Communication from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament, the Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions - Towards a European research area
Date: 2000-01-18
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EU research policy, EU statistics, research programme, scientific cooperation

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES

Brussels, 18.1.2000
COM(2000) 6 final

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL, THE
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND
THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS

Towards a European research area

TABLE OF CONTENTS

SITUATION AND OBJECTIVES

1. Research in Europe...................................................................................................... 4

2. Better investment in knowledge ................................................................................... 5

3. Public research effort ................................................................................................... 6

4. Private investment ....................................................................................................... 6

5. Organisation of research in Europe .............................................................................. 7

6. A real european policy: towards a European research area ........................................... 7

A EUROPEAN RESEARCH AREA

1. A stock of material resources and facilities optimised at the European level............... 10

1.1. Networking of centres of excellence and creation of virtual centres ......................... 10

1.2. Defining a European approach to research facilities................................................. 10

1.3. Better use of the potential offered by electronic networks ........................................ 11

2. More coherent use of public instruments and resources.............................................. 12

2.1. More co-ordinated implementation of national and European research programmes 12

2.2.Closer relations between scientific and technological cooperation organisations in Europe 12

3. More dynamic private investment .............................................................................. 13

3.1. Better use of instruments of indirect aid to research ................................................. 13

3.2. Development of effective tools to protect intellectual property................................. 13

3.3. Encouragement of the creation of companies and risk capital investment................. 14

4. A common system of scientific and technical reference for policy implementation .... 14

4.1. Developing the research needed for political decision.............................................. 14

4.2. Establishment of a common system of scientific and technical reference ................. 15

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5. More abundant and more mobile human resources..................................................... 16

5.1. Greater mobility of researchers in Europe................................................................ 16

5.2. Introduction of a European dimension into scientific careers.................................... 16

5.3. Greater place and role for women in research........................................................... 17

5.4. Giving the young a taste for research and careers in science..................................... 17

6. A dynamic European landscape, open and attractive to researchers and investment.... 18

6.1. More of a role for the regions in the European research effort.................................. 18

6.2. Integration of the scientific communities of western and eastern Europe.................. 18

6.3. Making Europe attractive to researchers from the rest of the world .......................... 19

7. An area of shared values ............................................................................................ 20

7.1. Tackling the questions of science and society in their European dimension.............. 20

7.2. Development of a shared vision of the ethical issues of science and technology....... 20

CONDITIONS FOR ACTION

1. Courses and means of action...................................................................................... 22

2. Need for a broad-based debate ................................................................................... 23

3. The next stages .......................................................................................................... 24

ANNEX I............................................................................................................................. 26

ANNEX II ........................................................................................................................... 29

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COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL, THE
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND
THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS

Towards a European research area

SITUATION AND OBJECTIVES

1.

RESEARCH IN EUROPE

Even more so than the century that has just finished the XXIst century we are now entering
will be the century of science and technology. More than ever, investing in research and
technological development offers the most promise for the future.

In Europe, however, the situation concerning research is worrying. Without concerted action
to rectify this the current trend could lead to a loss of growth and competitiveness in an
increasingly global economy. The leeway to be made up on the other technological powers in
the world will grow still further. And Europe might not successfully achieve the transition to a
knowledge-based economy.

Why such a negative picture?1

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The average research effort in the Union (the differences being significant from one
country to another) is currently only 1.8% of Europe’s GDP, as against 2.8% in the
United States and 2.9% in Japan.2

What is more, this gap seems to be on the increase. The difference between total
public and private expenditure on research in the US and Europe amounted to some
EUR 60 billion in 1998, as against 12 billion in 1992.3

In terms of employment researchers account for only 2.5 in every thousand of the
industrial workforce in Europe, as against 6.7‰ in the United States and 6‰ in
Japan.

The trade balance in high tech products has thus shown a deficit of EUR 20 billion
per year in Europe over the past ten years, and this deficit seems to be increasing.

The number of degree-level European students in the United States is twice as high
as the number of American students at that level in Europe,4 and 50% of Europeans
studying for a doctorate in the United States stay there for long periods, sometimes
for ever.

The figures given in this Communication are illustrated and completed in the tables and graphs in
Annex II.
Research DG/Eurostat estimate for 1998.
Research DG estimate based on Eurostat and OECD data.
Second European report on scientific and technological indicators, 1997.

