A4-0376/96

Resolution on prospects for European science and technology policy in the 21st century

The European Parliament,

- having regard to the Commission Communication 'Inventing Tomorrow¨, COM(96)0332 - C4-0491/96,

- having regard to its resolution of 5 September 1996 on the research and technological development activities of the European Union ((OJ C 277, 23.9.96, p. 43.)),

- having regard to the Commission's Green Paper on Innovation, COM(95)0688 - C4-0609/95, and the European Parliament's resolution of 6 June 1996 thereon ((OJ C 181, 24.6.96, p. 35. )),

- having regard to the Report of the 1995 Framework Programme Monitoring Panel (European Commission, March 1996),

- having regard to Rule 148 of its Rules of Procedure,

- having regard to the report of the Committee on Research, Technological Development and Energy (A4-0376/96),

A. whereas investment in research and technological development could increase competitiveness, economic security and social and environmental well-being, being based as a matter of priority on citizens' needs,

B. whereas, following the end of the cold war, the United States has substantially increased investment in civilian projects, thus confronting the European Union with an even greater technological challenge,

C. whereas Europe must seek to resolve paramount social and economic necessities affecting specific groups with growing problems, i.e. the problem of rising unemployment among young people and the great needs of elderly people,

D. whereas Europe has a fairly strong fundamental research base but has difficulties in transforming this knowledge to a sufficient extent into patentable technological innovations and products,

E. whereas, at first sight, this paradox demonstrates the inadequacy of the linear model of innovation,

F. whereas the linear model of innovation has been supplanted by the systemic model and the network model, which implies cooperation and constant and multidirectional synergies between research, marketing and development of products and processes,

G. whereas fundamental organizational innovations are required at both Member State and Union level in order to increase the effectiveness of the system of innovation in research and technological development,

H. whereas it is becoming ever more difficult to operate a distinction between pre-competitive research and applications-oriented research, given that fundamental research is increasingly geared towards its subsequent application,

I. whereas the new research and innovation structure should, above all, serve the general interest, in which competitiveness of undertakings is an important, but certainly not exclusive, element,

J. whereas, in order to optimize the development and application of scientific and technological achievements, inter alia in the field of innovation, changes are required in the way work is organized, in particular so as to increase workers' understanding of, participation in, and share of responsibility for management in individual undertakings,

K. whereas researchers in particular and all those involved in research and development in a wider sense constitute the essential vectors in the dissemination of knowledge,

L. whereas the creation of a real European scientific community is a fundamental element in the development of science and technology,

M. whereas the elaboration of visions of the future development of technologies, their applications, and social context, will contribute to coherence, continuity and predictability in the environment of enterprises, will help to establish priorities for research and development and will focus competition on the achievement of goals which are broadly supported in society, and whereas, to this end, it is necessary to promote amongst the general public a culture and an attitude which are favourable to research and technological innovation,

N. whereas a new, more flexible structure for the framework programme should allow better integration of the different approaches deriving from the supply side of research (disciplines, generic technologies, etc.) and social demand in the broad sense,

O. whereas access to investment and risk capital for technological innovation in Europe is very limited by comparison with the United States and Japan and must be substantially improved,

P. whereas the globalisation of knowledge makes it necessary to review rules which deny non-EU applicants access to certain research programmes,

Q. whereas the paramount need in Europe is to improve the accessibility of fundamental research, to increase the permeability of research institutions, to favour the absorptive capacities of firms, and to encourage networking between researchers and other actors,

R. whereas the European Union should encourage the development of fundamental knowledge via transdisciplinary cooperation and interaction in the context of application,

S. whereas, according to the Commission, two-thirds of the partnerships established for a project continue beyond that project and whereas, therefore, new networks must be created,

T. whereas the opinion expressed by the Commission in its Communication: 'Inventing Tomorrow' must also take account of environmental needs,

U. whereas the Community's equal opportunity policy in research, as in other Community policy areas, must be taken into consideration throughout the formulation and implementation of the 5th Framework Programme,

