The creation of the program was a logical addition to the research and development programs launched by the European Commission to keep up with Japan and the United States in the technological race. More and more institutions of higher education have presented proposals for ICPs, creating networks that in themselves became bigger and bigger. The expectations created by the programs became too high for them to continue to be subsidized on the same scale as in the past. The Maastricht Treaty, for the first time, gave the European Union a direct role in education, and the Commission started to make an internal assessment of its programs and to develop a new strategy.
Extra attention is given to teaching staff mobility.
Although it is generally agreed within the higher education community in the European Union that change is needed and that more institutional commitment is necessary, there are continuing concerns that the new structure leaves many uncertainties, particularly regarding the role of the faculty in the process of coordination, information, and quality control of the program.