Activities of Nessa CHILDERS related to 2011/0401(COD)
Shadow opinions (1)
OPINION on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing Horizon 2020 - The Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (2014-2020)
Amendments (37)
Amendment 28 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 5
Recital 5
(5) The European Parliament has called for a radical simplification of Union research and innovation funding in its Resolution of 11 November 2010, has highlighted the importance of the Innovation Union to transform Europe for post-crisis world, in its resolution of 12 May 2011, has drawn attention to important lessons to be learned following the interim evaluation of the Seventh Framework Programme in its resolution of 8 June 2011 and has supported the concept of a common strategic framework for research and innovation funding, while calling for a doubling of the budget compared to the Seventh Framework Programme in its resolution of 27 September 2011.
Amendment 30 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 11
Recital 11
(11) Horizon 2020 - the Framework Programme for Research and Innovation in the European Union (hereinafter ‘Horizon 2020’), focuses on three priorities, namely generating excellent science in order to strengthen the Union's world-class excellence in science, fostering industrial leadership to support business, including small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) and innovation and tackling societal challenges, in order to respond directly to the challenges identified in the Europe 2020 strategy by supporting activities covering the entire spectrum from research to market. Horizon 2020 should support all stages in the innovation chain, especially activities closer to the market including innovative financial instruments, as well as non-technological and social innovation, and activities that can promote social inclusion across communities, and aims to satisfy the research needs of a broad spectrum of Union policies by placing emphasis on the widest possible use and dissemination of knowledge generated by the supported activities up to its social and commercial exploitation. The priorities of Horizon 2020 should also be supported through a programme under the Euratom Treaty on nuclear research and training.
Amendment 36 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 15 a (new)
Recital 15 a (new)
(15a) Horizon 2020 should contribute to the recognition of the Cultural Heritage of Europe and focus should be given to its role in developing inclusive societies, through both the JRC and through the societal challenges priority.
Amendment 37 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 17 a (new)
Recital 17 a (new)
(17a) In order for the European Parliament to be able to exercise its function of political control and to ensure transparency and accountability, as stipulated in the TFEU, the Commission should duly and regularly inform the European Parliament of all relevant aspects of the implementation of the programme, including the preparation and drawing-up of the work programmes, the execution and possible need for adjustment of the budgetary breakdown, and the development of the performance indicators in terms of objectives pursued and expected results.
Amendment 38 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 19
Recital 19
(19) The implementation of Horizon 2020 may give rise - under specific conditions - to supplementary programmes involving the participation of certain Member States only, the participation of the Union in programmes undertaken by several Member States, or the setting up of joint undertakings or other arrangements within the meaning of Articles 184, 185 and 187 TFEU. These supplementary programmes or arrangements should have a clear Union added value, be based on genuine partnerships, complement other activities under Horizon 2020, and be as inclusive as possible in terms of participation by Member States or Union industry.
Amendment 47 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 21 a (new)
Recital 21 a (new)
(21a) In order to be able to compete globally, to effectively address the grand societal challenges, and to attain the goals of the Union 2020 Strategy, the Union should make full use of its human resources. Horizon 2020 should be a catalyser and a powerful stimulus for completing the European Research Area by supporting across the line activities that attract, retain, train and develop research and innovation talent. To reach this aim and to enhance the knowledge transfer and the quantity and quality of researchers human capital building activities, including those focused specifically at young people and women, should be a standard element in all research and innovation activities funded by the Union.
Amendment 50 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 23 a (new)
Recital 23 a (new)
(23a) All research and innovation builds on the capacity of researchers, research institutions, businesses and citizens to openly access, share and use scientific information. To increase the circulation and exploitation of knowledge, free open online access to academic publications, already embraced in the Seventh Framework Programme, should be the general principle for all publications which receive public funding from Horizon 2020. Furthermore, Horizon 2020 should experiment with online open access to data produced or collected by publicly funded research aiming at open access to such data becoming the general rule by 2020.
Amendment 53 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 27 a (new)
Recital 27 a (new)
(27a) In order to maximize the impact of Horizon 2020, special consideration should be given to multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches as necessary elements for major scientific progress. Breakthroughs in science take often place at the boundaries or intersections of disciplines. Furthermore, the complexity of the problems and challenges that Europe is facing requires solutions that can only be tackled from several disciplines working together.
Amendment 54 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 27 b (new)
Recital 27 b (new)
(27b) Universities play a fundamental role within the scientific and technological base of the Union as basic institutions of excellence, both in training and research.
Amendment 56 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 31
Recital 31
(31) In order to maintain a level playing field for all undertakings active in the internal market, funding provided by Horizon 2020 should be designed in accordance with sState aid rules so as to ensure the effectiveness of public spending and prevent market distortions such as crowding-out of private funding, creating ineffective market structures or preserving inefficient firms.
