The aims of this specific contract are twofold:

1. To continue the production and updating of annual ERAWATCH Analytical Country Reports. Specifically, this contract covers the production of reports in 2010 and 2011 for 38 countries, i.e. all 27 EU Member States (MS) and 11 Associated States (AS), namely: Croatia, Iceland, Israel, Norway, Switzerland and Turkey for which country reports were produced in 2009 and five newly Associated States that will be covered for the first time: Serbia, Bosnia, Montenegro, FYROM and Albania. As in previous years, the reports will analyse and assess in a structured manner the evolution of the national policy mixes in the perspective of the wider EU strategy and goals, with a particular focus on the performance of the national research and innovation (R&I) system, their broader policy mix and governance and the interaction between national policies and the European Research Area (ERA).

2. To contribute to the continued operation, maintenance and further development of the ERAWATCH research inventory for the above mentioned 38 countries together with seven main trading partners of the European Union, namely: Brazil, China, India, Japan, Republic of Korea, Russia and United States (basic coverage of Liechtenstein, as an Associate to FP7, will also be provided). Activity under this contract centres on the systematic collection and processing of a refocused and coherent set of information for web-based publication on European, national and regional research structures, research actors and research policies in each of the 46 countries covered.