The fifth annual Knowledge Economy Forum (KEFV) on Innovation and Technology Absorption for Growth  took place in Prague, Czech Republic on March 28-30, 2006, at the Corinthia Towers hotel. The event was co-sponsored by the Ministry of Finance and the Government Office of the Czech Republic and the Private and Financial Sector Development Group of the World Bank Europe and Central Asia Vice Presidency.

That was the fifth Knowledge Economy Forum that the World Bank has organized to support countries in Europe and Central Asia (ECA) in their transition to becoming increasingly knowledge-based. The first such Forum took place in 2002 in Paris and focused on the definition of national knowledge economy strategies, primarily in EU accession countries. The 2003 Helsinki Forum hosted discussions on issues related to the implementation of knowledge economy strategies and targeted both EU accession and EU candidate countries. The 2004 Budapest Forum focused on the role of knowledge in enhancing countries’ competitiveness and included delegates from countries in the Balkans and Central Asia. The 2005 Forum, held recently in Turkey, engaged 25 countries, including first-time delegations from Belarus, Kyrgyz Republic, Moldova, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, as well as youth participants, in a dialogue on improving the business environment and using knowledge to stimulate private sector growth.

The forum welcomed delegations from across the ECA region, including participants from: Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Macedonia, Moldova, Romania, Russia, Serbia and Montenegro, Tajikistan, Turkey, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia. Countries participating in KEF V also encouraged members of the youth community in their delegations.

The target audience comprised working-level experts from various ministries (primarily Finance; Economy; or Industry and Trade; Science and Technology; Research; and Education); private sector representatives; research institutions; higher education institutions; think-tanks and NGOs; and specialists in areas addressed by the Forum

The Russian delegation included the following representatives:

• Said Batkibekov - Director of Department of Strategy of Socio-Economic Reforms, Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of the Russian Federation
• Irina Dezhina - Lead Researcher, Laboratory of Social Sphere, Institute for the Economy in Transition
• Tatiana Ershova - General Director, Head of Directorate of the Russian e-Development Partnership, Institute of the Information Society
• Yuri Hohlov - Chairman of the Board, Head of Directorate of Regional Programs, Institute of the Information Society
• Artem Shadrin - Head of Unit, Department of Strategy of Socio-Economic Reforms, Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of the Russian Federation

Please follow the Prague Forum web-site to see the presentations delivered by leading representatives from the government, experts and researchers from a great variety of countries.