ARCHIVESHISTORIQUES
DELACOMMISSION
COLLECTION RELIEEDES
DOCUMENTS "COM"
COM(81)66
Vol.1981/0020

Disclaimer
Conformément aurèglement(CEE,Euratom)n°354/83duConseildu1erfévrier1983
concernantl'ouvertureaupublicdesarchiveshistoriquesdelaCommunauté économique
européenne etdelaCommunauté européenne del'énergieatomique(JOL43du15.2.1983,
p.1),telquemodifiéparlerèglement(CE,Euratom)n°1700/2003du22septembre2003
(JOL243du27.9.2003,p.1),cedossierestouvertaupublic.Lecaséchéant,lesdocuments
classifiésprésentsdanscedossierontétédéclassifiés conformément àl'article5dudit
règlement.
Inaccordance withCouncilRegulation(EEC,Euratom)No354/83of1February1983
concerningtheopeningtothepublicofthehistoricalarchivesoftheEuropeanEconomic
Community andtheEuropeanAtomicEnergyCommunity (OJL43,15.2.1983,p.1),as
amendedbyRegulation(EC,Euratom)No1700/2003of22September2003(OJL243,
27.9.2003,p.1),thisfileisopentothepublic.Wherenecessary,classifieddocuments inthis
filehavebeendeclassified inconformitywithArticle5oftheaforementioned regulation.
InÜbereinstimmung mitderVerordnung(EWG,Euratom)Nr.354/83desRatesvom1.
Februar1983überdieFreigabederhistorischen ArchivederEuropäischen
Wirtschaftsgemeinschaft undderEuropäischen Atomgemeinschaft (ABI.L43vom15.2.1983,
S.1),geändertdurchdieVerordnung (EG,Euratom)Nr.1700/2003vom22.September2003
(ABI.L243vom27.9.2003,S.1),istdieseDateiderÖffentlichkeit zugänglich.Soweit
erforderlich,wurdendieVerschlusssachen indieserDateiinÜbereinstimmung mitArtikel5
dergenanntenVerordnungfreigegeben.

COMMISSION OFTHEEUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
COM(81)66 final
Brussels/18thFebruary1981
COMMONPOLICYFORSCIENCE ANDTECHNOLOGY
IMPACTOFCOMMUNITY R&DONHORIZONTAL POLICIES
(ReportbytheCommissiontotheCouncil)
/#/>.\ν' .'/■
C0M(81)66final

COMMONPOLICYFORSCIENCEANDTECHNOLOGY :IMPACTOFCOMMUNITY R&D
ONHORIZONTAL POLICIES
Communication totheCouncilinresponsetoitsrequestof20th
December 1979 -
-COMMUNICATION
-REPORT
.INTRODUCTION
-I.REGIONAL POLICY
-TfyepresentsituationattheleveloftheCommunity
-RSDandRegionalPolicyintheMemberStates
-Community RSDinaidofregionaldevelopment-Aprogramme
ofaction ,
II.'SMALLANDMEDIUM-SIZED ENTREPRISES
-ImpactofCommunity R&D-currentsituation
-RSDactionalreadyinhand
-Thepossibility ofaCommunityPromotional Policy-infavour
ofR&Din,andforthebenefitofsmallandmedium-sized
. ■entreprises '
III.-DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
-ImpactofCommunity RSD-presentposition -
-ThesituationwithintheMemberStates
-UNCSTD,the"ViennaProgramme"andtheincreasing awareness
inthedeveloping countriesoftherolefoscienceand
technology
-ProposalsforactioninthefieldofaCommunityProgramme
forR&Dforthebenefitofdeveloping countries
-Theproposed PVDR&Dprogramme
.

COMMONPOLICY FORSCIENCE ANDTECHNOLOGY -
IMPACTOFCOMMUNITY R&DONHORIZONTAL POLICIES
Communication totheCouncilinresponse
toitsrequestof20thDecember1979
TheattachedreportgivestheCommission'sreplytotheCouncil'srequest
(619thCouncilmeeting(Research)on20thDecember1979)"toassessthe
possibleimpactofCommunity R&Donhorizontalpolicies(suchasregional
policy,futurestructural economicandindustrialpolicieswithparticular
referencetosmallandmedium-sized industries,andpoliciesofaidto
developingcountries)".
ThereportshowsthatcurrentRSDprogrammes makeonlyanindirectimpact
onsuchhorizontalpoliciesandexplainswhythisisso.Itindicates
possiblelinesofactionwhichcouldresultinamoredirectimpact.
Inthecaseofregionaldevelopment,thereportsetsoutaseriesof
actions,somewithintheframeworkoftheCommonR&Dpolicyandsome
withintheframeworkoftheCommunity'sregionalpolicyonwhichthe
Commission might,attheappropriate time,makenewproposalstothe
Council.
Inthecaseofsmallandmedium-sized enterprises ,thereportsuggests
thattheCommunityshouldadoptaprudentattitudeinrespectofspecific
promotional measuresinfavourofR&Dforsmallandmedium-sized enter­
prises.Itindicatesthatothermeasuresrelatedtoencouragement for
SMEsandfortechnological innovation mayhaveanimportanteffecton
stimulating R&Dforthebenefitofsmallandmedium-sized enterprises .
/ - • •
InthecaseofR&Dforthebenefitofdevelopingcountries,thereport
showsthatworkalreadygoingonforthebenefitoftheCommunityinfields
suchasnaturalresources andalternative energyresourcescouldbedeve­
lopedandadaptedtohelpmeettheneedsofdevelopingcountries.

