Parliament adopted the own-initiative report by Pia Elda LOCATELLI (PES, IT) on guidelines for future EU policy to support scientific and technological research. (Please refer to the summary dated 21/02/2005).

Parliament adopted the own-initiative report by Pia Elda LOCATELLI (PES, IT) on guidelines for future EU policy to support scientific and technological research. (Please refer to the summary dated 21/02/2005).

The committee adopted the own-initiative report by Pia Elda LOCATELLI (PES, IT) on guidelines for future EU policy to support scientific and technological research.

MEPs believed that more funding was needed for research and innovation if Europe was to become more competitive. The European Research Area would become a reality only if a larger share of research funding was channelled via the EU. They therefore wanted the percentage of Member States ' GDP represented by the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) budget to be at least doubled and not put up for discussion during the negotiations on the financial perspective. They also called on the Commission to plan the FP7 in line with its proposals for the 2007-2013 financial perspective and to stick to its position that the EU budget needs to be set at a figure significantly higher than 1% of GDP.

The committee stressed the importance of continuity between the 6th and 7th Framework Programmes but called for procedures to be made clearer and simpler. The main research areas should reflect the strategic priorities of the Lisbon agenda. The programme should also be influenced by a genuine debate among EU and national institutions, the scientific community and industry. Although MEPs welcomed the Commission's decision to include space research as well as security and defence, they also wanted to see support for research into the life sciences, nanotechnologies, ICT, chemicals and all present and future energy sources which do not produce CO2 (including nuclear energy).

The committee feared that the EU's competitiveness could gradually decline if it did not invest sufficiently in basic and long-term research. MEPs therefore wanted the European Research Council proposed by the Commission to be set up swiftly, although they stressed it must avoid duplication with existing bodies such as the Joint Research Centre. The aim of the Research Council should be to provide EU support for basic research. It must have adequate funding and avoid generating more red tape.

Lastly, MEPs called for priority to be given to promoting women's access and career advancement in the field of research and wanted Member States to reassess their education systems with a view to a greater take-up of science in general in schools and universities.

Following a wide ranging policy debate on the future of EU funded research and the broad debate on the future of EU funded research and the broad contents of the next Framework Programme, formal proposals for which are expected from the Commission in April 2005, a substantial majority of delegations supported the following Presidency conclusions.

The Council emphasized the crucial role of research and technological development policy in the

context of the Lisbon strategy and the importance of the successful realisation of the European Research Area. It acknowledges the important role of national policies in realising the Lisbon goals and welcomes therefore the CREST report on the first cycle of the Open Method of Coordination concerning the implementation of the 3% action plan. Moreover, the Council stresses the importance of Member States ’ commitment to advancing and optimising this process with a view to realising the 3% Barcelona objective, recalling that two thirds of this R&D investment should come from the private sector. It also reaffirms the need to focus and integrate, strengthen and structure research and technological development at a European level as an indispensable complement to national efforts. Lastly, it notes, however, that these conclusions are without prejudice to the ongoing discussions concerning the Financial Perspectives (2007-2013).

In its conclusions, the Council stresses the importance of ensuring that the Framework Programme takes account of certain cross-cutting principles, in particular:

- coherence and synergy between the major lines of action of the programme, in response to the objectives set out in of the Treaty regarding research and technological development, including effective support to Community policies;

- European added-value;

- promotion of excellence of European research;

- facilitation of the participation of all relevant parties, in particular SMEs;

- coherence between national and Community R&D policies, thereby avoiding overlaps and gaps between national and European research efforts;

- simplification, improvement and acceleration of administrative and financial procedures, and

mechanisms for their effective follow-up;

- promotion of technological innovation;

- stimulation of knowledge diffusion;

- monitoring and assessing the performance of the programmes, in particular regarding any new mechanisms.

PURPOSE : to present the Commission's communication on science and technology, the key to Europe's future - Guidelines for future European Union policy to support research.

