Built on a 2019 Policy Support Facility (PSF) peer review which provided an in-depth analysis of the Maltese R&I landscape, the National R&I Strategic Plan 2023-2027 addresses several aspects of Malta's knowledge and innovation landscape, with a focus on enhancing Malta's potential in this regard.
Built on five central pillars that cover critical areas such as enhancing the innovation potential of SMEs, supporting international linkages, ensuring a healthy pipeline of highly skilled R&I talent and a concentrated effort to tackle fragmentation, the Strategic Plan acts as the flagship strategy for research, technology and innovation in Malta. The most important aspects include a reformed governance system of national R&I policymaking, the further development of the local R&I ecosystem and the mainstreaming of R&I in public policy.
On the 22nd of December 2022, Science Malta (formerly the Malta Council for Science and Technology) launched the draft version of the Strategic Plan for Public Consultation. Several key stakeholders from Malta’s R&I ecosystem were present with a technical presentation by Science Malta’s directors disseminating the vision and steps forward for this Plan. Following the closure of this public consultation phase, a number of amendments were made with regards to incorporating stakeholder feedback and perspectives into the vision of the document.
The final version of the Strategic Plan was adopted by Cabinet on the 8th November, and launched by means of a national public event on the 20th March 2024.
