No C 23/14 Official Journal of the European Communities 30. 1.84 
programme which are to be realized by such 
research action programmes or subprogrammes. 
3.9. On the training aspects of the programme, the 
Committee considers that the provisions for training 
are one of its weaker aspects. The 5 % budgetary 
provision for 'mobility and training' must be main­
tained for even a modicum of training to be 
effected. 
In view of the importance of the human factor and 
the organization of work in radiation protection, 
and in view of the greater role of consultation in the 
optimization of radiation protection, which should 
take account of the social and economic aspects, the 
Committee would like the programme to be able to 
contribute more to the solution of the problems 
raised in the safety and hygiene committees. 
3.10. On the utilization of results arising from the 
research programme, the Committee considers that 
much more can and should be done than in the past 
to reach the general public. 
3.11. On the management aspects, the committee 
reiterates what the Committee said in its opinion on 
structures and procedures in the field of the Com­munity's scientific and technical research (') and in 
particular wonders whether the new procedures will 
provide CGCs (coordinating and management com­
mittees) for RAPs, with adequate management and 
leave the subprogrammes themselves under-man­
aged. 
3.12. Regarding a possible consultation of the 
social partners in the drawing up of such a pro­
gramme, the Committee feels that the Commission 
should make a formal proposal as to how regular 
consultation with the local and national representa­
tives of workers and employers should be organized 
with this limited objective in view. 
In the same vein, an input from consumer interest 
groups should be allowed for. 
The Committee urges that the Commission be asked 
to better inform the public as a whole as regards the 
question of radiation protection. This could include 
a dialogue between the Commission and the Social 
partners, including consumer interests. 
(') OJ No C 341, 19. 12. 1983. 
Done at Brussels, 23 November 1983. 
The Chairman 
of the Economic and Social Committee 
Francois CEYRAC 
Opinion on the communication from the Commission to the Council and to the European 
Parliament on promoting the utilization of the results of Community sponsored research 
and development. 
(84/C 23/06) 
A. LEGAL BASIS FOR THE OPINION 
On 22 September 1983 the Commission referred the abovementioned to the Economic 
and Social Comittee in accordance with Article 198 of the Treaty establishing the 
European Economic Community. 
30. 1.84 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 23/15 
B. OPINION OF THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE 
The Economic and Social Committee prepared its opinion on the above matter at its 
212th plenary session held in Brussels on 23 and 24 November 1983. 
The full text of the opinion is as follows: 
THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE, 
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the Euro­
pean Economic Community, and in particular 
Article 198 thereof, 
Having regard to the request made by the Commis­
sion of the European Communities on 22 September 
1983 for an opinion on the communication from the 
Commission to the Council and the European Par­
liament on promoting the utilization of the results of 
Community sponsored research and develop­
ment, 
Having regard to the decision taken by its Bureau 
on 27 September 1983 instructing the Section for 
Energy and Nuclear Questions to draw up an 
opinion on the matter, 
Having regard to the oral report made by the rap­
porteur, Mr Pearson, to the abovementioned Section 
and to the opinion adopted by the Section at its 84th 
meeting, held on 4 November 1983, 
Having regard to the discussions at its meeting on 
23 November 1983 (212th plenary session of 23 and 
24 November 1983), 
HAS ADOPTED THE FOLLOWING OPINION 
unanimously: 
1. General comments 
1.1. The Committee is in broad agreement with the 
Commission's resolve to ensure that maximum utili­
zation of the potential revealed by research and 
development in the Community, accrues to the 
Community. There is no point in expending scarce 
resources on Community research and development 
unless equal attention is given to the protection, dis­
semination and particularly to the exploitation of 
the results of research and development pro­
grammes. 
The Committee supports many of the proposals put 
forward by the Commission to achieve its goal, but 
has certain reservations as regards others. 1.2. The Committee agrees with the twofold and 
complementary approach of the Commission's pro­
posals, seeking both to protect the potential of 
inventions exploitable by industry and to maximize 
dissemination of the results to potential users. 
1.3. The Committee sees the present proposal as a 
logical step towards ensuring that the objectives of 
the Community's framework programme for 
research and development in the field of science 
and technology are attained. 
1.4. All existing 'research action programmes' 
should therefore be reviewed to ensure that they are 
directed towards a specific objective or objectives of 
the framework programme so that, if sucessful, the 
results can be fully utilized. 
1.5. The Commission Directorate-General for 
Information Market and Innovation (DG XIII) 
must act in the closest liaison with those other 
Directorates concerned in research in order to 
ensure effective utilization and to be able to obtain 
an overall view as to how the Community funding, 
which it has at its disposal, can best be deployed. 
2. Management and confidentiality 
2.1. The Committee endorses the Commission's 
emphasis on the need for a more comprehensive 
protection of the results. Getting the 'comprehensive 
overall view' to 'manage' the dissemination and 
exploitation of results may, however, be difficult to 
implement: industry as a whole may not be happy 
to disseminate results very readily; SMEs may well 
not be aware of the detailed procedures necessary to 
protect their inventions. 