CONTENT : there has been a massive response to the Union's Sixth Research Framework Programme 2002-2006. To date, taking all actions together, 28 000 research proposals have been submitted involving 150 000 institutions in 50 countries. 200 major transnational research networks and projects have been launched in areas such as "post-genomic" drug-targeting methods and nanometre-scale microelectronic components, as well as 55 programme networking actions on subjects such as food safety and rare diseases. However, the Framework Programme has been the victim of its own success. Out of the thousands of proposals received, only 1 in 5 has been able to be supported due to the lack of funding. In particular, just under 50% of projects considered to be of a very high standard were able to be financed. Europe does not have sufficient capacity to transform knowledge into products and services, in particular commercial ones, making an economic success of them. European companies apply for 170 patents each year per million inhabitants, compared with 400 for American companies. And the Union's commercial deficit for high-tech products is approximately EUR 23 billion per year.

In order to increase the impact of the European Union's action, it is proposed to organise it around six major objectives. To launch the corresponding activities with a significant effect, the Union's research budget needs to be increased by the proportions indicated. Funding would be allocated according to three principles: a balance between current and new activities; between research for the advancement of knowledge and its industrial application; and between support for human and material research capabilities. The six major objectives are as follows : creating European centres of excellence through collaboration between

Laboratories; launching European technological initiatives; stimulating the creativity of basic research through competition between teams at European level; making Europe more attractive to the best researchers; developing research infrastructures of European interest; improving the coordination of national research programmes.

Furthermore, the Commission has highlighted two additional areas : helping to implement European space policy and placing research at the service of security ( the security of individuals, the State, transport and telecommunications networks in the face of organised crime and international terrorism, in particular bioterrorism).

The Commission reinforces the idea that it is necessary to strengthen complementarity between the use of the Union's research budget and the Structural Funds, in particular in the framework of the future "Strategic Union guidelines for cohesion". Moreover, it states that it is necessary to increase their combined use, for example by granting complementary funding from the Structural Funds where a research project co-financed by the Framework Programme is carried out in a "Convergence" Objective region.

At the same time, it is necessary to improve the regulatory and administrative environment. The aim is to increase the transparency of the evaluation process, to reduce delays, and to minimise the cost of preparing projects. The financial and administrative provisions must be revised and simplified in the light of the experience of current practice.

PURPOSE : to present the Commission's communication on science and technology, the key to Europe's future - Guidelines for future European Union policy to support research.

CONTENT : there has been a massive response to the Union's Sixth Research Framework Programme 2002-2006. To date, taking all actions together, 28 000 research proposals have been submitted involving 150 000 institutions in 50 countries. 200 major transnational research networks and projects have been launched in areas such as "post-genomic" drug-targeting methods and nanometre-scale microelectronic components, as well as 55 programme networking actions on subjects such as food safety and rare diseases. However, the Framework Programme has been the victim of its own success. Out of the thousands of proposals received, only 1 in 5 has been able to be supported due to the lack of funding. In particular, just under 50% of projects considered to be of a very high standard were able to be financed. Europe does not have sufficient capacity to transform knowledge into products and services, in particular commercial ones, making an economic success of them. European companies apply for 170 patents each year per million inhabitants, compared with 400 for American companies. And the Union's commercial deficit for high-tech products is approximately EUR 23 billion per year.

In order to increase the impact of the European Union's action, it is proposed to organise it around six major objectives. To launch the corresponding activities with a significant effect, the Union's research budget needs to be increased by the proportions indicated. Funding would be allocated according to three principles: a balance between current and new activities; between research for the advancement of knowledge and its industrial application; and between support for human and material research capabilities. The six major objectives are as follows : creating European centres of excellence through collaboration between

Laboratories; launching European technological initiatives; stimulating the creativity of basic research through competition between teams at European level; making Europe more attractive to the best researchers; developing research infrastructures of European interest; improving the coordination of national research programmes.

Furthermore, the Commission has highlighted two additional areas : helping to implement European space policy and placing research at the service of security ( the security of individuals, the State, transport and telecommunications networks in the face of organised crime and international terrorism, in particular bioterrorism).

The Commission reinforces the idea that it is necessary to strengthen complementarity between the use of the Union's research budget and the Structural Funds, in particular in the framework of the future "Strategic Union guidelines for cohesion". Moreover, it states that it is necessary to increase their combined use, for example by granting complementary funding from the Structural Funds where a research project co-financed by the Framework Programme is carried out in a "Convergence" Objective region.

At the same time, it is necessary to improve the regulatory and administrative environment. The aim is to increase the transparency of the evaluation process, to reduce delays, and to minimise the cost of preparing projects. The financial and administrative provisions must be revised and simplified in the light of the experience of current practice.