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However, research and technology account for 25 to 50% of economic growth and
have a strong influence on competitiveness and employment and the quality of life of
Europeans.

If technological progress creates the jobs of tomorrow, it is research which creates
the jobs of the day after tomorrow. The current trends in research could therefore
have a negative influence on the development of employment in Europe in the years
ahead.

Europe is not only investing less and less of its richness in progress in knowledge, the image
that Europeans have of science is also less positive than it was. Scientific progress seems to
inspire as much anguish as hope, and the gap between the scientific world and the people at
large is growing.

Yet Europe produces a third of the world's scientific knowledge. It is in the forefront in areas
such as medical research and chemistry. And it has had notable success stories in technology,
in sectors such as aeronautics and telecommunications. This potential must be maintained,
increased and fully exploited.

It is time therefore for an in-depth debate to define a policy approach in order to reinvigorate
research in Europe.

2.

BETTER INVESTMENT IN KNOWLEDGE

In the final years of the XXth century we entered a knowledge-based society. Economic and
social development will depend essentially on knowledge in its different forms, on the
production, acquisition and use of knowledge.

Scientific research and technological development more particularly are at the heart of what
makes society tick. More and more, activities undertaken in this domain are for the express
purpose of meeting a social demand and satisfying social needs, especially in connection with
the evolution of work and the emergence of new ways of life and activities.

By creating new products, processes and markets research and technology provide one of the
principal driving forces of economic growth, competitiveness and employment. They are the
best way of modernising European companies, which Europe must do to improve its
competitive position. In overall terms, both directly and indirectly, they help to maintain and
develop employment. By way of example:

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Just the European market in products arising out of biotechnology, which at present
amounts to around EUR 60 billion per year, should expand to EUR 250 billion over
the next five years.

A good many of the two million jobs that have been created each year in the United
States since 1991 have been in high tech sectors, particularly in SMEs with high
growth potential

is

in industries with high research and development

It
such as
pharmaceuticals, aeronautics or biology, that jobs have been best maintained and
even increased.

intensity,

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And it is in the European regions where the business research effort is at its greatest
that the lowest unemployment rates tend to be found.

The European Council has stressed on several occasions in recent years the importance of
sustained research and technological development for growth and employment. It will look
in Lisbon in March entitled
further into this issue at
"Employment, economic reform and social cohesion - Towards a Europe of innovation and
knowledge". The European Parliament, for its part, has often drawn attention to the need for
Europe to increase investment in science and technology.

the Special European Council

3.

PUBLIC RESEARCH EFFORT

Research plays a central role in the implementation of public policy and is also at the heart of
the policy-making process. In areas such as health, sustainable development or industrial,
food and nuclear safety, policy options and decisions must be based on more solid scientific
knowledge and a full and proper understanding of the economic and social aspects
surrounding the problems in question.

Basic research is now carried out in various institutional frameworks: universities, research
institutes, companies and consortia of each. In some cases it can be translated fairly rapidly
into concrete applications. This has been the case, for example, with breakthroughs in
molecular biology and immunology in the field of health. It can also give rise to unexpected
applications years later in fields somewhat removed from the ones they started out in .

In the United States the major basic research agencies have kept up and even increased their
research effort in recent years. And Japan, eager to make up the leeway, has constantly
increased its efforts in this area . Europe would be quite wrong to reduce its investment in this
area. Science is after all and always has been one of the biggest and most exciting adventures
of the human spirit. It is the product of a creativity which must not disappear in the Europe of
the 21st century.

4.

PRIVATE INVESTMENT

The private sector finances more than half and carries out two thirds of Europe’s research and
technological development activities. Private investment
in
Europe, which had dipped, has picked up again in recent years. Investment by international
and multinational concerns in Europe has maintained at a high level and even increased.
Because of the globalisation of the economy, together with the industrial and technological
alliances and mergers and acquisitions that are mushrooming in every sector, these companies
are developing research and development strategies on an international scale. For some of the
private sector research is thus increasingly at European and even world level.

in research and development

That said, the global increase in expenditure on research and development in the private sector
is less than it has been amongst its main competitors in the United States and Asia. Basically,
this due to the somewhat limited research effort of medium sized businesses and small
enterprises. In Europe the latter are made up essentially of companies that do or could use
technology and whose future depends on the development of their technological capacities.
But only a limited number of small businesses are exploiting the potential of high technology,
and the creation of companies commercialising the results of research and development is still
on the low side in Europe.

