The Information System for R&D in the Context of R&D Environment in Slovakia

Abstract

The research and development (R&D) environment in Slovakia is comprehensive and envisions the interaction of several key players, such as the universities, Slovak Academy of Sciences, etc., and several funding schemes with funds coming from various sources at the national and European level. The basic settings of R&D in Slovakia are regulated mainly by the Act no. 172/2005 Coll. on the organization of state support for research and development, and the main governing body in the domain of R&D is the Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport of the Slovak Republic (MESRS). The individual organizational processes at the ministerial level often require a support of information and communication technologies. In the context of Slovakia, the Central Information System for Research, Development and Innovation (CIS RDI) has been established in order to provide services and information on R&D to the decision makers, as well as to the scientific community. Another role of the CIS RDI is to popularize the science and technology to the general public. The main aim of the paper is to explain the need for such an information system resulting from the interconnections between the key players and processes, and to deal with various organizational aspects of its operation.