Institutional and structural barriers to innovation and generation of new business opportunities are easy to find. Creating change in a regional economy in Central Asia demands the ability to engage with politics (support of ministries of economy and education), to deploy knowledge as a means of building alliances (support of rectors) and to compromise (support of non-academic world, private industry and service sector). Thus, PERSEUS pursues a collaboration betwen public bodies, research institutes and private enterprises. This triangle is widely accepted as a necessary condition for innovation.
Public-private-partnerships for resarch and development can generate a synergy regarding knowledge, economic growth and local and regional prosperity. European partners can assist Central Asian consortium to improve their cooperation and create a Regional Central Asian synergy. The diverse approaches and experiences of all main actors in this process can be brought forward during the three years of the project. What is needed is a method which enables in an initial phase to self-evaluate and exchange their perceptions about the network goals, members' perceptions, partnership structure and communication and learning processes. This will help the Central Asian consortium members to develop a clearer idea of the objectives and challenges of the project.