National-regional governance of STI

The Luxembourg research and innovation (R&I) system is overseen by the Ministry of Higher Education and Research (MESR), which coordinates and implements the national research policy. The MESR supervises:

• the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST) - a research and technology organisation specialising in the fields of environment, informatics, materials, and space.
• the Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH) - a public sector organisation for biomedical research focused on precision health.
• the Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research (LISER) - this institute focuses on economic, social, and spatial sciences, with a special emphasis on living conditions, the labour market, urban development, and mobility issues, promoting cross-border interdisciplinarity.
• the National Research Fund (FNR) - the primary funding body for research activities in Luxembourg. It plays a key role in raising public awareness of research and advising on research policy and strategy.

The MESR provides funding to the Max Planck Institute in Luxembourg and is a member of GIE Luxinnovation, the national innovation agency. It supports Luxembourg's economic development by promoting innovation, fostering international growth, attracting foreign investment, and assisting companies in developing their projects. In 2020, Luxembourg introduced a national research and innovation strategy. The aim is to establish a framework to facilitate targeted development of the scientific ecosystem and to position Luxembourg as a country where sustainable, diverse, and digital knowledge can flourish within 10 years.

National and regional S3s: organisation and governance

In the framework of the Luxembourg S3, the formal authority resides within the Ministry of the Economy. However, the S3 governance is characterised by the interaction of several different instances of coordination and consultation that include the four principal actors of the Luxembourg economy: namely government, industry, public research and education actors and, civil society. The Ministry of the Economy has primary responsibility for the development and execution of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) national operational programme in conformity with relevant European regulations. The managing authority for the implementation of the Luxembourg S3 strategy lies is also within this ministry. The consultative committee provides a forum to coordinate the development of strategies and priorities amongst the managing authorities of the ERDF programme in Luxembourg, the INTERREG funds, the European Social Funds (ESF) and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD). The coordinator of the committee is the ERDF managing authority in the Ministry of the Economy. The presence of the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Infrastructures, which is the competent authority for the management of the ERDF INTERREG programmes, assures the appropriate coordination of the broader Luxembourg strategy. The selection committee has as mission, the selection of projects based on operational programme and S3 strategy criteria. It comprises representatives from government ministries and public research structures. The certification authority comprises representatives of the Ministries for the Economy and Finance (financial controller). This authority systematically controls all expenses linked with the use of structural funds. The audit authority assures operational financial control according to international audit standards and the ministry audit strategy. The audit authority issues an opinion on the annual accounts. Its reports are sent to the European Commission by the managing authority. The monitoring committee has, as mission, to guarantee the efficiency and quality of the execution of the operational programme. It comprises representatives from government ministries (in particular, the S3 managing authority and all ministries directly concerned by the ERDF operational programme), districts, economic and social partners and, the European Commission. The advisory experts have as mission, to provide advice on projects in a particular domain. The S3 governance actors at the level of the ERDF funds regroup with those who elaborate the R&I priorities at the national level. By this means, a permanent exchange between the two levels is thus guaranteed.

For information on regional S3s, please return to the homepage: https://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/assets/s3-observatory/index_en.html