No C 142/4 Official Journal of the European Communities 29. 5. 84 
II 
(Preparatory Acts) 
COMMISSION 
Proposal for a Council Decision adopting a plan to stimulate European cooperation and 
scientific interchange (1985 to 1988) 
COM(84) 21JJ final 
(Submitted by the Commission to the Council on 16 April 1984) 
(84/C 142/05) 
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN 
COMMUNITIES, 
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the 
European Economic Community, and in particular 
Article 235 thereof, 
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission, 
Having regard to the opinion of the European 
Parliament, 
Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and 
Social Committee, 
Whereas Article 2 of the Treaty assigns to the 
Community the task inter alia of promoting 
throughout the Community a harmonious 
development of economic activities, a continuous and 
balanced expansion and an accelerated raising of the 
standard of living; the activity to be performed to this 
end by the Community is set out in Article 3 of the 
Treaty; 
Whereas, by its resolution of 14 January 1974 dealing 
with the coordination of national policies and the 
definition of activities with Community interest in the 
field of science and technology ('), the Council 
entrusted the Commission with the task of defining 
activities of Community interest and selecting the 
approaches and methods appropriate to the 
implementation of these activities; 
Whereas the Council took a decision on 28 June 
1983 (2) adopting an experimental Community action 
to stimulate the efficacy of the European Economic 
Commnity's scientific and technical potential, and, on 
28 February 1984, requested the Commission to put 
forward a proposal dealing with a stimulation plan 
for the years 1985 to 1988; 
O OJNoC7, 29. 1. 1974, p. 2. 
O OJ No L 181, 6. 7. 1983, p. 20. Whereas, by its resolution of 25 July 1983 dealing 
with the first framework programme for the 
Community's research, development and 
demonstrtion activities, the Council approved the goal 
of 'improving the efficacy of the Community's 
scientific and technical potential'; 
Whereas the Treaty establishing the European 
Economic Community does not provide the necessary 
powers for these purposes; 
Whereas the Scientific and Technical Research 
Committee (Crest) has given an opinion on this 
matter, 
HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS: 
Article 1 
A plan to stimulate scientific and technical 
cooperation and interchange within the European 
Economic Community, known hereinafter as 'the 
stimulation plan' and as set out in the Annex, is 
hereby adopted for a four-year period commencing 
on 1 January 1985. 
The stimulation plan shall consist of two phases. The 
first phase will last from 1 January 1985 until the 
review provided for in Article 5, and the second phase 
will start at the review and end on 31 December 
1988. 
Article 2 
The stimulation plan consists of a range of activities 
which have as their aim the establishment of a 
network of scientific and technical cooperation and 
interchange at European level, which will gradually 
be extended. 
It covers all fields of science and technology — both 
exact and natural sciences. However, in choosing 
activities to be supported, particular attention shall be 
given to the areas of science set out in the Annex. 
29. 5. 84 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 142/5 
Article 3 
The current estimate of the amount needed to 
implement the stimulation plan is 40 million ECU, 
this funding to include finance for the incentive 
measures set out in Article 4 and the complementary 
measures set out in the Annex, as well as expenditure 
relating to staff — 12 officials — which shall not 
exceed 4,5 % of the overall funding for the stimu­
lation plan. 
The total amount and the personnel needed to carry 
out the plan shall be re-assessed at the plan review 
stage provided for in Article 5. 
Article 4 
The Commission shall undertake the implementation 
of the stimulation plan by means of research grants, 
contracts encouraging the twinning of laboratories 
and operations contracts. 
It shall be assisted by the Committee for the 
European Development of Science and Technology 
(Codest) set up under Decision 82/835/EEC (*), as 
well as by consultants. 
Article 5 
The stimulation plan shall be reviewed during the 
second year according to appropriate procedures, 
after consulting the Committee named in Article 4. 
The review decision shall be taken no later than 
31 December 1986. 
Article 6 
The Commission shall negotiate and conclude the 
contracts needed to implement the selected projects. 
