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COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 
COM(85) 350 final 
Brussels, 25 June 1985 
MEMORANDUM 
TOWARDS A EUROPEAN TECHNOLOGY COMMUNITY 
~-? JIJiN 19Bs ..... ~ .. 
~~ 
COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 
COM(85) 350 final 
Brussels,25 June 1985 
MEMORANDUM 
TOWARDS A EUROPEAN TECHNOLOGY COMMUNITY 
COM(85) 350 final 
I. 
II. CONTENTS 
THE CHALLENGE FACING EUROPE 
THE EUROPEAN TECHNOLOGY COMMUNITY 
1. Legal and political bases 
2. Objectives 
3. Types of technological research and development (TRD) 
projects and programmes 
4. Horizontal back-up tasks 
5. Methods of cooperation and financing arrangements 
6. Criteria and methods for selecting priority TRD programmes 
ANNEX -
TOWARDS A EUROPEAN TECHNOLOGY COMMUNITY 
I. THE CHALLENGE FACING EUROPE 
Technological progress plays a central role in our societies because 
of its impact on economic growth and job creation, social and cultural 
progress, environment and security. It is increasingly becoming a 
strategic factor -one which (as the· Commission stressed in its 
communication to the Brussels meeting of the European Council in 
March 1985) the Community must turn to account in order to regain its 
competitiveness and lay the foundations for more vigorous and more 
stable growth and to ensure greater economic convergence by 
increasing the innovative capacity of all the Member States. 
The Community has an internal market on a scale similar~: 
to those of Japan and the United States, but it has to face the 
competition of those countries with a market segmented by many 
barriers and with no common technological strategy: with a few 
notable exceptions, R&D policies and resources are applied by 
the Member States without any coordination. 
The consequences are beginning to show. Since 1972 the annual growth 
rate in real terms of the production of high technology goods in 
Europe has not exceeded 5% while the rate in the United States is 7,6% 
and in Japan 14%.1 
Europe's mediocre industrial 
in high-technology products. 
cover of high technology 
190% to 110% (1983). performance has eroded its trade surplus 
Over a 20-year period the export 
imports into the Community fell from 
Europe launched the first two industrial revolutions: is it now 
missing out on the third? Can Europe be satisfied with its 
continuing domination in medium-techriology products when the 
newly industrializing countries of Asia and Latin America are ready 
to take over? Must Europe meekly accept the brain drain to the 
United States and Let Japan take over its market shares? 
Can Europe maintain its standard of Living, reverse the unemployment 
trend and ensure that it can stand on its own feet without responding 
to the technological challenges of the outside world? 
For a response to these challenges, Europe has a potentially powerful 
armoury: 
1 From 1973 to 1983 the Community's specialization index for 
trade in high technology products fell from 1,01 COECD = 1) to 
0,82 while that of the United States remained constant ~t 1,26 
and that of Japan went up from 0,7 to 1,26. 
-2 -
-For Europe's industry, a continent-wide market rid of the barriers 
now dividing· it into unviable segments; 
-National R&D efforts which have maintained the high Level of 
European science but whose dispersal deprives the Community of 
the synergetic effects and the economies of scale that would 
stem from a collective effort targeted on certain jointly defined 
strategic priorities; 
-The cooperation among European firms which has positive results 
when it can flourish under the stimulus given by such research 
programmes as ESPRIT, industrial programmes Like Airbus and 
strategic programmes Like the Space Agency. 
The Community must therefore as a matter of urgency summon up its 
considerable resources to reverse a trend whose present consequences 
are Lost market shares, Less job creation, increased technological 
dependence and the emigration of its finest research workers. 
The Commission considers that Europe will be able to harness 
the new technologies for a common purpose only if a 
genuine European Technology Community is established which: 
-exploits the Community dimension to the utmost extent possible; 
-promotes the greatest possible synergetic ~ffects from the 
interactions of national and Community efforts. 
Exploiting the Community dimension 
The Community dimension offers the following advantages: 
It will guarantee that the demand for products and services supplied 
by European projects can expand dynamically as the result of the 
opening up of public contracts and the adoption of international 
standards preventing the walling-off of markets and restriction 
of competition. 
There is therefore a close Link between the Commission's proposals 
for (a) completing the continent-wide market and (b) creating a 
European Technology Community. 
-The-Community will ensure that the technology effort is closely 
tied in with common policies and in particular with trade and 
competition policies; 
-Through . cooperation and exchanges, it will increase the 
potential of purely national programmes and reduce wastage arising 
from unnecessary duplication. 
-3 -
It will give more scope to the universities, individual research 
workers and specialised SMEs (which are sometimes overlooked in 
strictly intergovernmental schemes of cooperation owing to the 
complexity of industrial groupings and institutional structures). 
-Lastly, the Community's R&D instruments are immediately 
available and can be adapted to the needs of different projects 
in view of the urgency of the action required. Some current 
programmes (ESPRIT, BRITE and the definition phase of RACE) 
can provide a framework for projects that fall naturally within 
their general field such as information technologies, broadband 
networks and new materials. 
Synergetic effects of Community/Member Stat~s interattions 
The aim is to combine on the basis of clearly defined objectives: 
-the use of Community programmes proper; 
-the·development of strictly national programmes; 
-the pooling of national programmes by some States, including non-
Community countries, possibly with an additional Community 
contribution; 
-identifying the scope for the synergetic cross-fertilizing of 
hatiorial and Community programmes~ 
Just as it is neither possible nornecessary to bring everything 
under the Community umbrella, so it would be just as inappropriate 
to confine the Community's efforts to the portion of public R&D 
expenditure which it finances from its own resources, even though 
that. portion_ is tobe substantially expanded. Bridges must be built 
between programmes at different Levels -national, intergovernmental 
and Community -that contribute to common scientific and technological 
objectives in order to integrate them into a truly Community scientific 
and technological strategy. 
* 
* * 
Some will argue, against the advantages of the Community dimension, 
that the Community's decision making and management procedures are 
complicated and cumbersome. But in fact the aim must be to exploit 
all the possibilities offered by the Treaties and where necessary 
-4 -
adapt their prov,s,ons in order to 9uarantee that account is taken both 
of the interests of all parties and of the need for prompt decisions, 
flexible and decentralised management and appropriate financing 
arrangements. 
That is the Commission's aim in this proposal, in the conviction that 
the Community's institutional system -which needs to be made more 
effective and more democratic -remains, in the Last resort, the 
only guarantee for the European identity and common interests againstthe 
weight 6f national sovereigntie~ Legitimately conce~ned to put 
national interests first. 
II. THE EUROPEAN TECHNOLOGY COMMUNITY 
1. Legal and political bases 
The European Economic Community can offer the necessary basis for 
Launching a true European Technology Community, so designed as to 
allow Member States to reserve or restrict their participation to 
certain programmes only. 
That having been said, the European Technology Community could be 
brought into being through a variety of institutional arrangements, 
which are set out in a separate paper; they are all founded on 
a political commitment, of contractual force,by Member States to give 
the ~ew.~Coi~µnity the powers and resources to take action in its 
:field~ 
2. Objectives 
The fundamental objective is to strengthen the technological bases 
of European industry and to develop its international competitiveness. 
To serve this objective, the Technology Community must have the 
remit and the resources to carry out certain actions in the interests 
of the Community: to conduct technology research and development 
programmes with the participation, which may vary from one programme 
to another, of the Member States, firms and research centres . , and to carry out horizontal or back up measures in support of the 
TRD programmes. 
It is not proposed at this stage to put forward a definitive 
plan, but the main type,s of measure, whether or not they are -to be 
conducted at the Community's initiative, can be set out as follows. 
-5 -
3. Types of technolo~ical research and development (TRD) projects 
and programmes 
3.1 Research on generic technologies 
The main object of this type of project is to induce industrial 
firms to join forces and cooperate with university research centres 
and public authorities for mastery up to the development stage 
of technologies whose specific applications will spread throughout 
the industrial fabric, modernizing processes or giving rise to 
new products. These include the technologies of composite materials, 
micro-electronics and Optronics and those in the huge field of 
biotechnologies (see Annex). 
By reason of their very purpose, these projects are generally 
restricted to the pre-competitive stage, but, over and above the 
results expected from scie~tific and technical research, they 
will increasingly draw together European firms, research centres 
and public authorities into the networks that will be the foundation 
for industrial cooperation proper in production and marketing 
structures. 
3.2 Development and exploitation of joint facilities for basic 
research purposes 
Europe, both Community and non-Community, has already started 
on the path of joint exploitation of Large-scale equipment and 
specialized Laboratories which it would be absurd to duplicate. 
It was the motive for establishing CERN in Geneva and the JET 
project at Culham. Other projects of this type are planned in 
the same spirit, such as the Synchrotron, and the Oceanography 
Centre. The human and matetial capital which the Member States 
have already pooled in the Joint Research Centre (JRC) can be 
harnessed in a public service mission which could take the form 
of a programme on the safety of the environment in the broad sense 
and the definition of reference standards. 
3.3 Strategic programmes 
These are technology-intensive programmes or major talent- and 
resource-mobilizing projects whose specific purpose could be a 
field in the general interest (space exploration, for example) 
or the supply of advanced public services (telecommunications). 
In this type of programme the R&D phase is only preparatory to 
the public investment and exploitation phases. 
-6 -
Beyond their specific purpose, the strategic programmes would seek 
to open up a "critical mass" of public contracts in strategic sectors 
in order to combine demand-pull with the technological-push generated 
by research programmes. 
The programme of the European Space Agency is the model here. Its 
successes have restored Europe's confidence in its technological 
and industrial capacities and shows what can be done when the States 
of Europe aim at a strategic target and agree to pool the bulk of 
the national resources they are devoting to it. 
Another model could be, in telecommunications, the RACE programme 
proposed by the Commission. 
The IRIS programme proposed by the Italian Presidency for the development 
of the European market in the "social products" of informatics could 
also fall into this category. 
4. Horizontal back-up tasks 
4.1 International cooperation 
The European Technology Community should open negotiations with 
non-Community countries and international institutions on: 
-the ways and means whereby it could take part in their research 
programmes and they could be associated with its own TRD programme; 
international standards for exchanges of technology (intellectual 
property, competition rules, access to information, restrictions 
on technology transfers and so on). 
4.2 Coordination of national and Community TRD policies 
Besides its own programmes, the European Technology Community would 
also be required to promote the coordination of national and Community 
policies, to propose the means of strengthening their complementary 
aspects; it would seek to instigate concerted actions which it would 
encourage by bearing coordination costs and possibly by meeting a 
minority share of project costs. 
4.3 Dissemination of knowledge and exploitation of the results 
of Community programmes 
Community action must not be Limited to developing research; it must 
also help to exploit results which Lend themselves to commercial 
applications. In some cases it may be useful for the Community to 
-7 -
have the means to bear certain pre-development costs, at Least in 
part, in particular in the case of innovative SMEs. 
4.4 Stimulation of the Community's science and technology potential 
This type of horizontal task must be a permanent function of a European 
Technology Community. The aims and methods can be defined on 
the basis of the Lessons taught by the current experimental programme 
under the four-year programme. 
In this context it might be possible2to act upon the suggestions 
of the Economic and Social Committee for setting up in the Community 
a network of centres of excellence recognized and supported by 
the Community. These centres would agree to cooperate in programmes 
for information exchange and research worker mobility defined 
by the Community and in framing the training policies required 
to meet any Community shortages of science specialists. 
5. Methods of cooperation and financing arrangements 
The aim of the following proposals is to reconcile unity of v,s,on 
ar:d strategic coherence at Community Level with the greatest possible 
flexibility in the management and financing of programmes and 
in the Level of participation by Member States and their nationals. 
5.1 A coordination framework 
The Community TRD strategy is at present defined in a multiannual 
framework programme. This could become a coordination framework 
for Member States' and Community policies pursued in response 
to needs jointly identified in certain fields. The adoption of 
such a framework programme and its periodic review would give all 
the Member States the opportunity to establish in every field 
whether Europe has an adequate S-T base and whether the resources 
deployed will enable its industry to meet outside competition. 
In the institutional system of the Communities,3 it is up to 
the Commission to fulfil its role as the driving force by issuing 
proposals on its own initiative for the adoption and review of 
the framework programme and following up its implementation. 
2Esc, Normann report, Information report on EEC shared-cost research 
3programmes, Brussels, 1985. 
Which would also be that of the Technology Community under the 
basic assumption of this paper. 
-8 -
It is up to the Council,acting on the Commission's proposals and after 
consulting Parliament, to adopt the framework programme and to establish in 
agreement with Parliament the multiannual cash Limit for budget resources 4 to cover the Community's participation in the financing of TRD programmes. 