2.2. In order to enable the Commission to achieve 
the 'comprehensive overall view', the Committee 
supports the Commission in asking that it be syste­
matically notified of new inventions and innova­
tions, so as to facilitate the management of dissemi­
nation of information. 
No C 23/16 Official Journal of the European Communities 30. 1.84 
2.3. The question of absolute secrecy and confi­
dentiality is of vital importance. There is a certain 
lack of confidence in this area at the present time. It 
is noted that the question of confidentiality and 
secrecy is not covered in any of the Articles of the 
draft resolution. 
3. Patent protection 
3.1. The need for protection of the results of Com­
munity sponsored research and development out­
side the Community has not been adequately cov­
ered in the Commission proposals. This could 
adversely affect the Community's international 
competitiveness. Proposals should be prepared 
immediately to cover this gap. Community research 
and development is particularly vulnerable at the 
stage when new products or processes are moving to 
the prototype or pilot stages, from which can spring 
the improvement patents which safeguard the ori­
ginal invention from patent circumvention. 
3.2. The Committee supports proposals likely to 
lead to the fullest possible use of relevant national 
measures in relation to protection and patenting. It 
would however refer to its proposals to set up a 
European patent and regrets that some Member 
States have not yet been able to adopt the necessary 
measures to implement this. It is unfortunate there­
fore that the Commission has been unable to 
include the Committee's (') as well as the CORDI 
(Advisory Committee on Industrial Research and 
Development) proposal (November 1981) for a 
Community fund to provide Member State nation­
als with assistance towards the cost of taking out 
and maintaining a European patent in its current 
proposals. 
3.3. Patent work is skilled, and patenting incurs 
considerable experience not only to file, but also to 
maintain and defend. Assistance as envisaged by 
CORDI could be of great help to smaller com­
panies. 
4. Information dissemination 
4.1. The Committee notes that in the recitals of the 
draft resolution it is stated that 'whereas small and 
medium-sized enterprises in particular should be 
able to benefit from the results of Community 
(>) The Committee's opinion on the promotion of the 
small and medium-sized enterprises sector in the EC 
(OJ No C 205, 9. 8. 1982). research and Development'. The Committee regrets 
however that much less emphasis is given to the 
exploitation by SMEs of results of Community 
sponsored research and development projects than 
in Commission document COM(80) 889 final 
although the explanatory document (DG XIII 
A/83), accompanying the present proposals, does 
pay some attention to this problem. The Committee 
therefore reiterates the need of SMEs that: 
(a) the results of research must be disseminated in a 
form appropriate to their size and capacities, 
and 
(b) there be a financial contribution available, in 
order to contribute to the cost of setting up a 
pilot project. 
4.2. The proposal to give widespread dissemina­
tion of information through the press, particularly 
the trade and specialist magazines, may not in fact 
result in the best possible management of informa­
tion. It could well alert competitors to the potential 
of inventions and the effects be negative, especially 
to SMEs. The Committee would support, however, 
any additional initiatives and actions that would 
lead to the public at large being made more aware of 
the support the Community is giving to research and 
development and its ultimate utilization particularly 
for SME's. 
5. Market potential and utilization assessment 
5.1. The Committee believes that assessing the 
market potential is of the utmost importance. The 
proposed expansion of 'qualitative surveys of tech­
nical market opportunities' is not sufficiently devel­
oped as there are two separate possibilities 
involved: 
(a) inventions ready for exploitation: Studies of 
success and failure in industrial innovation 
indicate that lack of exploitation of inventions 
is strongly associated with inadequate know­
ledge of the potential market and of the compet­
itive context where applicable; 
(b) areas ready for inventions: Emerging needs may 
offer possibilities for potential markets leading 
to the commercial development of appropriate 
inventions. In the market evaluation of the 
potential utilization, developing countries 
should receive close attention. 
5.2. There is very considerable market potential in 
the research and development described in the 
document Commission's communication, para­
graph 2.1.3: 
'-non competitive (i. e. related to needs in leg­
islation, social policy, norms, standards, public 
services, etc.).' 
30. 1.84 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 23/17 
Research and development in these fields is inade­
quately covered in the rest of the document. Com­
munity research has already shown that technologi­
cal innovation is leading to social change. It is clear 
from forecasting and assessment in science and 
technology (FAST I) reports that research in social 
and economic trends will require increased 
resources, as indicated by the Committee in its opi­
nion on FAST('). 
5.3. The Committee supports the views expressed 
in the FAST report, that it is not within the resources 
of the Member States to exploit those inventions 
resulting from research and development within the 
Community. The Committee would stress the 
importance of the role of SME's in this respect. The 
advances in new technology have been considerably 
enhanced by smaller enterprises and it is largely 
from them that the growth in employment has been 
achieved. It is therefore essential that a comprehen­
sive Community approach to SME's and inventions 
is maintained in order that the best utilization may 
accrue to the Community. 
