Improving the quality of public research is one of the main conditions for the successful development of the entire innovation ecosystem. If we want to put emphasis on improving the innovation performance of businesses, we cannot exist without a functioning and efficient research sector producing quality results. However, there is also a need for functional cooperation between the two worlds (i.e. research and application). Improving the quality of public research is not possible without improving the conditions for its conducting.
The following objectives have been set in this key area of change:
Strategic objective: B. Increase the quality of public research
The specific purpose of this strategic objective is to an increase in the number of publications in prestigious journals that will be widely quoted and to increased involvement in international projects. Improved cooperation between research and business should result in a higher share of business spending on public research, increased revenues from the commercialisation of results, and a wider (and more effective) use of intellectual property tools. In terms of the quality of the research environment, administrative complexity should be reduced, legislation should be amended and the whole system of public R&D management, including the management system for the implementation of the National RIS3 Strategy itself, should be improved. It will be necessary to focus on new trends in relation to making R&D results available in the Open Access mode, supporting the implementation of the EOSC European Open Science Cloud (hereinafter EOSC) initiative, and making other R&D&I information resources available in accordance with the principles of Open Science. At the level of research organisations, the quality of their management should improve, with an emphasis on improving people management and developing tools to support researchers.
This strategic objective is monitored by the following indicators.
Specific objectives:
B 1 Enhancing the quality and societal relevance of public research
This objective focuses on identified weaknesses and aspects of public research that should be addressed to improve both the quality and output of research and its societal relevance. The instruments for the achievement of this objective include namely support for increasing the degree of internationalisation of Czech research (e.g. both in terms of a wider involvement in international programmes and projects and in terms of increasing the number of foreign researchers in the country), as well as support and development of cooperation between the research sphere and the application sphere (with emphasis on the development of long-term cooperation), and technology transfer. Support will also be provided to strengthening the profile of the research focus, using the established research infrastructures (both in terms of a wider thematic focus of research and reduction of the large number of small research projects). It will also be important to focus not only on promoting research excellence, but also on supporting high-risk/high-gain projects.
B 2 Improving the quality of the environment for public research
This objective is aimed at ensuring appropriate conditions for the development of public research and improving its quality. Within this objective, attention will be focused both on the RDI management system itself (at national and regional levels) and on improving the quality of the environment in the research organisations themselves. In terms of the RDI management system, it is necessary to support activities leading to its simplification and to a reduction of the administrative burden, especially on providers, hand in hand with the necessary amendment of existing legislation, including (specification and clarification of) state aid rules. The aim is, among other, to ensure predictability of the interpretation of the rules, their harmonisation across providers, simplification of the rules and reduction of formalism in documenting/reporting projects.