The Council decisions adopting the major specific programmes could conceivably 
be taken unanimously, but the ways and means of implementation should then 
be decided by a qualified majority and with considerable delegation of executive 
powers to the Commission. 
5.2 Flexible cooperation methods 
To carry out ambitious programmes, forms of cooperation must be found which: 
-draw together for each project those partners -governments, firms and 
research centres -wishing to participate on the basis of a clear perception 
of the costs and benefits of their cooperation; 
-Lead to the establishment of industrial consortia and the organization of 
intergovernmental cooperation in such a way as to harness the best available 
skills; 
-rely on a European network of research establishment and universities in 
regular touch with each other and able to act as centres for generating 
research and technology and disseminating the results; 
-allow participation by partners from non-Community countries. 
Without going into the detail of management approaches and financing techniques, 
the wide variety of the methods worked out under the Community's research 
activities should be noted. 
In precompetitive research, the most widely used and most satisfactory 
management method at present5 is the shared-cost project whereby the Community 
awards research contracts (50% of the cost financed from the Community budget) 
to multinational groups made up of university research centres, public 
Laboratories and private firms. This method of management has demonstrated its 
4community financing is the catalyst for eliciting contributions from governments 
and business. These Latter sources of financing do not fall within the 
Community's budget procedures. 
5According to the ESC survey of co-contractors (ESC, Normann Report, op. cit.). 
-9 -
effectiveness in the ESPRIT programme, which is primarily designed to 
encourage trans-European cooperation. 
Another method is the concerted action involving several project promoters 
who share the financing; the Community defrays only the administrative costs 
of concerting and coordination under agreements signed by the Member States 
concerned and certain non-Community countries. 
Finally, additional programmes are financed solely by the Member States 
wishing to take part; these will no Longer be Limited solely to the nuclear 
field as soon as the new own resotlrces decision has entered into force. 
Such management methods can be further adapted to take account of particular 
requirements and to allow for the greatest possible degree of flexibility in 
participation by Member States and their nationals in the various parts of 
the research programmes. 
The concerted actions could be broadened to cover a wider range of sectors 
and strengthen their coordination capacity with a modest financial 
contribution from the Community. 
The Community could also make a minority contribution to national or 
multilateral measures, public or private, which are of Community interest; 
this would be an expanded application of a method of action already used under 
programmes to stimulate the Community's scientific and technical potential. 
Where it is a matter of providing assistance for the exploitation of 
results with the aim of extending the support given to precompetitive research 
(predevelopment, prototype) and promoting the application, especially by 
innovative SMEs, of the results, the Community must be allowed to deploy 
non-budget resources, such as innovation loans and risk capital holdings. 
The management tool used for the JET programme -the joint undertaking 
provided for in the Euratom Treaty -can serve as the model for other projects 
for the joint development and exploitation of major scientific facilities. 
It presents several advantages: 
• variable configuration of national contributions 
• opening to participation by non-Community countries 
• Legal and financial autonomy 
• variable Level of Community budget contributions. 
-10 -
Finally, for the implementation of major strategic programmes for technological 
development, plans must be laid for establishing, separately for each 
programme, European agencies with legal and financial autonomy. This method 
has been adopted successfully by the European Space Agency for pooling 
national resources allocated to a programme of common interest. 
The Community nature of the agencies would be given practical expression by 
the link with the framework programme and the minority contribution which the 
Community could make in the form of a grant (financed out of own resources) 
to the agency's budget, on the understanding: 
-that the agencies would be principally financed by contributions from the 
participating Member States; these contributions would not pass through the 
Community budget; · 
-that a minority contribution from the Community budget to the agencies' 
operating expenses and a Community · budget guarantee for loans issued 
by the agencies should be possible and should be decided on a case-by-case 
basis by the Council acting by a qualified majority. 
5.3 Mobilization of financial resources 
The scale of the funds needed to promote technological progress and face the 
competition from other major countries means, as the European Council has 
recognized at successive meetings since June 1983, that the resources allocated 
to Community R&D must be substantially increased. 
Nevertheless, even with such an increase and counting in 
the Community's other financing instruments (borrowing/lending, additional 
programmes,6 and so on) the share of Community resources allocated to R&D 
will still be only a small proportion of the total amount of such expenditure 
in Member States' budgets. 
It is therefore essential that national efforts, which will mobilize the 
greater part of resources available for TRD, should be targeted on common. 
objectives and a clear identification of the priorities adopted by each 
partner. For Community measures proper, the management methods and financing 
techniques (summarized below) open up wide possibilities for adapting to 
specific situations, the variable participation of Member States and their 
nationals and the association of non-Community countries or international 
institutions. 
6Provided for in the new Decision on own resources. 
-11 -
The proposed plan of approach therefore assumes: 
-that the Member States are prepared to define, in a Community context, 
the strategy lines for action at both national and Community level; 
-that the European Council will confirm its determination 
to increase the share of the Community budget devoted to the financing of 
R&D programmes. 
-12 -
MANAGEMENT-METHODS AND FINANCING TECHNIQUES 
Community framework programme 
• Multiannual budget endowment to cover all expenditure from the 
Community budget provided for in the ·framework programme 
1. Research programmes 
• Shared-cost projects (e.g. 
and private co-contractors) 50% Community budget, 50% public 
• Concerted actions (for the coordination of current research 
activities in Member States). Expenditure from the Community 
budget limited to covering the general costs of concerting 
and coordination (about 2% of total cost); it could be 
increased in some cases for the following purposes: 
-to increase the incentive to cooperation, in particular 
where research activities are widely dispersed (medical 
research, for example); 
-to go beyond mere concerting of existing programmes and 
encourage the development of hew research. 
2. Development and exploitation of -joint facilities 
• Joint undertakings with or without participation of the Community, 
all Member States, non-Community countries; 
• Direct action by the JRC under the Community budget, with the 
possible addition of 
• Additional programmes under national budgets. 
3. Strategic programmes 
either: 
or: Specialized Community agencies 
Bi-, tri-or multilateral associations of public or 
private European undertakings (on the lines of Airbus). 
(2) -13 -
Sources of finance: 
• Minority contribution from the Community budget to agencies' 
operating expenditure 
• Contributions (under an ad hoe breakdown) of the Member States 
(or of their undertakings) 
Trading receipts of agencies and invoicing of services 
to Member States. 
Community budget guarantee for agency Loan issues. 
4. Measures to-stimulate the Community's S-T potential 
5. • Contributions from the Community's research budget, with 
possible addition of assistance from the structural 
Funds. 
Aids to exploitation of results (defraying of predevelopment 
costs) 
• Loans to SMEs (application of new technologies and 
innovation) (NCI IV) 
• Risk capital contribution (pilot experiment now under way) 
• Community budget Chapter 75 
• Invoicing of services rendered. 
-14 -
6. Criteria and methods for selecting -priority i'IH>-programmes 
Scarce financial resources and even scarcer human resources (and Japan's 
example) suggest that only a small number of carefully sele~ted programmes 
should be Launched at the same time. In the selection of programmes a 
decisive voice must be given to those who will be committing their assets 
and whose spirit of enterprise will be the key to industrial success at 
the end of the road. The aim is not to explore every possible scientific 
avenue but to st:rengthe-nthe technological bases of European industry. 
The broad criteria for the selection of the first List of programmes to 
mobilize ta!entand resources and serving precise objectives could be as 
follows: 
• they must make a substantial contribution to strengthening Europe's 
scientific and technological potentia~ especially in fields where 
the international competitiveness of its industry is under threat; 
• be of major economic and social value in harmony with the concerns and 
characteristics proper to our society; 
constitute measures for which the European dimension is a major advantage 
or even a necessity; 
they must be sufficiently attractive in aspiration and content to draw 
the best brains; 
• they must attract public support. 
For the selection and detailed planning of priority programmes and projects 
and the definition, for each of them, of participation, financing 
and management methods, the following procedure could be followed: 
• A high-Level group of senior officials under the Commission's authority 
would be instructed to identify strategic options and priority themes 
and projects, to Lay down the terms of reference for the detailed 
definition-of each programme and to draw the conclusions. This 
executive group could be assisted by Leading figures from research (in 
particular members of CODEST) and industry • 
• For each theme,groups of experts from industry and research convened 
by the Commission would define precise programmes with their targets, 
costs, time scales and conditions of participation. Each group would 
be chaired by one of its members. 
-15 -
• On the basis of this work,the Commission would draw up proposals 
either for projects to be implemented at the Commission's initiative 
or for the means of associating the Community with initiatives by 
Member States which would serve common objectives • 
• After consultation of the high-level group, the proposals would be 
sent to the Council, which would decide on the Legal and financial 
details for each programme adopted. 
The Commission has already made an initial study of themes which could 
be adopted~ The Commission has drawn up detailed data sheets (attached) 
for each of these themes, which are to be regarded as examples rather 
than proposals: 
1. Information technologies and their main applications e.g. computer-aided 
manufacturing, artificial intelligence and the supercomputer 
2. Biotechnologies, in particular genetic and biomolecular engineering 
and their applications to health and agro-industry 
3. New (e.g. superconducting and ceramic) materials 
4. Lasers and optics 
5. Big science facilities such as particle/radiation sources and 
advanced windtunnels 
6. Broadband telecommunications 
7. New-generation means of transport 
8. Use of space 
9. Conquest of the marine environment 
10. Education and training technologies 
A necessary first step is to instruct the Commission to launch forthwith 
the procedure for defining these priority projects so that some projects 
can be approved by the end of the year. 
-16 -
SYNERGETIC AND COMPOUND EFFECTS 
The following project areas are interconnected in many ways and 
mutually reinforcing. 
projects. Table 1 shows the level of interactions between 
To complete the description and give a synoptic view of the whole field, Table 2 
shows, for the measu~es proposed, their potential applications ·and their 
impact on competitiveness and employment, and Europe's relative position 
in each area. 
T A 8 L E 
PROJECT INTERDEPENDENCIES .. I .. E .. .. .. e., "' 0 ., O•r C .. ... 
xxx very important "' ., •r 01 ~ "' >. u ... 0 L. "' L. 
XX important Ill .. .. ~ :, .. ·;, E O ... L. ., ~ 
x slight ... ._ e u .. .,,., 
L. L. 0..C .. ]I ... L. u . very slight 0 Q .... u .... a,., ., u 
Q .. e., :, ZE ...J .. Ill .. ~ ....... C e ·;;, "' .. "' ., e •r e .,, :E L. 3 •r L. 0 C ... C ... •r ., .,, "' .. 0 .. ... . a, ., u e .... e ., :, "' ~: .... ~ Ill •r 0 0 ..c L. .,, .... "' "' u "' •r u ... C I C n L. •r C 0. •r . >. ... ., C .. •r 
"' L. 0 ... 3 0 ., Cl L. 0 ., ..c "Q ... -~.!' .. a, •r 0 Q Q u a, •r C ~ Q Q .... ., ., L. 0 ., ., .. "' "' X 0.,, :::: ; C "' u Q >. ., 
C :, "' L. L. a, u ... :E :, .,, Cl C ~ :, Q L. "' C :, 'O •r ., .,, .. C L. 0 a, E E .. u 0 ·=! ., :q ti L. .,, C u ., a, ... C E 0 C ·1 
0 u a, ..c •r a, .. .. Q "' C 0 C ., :, Ill ... ' ... u u Q Ill a, L. :, u L. Cl ~ ., .. u I 0 .. . : :, C L. "' L. I ..c ... 
~ .. u u •r Q L. ~ Q .. .. 0 .. ..c u .,, 
Q ]I "' :, .. L. .. u • !~ E > Q L. "' Cl C .. :, a, ., 'O Q Cl .. •r - 0 .,, :, .. "' •r >. C ... V) z :c w V) <[ 0 E • u <[ V) <[ ...J :c "' 3' 
Telecommunications ~ I\ )( ~ X ~>( "' ~ " ><.· X I( 1( .. X . ->< i()( X. . , I(,'( X. . . 
• X It. JI' 
Superco.,puters ~ '< J( "x JI 'I )( JI X :,( 
X. ,<. X. XX . X ,.. 
:( X >(, . ~w . '\ I( .,. )< 
New generation of transport systems ~ )( ,I( " }( ,. 
><.,. JI,.. JI . . J<. ,,_ l<.. . X X X ,.. I( )< . . "..._ 
Health-care technologies ~ ,.. ><: X ;,r X X. X. X J< X X . "' .. . . .... . .,.. . 
Education and Training ~ .>< ~}( A . . X X . . . . X. ,.. ,.. 
Space ~ ~ JI. A: J( X " X .o( 
J( ><. ~ X X ..... X x.,. x.,. ,,. "'-Jf ... 
