The academic research evaluation was commissioned by the Financial Mechanism Office and conducted by COWI between January and November 2011. It was based on an in-depth study of 5 funds, 7 individual projects and 16 sub-projects in 3 countries (Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland). The EEA and Norway Grants 2004-09 supported 94 projects overall within the academic research sector, totalling €82 million.
Key findings include:
•All funded projects met their immediate objectives and outputs;
•Grants provided a relevant and significant source of funding, complementing wider EU funding schemes;
•Whilst administrative quality was high, procedures were regarded as cumbersome;
•Research partnerships contributed to strengthened bilateral relations — however ensuring the sustainability of partnerships has proved challenging;
•Partnerships proved a very good tool provided the cooperation is based on an overlap in strategic scope and mutual contribution to the research.
Most of the recommendations have been followed-up, with, for example, the introduction of block grants through research programmes and a results-based approach. Measures have also been put in place to simplify the administrative procedures.