Research and Innovation Strategy of Slovenia 2011-2020

33 Encouragement of interstatemobility of researchers- elimination ofadministrative, technicaland tax barriers forinternational mobility inboth directions- systematic measures forencouragement ofinternational mobility inboth directions, inter alia- forming internationalcompatibility ofmechanisms for recognitionof researchers'qualificationsGovernment of the RS(science, highereducation, technology,innovations)2011–2020Share of PhDs who have for atleast three months studied,worked or researched abroadin the last 10 yearsShare of researchers withforeign citizenship among allthe researchersShare of foreign studentsamong the new PhDs34 Action Plan for ImprovingCareer Opportunities forResearchers in all the CareerPeriods, and for Ensuring theGender Equality PrincipleGovernment of the RS(science, technology,innovations)2012 Adoption of the Action Plan4.2 SpecializationExcellency on the world-wide basis is necessary for successfulness in the global world.Similar to comparative advantages in economy theory, a lack of critical mass and limitedresources in smaller and less developed regions due to complexity of scientific problems,and due to the size of necessary investments in the infrastructure, speak in support ofknowledge and competencies concentration in the selected fields. Such a concept ofspecialization of a country or of a region that exploits local advantages, given features,characteristics, and prior investments into the establishment of capacities and ofscientific excellence, enables the development of quality domestic competences andleading position in these areas upon the most optimal use of financial resources.State of affairsThe Resolution on the NRDP 2006-2010 followed the example of Central Europeanpriorities and provided five broad priority fields (information and communicationtechnologies, advanced (new-emerging) synthetic metallic and non-metallic materialsand nanotechnologies, complex systems and innovative technologies, technologies forsustainable economy, health and life sciences). At the same time, it also definednarrower technological fields by means of technological feasibility studies. It has beenforeseen that the SZT after a two year period, executes a detailed evaluation of prioritysetting, and complements the list of priorities where necessary.The broadly identified fields in the NRDP 2006-2010 could not provide for implementationof the concept of the specialization. For this reason, the funding for research anddevelopment has been spread around a wide spectre of activities in a balanced way until2009, which interfered with the establishment of a critical mass of capacities that wouldensure a possibility of quality in a global context.Although the Council for Science and Technology did not carry out the evaluation ofpriority fields, the past years have been marked with numerous attempts for set outnarrower thematic priority fields. The Study on »Technological Foresights and SloveneDevelopment Priorities« (2008, Institute of Economic Research) and the documents onNational Technological Platforms were based on qualitative analyses, complemented byquantitative data on implementing enterprises, and on research groups and theircompetencies. The Report on Results of Identification of Narrow Priority DevelopmentThemes (2008, TIA - Technology Development Agency), and the recommendations of thegovernmental counselling body The Competitiveness Council (2009) that are based onevaluations of a large number of co-operating experts from the economy and the science,are also important. Additional guidelines have been elaborated on the basis of the