Agri CU l tura l industrial project W&i ,< X J( >( ,<. }< "' . . . . X . -Deep-sea exploitation ~ " )( J( J( 
,.._ " '< )( ·J<... . X. . . . I( 
'Infori-ation micro and opto-electronics. ~ ~ I<. )( X X X ~ >< X . X X X XX 
Technologies " >C 
·Artificial In.telligence and ~ ~ X X X ,It 
........ ~red Tnfnrma•inn Prncessino "x X X. . 
X ,It X. "' ii'\ 
Computer Integrated Manufacturing ~ ~ . . X . 
X . >I. 
Advanced materials . 
~ ~ ~ X. 1(. 
New ;( )( 
l'laterials )( ""-J< 
~ ~ ,;_ '/.' ]( J', 
Superconduction ~/. x.. ~ /( X 
Aerospace ~ ~ ~ . >( prop. . . l(w 
Lasers and optics ~ X . ,c X: 
Large High-energy physics ~ ~ • 
accelerators synchroton · ,z,, 
~ ~\ . 
Windtunnels ~ 
1. Telecommunications 
2. Supercomputers TABLE 2 
OBJECTIVE IMPACT POSITION OF 
TECHNICAL I EUROPE 
OMPETITIVITY EMPLOYMENT An\JlHJl"'C 
stimulate econo-1 high / 
~ic activity diversified 
tJi gh performanceJ high-/ 
computation I diversified high 
high in small 
sectors high/ 
positive 
none good 
slight POLYVALENCE 
very high 
very high 
on fort and secu1 k d 
3. New grneration Transport syst~rity of transp. mare high lhigh / 
positive good limited 
4. Health-care Technologies improvement in high / ltonffii~ fyr · marked / . . I · .. health 'and tongt diversified ~2 ~q5V~r;1~~t" . positive satisfactory i very l11111ted EEC ACTIONS . ~ 
CURRENTLY IN 
TRAIN OR 
PREPARATION ~ 
~ACE, TBB, video 
conferencing 
ESPRIT 
5. •Education and.Training . . . . -----------+----,-----,.--~ ' :optimisation of high/ importanttdue ta high/positive good high Technical human resources d" .f. d eed for ra,nea both dirwctlY Eaucat1Oft ,vers, ,e anpgw_er~.-- ___ & 1nd1rec!l.Y_ __ -~--- Initiative 
6. Space High value 
,;id9ed services high/ 
diversified in specialised I slight/ 
sectors positive 
-------:-..__-~---r.:Use of bios.pher, high/ !high 
for-renewable diversified ,....,,.. . 7. Agricultural industrial 
n.-o;•rt' · high/ 
· positive 
8. Deep-sea exploitation and agriculture specialized al industries positive good 
good 
good potentially 
considerable 
none 
weak_ 1~aw inater·ials I moderate/ within traditior-weak/ 
-9--I-f-o-~-.--.-,m-i_c_r_o_&_o_p_t_o ___ -+-.emxi:~vt~.:mgenfco. , high/ very high medium/ I weak I full 
• n rma 1 on , l t . 1 ~ 1 n uric- l .. . . . .-• Technol qjes'e ec ron1cs ~W'en~freatim 01 genera pos1tive 
. Artificial Intel very high high/ very lJgence and ~dvanced Informa- specialized t1on Pr cess,n 
11. Computer Integrated Manufact-
uring · 
-l~vanced materials 
New fllate­
rials, 1~. 
Super conduction 
I <o. 
Aerospace prop. 
15. Lasers and optics "high/. 
diversified 
scientific and I high i~ the 
tPchnical progr~llong term 
scientific and J high long 
technic.progres term 
;hypersonic pro-
lP_uls ion · 
Sc i ent ifi c and 
tech.progress high-in narrow 
sector 
marked/ 
diversified 
L l A~~h energy physics Researcb into high narrow 
artge acce_ · element.particu sector era ors · 
Synchroton 
17. Photon-matter 
1nteraction high/. 
diversified ~very high 
high in the 
long term 
in the high in 
the long term 
high 
indirect 
:..ery indirect 
indirect 
18. Windtunnels i3¥S~RBffN 8~ 1-high/ !essential 
ltran!!lnort ___ diY.eJ"..S.iii"rl weak , 
slight 
slight in the 
short term 
slight in the 
short term 
slight 
slight 
slight 
slight 
slight m!!dium 
medium 
satisfactory 
satisfac~ory 
good 
good· 
excellent 
good 
good full 
high 
very high 
important 
high 
high 
slight 
sl_i ght 
very high CCR 
DGXII-DGVII I 
biotechnC?logies 
ESPRIT 
ESPRIT 
ESPRIT 
BRITE 
BRITE ..... 
-..J 
I 
A N N E X 
POSSIBLE MOBILIZING PROJECTS 
The projects listed below have been selected because of their potential 
industrial and socio-economic impact. At this stage they should be 
regarded as examples rather than as final proposals, which will have to be 
examined in much greater detail and discussed in depth and be the subject 
of consultations between the various parties concerned in the political, 
economic and scientific arenas of the Member States. 
1. Information technologies and 
computer-aided 
supercomputer manufacturing, their main applications, such 
artificial intelligence as 
and 
2. Biotechnologies, in particular genetic and biomolecular engineering 
and their applications in the health field and in agro-industry 
3. New materials, such as superconductors and ceramics 
4. Lasers and optics 
5. Large sci enti fi c instruments such as parti cle/radi at ion sources and 
advanced windtunnels 
6. Broadband telecommunications 
7. New-generation means of transport 
8. Use of space 
9. Mastering the marine environment and exploring the earth's crust 
1O.Education and training technologies 
1-1 
1. INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES AND THEIR MAIN APPLICATIONS 
These technologies include microelectronics and optoelectronics, the 
software industry and all the other disciplines associated with data 
processing such as artificial intelligence, in other words all the 
techniques that play an important role in the acquisition, 
processing, transmission and storage of information. 
Large-scale precompetitive R&D activities are being conducted in this 
field at both Community and national Levels. At Community level, the 
ESPRIT programme (European Strategic Programme for Research and 
Development in Information Technologies) represents a public and 
private-sector investment to a total of 1.5 mill ion ECU for the 
period 1984-88. 
The main applications of information technologies include 
telecommunications (a speci a L Community programme intended to meet 
requirements in this field has been placed before the Council), 
defence, computer integrated manufacture and automated office systems 
(the Last two sectors, also covered by ESPRIT, are of major strategic 
importance with regard to the provision of products and services), 
and consumer electronics with its substantial growth rate. ALL are 
heavi Ly dependent on both advances in information technologies and 
further development of them. 
In all these sectors, additional emphasis should be placed on two 
specific fields of the work conducted at various Levels within the 
Community firstly microelectronic and optoelectronics, then 
artificial intelligence and advanced information processing. 
MICROELECTRONICS AND OPTOELECTRONICS 
Microelectronics is at the heart of thousands of products ranging 
from highly sophisticated systems such as telecommunications and 
observation satellites or professional and personal computers to 
watches and toys. Today, the world turnover in this industrial 
1-2 
sector is about US$ 30 thousand million, but the estimated turnover 
in other sectors in future years which make use of microelectronics 
amounts to more than US$ 660 thousand million. 
Optoelectronics utilizes the visible part of the electromagnetic 
spectrum in order to fulfi LL the same functions as conventional 
electronics (e.g. data transmission, processing and storage). Its 
advantages are a transmission capacity which is thousands of times as 
great and a speed which is theoretically 1000 times as great. 
European industry's share of the world market in this rapidly 
expanding strategic sector is very small : about 5 % of the world 
market in the case of the most advanced products and 10 % as regards 
all products taken together. 
The small volume of production combined with the Later arrival of 
microelectronic products on the market (mainly integrated circuits) 
deprives European industry of a source of revenue comparable to those 
of its principal rivals to finance the investments that are necessary 
to remain in the race or even to enter it as a credible runner. 
European investments over the Last two years were between US $ 300 
million and US$ 400 million while the US and Japanese firms invested 
four to five times as much during the same period. 
As in case at present in the USA and Japan, a cooperative approach to 
research and development is becoming an imperative necessity in 
Europe. ESPRIT is showing the way for coordinated research within 
the Community: it is hoped that proper financing will be accompanied 
by a number of major mobilizing and coalescing projects in both the 
equipment field and materials. European production depends for basic 
materials and its most critical equipment on imports mostly from the 
US or more recently Japan.· With a few exceptions this dependence 
results in Europe technology suffering from delivery delays of at 
Least one year. However, as Japan recently demonstrated, it is 
possible, to re-establish (or establish) a certain foothold (even by 
1-3 
aggressive means as in the case of Japan) in a carefully chosen 
sector of the market and, by so doing, bring about further advances 
and growth in the sector. 
The supply or manufacture of integrated circuits under 
appears to be both economically sensible and devoid of risk. licence 
There 
is a greater level of integration aimed at obtaining both better 
performance and lower production costs. Increasing amounts of system 
manufacturers' know-how is incorporated into the silicon chips which 
are sub-assemblies with considerable added value, not just "simple" 
components. 
Two examples can serve as illustrations 
-semiconductor memories 
-microprocessors 
Both these could suitably be covered by a European programme since 
they are the driving forces behind the development of the integrated 
circuits industry and data processing for which Europe now depends on 
the United States and Japan. Losing control over these sub-assemblies 
would seriously inhibit innovation capacities as regards the design 
of complex systems, an area in which Europe has traditionally been 
very strong, and would result in a brain drain and loss of jobs. 
-Random access memories. The aim could be create a 64 megabit memory 
by 1995, i.e. a chip with a capacity 100 times that of the present 
advanced circuits. The only way to do this is to reduce the lateral 
dimensions of the structures (to less than 0,5 um), something which 
cannot be done by means of the equipment available today, and to 
evolve a new memory cell concept, probably based on three 
dimensions. The project would call for around 2000 man-years. 
Advanced microprocessor. The object would be to design and 
construct, within five year, a European-inspired microprocessor 
circuit, incorporating the latest results in terms of breakdown­
tolerance, architecture and addressing. With the aid of an 
appropriate strategy, a joint development, using, for example, 
certain of the micronic manufacturing technologies and design 
1-4 
systems currently being studied in the context of the ESPRIT 
programme, could result in a standard. An estimated 1000 man-years 
would be needed for this project. 
Alongside these widely used integrated circuits, systems 
manufacturers want to reduce the gestation time for an electronic 
assembly in order to make it more competitive. One solution seems tb 
be to set-up prototype workshops (foundries) for the production of 
integrated circuits. Because there is only a very limited European 
market at present, this could cover construction of the following: 
-silicon signal-processing circuits 
-very high speed GaAs circuits 
-The "Silicon Foundry" project would involve the rapid creation 
(approximately 2 years) of a joint European workshop, first using 
proven CMOS-technology, then a mixed CMOS-bipolar process, properly 
adapted to this type of application like those developed under the 
ESPRIT programme. The most important point remains, however, the 
development of CAD tools and the establishment of a standard cell 
library, in order to achieve fast and effective integrated circuit 
design. It is estimated that such a project would involve 1000 
man-years and investment in a suitable production line (150 million 
ECU). 
Although there is at present only a very small market for GaAs 
foundry products, there seems to be a great many applications : 
• cache memories and ultra-high-speed arithmetic units for super­
computers; 
• processing of high-speed signals and random logic for broadband 
telecommunications or cellular radiotelephony for example. 
The considerable investment, in terms of both equipment and 
brainpower, required for R&D in respect of manufacturing and design 
technologies for ultra-high-speed circuits makes the idea of having 
a European industrial consortium attractive as regards developing 
the technology and establishing a pilot unit. An initial estimate 
suggests that 1000 man-years would be required over five years. 
1-5 
The object of the four projects described above is to maintain or 
improve Europe's position in the field of professional electronics. 
In order not to be left behind on the high-definition television 
markets of tomorrov and, therefore, in an important part of the 
consumer sector, European industry must provide for the development 
of a range of specific integrated circuits for digital coding and 
decoding of signals along similar lines to those current Ly 
recommended for satellite television (DC2-MAC-packet), as soon as 
possible after standards have been defined. With the development of 
the equipment for production and programme-recording, the project is 
likely to involve around 1500 man-years over a period of 7 years. 
1-6 
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND ADVANCED INFORMATION PROCESSING 
Artificial intelligence is a fairly recent discipline that is 
developing very rapidly. New, more sophisticated and more powerful 
expert systems are announced at frequent intervals. 
Expert systems provide a considerable improved service in many areas 
of application medicine, biology, chemistry, geology, design aids 
and fault detection in industry, to name but a few. They have 
repercussions in a L L branches of the economy and expect a direct 
impact on industrial competitiveness. 
