WRITTEN QUESTION E-2419/99

by Salvador Garriga Polledo (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(16 December 1999)

Subject: Winning the technical innovation battle

The need to win the technical innovation battle in all sectors of European industry is a challenge no less crucial to the future of the Union than those of monetary union and the common security policy.

The first hurdle is to convince all those concerned, including the general public, that the Union as a whole will suffer a grave defeat if Europe fails to win a leading position in technological innovation.

How does the Commission intend to alert public opinion to the crucial need to win the technological innovation battle?

Answer given by Mr Liikanen on behalf of the Commission

(24 January 2000)

The Commission agrees upon the importance of innovation in boosting economic growth and promoting the development of all industrial sectors in a changing world. Innovation opens up new sectors of economic and social activity. It continuously redefines the markets, bringing about new products and processes to foster the competitiveness of enterprises.

Innovation is not just an economic mechanism or a technical process. It is also, as outlined by the Honourable Member, a social phenomenon. Through it, individuals and societies express their creativity, needs and desires. Innovation is therefore intimately connected to the social conditions in which it is produced.

An informed public debate on the importance of innovation for our societies, in particular to enterprises, is essential. The policy debate on innovation launched by the Commission, starting with the white paper on growth, competitiveness, employment, with the green paper on innovation(1) and subsequently the Action plan on innovation(2) already recommends promoting public recognition of the benefits of innovation. The Commission will continue to pursue an innovation-inspired enterprise policy and take new actions.

For public awareness campaigns on innovation, there is no better guidance than the principle of subsidiarity. There are many initiatives and successes at national and regional level in this field. The exchange of experience between initiatives taken at national level needs to be stimulated and also, where appropriate, the linking of networks at European level of successful ventures, if this helps with their dissemination and improvement. The Commission, especially in the framework of the various specific programmes of the 5th framework programme on Research and development (R+D) (1998-2002), has foreseen the appropriate mechanisms for stimulating such actions aimed at raising public awareness. These activities include the organisation of European prizes such as the Descartes and Archimedes prizes(3) , international conferences, various publications, as well as the use of advanced information and communication tools (Internet sites) by Internet and CD-ROM/DVD based information services on research projects and activities, for example CORDIS(4), Prosoma(5), and others.

Such activities (implemented through calls for tender, calls for proposals for projects and accompanying measures) help identify and give public recognition and visibility to outstanding technological results, which are relevant to the advancement of science and innovation in Europe.

(1) COM(95) 688 final.

(2) COM(96) 589 final.

(3) Call for proposals for indirect research, technological development (RTD) actions under the specific programme for RTD and demonstration on improving the human research potential and the socio-economic knowledge base. Distinctions for high-level research work. OJ C 344, 1.12.1999.

(4) http:/www.cordis.lu/.

(5) http//www.prosoma.lu/.