5.4. The proposals therefore, as they relate to tech­
nology transfer to smaller companies are not suffi­
ciently practical. They do not appear to take 
account of the difficulties raised by the fact that 
many of these companies may not have manage­
ment time available to become familiar with the 
innovation potential and its corresponding technol­
ogical entrepreneurship. 
5.5. The Committee suggests that for each inven­
tion a plan be drawn up covering the different 
stages from innovation to exploitation (a 'utilization 
plan'), and that each invention be assessed against 
the background of such a plan. The protection of a 
small enterprise should be included in order to prev­
ent it being taken over by a large concern and the 
invention's potential expressly prevented: on the 
other hand, if such an amalgamation could thereby 
result in benefit to the small enterprise and much 
more effective utilization then it should be encour­
aged. Such a utilization plan should foresee both 
eventualities. 
5.6. As regards assistance with pilot schemes, 
encouragement might be given to smaller companies 
to cooperate in groups so as to obtain the necessary 
management services for innovation, or marketing 
or trading. 
(') OJNoC211,8. 8. 1983. 6. Community funding 
6.1. The Committee understands the reason for the 
Commission's proposal that 1,5% of research and 
development funding should go to the promotion 
'of utilization of all present or immediately planned 
Community scientific and technical activities'. This 
figure emerges as appropriate from 10 years experi­
ence. In view however of the considerable cuts in 
many of the Commission's research and develop­
ment programmes, the Committee urges that there 
be a determined commitment to the promotion of 
the utilization of research and development results. 
6.2. The Commission's communication should 
state more clearly that demonstration projects, espe­
cially in the field of energy, are not part of the 
budget for this programme. 
7. Social development 
7.1. Utilization of Community sponsored research 
and development in the field of social development 
in the Community needs attention equal to the utili­
zation of other research and development. Both the 
dissemination of information regarding results of 
research, and exploitation of results should be 
promoted. 
7.2. With the Commission's proposed 'Compre­
hensive overview' of inventions within the Com­
munity, it should be possible to assess the social 
impact of some innovations and apply its mind to 
anticipate the consequences, thereby permitting the 
Community to plan change rather than react to cri­
sis situations. In planning for change the Commis­
sion should recall the Committee's opinion on the 
framework programme 1984 to 1987 (OJ No C 211, 
8.8. 1983, paragraph 1.4) '...must however, take 
account of social requirements and must preserve a 
society where both freedom and responsibility can 
flourish'. 
7.3. The Committee is pleased to note that it will 
receive annually a report on the progress of the pro­
posals in order that it may properly evaluate the 
industrial and social effects that are emerging. The 
Committee will wish to emphasize a greater aware­
ness and appreciation of the socio-cultural milieu in 
which the new technologies are introduced. 
8. Urgency for action 
8.1. The Committee views with concern however 
the somewhat cumbersome procedures which may 
No C 23/18 Official Journal of the European Communities 30. 1. 84 
put in jeopardy the maximum utilization of Com­
munity research. The urgency and vital importance 
of bringing inventions rapidly to commercial or 
social use needs greater recognition and attention. 
The Committee has already commented upon the 
Done at Brussels, 23 November 1983. 
The full text of the opinion is as follows: 
THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE, 
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the Euro­
pean Economic Community, and in particular 
Article 198 thereof, 
Having regard to the request made by the Council 
of the European Communities on 14 October 
1983 for an opinion on the proposal for a Council 
Decision amending Decision 82/402/EEC adopting Community's failure to capitalize on its basic 
research in the field of information and communica­
tion technology and would urge that the lesson be 
heeded in other fields such as biotechnology. 
The Chairman 
of the Economic and Social Committee 
Francis CEYRAC 
a research and development programme (1982 to 
1985) in the raw materials sector ('), 
Having regard to the decision taken by its Bureau 
on 25 October 1983 to instruct the Section for 
Energy and Nuclear Questions to draw up an 
opinion on the matter, 
(') OJ No C 272, 11. 10. 1983. Opinion on the proposal for a Council Decision amending Decision 82/402/EEC 
adopting a research and development programme (1982 to 1985) in the raw materials 
sector 
(84/C 23/07) 
The text referred to the Committee has been published in Official Journal of the Euro­
pean Communities No C 272 of 11 October 1983, page 5 
A. LEGAL BASIS FOR THE OPINION 
On 7 October 1983 the Council referred the abovementioned proposal to the Econo­
mic and Social Committee in accordance with Article 198 of the Treaty establishing 
the European Economic Community. 
B. OPINION OF THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE 
The Economic and Social Committee prepared its opinion on the above matter at its 
212th plenary session held in Brussels on 23 and 24 November 1983 .