouth, the Taiwan NationalChung Hsing University, and theAthens University of Economics. Theevent took place in Thessaloniki andaimed at identifying the challengesfor Supply Chain Management andInformation Systems but also atexploring its effect on globalisation.

Networking in SEE and Beyond

Industry

Academia

Government

Israel

Centre for Research and Technology HellasGreece, Academia

Thessaloniki Chamber ofCommerce and IndustryGreece, Industry

URENIO Aristotle Universityof ThessalonikiGreece, Academia

Regional Authority of Central MacedoniaGreece, Government

Association of IT Companiesof Nortnern GreeceGreece, Industry

Exporters Association of Nortnern GreeceGreece, Industry

Thessaloniki area

South East Europe

Chamber of Commerce and Industry

of Tirana (CCIT)

Albania, Industry

Polytechnic University of Tirana

Albania, Academia

Ministry of Education

and Science of Albania

Albania, Government

University of Banja Luka

Bosnia and Herzegovina, Academia

Ministry of Civil Affairs of BiH

Bosnia and Herzegovina, Government

University of National

and World Economy

Bulgaria, Academia

ARC FUND

Bulgaria, Industry

Ministry of Education

and Science of Bulgaria

Bulgaria, Government

Ministry of Science, Education

and Sports of Croatia

Croatia (Hrvatska), Government

Ivo Pilar Institute of Social Sciences

Croatia (Hrvatska), Academia

University of Debrecen

Hungary, Academia

Theodore Puskas Foundation

Hungary, Academia

Kosovo Association of Information and

Communication Technology, STIKK

Kosovo, Industry

University of Prishtina

Kosovo, Academia

University of Montenegro

Montenegro, Academia

Ministry of Education

and Science of Montenegro

Montenegro, Academia

Executive Agency for Higher Education,

Research, Development and

Innovation Funding

Romania, Government

University of Craiova

Romania, Academia

University of Belgrade

Serbia, Academia

Mihailo Pupin Institute

Serbia, Academia

Ministry of Science and Technological

Development of Serbia

Serbia, Government

SPIRIT

Slovenia, Government

University Incubator Primorska

Slovenia, Industry

Ministry for Higher Education, Science

and Technology of Slovenia

Slovenia, Government

Istanbul Commerce University

Turkey, Academia

Scientific and Technological Research

Council of Turkey

Turkey, Government

Sehir University

Turkey, Academia

Rest of Europe

ZSI – Centre for Social Innovation

Austria, Industry

Vienna University of Technology

Austria, Academia

Universiteit Gent

Belgium, Academia

European Commission

Joint Research Centre

Spain, Government

Katholieke Universiteit Leuven

Belgium, Academia

Charles University in Prague

Czech Republic, Academia

Aalto University Foundation

Finland, Academia

City of Helsinki, Urban Facts Department

Finland, Government

Université de Rennes 1

France, Academia

Sophia Antipolis Foundation

France, Industry

CAS Software

Germany, Industry

Fraunhofer IOSB

Germany, Academia

SAP

Germany, Industry

Karlsruhe Institute of Technology

Germany, Academia

Queens University of Belfast (QUB)

Ireland, Academia

Technion Israel Institute of Technology

Israel, Academia

Trento Rise

Italy, Industry

University of Udine

Italy, Academia

Region of Piemonte

Italy, Government

Kaunas University of Technology (KTU)

Lithuania, Academia

University of Twente

Netherlands, Academia

Zernike Group

Netherlands, Industry

SINTEF

Norway, Academia

University of Lodz

Poland, Academia

Region of Lodz

Poland, Government

Universidad Politécnica de Madrid

Spain, Academia

Spanish Multimedia Association

(ASEDEM)

Spain, Industry

Umea University

Sweden, Academia

Royal Institute of Technology (KTH)

Sweden, Academia

SwissMedia - Swiss Association of

Information Technology & Multimedia

Switzerland, Industry

PNSI - Police Service

of Northern Ireland

United Kingdom, Government

University of Salford

United Kingdom, Academia

Sheffield Chamber

of Commerce and Industry

United Kingdom, Industry

King’s College London

United Kingdom, Academia

University of Strathclyde

United Kingdom, Academia

Language Technology Centre

United Kingdom, Industry

Manchester Knowledge Capital

United Kingdom, Industry

Indicative Partners List

Connecting SEE with the world

t

Industry

Academia

Government 23

Our Governance

The InternationalAdvisory Board (IAB):The board consists of key

persons with high-level

positions in South East Europe.