Although European technology is well placed here (partly thanks to 
ESPRIT and a few national projects), Japan has proved in the past 
that efforts which combine basic technology with a careful choice of 
markets can place it in a strong position in new high-technology 
sectors (for example memories). Government programmes under way in 
Japan and the United Stated and the concerted R&D efforts of American 
companies 
technology; are focusing on artificial intelligence and software 
this fact alone should convince Europe of the need to 
contemplate intensifying its efforts in order to avoid a subsequent 
decline in its industrial competitiveness in these key sectors. 
The entire field of artificial intelligence and advanced information 
processing is currently covered by the Community's ESPRIT programme. 
The efforts undertaken should nevertheless be intensified with a view 
to : 
-enhancing the integration of simple artificial intelligence systems 
into the more complex systems which more closely resemble human 
thought processes and are more capable of meeting the potential 
needs of users; 
-improving the conditions of economic production in order to reduce 
the final cost of such systems. 
The diversity of the fields of application, the Lack of industrial 
experience in the use of such systems and the relative "simplicity" 
of all present day systems taken individually show that a great deal 
1-7 
of investment still has to be made in order to integrate artificial 
intelligence into systems that can be used by professionals who are 
not computer specialists. 
Such investment should cover: 
1. The industrialization of the initial results already obtained, 
focusing on : 
software technology, since -as with any software -expert 
systems will have to satisfy industrial production criteria; 
the architecture of complex systems, in order to enable expert 
systems to cooperate with each other and give access to large 
amounts of data. Such architectures will also have to satisfy 
external contraints relating to confidentiality, response time, 
man/machine interface, etc.; 
-the integration of these components into specialized systems by 
means of design aids. 
2. The intensification of research on basic techniques, with special 
emphasis on modelling: knowledge models, learning models, dialogue 
models and reasoning models. These developments benefit in 
particular from progress made in education technologies. 
3. Industrial awareness schemes for the uses of these new 
technologies. Such action can be facilitated particularly by 
placing specialized centres at the disposal of those concerned 
(see the section on large computers). 
Two examples of projects may help to illustrate better what is 
desired. 
1-8 
-Expert system for weather forecasting and the environment 
-Knowledge-based multi-sensor system 
Each of these projects illustrates one of the first two points 
mentioned above. 
The aim of the first project is to use existing basic techniques and 
apply them to a specific case of sufficient complexity in order to 
improve industrial competence with regard to integration and the 
archtitecture of complex systems. This project needs the results of 
current studies on the acquisition, representation and hardl ing of 
knowledge and of systems interconnection networks. The developments 
will include the programming of a complex system, the construction of 
a knowledge data-base, and the design and production of architectures 
suited to cooperation between expert systems. The project is expected 
to take some 1000 man-years over a 5 to 6 year period. 
The aim of the second project is to intensify studies of basic 
techniques ; by linking two fields, sensors and knowledge, this 
project should provide the stimulus to intensify the work on 
knowledge models to make knowledge accessible to acquisition systems 
via a machine/machine or man/machine interface. The work involved is 
expected to require 250 man-years over a period of at least three 
years. 
1-9 
COMPUTER INTEGRATED MANUFACTURING 
Encompassing a range of technologies that make it possible to achieve 
integrated factory automation within a broader framework of 
operations and company management, CIM is at the heart of a 
continually expanding market and is now affecting industrial sectors 
where it was unknown (for example, the clothing and food industries). 
Statistics show that the European market in the computer-aided design 
and manufacturing (CAD/CAM) sector alone was worth US$ 320 million 
in 1982 and forecast that this market will represent US $ 1.050 
million in 1985 and grow by nearly 50% to US$ 1.550 million in 1986. 
Precisely because it covers several pre-existing sectors, it is as 
yet extremely difficult to quantify CIM as a whole accurately. 
Europe's wealth, whi eh was in the past based on its ability to 
produce goods with a high added value at competitive prices, is today 
threatened by competition in this area from other countries that 
benefit from: 
-lower labour costs (Asia or South America); 
-more stringent quality control (Japan); 
-huge internal markets (United States); 
-direct government financing (United States and Japan). 
Progress in manufacturing technology, which has been made possible by 
the application of information technology (IT), will soon have a 
major impact on factors affecting production (such as the effect of 
the direct labour cost on the overall cost of production, or the 
importance of large scale production, which is partly called into 
question by flexible manufacturing systems or FMS). 
The general improvements in the efficiency, reliability and 
adaptability of manufacturing systems brought about by IT offer 
Europe a unique opportunity of regaining its predominant position in 
the manufacturing industry, provided it makes the necessary efforts. 
(3) 1-10 
In Japan and the United States, major R&D activities have been 
financed by the state in recent years, with remarkable results: 
public funds amounting to US $ 444 million were thus spent in Japan 
between 1972 and 1982 on stimulating the machine-tool industry. 
During the same period, Japanese exports in this sector increased 
from about half to three times those of the United States. 
The Japanese are particularly effective in ensuring that ideas and 
energies are pooled, that cross-fertilization takes place between 
different disciplines and that there is continuity between projects. 
In the United States, the combined effect on CIM of expenditure by 
the Department of Defense (DOD) and civil financing is considerable. 
The US Air Force has for a long time been actively supporting 
developments in CIM, which has made it possible to provide decisive 
financial support for a large number of projects in the field. 
Interest in advanced production technologies in the United States has 
considerably increased since the seventies. In general, activities 
have been coordinated by the DOD within the MANTECH programme. The 
!CAM (Integrated Computer-Aided Manufacturing) programme, which was 
Launched in 1977-78 by the US Air Force, has been allocated rapidly 
increasing funds. 
Production technologies are passing through a transitional phase. 
Europe cannot let slip the opportunity it is being given of 
capitalizing on existing R&D investments. It must make optimum use of 
the assets and resources that exist in the Community. The world 
market in industrial automation will probably be worth something 
between US $ 65 million and 75 million in 1989, whereas it 
represented only US $ 15 million in 1983. A great economic effort 
needs to be made to support such growth: the European CIM market 
should double over the next four years. 
Nevertheless, without· an energetic standardization and coordination 
effort, the results obtained in the different countries would not be 
able to mesh together, and the risk of duplication of research work 
would be great. 
1-11 
The economic and social importance of CIM is decisive, as can be seen 
from the example of FIAT. A motor manufacturer of the size of FIAT 
owes its survival through the recession (which was threatening to 
cause the collapse of the firm in the seventies) to a great extent to 
the large-scale introduction of CIM in its production processes. 
This clearly brought about major social upheavals, since the 
introduction of CIM systems involves a transitional phase during 
which the improvement it enables large firms to make in their 
competitive position is not immediately counterbalanced by the 
creation of new job opportunities. This is an extremely delicate 
problem which will have to be taken into account when considering 
plans for European involvement in CIM. 
Furthermore, technological dependence on the United States and Japan 
would prevent Europe embarking on a positive reaction process which 
would enable it to reap the greatest benefits from its own 
technological advances. It is already possible to envisage 
production systems largely based on European technology in which the 
direct labour cost represents less than 10% of the total cost of the 
product. 
It can be deduced from these considerations that an international 
European effort in this area is even more essential than it is 
desirable, particularly since there are examples which demonstrate 
the validity of such an approach: one of the most obvious examples is 
the ESPRIT programme, in which the Community has proven that it is 
able to act as a major catalyst in promoting R&D on the technologies 
necessary for the development of CIM. These technologies cannot, 
however, create wealth in themselves, as long as they are not applied 
effectively. 
Two projects, which are described below are therefore being proposed 
as part of the actions planned for the area of CIM. One is aimed at 
developing integration centres for the elements which go to make up 
computer-integrated manufacture, which are the result of research 
work carried out by European manufacturers as a whole, and which 
should make a contribution to consolidating their position on the 
European and international markets. The other project is more 
1-12 
specific, namely to develop a virtually independant robot to operate 
in a hostile environment. This second project is a concrete example, 
with a particular topic, of the potential of the new technologies. 
1-13 
HIGH-PERFORMANCE COMPUTERS 
The new computer architectures have been designed either to increase 
computational power for numerical-data processing (supercomputers) or 
to make possible the processing of symbolic (non-numerical) data, in 
such applications as artificial intelligence. 
The supercomputer market, which had a value of US$ 15.000 million in 
1984, is expected to show an annual rate of increase of 20%. This 
market is a US monopoly (IBM and three other companies), although a 
number of Japanese firms have been attempting to fill certain gaps 
since the end of 1983. The European industry, which is not 
represented in this market, has concentrated its effort on medium and 
low-power computers. European users are totally dependent on the US 
and may soon be similarly dependent on Japan. These users, however, 
are found in such different industrial sectors as oi L prospecting, 
the chemicals industry, aerospace -particularly as regards wind­
tunnel applications (see advanced wind-tunnel project) -and 
meteorology to quote just a few examples. Moreover, only a Limited 
number of supercomputers have been installed in Europe owing to the 
scale of investment required, with consequent disadvantages for the 
whole fabric of industry (designers, users) and the universities 
(teaching, research). 
Although the symbolic data-processing market is only at the initial 
stage of development, it is expected to show considerable growth as 
the application of artificial intelligence becomes more widespread. 
Studies reveal a potential for expansion at least as rapid as that of 
the supercomputer market. Plans for the development of appropriate 
machines were first announced by the Japanese under their fifth­
generation project and a similar announcement quickly followed from 
the US, where a Large number of microelectronics and data-processing 
firms agreed to pool their efforts. 
1-14 
Although ESPRIT covers the design and development of such machines in 
Europe, it makes no provision for them to be made avai Lable to 
industrial or university users. Such experimentation in industrial 
contexts provides indispensable assistance for the improvement of 
design. 
A mobilizing project relating to new computer architectures could be 
devised as follows: 
1. Design and development of new architectures 
The human and financial resources, as well as the Level of 
competence, required for the development of a supercomputer, call 
for association and cooperation at the European Level. 
Architectures for symbolic data-processing are covered by ESPRIT 
and some of the relevant projects are already in progress. A 
parallel study of the integration of these two types of 
architecture as a back-up to the creation of information-handling 
systems could make use of expert-systems architecture and 
contribute to their development. 
2. Creation of service centres 
Specialist service centres could be created in order to accelerate 
the execution of certain studies and the exploitation of the 
results obtained from ESPRIT and the above-mentioned projects. 
These centres would be interconnected so as to benefit from the 
complementarity of services, speed up the exchange of information 
and promote the use of advanced new computer equipment. 
They would make it possibl& to provide: 
-bases enabling the designers of new architecture to evaluate 
their work in progress, 
1-15 
-research facilities and a framework for teaching and training 
experiments for university staff, 
-the software and basic equipment required by industry for the 
improvement of its software technology, 
-the user services required. 
Such centres could be distributed throughout Europe, possibly in a 
specialized form such as: 
-a supercomputer service, operating as a service office1, 
-an applications-support centre designed to familiarize potential 
operators with these new computer facilities, provide them with 
training in their use and enable them to assess their impact on 
existing working methods, 
-project-support centres, involving the participation of 
industrialists and the Commission, designed to promote the 
spread of European products and the convergence of the 
participants' interests (definition of standards). 
The scale of the investment required to launch such a project 
means that it is difficult, not to say impossible, for industry 
alone to take an initiative. These difficulties could be overcome 
by the establishment of European-scale cooperation on this 
subject. 
Two projects may help to illustrate how a supercomputer can be used 
in these fields. 
1 Service office : provision, within a network, of a specialized service 
shared by a large number of users. 
1-16 
-Supercalculator for numerical data-processing 
High-performance calculators encompassing both symbolic and 
numerical data-processing. 
The aim of the first project is to increase computational power for 
numerical data-processing (100 GFL0PS). This can only be achieved by 
relying on a number of complementary sectors microelectronics (As 
Ga rapid components, seep. 1-4), software technology (programming 
tools), design aids, plus a number of sectors where it can be applied 
(oil prospecting, chimical industry, aeronotics, meteorology, etc.). 
Given the multi-disciplinary nature of the teams, this project calls 
for a high level of coordination ; it is expected to take 2500 man­
years over 5 to 6 years. 
The second project, whi eh integrates symbolic and numerical data­
processing involves the study of an architecture or rather a family 
of architectures, the components of which will be existing computers 
(supercomputer, non-von Neumann machines) ; it will be adaptable to 
ranges of applications. This project will benefit from the study of 
architecture of multi-expert systems and provide a back-up for 
applications requiring high performances either in terms of the 
volume of information handled or of the necessary response times. It 
is expected to take some 2000 man-years over a 6 year period. 