To this end it shall draw up model contracts showing the rights and obligations of each party, particularly 
the methods of disseminating, protecting and 
exploiting the research results and of making any 
reimbursement that may be necessary of the funding 
given. 
Regulation (EEC) No 2380/74 of 17 September 
1974 (2) shall apply with the exception of the 
Commission's right to issue sub-licences in cases 
where there is a refusal to exploit the results of 
shared cost research by the contractor concerned. 
Article 7 
The Commission shall be responsible for the 
definition and, following consultation with Crest, the 
implementation of complementary measures to 
accompany the stimulation plan as set out in the 
Annex, measures appropriate to encourage the 
mobility and interchange of researchers within the 
Community. 
Article 8 
The Commission shall be responsible, following 
consultation with the sectoral management and 
coordination consultative committees (CGCs) and the 
scientific and Technical Research Committee, for 
defining the range of measures to be implemented in 
the context of sectoral programmes, to encourage 
mobility and training as well as the percentage of 
financial resources to be alocated to these specific 
measures. 
Article 9 
1. In accordance with Article 228 of the Treaty, 
the Communtiy may conclude agreements with 
European non-member States, with a view to their 
being associated with this stimulation plan. 
2. The Commission is authorized to negotiate the 
agreements cited in paragraph 1. 
0) OJ No L 350, 10. 12. 1982, p. 45. O OJ No L 255, 20. 9. 1974, p. 1. 
No C 142/6 Official Journal of the European Communities 29. 5. 84 
ANNEX 
1. The stimulation plan is defined as a range of measures to aid the mobility of researchers, 
communication among scientists and the development of cooperation in the field of research and 
development, in the Community. 
These are, therefore, support measures directed at research workers, teams or research and 
development organizations to make possible: 
— transfers of researchers (whether novice or experienced) from one country to another within 
the Community, 
— the bringing together of expertise which is geographically separated in the Community so 
that joint projects may be undertaken, 
— strengthening communication and information exchange within the European scientific and 
technical system. 
2. Measures to stimulate interchange and cooperation apply to all fields covered by the exact and 
natural sciences; the following fields will be given particular attention: 
— chemistry: particularly 'synthetic chemistry', 'composite materials' and 'monomer chemistry', 
— 'biocommunication', 
— earth sciences: all aspects relating to structures and materials, 
— optics: particularly research involving integrated optics, 
— mathematics and information technology, 
— oceanography: marine sciences, ~y' 
— surface chemistry and physics: principally catalysis, intersurface exchanges, adhesion, 
— scientific instrumentation. 
3. In the field in which support will be granted, multinational projects concerned by Community 
assistance measures shall be chosen on the basis of their quality, the extent to which they are 
multidisciplinary in content, their innovative aspects and their value in terms of breaking down 
barriers between different forms of R&D. 
4. The stimulation plan shall be implemented by making use of: 
— multisectoral incentive measures: laboratory twinnings, operations, research grants these 
actions imply, and will be supported by, a European network of research centres, 
— contextual measures to encourage the mobility of scientists: examination of the feasibility of a 
researchers travel voucher, the organization of concertation meetings between Member States 
to organize a career endorsement for researchers who have worked abroad, an attempt to 
establish an inventory of national capacities for exchange and cooperation. 
5. The choice of stimulation incentive measures and the teams concerned shall be made by the 
Commission which, with the help of the Committee for the European Development of Science 
and Technology (Codest), will make use of a peer review system. The Commission shall see to it 
that there is consistency between stimulation activities and programmed R&D activities. 
The contextual and sectoral measures will be specified after consulting Crest, and shall be 
implemented following a favourable opinion from that Commitee. 
6. The Commission shall at the same time undertake a series of consultations, surveys and seminars 
with the cooperation of Community scientific and technical circles in order to analyze and 
evaluate scientific and technical needs and opportunities, with the aim of providing more detail 
to the content of the stimulation plans.