1. Welcomes the new priority given to the role of the citizen in choosing research priorities, as described in the Commission Communication 'Inventing Tomorrow';

2. Proposes that the Commission include in its activities measures to promote amongst the general public a culture and an attitude which are favourable to research and technological innovation;

3. Believes that if a research policy is to be effective and meet the needs of the market it must incorporate a dissemination strategy. Such a strategy must be based on certain specific principles:

- multi-sector, application-oriented research conducted on a network basis constitutes one basic element in innovation;

- the establishment of a regional network of industrial and non-industrial institutes will facilitate the transfer of technology;

- the conversion of operational technological options into commercially viable products and services is one possible aim of technological forecasting;

- achieving visible objectives is bound to help bring greater public acceptance from the very start of the R and TD process;

4. Proposes that, in order to raise the level of scientific, technological and innovative culture amongst the general public and in undertakings, the Commission take steps to facilitate the diffusion of scientific information, the featuring thereof also in curricula and the communication media and other measures which foster a more participatory style of labour relations in the workplace;

5. Emphasizes the need to take into consideration the attainment of a social and economic model of sustainable development;

6. Proposes that job-creation indicators be incorporated into all applied research;

7. Proposes, as an outline organisational feature for the First Activity within the 5th Framework Programme, a matrix structure involving along the horizontal axis the development of enabling sciences and technologies and along the vertical axis a series of sustainable Need Focus Programmes, which should give practical expression to social demand in the broad sense and be accompanied by a spirit of technological challenge, European synergy and advancement;

8. Proposes that both vertical and horizontal elements be provided with financial resources, so as to ensure a spread of projects ranging from long- term basic research to short-term problem-solving applied research in pursuit of EU policies; the necessary resources will be released to finance equally the complementary programmes conducted jointly with the Member States and their scientific institutions;

9. Proposes that there should be an additional activity whereby risk assessment would be carried out by a risk assessment unit as and when necessary in response to public concern, and that such a unit should be linked to the activities of the Joint Research Centre;

10. Proposes that, in order to strengthen the link between the Research & Technological Development Framework Programme and the introduction of new products and processes, a 'Technology Development Fund' be established to support activities at local level whereby wider dissemination can be achieved, and that this fund should be in parallel with national schemes;

11. Opposes any use of EU research appropriations for the development or production of weapons;

12. Considers that where the results of an EU-funded project are used for military purposes, the funding should be returned to the EU;

13. With respect to the Second Activity within the Fifth Framework Programme:

- calls on the Commission to make an appraisal of possible mechanisms for involving non-member States in an experimental series of collaborative EU-driven R& TD programmes, with appropriate contributory funding from the non-EU participants;

- believes that the 5th Framework must be developed with a view to the explicit involvement of the countries of central and eastern Europe;

14. With respect to the Third Activity within the Fifth Framework Programme:

- calls for a reappraisal of the methodological approach in this activity so that it provides a better explanation of the way in which context affects the diffusion of knowledge and the shaping of tacit skills and knowledge;

- calls, in this connection, for the introduction of a system for the protection of intellectual property rights which encourages, rather than inhibits, the transfer of technologies;

- calls for a serious integration of activities between the Structural Funds and the Framework Programmes, so that the former provide research infrastructure in the less favoured regions, and the latter provide the mechanisms and 'avenues' for collaboration;

- proposes further that principles in the third indent should also be applied to the PHARE and TACIS and other European Union programmes which are designed to assist the economic development of third countries;

- calls for a recognition that not all SMEs are equal, and that it is only the relatively technologically sophisticated SMEs who can be reasonably expected to be interested in, or to benefit from, participation in collaborative EU research projects;

- points out that SMEs constitute a highly diverse rather than a homogeneous group and that a distinct approach is needed for each target group in order to optimize their participation in European collaborative projects;

- calls, to this end, for close cooperation to be encouraged between SMEs and regional universities and large undertakings;

- points out that, in view of the financial risks inherent in innovation, coordinated action in favour of SMEs is necessary to:

(i) create more favourable fiscal and financial conditions;

(ii) devise models for promoting joint ventures between SMEs and research institutes, to include the provision of risk capital;

(iii) encourage funding by increasing share capital, lending and the provision of security for loans, especially by the European Investment Bank, the European Investment Fund and the European Loan Insurance Scheme for Employment (ELISE), which is needed to increase the amounts and speed of funding for SMEs;

- calls for the establishment of close collaboration between the EU and the research institutions in the Member States in order to increase the effectiveness of the dissemination of knowledge;

15. With respect to the Fourth Activity within the Fifth Framework Programme:

- believes that the valuable Training and Mobility of Researchers (TMR) Programme should be strengthened and expanded to include Targeted Fellowships in universities and in industrial and commercial undertakings, an experimental Industrial PhD scheme, 'return Fellowships' to encourage re-integration in countries of origin, Institutional Fellowships, and Senior Fellowships to provide opportunities for established scientists and engineers from major European research centres to work temporarily in regions of the Community that are less developed in scientific terms;

- proposes a new programme to develop and marshall complementary assets of research infrastructure, shared platforms and facilities for European researchers, together with Networks of Excellence;

- proposes that the Commission urgently undertakes a bench-marking exercise on the teaching of science and technology in Member State schools with a view to ensuring the provision of future scientists and technologists and an informed citizenry;

- calls for a programme to be funded to draw up and organize a system for publicizing data bases relating to European research and publications so that these data bases do not take second place to the transmission of knowledge from other non-European data bases;

16. Calls for the targeted programmes provided for in the First Activity of the 5th Framework Programme to be designed and developed by task forces which bring together the various Commission services concerned, outside experts, some of whom are appointed by Parliament, and representatives of civil society and industry;

17. Proposes that 'circles of expertise' be established in relation to the vertical matrix, which will bring together research centres (universities, industry) to advise independently of the management committees in the implementation of the Need Focus Programmes;

18. Proposes that a European institute for advanced technology funding be set up to provide risk capital and/or guarantees for such investment linked to projects financed under EU Framework Programmes and to develop mechanisms for supporting the commercial exploitation of university research, and calls on the Commission to study, with the EIB and the European Investment Fund, the feasibility of such an approach and to submit a report on its findings to Parliament;

19. Stresses the importance of creating an institutional environment which promotes interaction between, and a flexible approach to research activities and an internal culture of quality; such a task could be entrusted to a new type of programme management committee on which Parliament and the Council are equally represented;

20. Advocates a thoroughgoing reform of organizational methods as regards the selection and assessment of projects, dissemination of knowledge, and scientific and technological surveillance;

21. Insists that far more flexibility be built into all the programmes and projects within any future Framework Programmes, so as to permit the termination of stagnating lines of enquiry, the shifting of resources to more promising areas, and the ability to react to changing circumstances and newly emerging priorities for research;

22. Supports the widespread adoption of a two-stage application procedure within the Specific Programmes, with the first stage acting as a screening mechanism, which would result in a much smaller number of project groups being encouraged to submit detailed proposals in the second stage;

23. Stresses the need to involve national research institutes as much as possible in the selection process, at least at the first stage, which has an advisory character;

24. Recommends redefining the aims of the Joint Research Centre (JRC), which must become an essential instrument of scientific support for all the Union's institutions, including the European Parliament, and the key element of a European scientific community, in particular as regards joint installations and demonstration units;

25. Considers it essential for broad-based interinstitutional concerted action to be taken in an appropriate form before the Commission submits its draft 5th Framework Programme;

26. Stresses that the interactivity and flexibility of the matrix structure advocated for the 5th Framework Programme should make possible the scientific cooperation between Member States and the Union provided for in the Treaty;

27. Calls for a strong structure to be established to facilitate coordination between the Union's R& D framework programme and large-scale intergovernmental-level science and technology initiatives, in particular the Eureka and COST programmes;

28. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission and Council.