/
Inotherareas,however,notablythoseoftropicalagriculture andpost-
harvesttechnology sndtropicalmedicine,thereisanurgentneedfora
programmeofR&Dintendedtobenefitthedeveloping countrieswhileco-or
dinatinaandsupporting thePSDeffortintheMemberStates.TheCommis­
sionintendstosubmitafurthercommunication totheCouncil,proposing
aspecificprogrammeforthispurposeinthenearfuture.
Thereportalsopointsoutthecontribution whichtheFAST-programme is
expectedtomaketothefuturedirectionofeconomic,social,regional
andindustrialpolicies.
TheCouncilisinvitedtotakenoteofthiscommunication andtheproposa
oftheCommission containedwithintheattachedreportinresponsetoits
ν
requestof20thDecember1979.
-0O0-

COMMONPOLICY FORSCIENCE ANDTECHNOLOGY
ImpactofCommunity R&Donhorizontalpolicies
ReportbytheCommission totheCouncil
INTRODUCTION
1.Inthecourseofitsdiscussion attheCouncilheldinLuxemburg onthe
21stOctober1979,theCouncilaskedtheCommission "toassessthepossible
impactofCommunity R&Donhorizontalpolicies (suchasregionalpolicy,
futurestructural economicandindustrialpolicieswithparticular reference
tosmallandmedium-sized industries,andpoliciesofaidtodeveloping
countries)".(Conclusions agreedat619thCouncilMeetingResearchon
20thDecember 1979).
2.TheCommission hasaccordingly undertaken anassessmentoftheimpactof
itscurrentR&Dprogrammes onthepoliciesinthethreefieldsmentioned.
Ithas,furthermore,madeapreliminary examination ofthepossibleim­
pactwhichCommunity R&Dmightmakeifnewdecisions weretakenandnew
programmes started.
(
3.StudiesinthesethreefieldshavemadeitclearthatcurrentR&Dprogrammes
makeonlyanindirectimpactonregionalpolicy,policytofavoursmall j
andmedium-sized industries andpoliciesofaidtodeveloping countries.
Thesamepointappliesalsotomoregeneralhorizontalpoliciesincluding
economicpolicyandindustrialpolicy.
4.Fromthebeginningofthecommonpolicyinscienceandtechnologyin
1974,Community R&Dprogrammes wereconceivedtosupportvariousCommunity
sectoralpoliciese.g.environment,energyandrawmaterialsandnotwith

thepurposeofsupportingregionaldevelopment orsmallandmedium-sized
entreprises orotherhorizontalpolicies.Itisnotsurprising,there­
fore,thattheimpactofCommunity R&Donhorizontalpolicieshasbeen
onlyanindirectone.Thatindirectimpactmaywellbesubstantial in
thefuture.MostoftheR&Dworkundertaken by.theCommissionis,however,
long-termincharacteranditistooearlytoexpecttoseetheindirect
impact,thatmayultimatelybeimportantforeconomicandindustrial
policies,forexample,
-ofthe'environmentresearchprogrammeintermsoflegislation and
itsimpactonindustry, .
-oftheenergyprogrammeinthefieldofnewsourcesofenergywhich
couldbeappliedindevelopingcountriesandwhichwouldusenovel
equipmentmanufactured byEuropeanindustryandexportedor
-oftherawmaterialsprogrammewhichcouldreduceEuropeandependence
onoverseassourcesandaffectindustrybyencouraging thewidespread
useofrecycledorsubstitutematerials. ,
5.InthiscontextmentionshouldalsobemadeoftheFASTprogramme-a
CommunityindirectactionR&Dprogramme.,Itishopedthatamajorpart
oftheresultsoftheFASTprogrammecouldbeofdirectrelevancetothe
futuredirectionofeconomic,social,regionalandindustrialpolicies
attheCommunity -level.Butthattooisverymuchinthefuture.
6.Theremainderofthisreportis,accordingly,devotedtothethree
specificpolicyfieldssingledoutbytheCouncilandexaminesfurther
whycurrentR&Dprogrammes makeonlyartindirectimpactonthemand
suggestspossiblefutureactionwithaviewtoapositiveandmore
directimpactwhereappropriate .