They are invited by SEERC to

provide strategic guidance

focusing on the needs

of the region.

The Steering Committee:The members are key persons

from the University of Sheffield

and the International Faculty

who are responsible for

providing academic guidance at

SEERC and participate in

decision making.

The Managing Committee:Composed of members from

the International Faculty, the

Managing Committee is

responsible for day-to-day

operations.

Our People

To invest in people, to encourage academiccuriosity, and to engage The University ofSheffield International Faculty CITY Collegeresources for the advancement of science and society in the SEE region.

Our Future During the past ten years, SEERC has grown and achieved a high level of maturity. This growth

is evident in all aspects of its activities from the coming of age of the Doctoral Programme, to the

growing number of funded research projects, to the quality of publications in conferences and

journals resulting directly from its activities. SEERC has established itself as a reliable and

preferred partner in the region of South East Europe, whether one is looking for a research

project partner or an entity that can contribute to the successful organization of a scientific

conference in the region. Overall SEERC has managed to become an established, self-sustainable

and active research centre in the SEE region, contributing to the development of the University’s

International Faculty and the University as a whole.

As we look towards the second decade of our life, we aim to contribute to the University of

Sheffield 2020 goal, namely “…to be one of the top five UK research Universities…”, by engaging in

excellent interdisciplinary research, while in parallel support the social and economic development

of the South East European region with research and innovation activities that focus on topical and

important societal challenges.

We will strive to make an outstanding contribution to the research base and knowledge creation

in the region and increase our academic impact as measured by publications at high impact

journals and international conferences. Simultaneously we will emphasize the societal impact

of our research both to the peoples of SEE and society at large, by engaging in research that is

relevant to the needs of the industry, the society and the policy makers of the region.

Our 2020 Goal

Our peopleshape the future

Doctoral programmeOur doctoral programme will be the choice

of quality for the prospective doctoral

students of the region and beyond.

Research tracksOur funded research will take advantage of

the opportunities created by the INNOVATION

UNION and HORIZON 2020 to engage with

research questions that are relevant to the

economy and the society while in

parallel advance research led-teaching

at the International Faculty of the

University of Sheffield.

NetworkingOur networking activities both within

and outside the SEE region will grow

with quality, facilitating anyone who is

interested in working with the regional

research and innovation ecosystem.

PublicationsOur published work will focus on

research excellence, and high-impact

publications.

25

Thank you to all our colleagues fromThe University of Sheffield and theInternational Faculty for their contributionand support since SEERC's establishment.

Thank you to all the distinguished people who served at our International Advisory Board.

Professor Robert Boucher Mr. George Anastasiadis Professor Micheline BeaulieuMs Agnes Brunet Dr Elisavet Chrysochoou Professor Tony Crook Professor Bob Deacon Dr George Dourakis Dr Barry Eaglestone Professor Richard Eiser

Dr George EleftherakisProfessor Keith GlaisterDr Sara HannamDr Sean HomerMs Emily InmanProfessor Peter JacksonDr Chris JonesDr Efrosini Kalyva Dr Anastasios KaramanosMr. Stelios Kehagias

Professor Panayiotis KetikidisProfessor Paul KnepperProfessor Lenny KohDr Stacey LavdaDr Charles LeesMs Christina MiaritiMr. Greg MorganDr Iraklis ParaskakisProfessor Tony PayneMs Greta Pearman

Lord Richard BestLife Peer and Member of the House of Lords, UK Parliament

Mr. Christos AkkasChairman of Hellenic Fabrics SA, Greece

Dr Fadil AliuRiinvest Institute, Kosovo (under UNSC 1244)

Professor Anton AntonState Secretary of Research, Romania

Dr Bai-Yun Cloud Director at UK NARIC, ECCTIS Ltd

Professor Ioannis BakourosUniversity of Western Macedonia, Greece

Mr. Dimitar BogovGovernor, National Bank, the Former YugoslavRepublic of Macedonia