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On the other hand, the European financial market has not yet sufficiently discovered the
economic value of investment in knowledge. While it has now started to increase, the volume
of risk capital being channelled into innovation is still limited in Europe. Investment of this
type of capital in high tech sectors and in the creation of companies is much lower than in the
United States. By and large, the climate for private investment into research in Europe needs
to be improved.

5.

ORGANISATION OF RESEARCH IN EUROPE

The Treaty provides the European Union with a legal basis for measures to help to support
European cooperation in research and technological development.

However, the principal reference framework for research activities in Europe is national.
Funding of the various initiatives of European, Community or intergovernmental scientific
and technological cooperation does not exceed 17% of the total public expenditure on
European research.

instrument used so far

The principal
in Europe is the European Union’s framework
programme for research. In financial terms, however, it accounts for only about 5.4% of the
total public effort. While it is a useful instrument for promoting international cooperation, it
alone does not able the achievement of a better organisation of the European research effort.

Above the European research effort as it stands today is no more than the simple addition of
isolation and
the efforts of the 15 Member States and the Union. This fragmentation,
compartmentalisation of national research efforts and systems and the disparity of regulatory
and administrative systems only serve to compound the impact of lower global investment in
knowledge.

Decompartmentalisation and better integration of Europe’s scientific and technological area is
an indispensable condition for invogorating research in Europe. We need to go beyond the
current static structure of “15+1” towards a more dynamic configuration. This has to be based
on a more coherent approach involving measures taken at different levels: by the Member
States at national level, by the European Union with the framework programme and other
possible instruments, and by intergovernmental cooperation organisations. A configuration of
this kind would make for the essential “critical mass” in the major areas of progress in
knowledge, in particular to achieve economies of scale, to allocate resources better overall,
and to reduce negative externalities due to insufficient mobility of factors and poor
information for operators.

The European market of supply and demand in knowledge and technology still remains
largely to be created. For it to develop and function a real European research policy needs to
be defined.

6.

A REAL EUROPEAN POLICY: TOWARDS A EUROPEAN RESEARCH AREA

It cannot be said that there is today a European policy on research. National research policies
and Union policy overlap without forming a coherent whole. If more progress is to be made a
broader approach is needed than the one adopted to date. The forthcoming enlargement of the
Union will only increase this need. It opens the prospect of a Europe of 25 or 30 countries
which will not be able to operate with the methods used so far.

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This issue was at the centre of the informal meeting of research ministers of 20 May 1999,
which provided the opportunity for a discussion on the subject with experts from the scientific
community. This interest was confirmed at the Research Council of 2 December 1999. The
European Parliament, for its part, has, for several years, has been looking increasingly at the
problem of what shape to give to the Union’s research effort.

The aim of this communication is to look at how to progress towards a better organisation of
research in Europe and to put forward suggestions for consideration and debate. The idea is to
create a European research area. This is not a new idea, but the conditions required to
progress towards achieving this now seem to be in place.

How should this idea of a European research area be defined? It should embrace in particular
the following aspects:

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Networking of existing centres of excellence in Europe and the creation of virtual
centres through the use of new interactive communication tools.

A common approach to the needs and means of financing large research facilities in
Europe.

More coherent implementation of national and European research activities and
closer relations between the various organisations of scientific and technological
cooperation in Europe.

Better use of instruments and resources to encourage investment in research and
innovation: systems of indirect aid (within the Community rules on State aid),
patents, risk capital.

Establishment of a common system of scientific and technical reference for the
implementation of policies.

More abundant and more mobile human resources:

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Greater mobility of researchers and introduction of a European dimension to
scientific careers.

More prominence to the place and role of women in research.

Stimulating young people’s taste for research and careers in science.

Greater European cohesion in research based on the best experiences of knowledge
transfer at regional and local levels and on the role of the regions in the European
research efforts.

Bringing together the scientific communities, companies and researchers of Western
and Eastern Europe.

Improving the attraction of Europe for researchers from the rest of the world.

Promotion of common social and ethical values in scientific and technological
matters.