2-1 
2. BIOTECHNOLOGIES 
The first steps taken by the Community to master and exploit modern 
biotechnologies date back to the launching of a research and training 
programme in the field of biomolecular engineering (1982), which was 
followed in 1985 by the.approval of a more substantial biotechnology 
programme. These programmes are characterized by a choice of topics 
and implementing procedures that should make it possible to remove a 
set of barriers which seriously jeopardize the chances of exploiting 
in Europe the recent advances in biomolecular engineering : the 
inadequacy of research support infrastructures, the failure of 
fundamental knowledge to keep up with new methods of investigation, 
the fragmentation (or even divergence) of efforts between one country 
and another and between publicly-funded research and industry, and 
the difficulty of at last reaching a critical mass. This initial 
Community action represents a capital of invested effort which, if it 
is to be fully exploited, should be able to give birth to major 
action projects that pursue commonly-recognized objectives and whose 
repercussions whould be perceptible. The Commission is today in a 
position to implement such projects, which can be developed on the 
basis of technological knowledge that has been built up through 
programmes in hand, to stimulate intense activity embracing -without 
any discrimination between disciplines -the many scientific and 
technical achievements of our time, and lastly to combine existing 
resources to carry out pre-competitive work of interest to the 
Community. 
These projects can be classified under three main headings which 
illustrate effectively the qualities of living matter and the nature 
of its relationships with the environment : 
1. Genetic and biomolecular technologies as applied to the 
exploration of the properties of living matter; 
2. Agro-industrial technologies for the benefit of better 
cooperation between agriculture and industry; 
3. Health technologies for the benefit of the development of 
preventive medicine. 
2-2 
I. Genetic and Biomolecular Technologies 
Introduction 
Genomes constitute the basis for differentiation between species and 
for their "competitive" properties. One intrinsic quality of genomes 
is their capacity to reproduce themselves. However, through the 
generations and in the continuity of phylogenetic lines, their 
reproduction is subject to continual, infinitesimal variations which 
accumulate in time giving rise to the well-known phenomenon of 
evolution-selection. Evolution is registered by the genome and is 
inherent to life. Selection, on the other hand, is artifactual, 
resulting from the "dialogue" between genes and an unstable, changing 
environment. The process of evolution and selection not only leads 
to an enriching of the biosphere by diversifying the capacities of 
living beings, but also results accidentally in chance errors 
(evolutionary cul-de-sacs of the scale of geological eras; 
individual, genetic defects and handicaped persons on the scale of 
human generations). It has always been characteristic of human 
activity to exert a strong influence over the selective pole of the 
evolution-selection binomial, e.g. by selecting animal and plant 
species for agriculture and by collecting microbial stock for food 
fermentations. 
Towards the end of the 20th century, the techno logi ea l society is 
faced with the effects of a vastly increased capacity to understand 
and master the evolutionary mechanisms of biomolecules and species, 
which have until now been a mystery to us. It is possible for the 
first time to control both poles of the evolution-selection binomial 
simultaneously. The technological leap forward which is at the 
origin of this unprecedented situation comes from the development, in 
only ten years, of a number of molecular tools which are prodigiously 
successful in elucidating the mechanisms underlying the properties of 
living organisms, in• parallel with the development of increasingly 
effective back-up instrumentation for retrieving and processing 
biological data. 
2-3 
In the present state of basic technologfoal knowledge, two big 
projects would immediately make use of the most advanced genetic 
technologies for the benefit of the scientific and industrial 
Community: 
-the description of the genomes of a number of higher organisms and 
the genetic and molecular exploration of some of their functional 
properties with important implications for the medical sector or 
agro-industry; 
-directed evolution making it possible to plan development at the 
level of molecules and organisms. 
A. Description of the structure of the genomes of certain higher 
organisms and of the mechanisms determining important functional 
properties 
This is a task very much of the moment both because of the size of 
the stake involved and both of the present synergy between 
traditionally isolated disciplines such as formal genetics, cell 
biology and molecular biology. In the forfront of this mutual 
enriching is molecular biology which is providing formidable 
investigatory tools such as restriction enzymes for gene cutting and 
grafting (splicing), molecular hybridization techniques to identify 
genes with DNA probes, two-or three-dimensional electrophoresis 
techniques to describe the polymorphism of DNA, RNA or protein types 
and the kinetics by which they appear, specific marking by monoclonal 
antibodies and, of course, the ever-increasing number of molecular 
cloning vectors permitting in vitro purification, amplification and 
mobility betwen the different hosts of a theoretical, unlimited 
number of genetic properties. 
The study of genomes has become central to genetic technology 
because : 
-the most immediate use of the abovementioned molecular tools 
consists in using them to explore the genome and the way in which 
it functions; 
2-4 
-in a more distant future, their exploitation in medicine, industry 
and agriculture will depend on how well the structures and means of 
regulation of the genomes (the only sources of new genetic 
properties) of useful organisms are understood. 
The genome contains all the silent or expressed genetic data that 
each organism transmits to the genetic "pool" of its succeeding 
generations. 
The project should be approached in two ways : on the basis of the 
total genome and on that of the important property. 
-As regards the whole genome, the task is so complex and important 
that well-reasoned choices must be made. One or two animal and 
plant species should be selected and a full set of data compiled on 
their genomes (genomic libraries), with physical maps being 
produced gradually. Since the structure of genomes is not fixed, 
it will be important to gain a better understanding of their stable 
states and changes. At his Level, the si Lent sections of the 
genome are particularly important and the project will have to 
inc Lude the study of genetic data sequences common to different 
genomes, the study of repeated DNA sequences Can as yet unexplained 
minority factor in animals and a majority one in plants), and the 
study of the kinetics of transposable elements. Unless account is 
taken of the internal organization of hereditary material, no 
Long-term protocol is conceivable either for the transfer of genes 
between species that are useful to human beings or for the 
correction of certain genetic defects affecting human health. 
-On the basis of the important property, it is essential to be able 
to reconstitute the metabolic intermediaries involved in the 
expression of a useful character, and to trace back the molecular 
• path which make the function subject to the control of a given 
number of genes. · It is the expressed part of the genome whi eh is 
then explored, and this task -whi eh complements the preceding 
one -can be satisfactorily completed only if it is perfectly 
targeted on a limited number of properties that are "useful" (in 
terms of their exploitation by man) or, at all events, "important" 
2-5 
Cin terms of health and resistance to illness). This project could 
then provide a knowledge base and a technological platform enabling 
preventive medicine or the improvement of animal and plant species 
to be further developed. The latter aspect concerns, in 
particular, genetic engineering applications in agriculture, which 
are still held back by our lack of basic knowledge of the 
biochemistry, physiology and genetics of the characters that 
determine the economic importance of the higher plants 
senescence, reproduction, hybrid vigour, symbiosis, the build-up of 
proteins, carbohydrates and oils, etc. These characters must be 
precisely defined in terms of essential functions and underlying 
mechanisms if the effectiveness of genetic engineering is to be 
increased and the scope of its applications broadened. 
The number of these essential functions and of the corresponding gaps 
in the knowledge we could possibly have of them is today so great 
that no rational and effective effort could be made without 
extensively pooling the skills and resources that have scattered 
among a few European laboratories. The pooling of all these skills 
is not merely necessary in order to attain a critical mass in terms 
of scientific investments and optimum distribution of research work; 
it is also a requisite condition for the parallel development of 
advanced research on a few plants that are cultivated on a large 
scale and constitute some of the challenges facing the common 
agricultural policy: barley, in terms of its capacity to produce a 
high-calorie animal feedingstuff whose nutritional value is 
perfectible Camino acids), the field bean as a source of protein, and 
oilseed plants, not to mention the many other species that make it 
possible to exploit natural fibres and secondary metabolites or 
merely constitute useful sources of genes for protocols involving 
transfer through natural reproductive barriers (resistance genes, 
etc.). 
2-6 
B. Methods for controlling molecular evolution 
A project aimed at making it possible to plan molecular evolution can 
be tackled, as in the preceding case, via an approach based on 
function (a peptide or an enzyme function) or an approach based on 
the encoding molecule · (which on this scale, is not a genome, but a 
simplified molecular matrix, an RNA). 
The function-based approach is tackled in the context of protein 
engineering, which is the subject of a Commission project that forms 
part of its current biotechnology programme. Although this project -
which is still inadequate when compared with the number of active 
molecules whose structural and functional analysis is becoming 
desirable -is sure to develop far beyond the limits of the current 
programme, it will not be included in this sheet as a new project 
designed to strenghten the technological base already operational in 
the Community. 
The encoding molecule ·approach is concretized in the development of a 
highly futuristic technology designed to provoke the acceleration of 
molecular evolution in order theoretical Ly to reproduce, over a 
compressed timescale, some of the evolutionary processes which may 
have given rise to life on earth. The approach springs from a theory 
<"the hypercycle"> based on the belief that molecules organize 
themselves spontaneously in conditions in which Darwinian selection 
takes place. 
Some of the principles on which this theory is built have found 
perfect experimental illustration in the in vitro replication 
properties of a molecular matrix CRNA). This system is capable of 
reproducing the type of events that were probably involved in the 
origin of life, by producing random sequences of genetic information 
through RNA reproduction. Since such reproduction allows a limited 
degree of inaccuracy, this sel f-repl i eating process gives rise to 
variations in the phenotypes. The method is aimed at establishing 
what types of sequences can appear in each replication cycle and 
studying the possibility of producing a spectrum of all the possible 
types of sequences that is sufficiently dense to make it possible to 
2-7 
select those which offer a phenotypical advantage and identify the 
structures responsible for the acquisition of a property under 
investigation. 
The technology developed to build this "machine for accelerating 
molecular evolution" should be exploitable for the screening of very 
large numbers of genetic information sequences similar to those 
encoded for known proteins, in order to select for optimized 
biotechnological properties. It will make it possible to produce, in 
accelerated time, macromolecules bearing genetic information of a 
novel nature, i.e. the combination of which would perhaps not have 
had the chance of occurring in nature. 
Biotechnological applications are still subject to the development of 
appropriate technological processes for automated series dilution, 
the synchronized incubation of molecular populations and growth 
measurements, all of which will require sophisticated instrumentation 
based on laser and computer technology. They no longer have to 
depend, however, on any hypothetical progress in science, since it 
has been demonstrated that they are founded on the logic of 
biological evolution and selection. 
II. Agro-Industrial Technologies 
Rapid developments in knowledge and techniques, notably in 
biotechnologies and automation, are rapidly altering the socio­
economic environment in which agriulture operates as a producer of a 
great variety of renewable materials, some of which are produced in 
excessive quantities, while others are insufficient for our needs. 
Furthermore, the nature, volume and marketing of these products give 
rise to problems which research must help to solve, in particular by 
providing openings for greater diversification and an improvement in 
the quality of the raw materials produced, and in their use by the 
consumer and the industrial networks. Such developments would 
obviously reduce the cost of the common agricultural policy, which 
currently accounts for the lion's share of the Community budget. 
Indeed, closer integration of agricultural and industrial activities, 
2-8 
whi eh has become desirable and possible mainly through developments 
in the new biotechnologies, could lead to favourable developments and 
new openings for the CAP. Among other things, it is now possible to 
transform agricultural products into chemicals, so introducing a new 
flexibility into the use of our resources. 
If agricultural production is to be better matched to the needs of 
consumers and industry, projects based on agricultural land 
management and use of agricultural products must be implemented. 
A. Projects for improved Land use better adapted to the market 
-Development of remote-sensing and computerized soil-management 
techniques in order to achieve the optimum balance, at regional 
level, between various types of crops, grassland, woodland and 
leisure areas. 
Improvement of the agronomic properties of crops, so as to reduce 
the required amount of fertilizer (fixation of atmospheric 
nitrogen) and pesticides in order to cut input costs and damage to 
the environment; improved adaptability of plants to difficult eco­
climatic conditions. 
-Development of crops better matched to the needs of the consumer 
(such as improving the nutritional and organoleptic properties) and 
industry (polysaccharides, oils and fats with special properties, 
molecules with high added value, fibres, etc •• ). 
B. Projects for better use of products 
-Use of starch and sugar as raw materials, under certain market 
conditions, for a wide range of industrial products (organic acids 
and antibiotics). 
2-9 
-Separation, treatment and new uses of milk derivatives. 
-Development of biosensors to verify the quality of food products 
throughout the agri-foodstuffs production chain, in order to 
respond more fully to consumer concern about food quality. 
Agricultural and agri-foodstuffs engineering to improve tools, 
especially through use of advanced monitoring and analytical 
techniques. 
C. Demonstration projects 
-Growing and exploiting industrial products, at farm level, based on 
improved or radically new species, for technical and economic 
evaluation. 
New harvesting and on-farm processing methods, in the spirit of the 
agricultural refineries described by Rexen and Munck(1). 
III. Health Technologies 
The extremely spectacular progress which is now taking place in the 
fields of genetic engineering, cell pathology and scientific 
instrumentation should make it possible to achieve a considerable 
improvement in diagnostic methods (particularly early diagnosis) and, 
as a result, in the rapid treatment of developing diseases or the 
protection of individuals who are especially susceptible to certain 
forms of attack from the environment. 