Amendment 58 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 35 a (new)
Recital 35 a (new)
(35a) Activities undertaken under Horizon 2020 should ensure full compatibility with the Erasmus for all programme and should encourage interconnectivity and integration with other European policies programmes.
Amendment 59 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 1
Article 1
This Regulation establishes Horizon 2020 - the Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (2014-2020) (‘'Horizon 2020’') and determines the framework governing Union support to research and innovation activities and fosterwith the objective of strengthening the European scientific and technological base, ensuring the development of its intellectual capital and fostering benefits for society, including better exploitation of the industrial potential of policies of innovation, research and technological development.
Amendment 61 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 4
Article 4
Horizon 2020 shall play a central role in the delivery of the Europe 2020 strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth by providing a common strategic framework for the Union's research and innovation funding, thus acting as a vehicle for leveraging public and private investment, creating new job opportunities, promoting economic, social and territorial cohesion and ensuring Europe's long-term sustainable growth and competitiveness.
Amendment 62 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 1
Article 5 – paragraph 1
1. Horizon 2020 shall contribute to building an econom society based on knowledge and innovation across the whole Union by leveraging sufficient additional research, development and innovation funding. Thereby, it shall support the implementation of the Europe 2020 strategy and other Union policies, as well as the achievement and functioning of the European Research Area (ERA) through specific and exemplary actions fostering structural changes in European research and innovation systems. The relevant performance indicators are set out in the introduction of Annex I.
Amendment 66 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 6 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 3
Article 6 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 3
The indicative breakdown for the specific objectives within the priorities and the maximum overall amount of the contribution to the non-nuclear direct actions of the Joint Research Centre are set out in Annex II.
Amendment 67 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 6 – paragraph 3 – subparagraph 1
Article 6 – paragraph 3 – subparagraph 1
The European Institute of Innovation and Technology shall be financed through a maximum contribution from Horizon 2020 of EUR 31942500 million as set out in Annex II. A first allocation of EUR 154200 million shall be provided to the European Institute of Innovation and Technology for activities under Title XVII of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. A second allocation of up to EUR 1652000 million shall be provided, subject to the review set out in Article 26 (1). This additional amount shall be provided on a pro-rata basis, as indicated in Annex II, from the amount for the specific objective ‘'Leadership in enabling and industrial technologies’' within the priority on industrial leadership set out in paragraph 2 point (b) and from the amount for the priority on societal challenges set out in 2paragraph 2 point (c).
Amendment 71 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 15
Article 15
Horizon 2020 shall ensure the effective promotion of gender equality and the gender dimension in research and innovation contbalance in all programmes, in evaluation committees, in expert and advisory groups and in any decision making body existing or created for its implementation. To this end, targets will be developed, and appropriate actions designed to reach those targets will be implemented.
Amendment 75 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 19 – paragraph 3 – point b
Article 19 – paragraph 3 – point b
(b) the scale of impact on industrial competitiveness, sustainable growth and socio-economic issues through the definition of clear and measurable societal and competitiveness objectives, including job creation and educational/training targets, and accountability on reaching these objectives;
Amendment 85 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 25 – paragraph 1
Article 25 – paragraph 1
1. The Commission shall annually monitor the implementation of Horizon 2020, its specific programme and the activities of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology. This shall include information and indicators on cross-cutting topics such as gender, sustainability and climate change, including information on the amount of climate related expenditure.
Amendment 93 #
Proposal for a regulation
Annex 1 – paragraph 17
Annex 1 – paragraph 17
The specific objective ‘'Inclusive, innovative and secure societies’' also includes an activity to close the research and innovation divide with specific measures to unlock excellence in less developed regions of the Union. It also includes activities, strategies, methodologies and tools needed to enable a dynamic and sustainable cultural heritage for Europe.
Amendment 100 #
Proposal for a regulation
Annex 1 – part I – point 1 – point 1.3 – paragraph 2
Annex 1 – part I – point 1 – point 1.3 – paragraph 2
ERC funding shall be awarded in accordance with the following well- established principles. Scientific excellence in any field of knowledge shall be the sole criterion on which ERC grants are awarded. The ERC shall operate on a ‘'bottom-up’' basis without predetermined priorities. The ERC grants shall be open to individual teams of researchers of any age and from any country in the world, working in Europe. And tThe ERC shall aim to foster healthy competition across Europe and will ensure unconscious gender bias is properly tackled in evaluation procedures.