Issues that have so far not been properly tackled should be re-examined. The question of
launching “variable geometry” programmes and actions at European level, for example, and

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the shape that these should take comes into sharper focus once more with the prospect of a
Europe soon to be enlarged to 25 or 30 countries. The possibilities in this area within the
Treaty should be looked at once more.

such as

In the same way, the question of “dual use research” needs to be looked at more deeply. In
and
advanced materials or
areas
communications, numerous research projects can give rise to applications in both the civil and
the defence sector.

information technologies

aeronautics,

In its two communications on the defence industry in 1996 and 1997,5 the Commission
underlined the possibility of maximising the synergy between these two sectors and the need
to improve complementarity between the programmes undertaken in Europe in this field. The
progress achieved following the European Council in Cologne towards a Common Foreign
and Security Policy (CFSP) puts this matter in a new light and calls for an in-depth debate on
the subject.

Essentially, the non-existence of a European research area is due to the compartmentalisation
of public research systems and to the lack of coordination in the manner in which national and
European research policies are implemented. Much needs to be done in this area, without,
however, putting unwieldy mechanisms in place. At the same time the barriers must be lifted
between different disciplines, along with the barriers that curb the movement of knowledge
and persons between the academic and the business worlds.

Even if most of the measures need to be taken by the public authorities, the measures
proposed will have an impact on the whole research system (public and private). Centres of
excellence will produce knowledge that can be used by companies, which are also among the
users of research facilities. And improved systems of indirect support for research and
innovation also concern the private sector.

5

COM(96)10 and COM(97)583.

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A EUROPEAN RESEARCH AREA6

1.

A STOCK OF MATERIAL RESOURCES AND FACILITIES OPTIMISED AT THE EUROPEAN
LEVEL

1.1.

Networking of centres of excellence and creation of virtual centres

World class centres of excellence exist in practically all areas and disciplines in Europe. Their
exact specialities, however, are not always sufficiently well known outside the frontiers of the
country in which they are established, especially by companies, which could usefully join
forces with them. One of the criteria generally used to define the centres of excellence is their
capacity to produce knowledge that can be used for industrial purposes.

Many problems of basic and applied research also need both a critical mass of financial and
human resources and the combination of complementary expertise from specialists in other
domains.

Mapping of European centres of excellence would make for better transparency in this
area. A very high level of performance could also be achieved by the networking of
specialist centres throughout the countries of the Union. The forms of teleworking which
electronic networks permit make it possible to create real “virtual centres of excellence”, in
particular multidisciplinary and involving universities and companies.

To promote excellence, however,
level of
competition between private and public research operators. Schemes to finance centres of
excellence on the basis of competition have been put in place in several Member States.
This formula could be applied to the European level, with collaboration between the
Commission and the Member States.

is also necessary to ensure a sufficient

it

1.2.

Defining a European approach to research infrastructures

Research infrastructures play a central role in the progress and application of knowledge in
for
Europe. Radiation sources, computer centres and databases on molecular biology,
example, are operated increasingly by research teams from the public and private sectors.
Facilities of this kind exist in all the Member States. Construction costs are high, often
beyond the capacities of a single country, as are operating costs. And their potential is not
always maximised.

Large-scale infrastructures have been constructed and are now being operated at European
level. Furthermore, assessment of the need for new facilities is often made in a bilateral or
the European Union, has, for several years, been
multilateral framework. For its part,
operating a programme of support for research infrastructures. So far measures within this
framework have been restricted to providing support for transnational access to facilities, for
the development of new instruments and equipment and for cooperation projects designed to
improve the interoperability of installations and the complementarity of their activities.

What should be done now is to go a step further and develop a European approach to
infrastructures, covering both the creation of new installations, the functioning of existing

6

The list of possible themes for action is contained in Annex I.

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ones and access to them. An analysis of responsibilities (notably financial) on these three
fronts should be made and plans to combine measures and means defined. Following on
from the work carried out by the European Science Foundation (ESF) and the OECD, an
accurate assessment should also be made of the needs to be covered at European level
(including joint services).

A conference on the subject of research facilities in Europe will be organised in Strasbourg
in the second half of the year 2000 by the Commission in conjunction with the European
Science Foundation. This could provide the occasion for putting in place a framework in
which to discuss these issues.

1.3.