The contribution of the new technologies to preventive medicine can 
take a wide variety of forms, encompassing basic applications of 
genetic engineering and new developments in the fields of scientific 
instrumentation and medical equipment. 
4) 2-10 
A. Applications of genetic engineering 
Manufacture of effective totally non-virulent vaccines 
It is now possible, by means of gene cloning in bacteria or by the 
total synthesis of polypeptides, to produce antigens (principally 
viral) which possess effective vaccinal properties, and do not 
necessitate the maintenance of expensive cell cultures or entail any 
risk of the spread of living micro-organisms. Foot-and-mouth disease, 
rabies and intestinal corona viruses are examples of serious and 
highly contagious diseases in response to which this manufacturing 
strategy could be made rapidly operational within the Community. 
The production of monoclonal antibodies 
Monoclonal antibodies have the ability to eliminate the chemical 
substances whi eh stimulated their synthesis. They are formed by 
hybridomas (i.e. by laboratory-produced hybrid cells which combine 
the ability of a tumour to reproduce indefinitely with the capacity 
of a normal tissue to synthesize a given antibody). Monoclonal 
antibodies are already used in general serology for the purification 
of macromolecules, cell-and blood-typing and the diagnosis of 
infectious diseases.. A community R&D effort could result in their 
being used in the near future for such purposes as immunization 
against viral or bacterial diseases, the manipulation of immune 
responses, the localization and identification of tumour cells and 
the treatment of auto-immune diseases, and cancers. 
Synthesis of nucleic acid probes 
DNA (or RNA) probes, which reproduce a definite sequence of genetic 
information capable of recognizing the same information and linking 
up with it, offer the medical industries a vast range of 
applications. An enzyme, reverse transcriptase, which enables 
genetic information to be reproduced from its product, has made it 
possible to isolate and clone such information and, as a result, to 
obtain polypeptides Cinsul in-growth hormone, etc •• ) whi eh are of 
enormous interest to the pharmaceutical sector. 
2-11 
As regards preventive medicine, the probe method provides a more 
effective means than antigen variance for the identification of 
certain types of (viral or bacterial) attack to which the organism is 
subject and, as a result, for the classification of the virulence of 
the strains and their particular affinity for a given animal species 
or category of individual. Community research will make it possible 
to exploit the probe method more effectively and to apply it, in 
particular, to the typology of numerous viruses or bacteria which 
epidemiologists require for confirming their diagnoses. 
B. Scientific instruments and medical equipment 
The development of scientific instruments (particularly medical 
electronics) and heavy medical equipment, which is already extremely 
advanced in the United States, can also make an important 
contribution to preventive medicine. This development requires an 
extensive electronics and data-processing infrastructure, whi eh is 
lacking in Europe. Nuclear magnetic resonance Ca technique for the 
selective visualization of organs or the external measurement of 
their metabolism based on their chemical properties rather than their 
opacity to X-rays) provides a good example of a revolutionary 
diagnostic tool mainly developed in Europe (UK) which has been 
exploited on a large scale in the US and Japan. In this field as in 
many others (help for hemiplegics, treatment of deafness and eye 
trouble, patient monitoring, interpretation of radiographs, etc •• ) 
there is a need to combine the considerable breakthroughs made in 
electronics and data processing with the advances achieved in the 
technology applied to the living being. In this instance also the 
scale of the task to be accomplished makes a Community response the 
only viable option. 
In the case of both genetic engineering applications and medical 
instrumentation it appears that Europe's backwardness cannot be 
attributed to a lack of ingenuity on the part of its research workers 
but that it is mainly due to the fragmentation and isolation of their 
activities and the compartmentalization which too frequently 
separates university research from industrial application. The 
critical scale required for breakthroughs in preventive medicine can 
2-12 
only be achieved through a pooling of resources and infrastructures 
in the Member States and Community efforts to ensure that they are 
used in a systematic and rational manner. 
3. NEW MATERIALS 
Materials take pride of place in all technological achievements, 
since they generally constitute a sticking point in technological 
progress. Any nation or group of nations which were to lose mastery 
of this field would find itself in a state of dependence on other 
countries, not only for supplies of the materials themselves, but 
also in terms of the technological achievements made possible by such 
materials. 
The future of such sectors as the motor or aviation industries, the 
success of space programmes, the development of highly sophisticated 
kinematic robots, biotechnologies (using membrane technology, for 
example), and the development of bio-compatible prostheses are all 
dependent on progress in the materials field. 
The failure of materials through fatigue or their deterioration 
through corrosion costs Europe more than 200.000 mi L Lion ECU each 
year. The deve Lopment of new types of po Lymers and of automated 
Large-series production techniques, for example, would enable these 
economic Losses to be reduced considerably. 
The actual production of advanced or new materials is an important 
economic activity. The world market in ceramics, which is currently 
worth more than US$ 400.000 million (of which a 60¾ share is held by 
Japan) should increase to US $ 20.000 million over the next ten 
years. It is also estimated that, by the year 2000, there will be a 
market of several tens of thousand mi L Lion dol Lars in composite 
materials and of between US $ 10.000 million and 20.000 million in 
technical polymers. 
There is a Long-standing tradition of materials development in 
Europe, which still has excellent materials Laboratories and is in no 
way inferior to its overseas competitors in terms of the calibre of 
its research workers. The annual budgets for materials R&D of all 
the Member States put together are simi Lar to those of the United 
States (with a Federal budget of US$ 1.000 million) or Japan (where· 
the MITI's programme on new materials has a budget of US $ 5.400 
million over ten years). And yet, European materials research is 
constantly Losing ground: 
3-2 
-European laboratories have been greatly overtaken in the new 
materials openings that have emerged over the last 20 years; 
-the major avant-garde inventions in the advanced materials field, 
such as amorphous metals, memory alloys, electricity-conducting 
polymers, carbon fibres, etc. have been made in the United States 
and Japan. 
Nevertheless, European researchers publish extensively, but seem to 
take no interest in technological transfer: 
-three out of four patents concerning new materials are filed by 
American or Japanese researchers; 
-hundreds of mill ions of dollars are spent each year either on 
straight imports of new materials or semi-finished products into 
the EEC or on manufacturing licences obtained from American and 
Japanese companies; 
-thousands of jobs are thus lost each year to the European economy. 
This genuine technology gap in the materials field can be attributed 
only to the structural weakness of European research (the Lack of 
coordination, the dispersion of efforts, duplication and the Lack of 
communication between administrations and industry in the Member 
States). 
Europe's innovation deficiency in the advanced materials field is 
naturally echoed by the lack of industrial investment in an area 
involving a degree of risk. 
In order to remedy this situation and create major innovations or 
facilitate emergence of new materials, it is necessary simultaneously 
to pursue two lines of development, namely research aimed at 
constantly improving ~xisting or "advanced" materials and systematic 
broadbased fundamental research. The study of materials has made 
considerable advances in recent years as a result of the completion 
or the progress to project stage of large-scale scientific and 
technical instruments such as particle and radiation sources (see §5 
"Large-scale scientific instruments"). Widespread use of these 
3-3 
instruments on a European level should enable major advances to be 
made in the field of materials. Research work must focus not only on 
improving the properties of materials, but also on production 
processes, utilization techniques (bonding, shaping, etc •• ) and 
testing methods. The categories of materials to be considered are 
sophisticated ceramics, advanced composite materials (metal, fibre, 
etc •• > polymers (of the electricity-conducting type, for example), 
new alloys, and organic molecules or proteins intended for the new 
"biochips". 
In this area, a more specific application could be considered, namely 
chemical or biochemical sensors working· on a model of human 
perceptive organs, which would be likely to have applications both in 
medicine (diabetes, for example) and in industrial process control 
(see §2 "Biotechnologies">. 
In connection with the field of materials a specific action on 
superconductivity could be commenced. This technology is capable of 
numerous applications: in addition to those at the research level 
such as high-energy physics or fusion, more industrial applications 
can be envisaged, in particular in transport (magnetic suspension 
trains) and in the production and transmission of electrical energy 
(alternators, cables). European industry has recognized skill in 
metallurgy, metal fabrication and low temperature sciences and the 
development of cryogenic systems at a competitive cost and of the 
technology and a European production capacity for superconductor 
magnets, on demand, could provide important outlets for such skills. 
A coordinated programme dealing in particular with the development of 
new superconductor materials (for example "A15" alloys and 
niobium/tin) the cryogenic system itself (helium II) and the 
techniques for the production of superconductor magnets capable of 
bringing about significant progress in this field. 
Another specific action in connection with the materials field could 
be the study of an advanced aerospace propulsion system, such as a 
ram-jet engine for hypersonic speeds. The development of such a 
system with hydrogen as the fuel would represent a specific 
scientific and technological challenge for the European scientific 
and industrial community. The combination of work on materials, on 
3-4 
combustion phenomena, on structures and on aerodynamics should ensure 
an independent technological base for Europe, in particular in very 
high speed commercial aviation. Once more the field could become the 
centre of interest if the necessary attention were given both to the 
problems of the market and to the constraints connected with the 
protection of the environment. It is clear that the European 
aerospace industry is not itself capable of financing such a high 
risk, long term project. 
4-1 
4. LASERS AND OPTICS 
For centuries Europe had the monopoly of the development in optics 
-both its theoretical development and the development of instruments 
and components. However, over the most recent decades Europe has lost 
this monopoly: many important developments and new applications have 
been realized, mainly in the USA and to a certain extent in Japan. 
But in certain sectors European industry is still exporting more than 
it imports. The generally high level of training in optics and 
connected fields coupled with the growing laser industry and the many 
potential applications represent a valuable starting point for 
large-scale Community action aimed at facing up to foreign 
competition and winning back some of the lost ground. 
R&D aimed at the development of optics and, in particular,. lasers 
could improve the competitiveness of a large number of economic 
activities by improving conventional technology and introducing new 
techniques. Some of these possibilities and certain R&D topics are 
described below. 
Industrial lasers (basically Co2 and Nd. Yag) for metalworking 
(drilling, cutting, welding, deburring, surface treatment) currently 
cost 50 to 200 dollars per Watt. Complete systems represent an 
investment of anything from 100 000 to 1 million dollars. Although 
the number of industrial lasers is increasing -in particular because 
laser working offers a degree of accuracy and a flexibility 
unequalled by conventional systems, at least for non-metallic 
materials -the cost of these systems must be reduced further and 
higher yields must be obtained as well as better reliability and more 
accuracy. Special solutions must be found for low-absorption metals 
such as gold, silver, copper, brass and aluminium. 
In chemistry, the development of selective laser photochemistry would 
improve the competitiveness of small quantity manufacture. Isotopic 
separation, the treatment of radioactive waste and chemical waste, 
the synthesis of high-value chemical products and pharmaceutical 
products of extremely high purity are other potential applications, 
many of whi eh are a function of the development of lasers in the 
ultra-violet range. 
4-2 
In medicine, the use of lasers is increasing at almost an exponential 
rate and, in certain cases, laser therapy has already shown its 
superiority over conventional techniques. Developments could result 
in fibre optical systems for illumination, imaging and surgery in 
areas of the human body which are difficult to reach. In particular, 
the development of a free-electron laser would seem to be 
particularly suitable for medical applications by reason of its 
comprehensive range of frequencies, its high power density and its 
capacity for dimensional control of the beam and its impulse length. 
New developments in lasers could considerably extend their role in 
fields where they are already well-used, such as telecommunications, 
in the precise and remote measurement of dimension, shapes, speed and 
acceleration, and in non-destructive testing. 
Finally, in the field of energy, and outside the use made in 
thermonuclear research for inertia confinement the development of 
extremely powerful lasers could result in studies in parallel with 
the development of extremely large mirrors for future long di stance 
cable-less electrical energy transmission systems in the 
underdeveloped nations of Africa and South America. 
Many of these applications depend on the development of materials, 
components and techniques such as materials with a refraction index 
gradient; optical materials with high infra-red quality (at 
wavelength of the co2 laser); techniques for cathodic pulverization 
(sputtering) for better surface coating adherence; optical 
manufacturing processes for semiconductors materials ; holographic 
components with special functions, including the creation of 
computer-generated holograms; non-linear optical effect materials for 
the manufacture of optical processors; optical quality plastics; 
production techniques for aspherical elements, etc. 
No doubt the economic impact will be considerable. The added value in 
the optical industry ·(in particular lasers and optical instruments) 
amounted to approximately 2 700 million dollars in the United States 
in 1981. All the market indicators predict considerable growth. The 
market envisaged in the United States for civil lasers should grow 
from US$ 210 mill ion in 1982 to US$ 1 600 mill ion in 1995. It is 
4-3 
estimated that in Japan the market for Lasers, fibres, detectors and 
complete systems will grow from US$ 460 million in 1980 to US$ 65 000 
million in the year 2000. 
