EU, Belarus and Ukraine face common ICT R&D opportunities and challenges that create a favourable environment for strategic collaboration.
The main aim of SCUBE-ICT is to boost strategic partnerships between ICT researchers and industrial actors from the three regions. The project will achieve its overall aim via a range of activities:

1. Assessing the ICT collaboration potential for the three regions. This involves production of a “White Paper on ICT R&D in Belarus and Ukraine”; mapping the Belarusian and Ukrainian ICT actors; reporting on opportunities for Bel/Ukr ICT actors in the EU; and reporting on opportunities for EU ICT actors in Bel/Ukr;
2. Organising awareness-raising and training events about the EC’s ICT R&D programmes for Bel/Ukr ICT actors. Also, organising networking/partnership events with motivated EU and Bel/Ukr ICT actors to initiate research collaborations between them;
3. Providing advanced support services to a selected number of competent Bel/Ukr ICT actors to build longterm relationships with key EU counterparts. Central to this will be the implementation of Joint Action Plans, which are mini roadmaps capturing detailed research collaboration goals;
4. Enhancing ICT R&D policy dialogue between policy makers and stakeholders from EU and Bel/Ukr ICT communities. ICT R&D Policy Working Groups will be established in Bel/Ukr that will meet with EU Stakeholders to discuss co-operation in areas of mutual interest and develop a Road Map towards a Joint Strategy in ICT R&D.

The SCUBE-ICT project’s main measurable results will include:
a. Website and online database with information and partner search facility for about 100-150 ICT actors in Bel/Ukr;
b. 4 awareness raising/training events in Bel/Ukr concerning FP7 ICT;
c. 6 ICT networking events (2 in Belarus, 2 in Ukraine and 2 in EU within the context of major ICT events);
d. At least 25 concrete collaboration cases (participation of Belarusian and Ukrainian ICT R&D actors in FP7-ICT research proposals) based on:

• the collaboration cases that will be come out of the project’s networking events;
• the support to at least 15 Bel/Ukr ICT actors to establish Joint Action Plans with EU actors;
• the support to at least 10 Bel/Ukr ICT actors to make FP7 proposals;

e. Establishment of ICT R&D Policy Working Groups involving EU and Bel/Ukr ICT Stakeholders and policy makers to discuss on the ICT research priorities of mutual interest and recommend a Roadmap towards a Joint Strategy in ICT R&D.

To achieve the above, the project mobilises a multidisciplinary and multicultural consortium of 10 partners from 3 EU countries and 6 ICPCs (3 from Belarus and 3 from Ukraine), which will take particular care to optimize the use of the project resources within the 24 months of the project duration and to maximize its impact.

SCUBE-ICT project website