Amendment 105 #
Proposal for a regulation
Annex 1 – part I – point 3 – point 3.3 – point a – paragraph 2
Annex 1 – part I – point 3 – point 3.3 – point a – paragraph 2
Key activities shall be to provide excellent and innovative training to early-stage researchers at post-graduate level via interdisciplinary projects or doctoral programmes allowing researchers to develop their research curriculum and involving universities, research institutions, businesses, SMEs and other socio- economic groups from different countries. This will develop and improve career prospects for young post-graduate researchers in both the public and private sectors.
Amendment 106 #
Proposal for a regulation
Annex 1 – part I – point 3 – point 3.3 – point b – paragraph 2
Annex 1 – part I – point 3 – point 3.3 – point b – paragraph 2
Key activities shall be to encourage experienced researchers to broaden or deepen their skills by means of mobility by opening attractive career opportunities in universities, research institutions, businesses, SMEs and other socio- economic groups all over Europe and beyond, offering researchers the opportunity to be trained and to acquire new knowledge in a third-country high- level research organisation, and subsequently return. Key regard shall be taken of the role of women in science, and potential barriers to their entry into the field. Opportunities to restart a research career after a break and flexible working arrangements shall also be supported.
Amendment 109 #
Proposal for a regulation
Annex 1 – part I – point 3 – point 3.3 – point e – paragraph 1
Annex 1 – part I – point 3 – point 3.3 – point e – paragraph 1
The goals are to monitor progress, identifying gaps and barriers in the Marie Curie Actions and to increase their impact. In this context, indicators shall be developed and data related to researchers' mobility, skills and careers as well as gender equality analysed, seeking synergies and close coordination with the policy support actions on researchers, their employers and funders carried out under the specific objective 'Inclusive, innovative and secure societies‘Responsible research and innovation'. The activity shall further aim at raising awareness of the importance and attractiveness of a research career and at disseminating research and innovation results emanating from work supported by Marie Curie actions. It shall also include specific measures targeted to remove barriers to women's mobility.
Amendment 115 #
Proposal for a regulation
Annex 1 – part II – point 3 – point 3.2 – paragraph 2
Annex 1 – part II – point 3 – point 3.2 – paragraph 2
SMEs can be found in all sectors of the economy. They form a more important part of the European economy than of other regions such as the United States of America. All types of SMEs can innovate. They need to be encouraged and supported to invest in research and innovation and to increase links and partnerships with universities and other research institutions. In doing so they should be able to draw on the full innovative potential of the internal market and the ERA so as to create new business opportunities in Europe and beyond and to contribute to find solutions to key societal challenges.
Amendment 120 #
Proposal for a regulation
Annex 1 – part III – point 5 – point 5.3 – point e a (new)
Annex 1 – part III – point 5 – point 5.3 – point e a (new)
(ea) Enabling sustainable cultural heritage in response to climate change The aim is to research into the strategies, methodologies and tools needed to enable a dynamic and sustainable cultural heritage for Europe in response to climate change. Activities shall also focus on providing a better understanding of how communities perceive, adapt and respond to changing environments and more frequent extreme events.
Amendment 121 #
Proposal for a regulation
Annex 1 – part III – point 6 – point 6.1 – paragraph 2
Annex 1 – part III – point 6 – point 6.1 – paragraph 2
Europe is confronted with major socio- economic challenges which significantly affect its future -, such as growing economic and cultural interdependencies, ageing and demographic change, social exclusion and poverty, inequalities and migration flows, closing the digital divide, fostering a culture of innovation and creativity in society and enterprises, as well as ensuring security and freedom, trust in democratic institutions and between citizens within and across borders. Moreover the role of public social policies in Europe is increasingly perceived as a critical element for the sustainability of the European social model itself. These challenges are enormous and they call for a common European approachn increasingly complex mix of diverse as well as common European approaches, based upon shared scientific knowledge that only the social sciences and humanities can provide.
Amendment 123 #
Proposal for a regulation
Annex 1 – part III – point 6 – point 6.1 – paragraph 7
Annex 1 – part III – point 6 – point 6.1 – paragraph 7
The in-built complexity of these challenges and the evolutions of demands thus make it essential to develop innovative research and new smart technologies, processes and methods, social innovation mechanisms, coordinated actions and policies that will anticipate or influence major evolutions for Europe. It calls for understanding the underlying trends and impacts at play in these challenges and rediscovering or reinventing successful forms of solidarity, coordination and creativity that make Europe a distinctive model of inclusive, innovative and secure societies compared to other world regions. ItThis requires a specific focus on the cultural heritage of Europe, and an approach which identifies activities which rejuvenate and bring people together across communities. It also requires a more strategic approach to cooperation with third countries. Finally, as security policies should interact with different social policies, enhancing the societal dimension of security research will be an important aspect of this challenge.