-3-
I.REGIONAL POLICY
ThepresentsituationattheLeveloftheCommunity
7.ThefirstLevelatwhichtheregionalimpactofCommunity R&Dneeds
consideration isthatofthecontractsthemselvesplacedunderCommunity
R&Dprogrammes.Theproceduresforawardingindividualresearchcontracts .
arisingfromCommunity R&Dprogrammes weredesignedfromthestartto
enabletheCommunitytobenefittothemaximumdegreepossiblefromthe
scientific andtechnological resultslikelytobeobtainedfromthe
leadingpractitioners inthefieldconcerned.Theprogrammes were,
:moreover,aspointedoutabove,allconceivedtosupportvariousCommunity
sectoralpoliciesandnotwiththepurposeofaidingregionaldevelopment.
ItisalsoafactthatahighproportionofUniversities andconsequently
ofthecentresofresearchandalsoofothernon-University-basedscienti­
ficresearchinstitutions areinthecentralregionsoftheCommunity.
Theresultofthesefactorsisthatahighproportionoftheresearch
contractsplacedunderthecommonpolicygotoinstitutions inthe
prosperousregionsandthattheless-prosperous regionsreceiveonlya
smallminorityofthecontractsplaced.
JK
8-Thereare,ofcourse,anumberofresearchinstitutions ofthehighest
standingintheless-prosperous regions.InmostCommunitycountries
however,theless-prosperous regionsarelessdenselypopulatedthan
theprosperousregionswith,,consequently,fewerUniversities andfewer
researchinstitutes.Itisanaturalconsequence ofthatsituationthat
relatively fewresearchprogrammes comefromsuchregions.Insome
Communitycountrieswheretheregionalproblemsarise,inthemain,
fromthedeclineofolderindustries,thereareimportantresearch
-organisations ,e.g.inEdinburghandGlasgowandNancy.Theseregions
receivemanyCommunity R&Dcontracts.
I
'>\"'
9.Furthermore,thereisadegreeofspecialisation amongresearchorgani­
sationsandmanyofthoseintheless-prosperous regionsspecializein
fieldssuchasagriculture whereCommunity R&Dexpenditureisrelatively
small.Thefieldsinwhich ;arecarriedoutthemajornewindirectaction
programmesofrecentyearssuchasEnergy,Environment,RawMaterials,etc.,
arefieldswherethemajorinstitutions areforthemostpartintheprosperous
regions.Thereisalsothepointthatmanyoftheresearchinstitutions connected
withUniversities inless-prosperous regions,whileincludingexcellent

-L-
scientists,aresubcritical insizeandsufferfromthedistancebetween
themandotherresearchorganisations andtheadministrative centresof
theMemberStates.
10.Giventhesecircumstances ,itappearsthatresearchinstitutions inthe
Less-prosperous regionsoftheMemberStatesreceiveafairproportion .
ofcontractsunderCommunity R&Dprogrammesinrelationtotheirnumber
j
andtheirscientificspecialisation ;butthequantityofresearchwork
Αthatthis,represents makeslittleclearanddirectimpactontheeconomic
developmentoftheless-prosperous regions.
11.Apartfromregionally-oriented researchcarriedoutintheregions,the
R&Dinstitutions inthecentralregionsoftheCommunityalsomakea-
majorcontribution totheeconomicdevelopment oftheless-developed
regions.Forexample,agreatdealoftheagricultural researchwhich
providesmajorscientificsupporttomanyofthepoorerregionsofthe
Communityisinfactcarriedoutinresearchorganisations locatedin
thecentralregions.Itis,consequently,clearthatR&Dinrelation
toregionalpolicyhastwoaspects:
-thecreationandsupportofR&Dfacilities,infrastructure ,in­
vestmentwithanR&Dcontentandresearchprojectswithinthe
less-developed regionsthemselvesand,
-R&Dcarriedoutanywherewhichcancontributetoregionalobjectives.
R&DandRegionalPolicyiritheMemberStates
12.Scientificactivitiesgenerallyaremoreconcentrated inthecentral
areasofourMemberStatesthanintheless-developed regions.Thedegree :
ofconcentration nevertheless variesfromcountrytocountry.There
hasrecentlydevelopedagrowingawarenessthatR&Dhasacontribution
tomaketoregionaldevelopment.Forexample,there,isanewItalian
lawsettingupresearchinstitutesintheMezzo-Giorno toworkinthree
mainareas-water/agriculture andindustry.Thisrelatestotheneed,
nowwidelyappreciated,torelatetheR&Dinaregiontoitsspecial
requirements .InIreland,theGovernmenthaspromotedR&Dworkinthe
peripheralregionsandtheopeningintheSummerof1980ofaninno­
vationcenteronthecampusoftheLimerickbasedNationalInstitute
forHigherEducationmarksafurtherstepinthisdirection.Thereare,

