Dissemination > Programme Information > Slovakia

Slovakia - National Programme Information

National policies

In 2005 the Slovak Government changed its priorities, which states that the objective is to develop a knowledge based economy and that research and development is a major priority. In support of this the Slovak Government launched a program called MINERVA. Within this context the government also decided that research and development will be one of the priority areas which should be financially supported by the structural funds for the period 2007-2013. During 2005 the State budget allocated higher support to the R&D sector and the government decided to carry out an administrative reform of its research and technology policies as well as to reform the public R&D sector.

Priority areas

The R&D thematic program trends are Economy competitiveness; Human resources development; Internal and external state security; R&D integration into the European Research Area. These priorities created State programs of research and development and were financed in competitive form.

The priority areas in maritime transport for future joint European R&D are New technology for Sea/River ships – especially for container transport: Study case - Comparison between road/railway and sea/river transport; Extension of information systems on shipbuilding technology; Improvement of technical safety on ships; Increasing of requirements for crew qualification; New Ro/Ro ships for European inland waterways; Transformation of river ports to the multimodal logistic centre; Improvement of PSC-Port state control.

Funding organisations

The action plan for research, development and innovation was approved by the government and Ministry of Education was given the responsibility of implementing it. A Slovak Research and Development Agency which is the only research and development grant agency in the Slovak Republic was established.

According to the new law on inland navigation, the Water Transport Section of the Ministry of Transport, Posts and Telecommunications (it has 9 employees) grants and withdraws authorisations to foreign carriers for participation in domestic inland waterway transport. The Ministry cooperates with the Ministries of the Environment, Finances, Economy, foreign Affairs, Interior, Education, Labour and Social Affairs and Transport Research Institute.

The State Navigation Administration was established in 1964 (it has 80 employees) and is currently a state administration body under the Ministry of Transport, Posts and Telecommunications. In line with the new draft inland navigation act, it performs state administration functions and state professional supervision in inland navigation.

Programme information

There is no special research program for maritime applications. Specific tasks are formulated which will successively create conditions for the implementation f the global objective and specific aims in the priority areas defined in the Transport policy until 2015 (e.g. the concentration of research and development to safe, environment-friendly and operationally reliable transport).

In January 2000, the Government approved the 'Update and Specification of the Principles of the State Transport Policy of the Slovak Republic' as the basic systemic document for the transport sector. The main strategic goal of the Slovak Republic's transport policy, arising from the principles of the European Transport Policy, is to secure conditions for long-term development aiming at sustainable mobility in the integrated use of all modes of transport. Special emphasis is placed on intermodality and support for more ecological modes of transport, i.e. rail transport, inland waterway transport and combined transport, as well as public transport, and for the creation of conditions to secure the accessibility of the Slovak Republic by air.

Contact Point

Ministry of transport, posts and telecommunications of the Slovak republic, Department of water transport:
Námestie slobody, 6 P.O. Box 100
810 05 Bratislava 15
Slowakei
Tel: +421 2 5273 1434
Fax: +421 2 5273 1437
Email: viliam.podhorsky@telecom.gov.sk,
Email: info@telecom.gov.sk
URL:

www.telecom.gov.sk

back