Such growth will obviously have effects on employment: in the United 
States, for example, employment in the optical industry grew by about 
. 20¾ in the 1978 to 1982 period. 
Although the examples quoted above are not fully up-to-date and refer 
only to the situation in the United States, it is clear that the 
optical field is one of extremely high technological growth, which is 
capable of improving the quality of life, industrial competitiveness 
and employment. 
Two major projects could be envisaged : 
-the development of a continuous co2_ laser of around 50 kW within 
five years could be undertaken at Community level, the emphasis 
being on problems (cost, reliability, beam transport system, energy 
efficiency and power control, ways of machining reflecting metals 
such as aluminium, gold, copper) in the industrial use of this 
laser for machining and surface treatment of metal and other 
materials. In the future it could also be used for other purposes 
such as energy transmission between the earth and satellites or 
even defence in space. 
-A second line of development could be lasers emitting at short 
wavelengths (far UV or even X-ray). The most promising solution is 
the excimer laser which because of the great variety of the laser 
medium can generate a wide range of wavelengths suitable for 
selective photochemistry isotope separation, synthesis of 
extremely pure pharmaceutical and chemical products, manufacture of 
integrated circuits (lithography, deposition of dielectric films). 
One objective could be to produce a laser emitting 1 kW at a 
wavelength below 200 nm within five years. 
Alongside these specific efforts, research into materials, for 
example for optical elements, windows and the coatings suitable for 
laser wavelengths, production techniques, for example, aspherical 
elements or coatings, and the development of components should be 
actively pursued. 
4-4 
Clearly, the work proposed in both the optical field and, in certain 
cases, the laser field would have spin-off in the field of earth­
observation systems mentioned in point 2.6 above. 
5-1 
5. LARGE-SCALE SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS 
PARTICLE AND RADIATION SOURCES 
Over the last 30 years our knowledge of the ultimate components of 
matter and the forces which link them to each other has made 
considerable progress. This has been made possibi le by the 
implementation of more and more powerful accelerators and collision 
rings. However, the results of research on the unified theory of 
forces, kept as simple as possible and based on a reduced number of 
particles and forces, can only be confirmed by experiments in 
enormous rings several kilometres in diameter. These require funds on 
a scale only achievable at a European level and developed and cross 
fertilized by techniques in all the advanced technological fields 
(materials, superconductor magnets, vacuum technology, etc). 
Also included in this same category of equipment are the large 
synchrotrons intended for the production of intense light beams 
generated by particle acceleration (electrons) under the effect of 
external magnetic fields. The light produced is suitable for many 
applications both in research and industry (the study of surfaces, 
spectrometry, catalysis, difraction, x-ray lithography, etc). 
Large-scale accelerators, like all the other major apparatus managed 
under the auspices of a number of countries, makes a considerable 
contribution to bringing together the scientific community of all the 
participating countries. In addition, the sheer size of these 
projects, as well as the importance and novelty of the discoveries 
they allow helps to regenerate confidence in the destiny of Europe 
and in its capacity to take its proper place in the world by means of 
an increasing joint use of its human and material resources. 
On a more immediate and concrete level, the construction and 
implementation of a major synchrotron light generator would have 
important socio-economic spin-off, in particular with relation to 
industrial applications of this radiation and the multidisciplinary 
nature of such applications, which would make this installation a 
place for the convergence and mutual fertilization of almost all the 
industrial research fields in chemistry (reaction kinetics, 
applications of photochemistry, product analysis, etc), in the field 
5-2 
of materials (study and monitoring of their structure, 
phases in their preparation, their surface properties, 
the field of biotechnology· (structure of complex 
biochemistry, monitoring and analysis of products, etc). 
ADVANCED WIND TUNNELS the various 
etc) and in 
molecules, 
The development of aeronautics requires the use of advanced wind 
tunnels which simulate flight conditions in the subsonic, trans-sonic 
and hypersonic regimes. These installations are indispensable for the 
development of new aircraft and engine units. Having an advanced 
aerodynamics wind tunnel at the European level is a necessary 
condition for Europe's competitive position in the aeronautics field 
to be conserved. In addition, studies should be carried out on 
"numerical wind tunnels" which are in fact three-dimensional 
simulators which require computing power of a Level which should be 
achieved at the beginning of the 1990's. These numerical wind tunnels 
will enable mathematical models to be constructed of the aerodynamic 
flow round complex-geometry obstacles, and this is crucial for the 
development of future highly-integrated propulsion unit and 
structural configurations. Such simulations would enable a 
considerable reduction to be made in the increasing number of hours 
in the wind tunnel which could otherwise rapidly become prohibitive. 
6-1 
6. BROADBAND TELECOMMUNICATIONS 
1. The convergence of telecommunications, data processing and 
audiovisual systems will modify the nature of telecommunications, 
upgrade the use of data-processing equipment (computerized data­
processing) and considerably expand the range of services available 
both to enterprises and individuals. 
Total investment in telecommunications within the Community over the 
next 15 years is estimated at between one half and one million Mecu 
(SOO.ODO -1·.000.000 mill ion ECU). This investment should primari Ly 
cover the replacement of existing switching equipment and 
transmission lines by new products offering greater technical and 
economic advantages. 
These investments and associated services will have a direct impact 
on employment. The establishment of "data motorways" will make 
concrete the development and investment potential of the terminals 
and new services sector and help to stimulate employment based on the 
provision of equipment for the electronics industries and the 
creation of new industrial services. By resolutely progressing as 
regards the "costs and performance" of advanced telecommunications 
services, the Community will become more attractive from the 
standpoint of the introduction of new economic activities or the 
revival of activities. 
Emphasis should therfore be given to the improvement of the quality­
price ratio of telecommunications equipment and services, and to the 
provision of advanced services at acceptable costs to the user. This 
will have a favourable effect on traffic, thereby guaranteeing 
operators satisfactory conditions for the recoupment of their 
investments. 
The development of these sectors will be conditioned by progress made 
in the fields of microelectronics, optoelectronics, and 
communications software. Achievement of such progress will 
necessitate considerable efforts aimed both at the establishment of 
advanced information-transmission infrastructures and also at the 
development of terminal equipment, services and new applications. 
6-2 
2. From the technological standpoint, the evolution of 
telecommunications systems can be said to be dominated, on the one 
hand, by the generalized use of digital rather than analog signals 
and, on the other hand, by the introduction of optical media to 
replace the purely electronic means of transmitting and controlling 
these signals. 
The transitions from electronics to optics offers considerable 
advantages for the different key telecommunications operations : i.e. 
transmission, switching, processing and storage of signals. The 
technology of optical signals transmission is already comparatively 
advanced Cat least in the fibre optics sector), although the other 
functions are still at the preliminary stage of laboratory 
development. 
In theory, optical switching, signals processing and storage should 
be fare more efficient than the corresponding electronics-based 
operations. This is because of the considerable advantage offered by 
light as regards speed, mobility and wavelength compared with 
electrons. A one-centimetre square optical switching system is 
capable of processing 10 million independent light beams and 
switching each in less than 30 picoseconds. In principle, an optical 
processor of the same size could handle three hundred thousand 
gigabits/second, a figure corresponding to the traffic which would be 
generated by a videophone conversation between the two halves of 
humanity. 
In the medium and long-term, optical techniques offer the prospect of 
achieving performance/ cost ratios whi eh will make it possible to 
provide advanced (broadband) telecommunications services at rates 
equivalent to presen-day telephone charges and therefore acceptable 
to the majority of the population. 
3. Execution of the following development projects could be considered : 
6-3 
a. Optical telecommunications processor 
This processor is the central element around which the entire 
optical communications system will be built. Its principal 
functions are : 
-input/output (multiplexing, demultiplexing, signals recognition 
and conversion, signals transmission and reception, etc.) ; 
-switching; 
-control (signal processing, traffic management, systems 
maintenance and monitoring) ; 
-interaction with operators and the environment. 
These operations will be executed/monitored using high-performance 
software backed up by advanced, widely distributed systems 
architectures. 
Estimated resources required 1500 man/years over 10 years. 
b. Miniaturized radiotelephony 
Mobility and accesibility are two of the kew factors in the 
evolution of communications. Ultra-light personal terminals will 
constitute the essential elements of such progress in the context 
of public cellular radio. These developments will call for major 
efforts orientated towards the introduction of : 
-low-power miniature radio transmitter/receivers; 
-high-density cellular radio systems; 
-a flexible frequency and traffic management method. 
Estimated resources required 400 man/years over 5 years. 
4. The initiation of technological development projects with a view to 
the introduction of broadband integrated communications systems meets 
all the distinguishing criteria of _a major European project offering 
widespread economic and social advantages. -It will stimulate 
technological progress in various key areas (particularly 
microelectronics and optoelectronics). It will also give rise to a 
number of applications, enjoy considerable support from industry and 
enable Links to be established with existing programmes (e.g. ESPRIT, 
national programmes such as ALVEY, the French electronics network 
6-4 
programme and the Federal German microelectronics and information and 
communications technology programmes). Lastly, it will contribute to 
the attainment of the Community's regional development objectives and 
to the creation of jobs and the growth of exports. 
7-1 
7. NEW GENERATION TRANSPORT MODES 
The main requirements place on future transport models will be 
safety, environmental protection, speed and energy saving. 
The new information and CIM technologies, together with the 
development of new materials and base technologies, should be able to 
help reconcile these principal needs. 
Speed Clinked with safety and environmental protection) should 
related first and foremost to both supersonic air transport (see the 
section on new materials) and high-speed rail transport. 
The safety, environmental protection and energy-saving aspects would 
be of prime concern to road transport in order drastically to reduce 
the number of collisions, atmospheric pollution and energy 
consumption in the ten years ahead. Significant progress, based on 
new technologies, could also be made in urban transport. 
In the field of road-transport safety and comfort, for ex amp le, a 
priming project should be devoted to the development of a satellite 
assisted navigation system having the advantage, from an industrial 
standpoint, of complexity. This aspect would have a knock-on effect 
on a large number of upstream sectors, since it involves the 
development of digital road maps (high-definition, compact VDU screen 
technologies, the provision of digital radio links with fixed 
receivers, and improvements to signal accuracy (the civilian 
navigation systems currently available are accurate to 100 metres, 
which is inadequate for drivers of road vehicles, even on spacious 
motorways). Moreover, a project of this type would have multiple 
repercussions on other areas of application (management of a fleet of 
transport vehicles, automation of agricultural machinery etc.). A 
project of this type would require 12 months of specification 
definition, two years of parallel feasibility studies covering two or 
three possible options, and three to four years of pre-industrial 
development of the options selected at the end of phase 2. The 
7-2 
definition phase would require 30 man/years. The volume of work in 
the subsequent phases would depend upon the specifications arising 
from Phase 1. 
A second priming project in the field of road safety could examine 
the feasibility of an automated motorway transport system. Its aim, 
which would be wider than its predecessor as regards the financial 
commitments needed and its possible impact, would be the development 
of a full-scale prototype automated motorway. The work involved would 
thus be : 
-system design 
· -the development of devices providing overall control of automated 
vehicle flows 
-the development of access and regulation systems (in the event of 
accidents or unforeseen breakdowns) 
-the development of on-board control units 
-solution of the problems involved in adapting conventional vehicles 
to automated movement conditions. 
Projects of this type are naturally ambitious and costly but, apart 
from the fact that it is possible to derive benefit from the research 
and practical work on the automation of rail and urban transport (in 
which Europe is very advanced), account must be taken of its 
considerable impact on improving safety and the overall efficiency of 
road transport. 
This second project would need to be spread over a longer period of 8 
to 10 years. It would comprise: 
-an 18-month definition phase 
a three-year feasibility phase, in which groups of companies and 
public and private institutions (transport research institutes, 
road-safety agencies, vehicle manufacturers, equipment 
manufacturers etc.) would compete with each other 
-a four to five year experiment under real-life conditions, 
(development and installation of equipment, trials, tests and 
conclusions). 
7-3 
The definition phase would require roughly 200 man/years. Any work 
done in this sector would be greatly attractive both socially and 
politically and would spur technological development. It would thus 
have a positive effect on, in particular, the vehicle and vehicle­
related industries and would help to boost the electronics industry, 
which would also need to become involved. 
8-1 
8. USE OF SPACE 
Brought on by the American military programmes, the accelerated 
development of new detection systems CIR, visible, microwave) 
associated with on-board systems for real-time processing and 
analysis of received signals will be accompanied by increasing 
restrictions on the transfer of technology in what is a highly 
sensitive area. 
Unless Europe accelerates its own development of on-board sensors and 
of processing and analysis systems, it will fall further and further 
behind as far as earth observation is concerned. 