-5-
moreover,anumberofotherprojectsalreadygoingaheadorplannedin
Irelandwithsimilarobjective#.IntheUnitedKingdom,majoreffortsare
beingmadetodevelopscientificinstitutions inScotland,particularly
inthefieldsofinformationtechnologies andmicro-electronics .
13.TheseexamplesofthepromotionofR8Dintheless-developed regionsofthe
Communityarerelatedtothelinknowperceivedasofhighimportance
betweenresearchfacilitiesandindigenousmanufacturing facilities.
Aneffortisbeingmadetomakeuseofthenaturalresourcesofparticular
regions,toencourageentrepreneurship locallyandtoforgelinksbetween
theacademicworldandtheworkshop,betweentheworkshopandthemarket­
place.Inthepast,industrialdevelopment intheregionsinmany
MemberStateshasbeenstimulated byencouragingthemovementtothe
regionsofbranchproductionplants.Factoriesarethussetupinthe
regionswhilethemanagementandtheR&Dfacilitiesremaininthepros­
perousareas.Thedangerinthispolicymaynowbeseen.Undercondi­
tionsofeconomicstress,itistheseplantswhicharethefirstand
:easiesttoreduceinsizeorclose.TheinclusionofR&Dfacilities
whetherwithintheplantsthemselvesorinregionalresearchinstitutions
shouldhelptowardsmakingregionsmoreself-sufficient ;thisshoulden­
couragetheestablishment offirmlybasedindustryaswell-suitedto
withstandthestressesofeconomicdifficultyastheindustriesofthe
centralregions.ButthesearemattersfortheMemberStatesandit
isnotconsideredthatthereis,atleastatthepresenttime,any
actionwhichtheCommunityitselfshouldtakeinthisregard.
Community R&Dinaidofregionaldevelopment-Aprogrammeofaction
14.ExistingCommunity R&Dprogrammescouldbeusedmorethanatpresentto
undertakeresearchofparticularinteresttoless-prosperous regionsby
identifyingresearchwithintheprogrammeswithaspecificregionaldevelop­
mentinterest.Suitableprogrammesincludeenergy(e.g.economiesofenergy,
renewableenergysources,syntheticandsubstitutefuels),environment (e.g.
waterpollution),*agriculture (includingforestry),andthenewprogrammeof
*fisheryresearchatpresentbeforetheCouncil.
15.Additionally,itwouldbepossibletoextendtheexistingprogrammesby
introducingresearchobjectivesofparticularregionalinterestintoboth
■•/••

-6-
researchanddemonstrationprojects.Thiscouldbearrangedatthetime
whenprogrammesarerevisedorwhenfollow-upprogrammesaredeveloped.
16.Beyondthecurrentprogrammes,itwillbenecessarytoengageinstudies
withaviewtoidentifyingspecificnewR&Dareaswhicharenotatpresent
covered.Thestudieswillneedtobecarriedoutwiththeassistanceof
appropriateauthoritiesintheMemberStates.Inthelightoftheresults
ofthesestudies,theCommissionwillconsiderpresentingspecificnew
R&Dproposalsinappropriatesectorswhichhavearegionalinterestbut
wherethereareat'presentnocommonR&Dpolicyprogrammes.
ProposalsforR&Dtobecarriedoutinthelessprosperousregionswill
needtoberelatedtotheresourcesandskillsavailablethere"aswellas
togeneraltopicssuchasthepromotionoftourism.
17.Forallsuchactivitieswhichinvolvetheplacingof_R&Dcontracts,
anadditional-beneTitto~T:he"""tess-prosperous regionswouldresultifthere
wereanincreaseintheproportionofR&Dcontractsawardedtocentres
andinstitutions locatedintheless-prosperous regions.Contractsto
supportsuchobjectiveshowever,neednotnecessarily becarriedout
exclusively byresearchorganisations withintheless-prosperous regions.
Instituteswithintheprosperousregions,workingfortheneedsofthe
.lessprosperousmightfrequentlybethemostsuitable;theycould,however,
workincloseco-operation withinstitutessituatedinthelessprosperous
regions.Althoughthemajoreffortinthisdirectionwouldneedtobe
takenwithintheframeworkofindirectactionprogrammes,otherinstruments
oftheCommunity R&Dpolicycould,whenappropriate,alsobeemployedin­
cludingdemonstration projects,studies"andcontribution bylaboratories
inthelessprosperousregionstoconcertedactionprojects.Thiswould
introduceapositiverelationship betweenregionalpolicyandnotonly
theCommunity R&Dpolicybuttherelatedsectoralpolicies,e.g.energy,
industry,agriculture andenvironment.
18.Allnewactivitiesespeciallyappliedordesignedforthebenefitof
thelessprosperousregionswillrequireanincreaseinthefunds
availableforprogrammescarriedoutwithintheframeworkoftheCommunity
R&Dpolicy.ThiswouldbeconsistentwiththemandateoftheCouncilwho.e
spiritistobroadentheobjectivesoftheCommunity'sR&Dprogrammesand
mm/••

-7-
policytoincludealsootherobjectives suchasregionaldevelopment .
TheprioritiesoftheCounciIshouldnevertheless notbedisturbedbythe
additionoftheregionaldimensionandtheCouncilwillneedtoadd
appropriately tothefinancialresourcesrequiredtomeetthosepriori­
tiesifspecificregionalobjectivesaretobeadded.
19.Inordertoapplyscienceandtechnologytothefullinthelessprosperous
regions,itwillbenecessaryalsotoreinforcetheexistingscientific
andtechnological infrastructure andtocreatenewinfrastructure .It
mayfurthermore benecessarytosupportnewinvestments inthelesspros­
perousregionswhichhaveanR&Dcontent.Theremayalsobeaneedfor
pilotR&Dprojectsinthelessprosperousregions.Suchactionsmayappro­
priatelybeconsideredwithintheframeworkofexistingregionalpolicy
andCommunitysupportwouldbebywayofgrantingfinancialsupportto
suchprojectsfromtheRegionalDevelopment Fund-quotaornon-quota
sectionasappropriate .
20.Accordingly/inrespectofregionaldevelopment,theCommissionproposes
aprogressive implementation ofapolicyintendedtoorientate R&Dto­
wardstheLessprosperousregions.Thiscanonlybedoneifadditional
financeismadeavailable.TheCommissionwillexaminethepossibility
ofmakingnewproposalstotheCouncilattheappropriate time,which
wouldbeaimedat: .
1.Introducingresearchanddevelopmentactivitieswithaninterest
forthelessprosperousregionsintoR&Dprogrammescurrentlycarried
outonthebasisofCommunity R&Dpolicy.
2.Introducing newR&DobjectivesofregionalinterestintotTieCommon
R&Dpolicy.
3.Launchingstudiestodefineneeds,identifysuitablenewareasof
R&Dandreviewprioritiesinthelessprosperousregionstoimplement
1and2.
■•/••