Dr Melih BuluIstanbul Sehir University, Turkey

Professor Bozidar CerovicUniversity of Belgrade, Serbia

Professor George ChatzikonstantinouDemocritian University of Thrace, Greece

Professor George Chobanov Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski, Bulgaria

Professor Betim CicoPolytechnic University of Tirana, Albania

Mr. Danko Djunic President of Deloitte & Touche, Serbia

Mr. Gass SimonsPolitical Director, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, UK

Ms Smaranda HeroiuChamber of Commerce and Industry of Romania

Mr. Artan Hoxha Director, Institute for Contemporary Studies,Albania

Dr Ivan JekicNational Coordinator, Ministry of Health, Serbia

Ms Sofia Kassidova Former Vice-President Black Sea Trade andDevelopment Bank

Dr Srgjan KerimGeneral Manager, Media Print Makedonija, theFormer Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

Professor Nikos KomninosAristotle University of Thessaloniki

Mr. Dimitrios LakasasPresident, Alexandrian Innovation Zone of Thessaloniki, Greece

Dr David Landsman Former UK Ambassador in Athens, Greece

Mr. Desmond Lauder Director, British Council, Greece

Mr. Misa LukicLeo Burnett, Serbia

Sir David MaddenSouth East European Studies at Oxford (SEESOX), UK

Dr Mustafa Muhamet Head of Postgraduate studies, Riinvest Institute,Kosovo (under UNSC 1244)

Mr. Besnik Mustafaj Chairman of Albanian Institute for InternationalStudies, Albania

Mr. Lulëzim Ndreu General Administrator, American University ofTirana, Albania

Professor Nikolov Roumen Sofia University, Bulgaria

Ms Andriana Nikolova Sukova-ToshevaExecutive Director at the Bulgarian Confederationof employers and industrialists, Bulgaria

Dr Plamen OresharskiVice-Rector, the University of National and WorldEconomy, Bulgaria

Professor Dr Rodica Pamfilie Academy of Economic Studies, Romania

n.

Dr Megaklis PetmezasDr Alexandros PsychogiosMr. Tom RhodesDr Aggelos RodafinosDr Tony SimonsProfessor Martin SmithDr Robbin SmithMs Anna SotiriadouDr David StoneProfessor Andrew Taylor

Professor Geof TomlinsonMr. Yiannis VerveridisDr Ana Vivas Dr Tim VorleyMs Gill WellsProfessor Paul White Professor Colin WhitehouseDr Nick WilliamsProfessor Philip Wright Mr. Nikos Zaharis

Professor Olena PodolevaVice President, Ukrainian Chamber of Commerceand Industry, Ukraine

Dr Remus PricopieMinister of Education, Romania

Mr. Naim RrustemiMember of Parliament, Kosovo (under UNSC 1244)

Professor Genc Ruli University of Tirana, Albania

Mr. Rod SchwartzChief Executive at ClearlySo, UK

Professor Gabriela StanciulescuDean, Academy of Economic Studies, Bucharest,Romania

Professor Ljubica SuturkovaUniversity “Ss Cyril and Methodius”, the FormerYugoslav Republic of Macedonia

Dr Sandra Svaljek Director, Institute for Economics, Croatia

Mr. Vassilis Thomaidis Former President of Exporters Association of Northern Greece

Mr. Terry Toney Former Regional Director SEE, British Council

Professor Athanasios Tsaftaris Director of Institute of Agrobiotechnology, CERTH, Greece

Professor Zoran Velkovski Former Vice-Rector, University St Ciril andMethodius, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

Mr. Emmanuel VlachogiannisVice President, Thessaloniki Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Greece

Mr. Mihail VlasovPresident, Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Romania

Mr. Richard WalkerDirector, British Council, Greece

Dr Nicholas WhyteFormer Europe Programme Director, InternationalCrisis Group

Dr Selami XhepaResearch Manager, Albanian Center for International Trade, Albania

Professor Siddik YarmanPresident, ISIK University, Turkey

Professor Nenad ZakosekUniversity of Zagreb, Croatia

Thank youΕυχαριστούµε�и благодаримеVa multumim�пасибоFaleminderit�вала �лагодаря Hvala

27

24, Proxenou Koromila street546 22, Thessaloniki, GreeceTel.: +30 2310 253477contact@seerc.orgwww.seerc.org