Currently, there is very limited cooperation between higher-education institutions (HEI), public-research organizations (PRO) and industry in the four countries observed in this project (Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Serbia). There is no institutional support or support on the regional level for cooperation initiatives. Experiences from the past show that such local and regional cooperation existed, and it led to successful execution of projects of different sizes and nature. There is strong desire in regional HEIs and PROs for positive steps forward and for cooperation in exchanging innovative ideas and projects that could be further developed jointly. With the support of START, several meetings were organized and four regional workshops were implemented to bring together regional HEIs, PROs and industry (especially SMEs). A new assembly with the aim of strengthening the regional cooperation and providing information to funding opportunities for its members was founded.
