With a focus on five Central Asian countries (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan), ORCA is a pilot programme dealing with science performance and science management with a specific focus on economics and social sciences. While debates advance within the EU and other high-performing countries, a number of realities is not sufficiently into account and training paths to increased research performance remain limitedly available. The region is a good starting point given the excellent tradition it has in hard sciences and especially engineering during the Soviet period (i.e. the first man in space was launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome, in Kazakhstan) that has resulted in continued collaborations whilst research in the economic and social sciences has remained largely under-developed.
ORCA will produce a generation of experts in research policy with focus on the region as a pilot attempt to a) contribute to informing EU (and member state) policies and attitudes towards the region and how to enhance excellent and open science and b) act as multipliers and contribute to the formation of further specialists that will then be able to explore and operate in other regions. ORCA brings together 18 leading institutions across Eurasia, with experience on science excellence and sufficient links with national governments to influence the development of science in the region.
Awards
- MSCA Staff Exchange
- European Commission