4.Awardingsystematically R&Dcontractsspecifically orientatedtothe
useofregionalresourcestoresearchcentresandinstitutions located
inthelessprosperous regionswherethequalityoftheresearchpro­
posalswarrantssuchaction.
5.CarryingoutR&Dpilotprojectsinthelessprosperousregions,
^supportinginvestmentwithanR&Dcontentandgrantingfinancial
supportforthecreationorstrengthening ofscientific andtechno­
logicalinfrastructure withintheframeworkofregionalpolicy
activities .
SuchactionwouldnotonlyrespondtotheCouncil'srequestof20December1979
butwouldalsobeinlinewiththeCouncilresolutionof6February1979
(J.O.C36of9February1979,page10)whichre-iterated theneedfor"an
assessmentoftheregionalimpactofCommunityaction".
II.SMALLANDMEDIUM-SIZED ENTREPRISES
ImpactofCommunity R&D-currentsituation
21.Theparticular advantagesofsmallandmedium-sized entreprises arewell-
knownandappreciated bytheCommission .SMEsareoftenentrepreneurial ,
highlyinnovatory andareoftenthefirstentreprises tousenewtechno­
logies.Forthesereasons,theCommission paysparticularattentionto
researchproposalswhichcomefromSMEsandisfrequently preparedto
placecontractswiththembecauseoftheoriginality oftheproposals
received. ; '
22.Yetonlyasmallproportionoftheresearchproposals comefromSME's
and,asaconsequence,onlyasmallproportion byvalueofourresearch
contractsisplacedwiththem.Inrespectoftheindirectactionpro­
grammes(particularlytheenergyandenvironment programmes whichhave
beengoingforsomeconsiderable time)thepercentageofcontractsplaced
withsmallandmedium-sized entreprises amountstoabout10%.Forthe
newerprogrammes,itisanticipated thattheproportionofcontractsin•
thefieldsofrawmaterials,substitution ofmaterials,biologyandcer-

%
-9-
tainnuclearprogrammes maybesomewhathigherthanthefigureatpresent
attainedinthefieldsofenergyandenvironment .Butitwillnotunder
presentarrangements everbeaveryhighproportion,i.e.enoughtomake
amajorcontribution towardsapolicyofsupportforsmallandmedium-sized
entreprises. ^ ''
23.ThereasonswhySMEsdonotsrubmitalargenumberofresearchproposals
arethreefold :
-a)SMEsaresobusydevelopingtheirownbusinessthattheyfrequently
donothavetimetofindoutwhatisgoingonandcertainlydonot
havetimetoreadtheOfficialJournalinwhichispublishedthe
invitationstosubmitproposals.Moreover,whereaslargerentreprises
areinconstanttouchwithgovernmentdepartments andmembersof
advisorycommitteesonprogrammanagementintheirfieldsofaction,
thesmallandmedium-sizedentreprises donothavetheefforttoput
intotheconstantcultivationofofficialsandadvisersthatthisentails.
-b)SMEsarerarelygearedtodocontractresearchwork.Theirresearch
facilities maybewell-equipped buttheyareintimatelyrelatedtothe
purposeforwhichtheSMEwassetup,i.e.thedevelopmentofaparti­
cularnewproductandthefurtherR&Dnecessarytokeepatthefore­
frontofamarketwhichitisseekingtodevelop.Undersuchcircum­
stancesthereisunlikelytobesparecapacityforresearchonwork
in'otherfields.Rarely,theresearchfacilitiesareparticularly
suitedtoscientific workwhichtheCommissionisseekingtohavedone.
TheyprovidethecaseswheretheSMEsareabletoputinfirstclass
researchproposalswhichinfactreceivecontracts.Itshouldbenoted
herethatmanySMEsinsomeCommunitycountriesmakeuseofco-operative
orcollectiveresearcharrangements whereresearchiscarriedoutin
thelaboratories' ofResearchAssociations onbehalfofanumberof
SMEs.SuchR.A.sreceivemanyR&DcontractsfromtheCommission -
andsuchworkindirectlybenefitstheSMEs.ButtheSMEsthemselves
donot,underthesecircumstances,receivecontracts.
-c)MostSMEsare,inanycase,notresearch-orientated .Theyarefrequent­
lytechnologically basedbuttheybuildontheknowledgeofoneman
oragroupofmenoronresearchdonebyothers.vTheyarenotinthe
businessofdoingresearch-theyareinthebusinessofapplying
researchtoindustrialinnovationandproduction.

