The regional alumni conference of the Open Society Foundations "Mind the GAP: Bridging Research and Policy Development in the European Integration of the Balkans" was held in the premises of the hotel "Palas" on November 19 and 20, 2015. The conference brought together participants from Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia and Kosovo* who were scholarship recipients of the Open Society Foundations Program. The regional event aimed to increase regional cooperation in the Western Balkans and to strengthen the role of the OSF alumni in social, political and educational dialogue.Representatives of research and academic communities, as well as policy representatives, took part in the conference. Deputy Director of Open Society Foundations, Audrone Uzieliene, and Milorad Bjeletic, Executive Director of the Belgrade Open School, welcomed the conference participants. In her introductory remarks, Ms. Uzieliena emphasized that the Foundation has been supporting the training of students from the Western Balkans since the mid-1980s and that it will continue through the form of scholarships, grants and research. Mr. Bjeletic has provided more information on the cooperation between BOS and OSF on scholarship programs, which has enabled more than 500 students to expand their knowledge at some of the most prestigious universities in the United States and Europe.

Session Bridging Research and Policy Development in the European Integration of the Balkans induced a debate on the role of research in the process of creating and implementing public policies. Gazela Pudar Draško, a researcher from the Center for Ethics, Law and Applied Philosophy from Serbia, Vlado Dedović, director of the Center for Monitoring and Research from Montenegro, Damjan Zdravev, President of the Reactor - Research in Action from Macedonia and Albana Rexha, a researcher from the Group for Legal and Political Studies from Kosovo*, shared their experiences in research, creation and advocacy of public policies. This panel discussion was moderated by Vladimir Pavlović, coordinator of the practical policies of the Belgrade Open School. Panel discussion participants considered the role of researchers in shaping practical policies, problems that researchers in the Western Balkans face in finding relevant data, the reasons why there is not enough cooperation between researchers and decision makers.

During the second part, the policy briefs produced by the participants of the conference under the mentorship of the Belgrade Open School were presented. The researchers focused on the issues of the area they are following, but also the countries they come from, which are important for the process of accession to the European Union. At this second session, a total of ten policy briefs were presented.*

• (De) centralization of the labor market in Serbia - Risks and Opportunities for the Youth, Authors: Aleksandra Simic and Dragan Stanojevic / Serbia
• The Hurdles for the University Autonomy in Macedonia - The Case of Law on High Education, Author: Ana Pavlovska Daneva / Macedonia
• Towards EU 2020 Goals in Education: Improving the Policy Framework and Practices in KosovoAuthor: Armend Muja / Kosovo*
• Challenges to Parliamentary Oversight and Accountability of Independent Agencies in Kosovo, Author: Blerim Vela / Kosovo*
• From Wrong Transposition to False Implementation - Case of Waste Management Regulation in Macedonia, Authors: Dragan Milkovski and Tijana Angjelkovska / Macedonia
• Fighting Discrimination in Serbia: The Role of the Media, Author: Dejan Mavrovic / Serbia
• Protection in Practice: Aligning Environmental and Consumer Law and Policy in Serbia with EU Acquis, Authors: Mihajlo Vucic and Mateja Djurovic / Serbia
• Great Expectations - Grounding EU Gender Equality Principles in Serbian Policy, Author: Milana Lazic / Serbia
• Mass influx of Syrian asylum Seekers and European Asylum Crisis: Dealing with Emerging Challenges in Serbia, Author: Olga Mitrovic / Serbia
• Macedonia's Prospects on Reaching the 2020 Energy Policy Targets, Author: Dragana Nikodinovska / Macedonia

* The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of the Belgrade Open School.

After the presentation of individual works, group discussions in forums followed. Tit stimulated further exchange of views and information related to the topics.

Training from Research to Advocacy - Understanding the importance of evidence-based policy making in the European Integration Process was delivered by Stevan Vujasinović, United Nations Development Program Public Relations Expert, Vladimir Pavlović and Mirko Popović, coordinator of the Center for European Integration at the Belgrade Open School during the second day of the conference. Improving communication between researchers and decision makers is a prerequisite for successful advocacy of public policies. In addition, the trainers discussed with participants the role of policy briefs in the research. Emphasis is placed on policy briefs as a means of solving the problem that is the goal of the research. The role of researchers in the process of joining the European Union was another topic of this session. Evidence-based public policies adapted to the social context of the country from which researchers come are a significant means of accelerating the process of accession to the European Union.