Earth observation techniques provide extremely important data for 
numerous sectors: protection of the environment, climatology, 
meteorology, oceanography, hydrology, agriculture (forecasting of 
harvesting patterns), raw materials (through geology), transport, 
fishing and development aid. 
Not only will such data permit more effective implementation of 
Community policies in all these sectors, but in a sensitive area such 
as agriculture, Europe cannot afford to be without the data that 
would be available to its competitors. 
Space is the ideal setting for transnational research with spin-offs 
in areas of common interest (joint policies) calling for public 
funding, having a mobilizing effect and providing opportunities for 
cooperation with non-member states. 
The decisions taken by the European Space Agency in January are 
intended to increase Europe's autonomy as regards space exploitation 
(earth observation, telecommunications, microgravity, space-related 
science and technology) and to maintain independence as regards 
launching systems (Ariane programme). 
In order to develop these techniques at European level, one might 
consider an integrated system of observation and telecommunications 
satellites, making use of those generations of satellite already in 
existence such as SPOT (France) or ERS-1 CESA), and new developments 
8-2 
such as a large man-tended polar earth-observation platform. The 
latter is currently under discussion in the context of Europe's 
participation in the American space station programme. 
Furthermore, apart from their key role in the development of an 
intra-Community wideband communications network, telecommunications 
satellites will be needed to channel data from earth-observation 
satellites to the analysis centres. 
Radioastronomy using long baseline interferometry has been developed 
considerably on earth (e.g. Nan~ay, Cambridge) and has furthered 
exploration of the universe. If an interferometer of this type could 
be put into orbit around the earth, it would be possible to overcome 
certain constraints such as radio noise or the limitations associated 
with basic physical dimensions. It would call for advanced 
techniques for assembling structures in space and highly accurate 
pointing of antennae in orbit. 
By analogy, it is also possible to envisage the sending into orbit of 
an optical interferometer, which would in addition require the 
development of new optical techniques (mirrors and detectors in 
conjunction -see §4 -Lasers and optics). Interferometer techniques 
would certainly involve an element of international cooperation with 
the United States and the Soviet Union in respect of observations. 
Pending an opportunity to take part in the development of a space 
station that should be put into orbit in 1992, Europe has already 
been able, thanks to Spacelab, to carry out experiments on materials 
manufacture in space. From 1988 onwards, it will be able to 
participate in long-term (six-month) space missions using the 
European Retrievable Carrier. Action is proposed in order to provide 
coordination back-up for the industries that might be interested in 
production in space (pharmaceuticals, crystals, biological processes, 
etc.), thus enabling them to acquire greater knowledge of the 
available opportunities. 
Likewise, the aims of a European technological programme are also 
covered by the European space programme. The development of the 
Hermes manned space vehicle, with its different technological 
challenges, should therefore be actively encouraged, together with 
8-3 
any work to further the major political objective that has been set 
of maing Europe fully independent in the manned exploitation of 
space. 
The main aims of action relating to production in space should be 
-to increase industry's knowledge of the utilisation of techniques 
for the manufacture and improvement of products in microgravity and 
hard-vacuum conditions; 
to promote the earliest possible use of production in space through 
pilot experiments that pave the way for industrial-scale 
operations. 
These objectives could be attained through : 
-the overall coordination of a prospective user community; 
-the identification of the candidate industries which have hitherto 
not been associated with the European space programme, but could be 
involved in the new activities that are becoming possible; 
-the classification and, in associ~tion with the competent European 
space authorities, development and implantation of typi ea l pi lot 
experiments. 
, A first step would be 
-to convene, in association with the ESA and the space industry, a 
meeting of the prospective user industries, and then draw up an 
indicative work programme that would lead to flight-experience 
opportunities for those industries. 
This could be supplemented by : 
-the publication of a notice aimed at the industries that might be 
interested in experimental opportunities ; the selection of an 
initial list of pilot experiments that could be financed in full ; 
and the establishment of a second list of experiments that could be 
financed on a cost-sharing basis. 
A schedule of costs can be drawn up, ranging between the 
comparatively minor expenses involved in the identification and 
coordination of the industries that might be interested in such 
projects and specific allocations for the typical experiments. In the 
8-4 
latter case, a cost of nearly 50 million ECU can be envisaged. At all 
event, the programme would proceed in phases, the first of which 
would involve approaches to industry, followed by th identification 
and development of the pilot experiments and finally the execution of 
the experiments in orbit. 
9-1 
9. CONQUEST OF THE MARIN ENVIRONMENT AND EXPLORATION OF THE EARTH'S 
CRUST 
MARINE ENVIRONMENT 
Europe, with some 10.000 kilometres of coastline and almost two 
million square kilometres of continental shelf, can play a leading 
role in the conquest of the marine environment and exploit its 
resources provided that it takes a broad view of its action and 
formulates a plan capable of mobilizing its research and development 
capacity to the full. 
The implementation of such a plan requires that considerable 
technical difficulties be overcome. It is from the work involved in 
surmounting these difficulties that technological spin-off can be 
expected. The conquest of the sea implies a challenge, in sectors 
which are already expanding rapidly (electronics, telecommunications 
and robotics), and other areas such as chemistry, biology and 
materials science, metallurgy and very high pressure technology. 
The plan could be an opportunity to increase our basic knowledge, 
establishing a range of new targets, and develop a host of 
technologies which could come up trumps for Europe in the long term. 
The present position of oceanographic science and technology in 
Europe is favourably comparable to that in other nations, in contrast 
to the situation prevailing in other areas of advanced technology 
where our competitors' lead makes for an unequal struggle. Europe 
can assume leadership in this promising field, develop the support 
technologies extensively and benefit from the resulting industrial 
spin-off within a few years, by choosing the exploitation of the 
marine environment as one of Europe's elements of technological 
ambition: and all this without excluding any other strategic 
applications. 
A major objective would be to develop the capability for sustained 
physical presence of man in the seas and on the ocean floor. 
9-2 
A key element of the enterprise can be found in the design and 
construction of modular self-propelled vessels for use as shelters, 
for deep-water exploration and for work with the intention of 
developing accommodation capacities and diving depth in stages. 
Two fields of application from which European industry could benefit 
extensively are deep drilling and robot machine development deep 
drilling for geological exploration and the exploitation of gas and 
oil resources; development of robot machines for various tasks such 
as exploration for and exploitation of resources on the sea-bed or 
just below it or the inspection and maintenance of drilling 
equipment, pipelines and cables. 
This stage of the analysis will be confined to technologies 
possessing the greatest potential for applications and growth, those 
most suitable for reinforcing existing skills or for plugging 
technological gaps, which, although in themselves representing a 
substantial turnover, constitute an essential condition for the 
existence of much greater turnovers downstream and are hence of a 
special strategic nature. 
STUDY OF THE EARTH'S CONTINENTAL CRUST 
For some years earth science specialists have been aware of the 
paradox that while great advances have been made since 1968 in 
knowledge of the oceanic crust as a result of the Deep Sea Drilling 
Project, relatively little is known as yet about the earth's 
continental crust. 
What results can be expected from programmes to survey the 
continental crust ? Essentially, a better knowledge of structures, 
materials and fluids and a number of longer-term practical benefits. 
More specifically: 
1. From a scientific point of view they will provide more information 
on : 
-the structure and composition of basement rock, deep sedimentary 
basins and fold systems; 
9-3 
the nature and geometry of major intracrustal discontinuities 
(large-scale thrust faults); 
-the nature and depth of the Mohorovicic discontinuity between 
the crust and the mantle within the Lithosphere; 
-the physical properties of rocks; distribution and effects of 
stresses at depth; 
-the study of fluid phases, their origin and circulation and 
their role in petrogenic and dynamic processes. 
2. The practical benefits will be in the fields of: 
-metallogenics and mineral deposits; development of magma systems 
(granitic domes), hydrothermalism at depth, monitoring the 
structure of mineral concentrations; 
-geothermal energy, hydrocarbon prospecting (deep basins), .. , 
-earthquake mechanisms and earthquake prevention; 
-storage of nuclear waste; 
-design and manufacture of drilling equipment suited to the 
extreme conditions encountered in deep drilling. 
Existing Programmes 
1. Major national reflection shooting programmes : DEKORP in the 
Federal Republic of Germany, ECORS in France, BIRPS in the United 
Kingdom, COCORP in the U.S.A., and so on. The aim of these 
programmes is to identify structures up to depths of around 50 km. 
Some bilateral cooperation exists. 
The international European Geotraverse programme, implemented 
under the auspices of the European Science Foundation, pursues 
similar objectives. 
2. Deep borehole programmes : 
-"ultra-deep" boreholes · (10 to 15 km) 
drilling project in the Appalachians 
project in the Federal Republic; Ko La in the USSR, a 
(U.S.A.) and the KTB 
-medium-depth boreholes (1 to 5 km) deep geology programme in 
France, which actually started up during Last Winter, and 
boreholes of a similar depth in the West of the U.S.A •• 
9-4 
These boreholes can provide samples for direct analysis as well as an 
opportunity for all kinds of in situ geological and geochemical 
measurements in the boreholes. They are proving essential as a means 
of verifying and clarifying the information obtained from large-scale 
seismic profiling Can example being the Kola drilling project, where 
the initial assumptions were proved wrong). 
International Cooperation: Aims and Prospects 
Although promoters of the various programmes listed above have 
contacts with each other, genuine international cooperation -which 
is advocated by most specialists -has yet to materialize. Potential 
subjects for such cooperation would include: 
-joint studies of deep structures involving two or more countries; 
-development of methods and instruments for geophysical, geochemical 
and hydrological measurements and for drilling boreholes; 
-making samples from deep boreholes available to European 
laboratories; 
-setting up of proper permanent laboratories for the study of the 
earth's crust <"crust labs" on the lines of the "space labs"). 
The potential benefits of cooperation in these fields are 
considerable. In addition to the anticipated scientific, technical 
and economic spin-offs, it can also provide an opportunity for in­
depth dialogue between specialists (such as geologists and 
geophysicists), who up to now have had few such opportunities. 
10-1 
10. EDUCATION AND TRAINING TECHNOLOGY 
If it is to remain in control of its economic and political future, 
the Community must re-think and step up its efforts in the field of 
education and training. In order to compensate for the limited 
natural resources (energy, minerals) in Europe, one must develop 
human and technological resources. Although in their various forms 
the latter account for almost 7% of the Member States' GNP, the 
demand is increasing and is being met only in part at present. Not 
only is the range of knowledge and specialists increasing constantly, 
but in numerous sectors the demand for specialists is growing all the 
time. 
Consequently, there is now demand for: 
a greater variety of courses in order to meet specialized and 
interdisciplinary requirements, 
-better access to sducation and training, making them available, for 
example, when and where they are required and not only at certain 
stages in an individual's life and in specific places, 
-better adaptation to pupils' specific needs. 
It is important to meet these needs in order to improve educational 
and training performance in the traditional sense, but it is also 
essential to do so in order to meet the growing demand for continuing 
education and training among the active population. The mismatch 
between requirements and available capacity is one of the causes of 
the structural unemployment that is emerging during this period of 
technological development. 
The traditional approaches to education and training have made it 
difficult to remedy t~e mismatch. However, progress in the fields of 
information and telecommunications technology offers the opportunity 
of adopting a fresh approach, characterized by greater flexibility 
and more accessible and improved economic conditions. 
10-2 
This area is generally known as education technology. It will not be 
sufficient, however, to combine data-processing, telecommunications 
and .television to broadcast the type of programmes covered at 
present, for example, by the Open University of U.K. The development 
of education will make it possible to realize completely the 
potential offered by the new technologies and will call for very 
great efforts to be made over a long period. 
The proposed type of education should enable all levels of personnel 
to be suited to the changing needs within their organisations and 
environments in such a way that relevant education would become an 
integral and coherent part of professional activities. 
The technological input required to develop the necessary educational 
instruments and equipment would be free of any specific cultural 
associations and could be largely independent of language and 
discipline. 
Education-related projects would meet important social and economic 
needs, stimulate research and technological development in large 
sectors and help to increase the number of skilled workers available 
on the labour market. The resulting products and services: 
-would offer opportunities for exporting equipment and software, 
-would stimulate job creation in industry and the service sector, 
-would offer fresh opportunities in relation to the educational 
requirements of the developing countries. 
In this field, one mobilizing project should be devoted to the 
development of European learning capacities for the benefit of 
advanced technologies. This project should involve in particular: 
-the development of information tools and computer languages 
specifically for educational purposes; 
-the development of microknowledge models; 
-the development of artificial intelligence techniques for education 
and training; 
-the development of sub-function integrated circuits. 
10-3 
The introduction of such a project would require between five and 
seven years and a research and development investment the equivalent 
of 500 man/years over the time-span of the project.