Amendment 124 #
Proposal for a regulation
Annex 1 – part III – point 6.3 – point 6.3.1 – paragraph 1
Annex 1 – part III – point 6.3 – point 6.3.1 – paragraph 1
The aim is to enhance solidarity as well as social, economic and political inclusion and positive inter-cultural dynamics in Europe and with international partners, through cutting-edgegain a greater understanding of societal changes in Europe, their impact on social, economic and political inclusion and the main consequences for the well-being and quality of life of individuals, families and societies. The main challenges to be tackled will address the European models for social cohesion and well-being and the need for a considerable knowledge base in the areas of inequalities and social exclusion, demographic change and the ageing socience and interdisciplinarity, technological advances and organisational innovations. Hty, life course and family transitions, working and living conditions, shared history and cultural heritage, migration and mobility, education and lifelong learning, multilingualism, social policies and governance dynamics, while also taking into account the economic and social European diversity. Social sciences and humanities research can play an important role here. Research shall support policymakers in designing policies that combat poverty and prevent the development of various forms of divisions, discriminations and inequalities in European societies, such as gender inequalities or digital or innovation divides, and with other world regions. It shall in particular feed into the implementation and the adaptation of the Europe 2020 strategy and the broad external action of the Union. Specific measures shall be taken to unlock excellence in less developed regions, thereby widening participation in Horizon 2020.
Amendment 133 #
Proposal for a regulation
Annex 1 – part V – point 2 – paragraph 3
Annex 1 – part V – point 2 – paragraph 3
The specific feature of the EIT is to jointegrate education and entrepreneurship with research and innovation as links in a single innovation chain across the Union and beyond, leading to an increase of innovative services, products and processes brought to society and the market.
Amendment 225 #
Proposal for a regulation
Annex I – part III – point 1.1 – paragraph 1
Annex I – part III – point 1.1 – paragraph 1
Lifelong mental and physical health and wellbeing for all, high- quality and economically sustainable health and care systems, and opportunities for new jobs and growth are the aims of support to research and innovation in response to this challenge and will make a major contribution to Europe 2020.
Amendment 233 #
Proposal for a regulation
Annex I – part III – point 1.1 – paragraph 2
Annex I – part III – point 1.1 – paragraph 2
The cost of Union health and social care systems is rising with care and prevention measures in all ages increasingly expensive, the number of Europeans aged over 65 expected to nearly double from 85 million in 2008 to 151 million by 2060, and those over 80 to rise from 22 to 61 million in the same period. Reducing or containing these costs such that they do not become unsustainable depends in part on ensuring the lifelong mental and physical health and wellbeing of all and therefore on the effective prevention, treatment and management of disease and disability.
Amendment 252 #
Proposal for a regulation
Annex I – part III – point 1.1 – paragraph 4 a (new)
Annex I – part III – point 1.1 – paragraph 4 a (new)
For other conditions, in particular neurodegenerative diseases, effective prevention strategies will first require a considerable increase in research into their causes and the development of better diagnosis and treatment options.
Amendment 254 #
Proposal for a regulation
Annex I – part III – point 1.1 – paragraph 4 a (new)
Annex I – part III – point 1.1 – paragraph 4 a (new)
Mental health problems account for almost 20% of the burden of disease in the WHO European Region, with one in four people being affected by mental health problems at some time in their life.
Amendment 262 #
Proposal for a regulation
Annex I – part III – point 1.2 – paragraph 1
Annex I – part III – point 1.2 – paragraph 1
Disease and disability are not stopped by national borders. An appropriate European level research and innovation response can and should make a crucial contribution to addressing these challenges, deliver better mental and physical health and wellbeing for all, and position Europe as a leader in the rapidly expanding global markets for health and wellbeing innovations.
Amendment 271 #
Proposal for a regulation
Annex I – part III – point 1.3 – paragraph 1
Annex I – part III – point 1.3 – paragraph 1
Effective health promotion, supported by a robust evidence base, prevents disease, improves mental and physical wellbeing and is cost effective. Health promotion and disease prevention also depend on an understanding of the determinants of, and links between, physical and mental health, on effective preventive tools, such as vaccines, on effective health and disease surveillance and preparedness, and on effective screening programmes and early diagnosis.
Amendment 284 #
Proposal for a regulation
Annex I – part III – point 1.3 – paragraph 3
Annex I – part III – point 1.3 – paragraph 3
An increasing disease and disability burden in the context of an aging population places further demands on health and care sectors. If effective health and care is to be maintained for all ages, efforts are required to improve decision making in prevention and treatment provision, to identify and support the dissemination of best practice in the health and care sectors, and to support integrated care and the wide uptake of technological, organisational and social innovations empowering in particular older persons, persons with chronic diseases as well as disabled persons to remain active and independent. Doing so will contribute to increasing, and lengthening the duration of their physical, social, and mental well- being.