-10-
R&DActionalreadyinhand
24.TheCommunitytextileandclothingindustriesarelargelyindustriesof
smallandmedium-sized entreprises .Afirstprogrammeofresearchfrom
whichtheseindustriescouldbenefithasbeen.completedandasecondpro­
grammehasbeenproposedbytheCommission.Furthermore,theprogramme
of.researchonclothingandfootwareadoptedbytheCouncilon14thFebruary
1977isunderway.Anassessmentwillbeattempted,induecourse,ofthe
valuetoSMEsoftheseprogrammes.TheCommissionhas,inaddition,
.proposedputtingintoactioncertainactivitiesrelatedtothetechnology
ofclaymineralsandceramics,anotherindustrialsectormadeup,toa
greatdegree,bySMEs.-
25.Certaincommunityprogrammesinvolvingfinancialsupportfordemonstration
projectsinthefieldofenergyandeertainresearchprogrammesrelatedto
alternative energysourcesaregoingaheadatthepresenttimeandsmall
andmedium-sized entreprises shouldbeabletobenefitparticularly from
theresultsofthiswork. - 1
26.Othercommunityactivities,relationtoR&Dandinnovation,ofparticular
relevancetoSMEsincludeactionintendedtohelptheaccessofSMEsto
,information andcertainaspectsoftheanalytical worknowproceeding
withintheCommissionconcerningindustrialinnovation.
Thepossibility ofaCommunityPromotional PolicyinfavourofR&Din,
andforthebenefitofsmallandmedium-sized entreprises
■■--ιI.■.1■...■ .1 ■–- '■ '-'■■!-■■■ I
27.AllmembercountriesoftheCommunityhavedevotedconsiderable effort
inrecentyearstodealingwiththeproblemofsmallandmedium-sized
entreprises.Welloverahundredmeasuresandinstitutions devotedto
promotional R&Dforthebenefitofsmallandmedium-sized companieshave
beenlisted.
»•/a•

-11-
28.Thecharacteristics ofsmallandmedium-sized entreprises varyverymuch
fromcountrytocountrywithintheCommunity.Itisatleastarguable
thatmajoreffortsbeingmadeonanationalbasis,whileperhapsneeding
Λ
adegreeofconsultation andstandardization ,arenevertheless sufficient
todealwiththeproblem.SpecificCommunity measuresforsupportof
R&Dforsmallandmedium-sized entreprises needtobeconsidered very
critically andcarefullyinthelightoftheexperiencewithintheMember
States.TheCommunityshouldcertainlynotcompetewiththenational
promotion measuresandshouldlimititselftocoordination andharmoniza­
tionatthevariouslevels.
29.TheCommissionaccordingly considersthattheCommunity mustadopta
prudentattitudeinrespectofspecificpromotional measuresinfavour
ofR&Dforsmallandmedium-sized entreprises .Itwouldbemostappro­
priatetoincorporate suchpromotionwithinthegeneralframeworkof
■programmes,existingorfuture,ofresearchdevelopment ordemonstration
projectsandtryto-increasetheparticipation ofsmallandmedium-sized
entreprises withintheseprogrammes .Inordertodothis,meanswould
havetobeprovidedtoidentifyproposals comingfromsmallandmedium-
sizedentreprises anditwillbenecessaryinadditionfortheMember
Statestoconductparticular campaignsofpublicity amongstsmalland
medium-sized entreprises tobringtotheirattention programmesfor
whichtheirproposalsmightbeconsidered .Ifmoreresearchprogrammes
\
comeforwardfromSMEs,theCommissionisalreadysufficiently awareof
theirlikelymeritstogivespecialattentiontothem.ManySMEs,
however,relyoncentresofcollective researchtocarryouttheirresearch
forthemonacooperative basis.
30.Apartfromco-operation betweencentresofcollective research,there
isalsothequestionofintra-community co-operation inR&Dbetweenthe
SMEsthemselves .TheCommissionwillstudythisquestionfurthertosee
whetheritwouldbeappropriate toconsidermeasuresintended spe­
cificallytostimulatesuchco-operation ,particularly amongnewtechno-
logy-basedfirmswhichoftenhavesuitableresearchfacilities .

