It is, however, unfortunate that the Commission has not dealt with the role of business sector or other end users properly, since there is a clear need to strengthen the link between the knowledge providers and users. The primary characteristic of a centre of excellence should be the quality of research. In addition, the centres should also serve as tools for innovation and training of researchers. In order to ensure the quality and credibility of the centres of excellence, they should be selected on the basis of an open competition. The assessment of the quality of research should be based on the opinions of best international scientific experts.
Renewal is important.
The centres of excellence should be appointed for a fixed period. Willingness to take risks when choosing areas and methods of research should be considered as a merit. Mapping out the policies on centres of excellence of different Member States and comparing them with the policies pursued by countries outside the EU would be a useful background tool to a European policy on centres of excellence. The selection of centres of excellence should be based on a carefully considered strategy and an implementation plan. It is very important to agree how a centre of excellence is defined.