Activities of Ioannis A. TSOUKALAS related to 2009/2099(INI)
Shadow opinions (1)
OPINION Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the regions: A new partnership for the modernisation of universities: the EU Forum for University Business Dialogue
Amendments (15)
Amendment 1 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Welcomes the Commission's Communication, taking stock of the first three years of operation of the EU University-Business Forum and setting out the challenges for the future, such as supporting innovation, promoting research, creating entrepreneurship and, enhancing knowledge transfer and attracting young researchers to the European labour market;
Amendment 3 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Recognizes that the challenges identified in the Communication are not new, and that they have not been addressed successfully to date; believes, however, that a continuous dialogue and collaboration, at thelocal, regional, national and European levels, including an exchange of best practice in relation to programmes and instruments, is vinstrumental in establishing closer links between the university and business communities, thus bridgovercoming possible cultural, institutional and operational barriers between them;
Amendment 5 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Recognizes the fact that wide differences exist among European universities, with regard to their size, disciplineresources, disciplines, organisation, nationality and type; believes, however, that each of them could benefit in its own way from collaboration with the business community, providing that there is clear awareness of the actual context in which their capacities in research and education are developed;
Amendment 6 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Emphasises the need for enterprises to increase their absorption capacity to use and transform the scientific knowledge generated by universities by, to fostering internal research and by engaging in an active policy of recruiting , lifelong learning and continuing education, and to engage in an active policy of communicating their needs to the academic community and recruiting doctoral and post-doctoral graduates and researchers;
Amendment 7 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Draws attention to the need to strengthen the links between educational institutions and SMEs and promote a culture of entrepreneurship at all levels of national and regional education systems; encourages the extension and expansion of individual mobility schemes such as Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs and Erasmus for Apprentices; believes that such initiatives could also serve the goals of mobility, language learning and the acquisition of multicultural and entrepreneurial experience;
Amendment 9 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 b (new)
Paragraph 4 b (new)
4b. Highlights the need for specialised staff at research institutions who are able to identify and manage knowledge resources with business potential;
Amendment 11 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Stresses that dialogue and collaboration between universities and business should be based on reciprocity, trust, mutual respect and transparency, with both encouraging a more entrepreneurial university, as well as more knowledge- driven companies; reiterates that this can be achieved without compromising the independence, autonomy and public character of universities;
Amendment 16 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Attaches great importance to knowledge transfer in an open environment; acknowledges that there are different instruments to achieve this, such as publications and seminars, technology transfer offices, regional cooperation, support for start- ups and spin-offs, collaborative research and mobility of researchers; believes, however, that the social and human dimension of interaction is extremely important; therefore strongly supports initiatives to foster face-to-face interaction between universities and business;
Amendment 18 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Points out the need for more detailed information about the scope for promoting effective dialogue between universities and business; believes that academic staff, students and business people should be properly informed about the tools and mechanisms they can use to develop more efficient, effective and mutually beneficial cooperation and interaction;
Amendment 20 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 b (new)
Paragraph 6 b (new)
6b. Welcomes the Commission’s willingness to develop a web space for sharing and disseminating best practices, and points out the importance of using new technologies to foster closer cooperation between the university and business communities;
Amendment 21 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 c (new)
Paragraph 6 c (new)
6c. Welcomes the launch of a single European network of business and innovation centres, incorporating the services currently provided by Euro Info Centres (EICs) and Innovation Relay Centres (IRCs);
Amendment 23 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Sees a greater mobility of researchers, in both the short and long-terms, across national borders and between academia and business, with due respect to gender balancthe non- discrimination principle, as imperative in enhancing knowledge transfer; in this respect, calls on the Member States and the Commission to thoroughly review the existing legal and financial framework and to reduceliminate unnecessary barriers to mobility, paying special attention to the recognition of academic qualifications and the reduction of bureaucracy; calls on universities to introduce more flexible and dual career paths for staff;
Amendment 26 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Encourages the Commission to create incentives for the development of an competitive EU market for intellectual property, which would allow universities, public research organisations and small companieSMEs to find partners, and investors and fairer prices for their intellectual property rights (IPR), skills and knowledge; points out that the professional management of IPR could be strengthened in most universities;
Amendment 27 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Emphasises the need to speed up efforts to promote a Single European Patent ensuring low-cost, efficient, effective and high-quality legal protection for innovative products and services, especially for SMEs, and a harmonised European patent litigation system;
Amendment 30 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. While acknowledging that each collaboration requires a tailored approach and different types of cooperation mechanisms exist, believes that lessons can be learned from successful structures, examples, showcases and role models and that the dissemination of, and access to, examples of good practice and success stories should be enhanced. ; especially emphasises the need to take account of good practices implemented by innovative enterprises, as well as knowledge gained as part of the sixth Framework Programme in relation to collaborative doctoral education.