Mid-term Evaluation Research, Development and Innovation Programme II (RDI-II) (EuropeAid FWC Lot 10 2016/381416/2)

The mid-term evaluation mission contributed to the improvement of the Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) Programme, particularly the Programme Implementation Office (PIO) performance in terms of the effective achievement of its objectives and the programme goals. The evaluation provided the decision-makers in the Government of Egypt, the relevant external co-operation services of the European Union and the wider public with sufficient information to:

• Make an overall independent assessment about the performance of the programme, paying particular attention to the impact of the project actions against its objectives;
• Identify key lessons and to propose practical recommendations for any future programming in this sector, taking into account the financial constraints of the programme and EU rules and procedures.

RDI II was a continuation of the first phase of the RDI programme. The objective of RDI II was to further support the Egyptian government's efforts to enhance research, development and innovation performance, facilitating Egypt's move towards a knowledge-based economy. The specific objectives were:

• Fostering the Science and Innovation culture and environment;
• Expanding research collaboration between the public and private sectors;
• Enhancing the impact of Egyptian researchers' participation in EU funded programmes;
• Advancing Egypt's scientific and technological capacity through supporting Centres of Excellence.

The programme had three main components:

• Component I: Innovation Support;
• Component II: Research Networking;
• Component III: Support to Innovation Clusters.

Specific objectives of the evaluation:

• To review the overall functioning and the mechanisms of the PIO, including the efficiency and effectiveness of the applied methodologies and practices for projects' planning, internal monitoring and follow-ups, and communication channels within the PIO and among different stakeholders of the programme;
• To assess the progress of different grant projects relative to their respective set of objectives, the action plans, steps of implementation, inputs and outputs of each of the outlined activities, and the results in general;
• To review the mechanisms of the PIO Research Networking Unit and the RDIN focal points, including their efficiency and effectiveness to promote and strengthen the capacities of the Egyptian R&D sector and to enhance scientific cooperation with European partners.

• Conducted a comprehensive study of the programme, including an assessment of a sample of the grant projects' outcomes and activities (including achievable recommendations for future programming in this sector)
• Assessed the expected impact of the RDI-II grants on the Egyptian economy and improvement of its the competitiveness. This included the impact that the RDI Programme on the community and its role in creating an innovation culture
• Evaluated the efficiency of the implementation of the Programme and PIO's overall technical and financial capacity, quality and effectiveness