-12-
31.Anothermeasurecurrentlyunderstudycouldbeofhelpincidentally
toR&DinSMEs.Thisisconcernedwiththeprovisionofrisk-capital
onaCommunity-wide basisasastimulustoinnovationinSMEs.This
couldassistintheapplicationofR&DinSMEsalthough,ofcourse,
theR&DinquestioncouldbeR&Dcarriedoutanywherenotonlywithin
theframeworkofCommunityprogrammes. .,
III.DEVELOPING COUNTRIES -
ImpactofCommunity R&D-presentposition .~ .
32.AllcurrentR&Dprogrammesareconceivedandmanagedintheinterest
oftheCommunity.Whetherthatinterestberelatedtotheeconomic
-development oftheCommunityaloneorwhethertherebeotherinterests
suchasconsumerprotection,theprotectionofenvironment orsocial
benefits,itisthebenefitofthepeopleoftheCommunitythatisthe
firstandthelastconsideration .Accordingly,nowhereincurrent
R&Dprogrammesaretheretobefoundprojectsoritemsofresearch
conceivedofasespeciallyintendedforthebenefitofdeveloping
countries.Ontheotherhand,certainCommunity R&Dactivities may,'
incidentally,providebenefitsfordevelopingcountries.'
Thisisnotbecausetheyaredesignedtodosobutbecausethescienceand
technologywhichemergesfromtheactivitiesisofakindwhichhaswide
applications andwhichcouldbedirectedtotheassistanceofdeveloping
countriesiffurtherfinancialresourcesweremadeavailable.R&Dofthis.
typeistobefoundwithinCommunityresearchprogrammesinthefieldsof
newformsofenergy,primaryrawmaterials,medicalresearchandtoamore
limiteddegree,inotherprogrammes.Moreover,thenewprogrammeofre­
searchonfisherieswhichtheCommissionhasrecentlyproposedtothe
Councilincludesareaswhichareofsufficiently generalapplication to
*beofinteresttodevelopingcountries.(TheseremarksrelatetoR&Dprogrammes
undertheCommonR&DPolicy.ThoseR&Dprogrammesandprojectsfinancedby
fundsundertheCommonDevelopment Policy(EDF,MaghrebandMashrakagree­
mentsandthefundsofnon-associated Countries)are,ofcourse,shapedto
theneedsofthedevelopingcountriesconcerned).Inaddition,aprogramme
t
ofworkattheJointResearchCentre<9officials)isdevotedtoR&Dfor
development. ,

-13-
ThesituationwithintheMemberStates
33.SomeMemberStateshavenoresearchprogrammesaimedatbenefitingdeveloping
countries.ButmostMemberStatesand,inparticular,thosewithhistorical
orclosecommercialrelationswithparticularcountriesinthedeveloping
world,haveinstitutionsorresearchprogrammeswhichareverymuchdirected
towardstheneedsofthedevelopingcountries.
34^Inmostcases,theseinstitutions andprogrammesarenowatalevellower
thantheywereinthepast.Astheprocessofde-colonization hascontinued,
ithasbeenassumedthatnewlyindependantstateswillgraduallytakeonfor
themselves functionswhichinthepastwerecarriedoutbycolonialpowers.
Underthepressuresofthebudgetaryconstraints applyingtotheresearch
programmesinmostmemberstates,thisprocesstendstoaccelerate.Yetthe
developingcountriesthemselvesare,forthemostpart,notyetintheposition
toreplacethehigh-quality scientificeffortinthememberstateswithnew
scienceandtechnologyinstitutions intheirowncountries.Itwouldnow
appeartobeparticularly appropriatethattheCommunityshouldtakeonthe
functionofreinforcing theresearchprogrammesinthememberstatesforthe
benefitofthedevelopingcountriesandparticularly forthosewithwhichthe
Communityhasagreements.Suchactivitiesneedtobeclearlydistinguished
•fromthoseofbuildingupscientificeffortandscientificinstitutions in
thedevelopingcountriesthemselves.Suchactivitiesarewithinthefield
oftheEuropeanDevelopment Fundorofthearrangements forcooperation with
developingcountriesundertheagreementswiththeMagreb,Mashrak,ASEAN
countries,etc.Acommunityprogrammeinthisfieldshould,therefore,
notcompetewithresearchcarriedoutwithinthedevelopingcountriesand
shouldcomplementtheMemberStates'existingeffortforthebenefitof
developingcountries.
mm/m•

-14-
UNCSTD,the"Vienna'Programme andtheincreasing awarenessinthedeveloping
countriesoftheroleofscienceandtechnology
35.Nowwouldbeaparticularly appropriate timeforconsidering specialmeasures
toassistthescientificeffortinthememberstatesforthebenefitofdeve­
lopingcountries,becauseoftheincreasing awarenessthedevelopingcountries
'havenowarrivedatinrespectoftherolethatscienceandtechnology canplay
intheprocessoftheireconomicandsocialdevelopment .Thisapproachdomi­
natedthediscussions ofthesecondUNCSTDandinfluencedlargelythefinal
consensus,the"ViennaProgramme"asadoptedbytheUnitedNations'gieneral
assemblyinitsresolution 34/218ofJanuary23rd1980.The"ViennaProgramme"
hasdefinedthreemainlinesofcooperation betweenthedeveloped andthe
developingcountries : '
-toplaceatthedisposaloftheinternational communitytheresultsof'
-theR&Dactivities obtainedbytherichcountries,
■-toincreasesharplytheresearchefforttheindustrialized countries
devotedtothesolutionofpriorityscientificproblemsofthedeveloping
"countries,' ' x ~'
-/■•toassistthedevelopingcountriesintheformationoftheirownscientific'
potentialandthetrainingoftheirscientists andtechnicians .
36.Allofthesethreemainlinesofcooperation needconsideration atCommunity •
Ilevel;thesecondofthem,inparticular,withitsemphasisontherequest
totheindustrialised countriestoincreasesharplytheresearcheffort
Adevotedtoscienceforthebenefitofdeveloping countriesshouldbeheeded.
ItistheviewoftheCommissionthataCommunity programmetoreinforcethe
nationaleffortswouldbeseenbythedeveloping countries asamajorpoli­
ticalstepintherightdirection.TheCommunity'scurrentRSDprogrammes,
-which,withtheexceptionofamodestcontribution bytheJointResearch*
Centre,makelittleornegligibledirectimpact .onthepolicyofaidto.
developingcountries,,needtobesupplemented byR&DworkattheCommunity
level,carriedoutthroughanindirectactionprogramme,intendedspecifi-
*·ι »»callytobenefitdevelopingcountries.
I•/••

