Summary
The 9 countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) offer a significant
opportunity for science, innovation, and technology partnerships
with the UK. Together, the region's combined GDP is over €2 trillion – an
economy of emerging innovators leading a tech revolution (the
region has increased its enterprise value since 2017 by 7.6
times).
This is driven by each countries' effort to combine their science
and technology expertise and skilled workforces (Bulgaria,
Hungary, Poland and Romania make up 4 of the 6 EU countries in
the Top 25 countries of STEM (science, technology, engineering,
and mathematics) excellence) together with traditional strengths
in manufacturing, IT and science.
The priorities of the UK's International Tech
Strategy align with pockets of excellence across the region.
Austria, for example, is the fourth largest producer of
semi-conductors with expanding supply chains through Czechia and
Bulgaria, Croatia's unicorns drive 4% of the country's
GDP and Poland and
Czechia's retention of 90% of their startup enterprise value show
the strength of the emerging ecosystems. A recent report
estimated that AIwould further boost the
regional economic value by €100 billion.
UK Science and Innovation Network (SIN) teams in Central and
Eastern Europe are working to communicate these opportunities to
UK stakeholders and build connections. The appetite to work
with the UK is high – during the previous Horizon Europe
programme, the UK was among the top partners of choice for
CEE
researchers.
Following the UK's reassociation to Horizon Europe and
Copernicus, we are keen to maintain and strengthen those
connections. Our events on tech, showcased below, all help
to communicate and encourage collaboration while engaging on
policy approaches that will be critical to the safe and secure
emergence of critical tech.
ImpactSemiconductors
In January,
SIN organised a high-level roundtable on
semiconductors to connect Bulgarian and UK stakeholders
looking to develop cooperation and exchange approaches on
semi-conductors.
Semiconductors is a priority sector for the UK, in the context of
the UK Semiconductors
Strategy and Bulgaria is recognised as partner in this area
under the UK-Bulgaria Strategic Partnerships Agreement.
Why Bulgaria?
Bulgaria is rapidly developing opportunities in the sector,
building on its ICT strengths (contributing over 7% of
GDP, the highest
level among CEE
countries). This is a legacy of chip manufacturing (by the late
1970s, Bulgaria was one of the top 10 biggest electronics
manufacturing countries in the world).
In 1989, Bulgaria exported more computers than all other
countries in CEE
with 11% of workers employed in the production of computers and
electronics. Today there are over 400 microelectronics, many
supporting the growing demand for chips from Bulgaria's
automotive industry.
Bulgaria is positioned well to become a supply chain hub under
the EU Chips
Act – it has attracted investment by global companies such as
Melexis (producing equipment and critical materials for
semiconductor fabs) and Global Foundries and the government is
investing in R&D centres to support the
developing capacity.
The roundtable enabled government, industry and academic contacts
to share government strategy and approaches, including on skills
development, explore potential commercial R&D and academic
collaboration opportunities. This has led to an opportunity
to work with the Bulgaria Ministry of Innovations and Growth as
they prepare a report and recommendations to develop the sector
in 2024, the potential to develop an accelerator programme based
on the UK's Chipstart
programme and a memorandum of understanding signed between
the Bulgarian Association of Electrical Engineering and
Electronics (BASEL) and TechWorks UK.
Artificial intelligence (AI)
In February, SIN hosted the first UK-Romania research
conference with a focus on AI to help us better understand
emerging opportunities in AIresearch with
Romania. Bringing together contacts from academia, SMEs,
NGOs, and senior officials.
The event was part of series of SIN initiatives on
AI which started in
2021 with a UK-Romania high-level dialogue in London, an online
workshop on national AI strategies, and a visit to
present the Romanian government's AI advisor, “Ion”, to the UK.
The roundtable helped secure the topic as part of the forthcoming
UK-Romania Bilateral Forum in 2024 within the frame of the
Strategic Partnership Agreement signed in March 2023.
Why Romania?
A surge in AI
startups and a rapidly developing ecosystem is drawing
significant international attention. Romania's IT and cyber
sector drives a significant proportion of GDP – Romania is number one in
Europe and sixth in the world in terms of the number of IT
professionals. Companies such as Amazon, Hewlett-Packard,
Microsoft and Oracle have long operated in Romania's IT sector,
which generated €9 billion in 2022.
In March, SIN
supported a wider delegation of AI stakeholders from Czechia,
Slovakia and Poland to the UK to attend the Alan Turing Institute
AI Expo 2024, using
the opportunity to share policy approaches on AI regulation, build connections
for AI influencers
in the region, and connect researchers.
Tech mapping
To find out more about opportunities across the wider Central and
Eastern Europe region, read our report on tech opportunities
commissioned by SINand created by
researchers at Public International (a UK-based tech insights
organisation). The report provides country by country snapshots
on why CEEis
important to the UK under each of the 5 priority
technologies.
Technology
and Innovation in Central and Eastern Europe (public.io).