/
-15-
ProposalsforactioninthefieldofaCommunity ProgramforR&Dforthe
benefitofdeveloping countries
37.A'studycarriedoutintheframeworkofCRESTbyanadhocgroupCREST/PVD(*)
ledtotheidentification ofanumberofsectorsthatmightbenefitfrom
Communityactioninsupportoftheactivities inthememberstatesforthe
benefitofdeveloping countries.Thesectorsidentified were;
-tropicalagriculture andpost-harvest technology­
-tropicalmedicineincludingnutrition,
-naturalresources,.
-alternative energies,
-traimngandinfrastructure .
38.Afterfurtherconsultingexperts,theCommission hasnowstartedtonrpnare»oroposaL
'foraproqrametosupportPSD.intheMemberStateswiththeaims'of:
-Strengthening considerably *theexistingpotentialintheMemberStates
..forscienceandtechnologycooperation inordertobeabletodealwith
>theincreasing demandinabilateraloraCommunityframework,.
-Furtheringtheworkcarriedoutcooperatively amongscientistsinthe~~~
*:memberstatesandenablingvariousdevelopingcountriestotakeadvantage
ofresearchcarriedoutinparticular memberstateswiththeinitialview
ofbenefitingotherdevelopingcountries.
-Contributing toabetterunderstanding bythescientific communityinthe
!
MemberStatesoftheimportanceoftheproblemsofthedevelopingcountries
andtheirprioritieswithaviewtoencouraging abettertransferof•
scientificresultstotheproblemsofdevelopment,"
–Makingeasiertheintroduction of'developingcountryaspectstoR&D
programmescarriedoutwithintheCommunityprimarilyforthebenefitof
theCommunityitself.
<*)Scientific andtechnicalcooperation withthe
developingcountries-CREST/56/77

-16-
Theproposed PVDR&Dprogramme
Inthefirstinstance,,aLimitedR&Dprogrammeisproposed.Itwillinclude
tropicalagriculture andpost-harvest technology,-tropicalmedicine(including
nutrition)andtrainingandinfrastructure aspectsrelatedtothesefields.
Anincreaseofeffortinthesefieldsinthemembercountriesisurgentsince
aftertheperiodofde-colonization majorexpertise hasbeenlostinthe
memberstates.Thesefieldsareofparamountimportanceforthedeveloping
countriesinordertofighthungeranddiseaseandtoassistthedeveloping
countriestoahigherstandardoflivingandtoagreaterdegreeofindepen­
dence.Theproblemsinthesefieldswhichhavebeenidentifiedforurgent
priorityactionareveryspecifictothedeveloping countries sothatresults
ofR&Dintendedtosolvedevelopedcountries' problemsarenottransferable
orindeedfrequently notatallrelevant.
Theproposedprogramdoesnotincludeworkinotherimportantareassuchas.,
naturalresources andalternative energyresources.Thisisbecausework
inthesefieldsalreadygoingonforthebenefitoftheCommunitycould
bedeveloped morereadilyandadaptedtotheneedsofthedevelopingcountries
withoutintroducingtotallynewprogrammes .Itistruethattheexisting R&D
programmes inthesefieldsareprimarilyorientated totheneedsofthe 1
MemberStatesandtreattheaspectsofimportanceforthedeveloping countries
onlymarginally .TheCommissionthereforeproposesinduecoursetodevelop
proposalsformodifications totheseprogrammestomakethemmoreapplicable
totheproblemsofdevelopingcountries.inaddition,,astudyhasbeen
carriedoutwithaviewtothepossibility ofaCommunityprogrammeintended
toencouragethedevelopment byresearchorganisations intheMemberStates
of"appropriate technologies "forthedeveloping worldsFurtherstudieswill
nowbeneededwithaviewtoidentifyingpriorityareas.Attheirconclusion,
theCommissionwillconsiderproposing anappropriate programmetotheCouncil
Suchaprogrammecouldresultnotonlyinbenefittothedeveloping countries
butalsoinimprovedaccessofourindustriestothebigpotentialmarkets
ofthedeveloping world.
mm/mm

-17-
41.Fulldetailsoftheproposaltogetherwithafulltechnicaljustification
forthethemesproposedwillbefoundinafurthercommunication tothe
CouncilwhichtheCommission intendstosubmitshortly.Theprogramme
willendeavourtoidentifyresearchareaswhichcan'assistinco-ordinating
activities withintheMemberStates.Itwillincluderesearchareaswhere
substantial expertiseexists <intheMemberStates,takingfullyintoaccount
theactivitiesofthemajorinternational organisations inthefieldsuch
asWorldHealthOrganisation andtheFoodandAgriculture Organisation in
ordertoavoidduplication .Thepriorities oftheproposedprogrammewill
befullyinaccordwiththeCommunity'sdevelopment policyanditsimple­
mentationwillbeinlinewiththeactivities undertheCommunity's
co-operation agreements . '
I
\<
-0O0-