Better use of the potential offered by electronic networks

Electronic networks open up every new possibility of work to researchers: virtual
laboratories; remote operation of instruments; quasi-unlimited access to complex databases.
Created for the use of the scientific community, the Internet has also become the medium for
multiple information and communication activities and has given rise to spectacular
commercial developments. The World Wide Web, which was developed by a CERN
researcher to cover the needs of physicists, is now used by tens of millions of people.

To meet the particular needs of research, which are constantly on the increase, specific
networks are necessary. In the United States, broadband, high-speed facilities are now
available to researchers, especially at universities. The recent Internet-2 and Next Generation
Internet (NGI) initiatives launched in partnership by the scientific community, the public
authorities and the private sector in the United States should increase these capacities even
further.

To reduce the disparities in Europe in this area the Union is supporting an interconnection
project of national telematics networks at progressively larger capacity levels: 34 Mbits/s,
155 Mbits/s now, and soon 622 Mbits/s, the ultimate objective being to achieve the order of
magnitude of Gbits/s, at which some connections already operate in the United States.

To help Europe catch up quicker where electronic networks are concerned,
the
Commission proposed an e-Europe initiative at the Helsinki Summit, which sets ambitious
objectives in terms in particular of interconnection at European level. It is accompanied by
a timetable through to 2005. One of the aims is to promote maximum use of these networks
by the community of researchers.

To increase the productivity of European research while helping to structure collaboration
on a continental scale action will have to be taken in this context to encourage the use of
electronic networks in the various fields of research in European as well as national
research programmes: development of databases and access to advanced Internet services;
promotion of the production of multimedia content and interactive uses; support for new
forms of electronic collaboration of researchers ahead of the emergence of real “virtual
research institutes”.

At the same time it will be necessary to encourage researcher awareness-building and
training campaigns at national and European levels on the possibilities created by
information technologies and communications.

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2.

2.1.

MORE COHERENT USE OF PUBLIC INSTRUMENTS AND RESOURCES

More co-ordinated implementation of national and European research
programmes

Although they are often substantially funded, national research programmes are carried out
largely independently of one another. This situation prevents the full benefit from being
drawn from the material and human resources deployed.

Research programmes in the Union exercise a certain co-ordinating effect on research
activities in Europe. But this effect differs from one area to another. It is institutionalised in
the case of fusion (which is covered by an integrated programme). It has an effect de facto in
other areas, especially where there were still no structured programmes at national level when
the action at European level was set in motion or in very specialist areas where there is not yet
much expertise in Europe. The programmes of the Union should also have this impact more
readily in areas where there is already appreciable integration of industrial efforts, like in
aeronautics.

It would be right to go further in this direction by way of other mechanisms. The senior
officials of the national research authorities in the Member States have decided to
recommend the adoption of the principle of reciprocal opening-up of national programmes.
The requisite measures will have to be taken to guarantee practical application.
Mechanisms of reciprocal information and a global information system on the objectives
and content of programmes plus the conditions for eligibility and participation should be
put in place. This might also be extended to include applicant countries.

Convincing evaluation projects of national research activities by international panels made
up largely of experts from the European countries have been completed in recent years in
several countries, in Portugal and Germany, for example. Initiatives of this kind have to be
encouraged.

In this area the Commission can play the role of initiator and catalyst by providing the
Member States with the logistical means and legal instruments best suited to co-ordinating
research activities undertaken in Europe.

2.2.

Closer relations between European organisations for scientific and technological
co-operation

Over the last twenty to thirty years or so, alongside the European research programmes (and
even before them), a series of organisations for European scientific and technological
co-operation have been created in an intergovernmental framework) (ESF, ESA, EMBO,
EMBL, CERN, ESO, ESRF, ILL, EUREKA, COST).7

Co-operation has developed between them and with the research programmes of the Union
essentially on a bilateral basis (co-operation between the Union and EUREKA, ESA and ESF
in particular).

7

ESF: European Science Foundation; ESA: European Space Agency; EMBO: European Molecular
Biology Organisation; EMBL: European Molecular Biology Laboratory; CERN: European Organisation
for Nuclear Research; ESO: European Southern Observatory; ESRF: European Synchrotron Radiation
Facility; ILL: Institut Laue-Langevin; .COST: European Cooperation in the field of Scientific and
Technical Research

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These organisations play an important role on Europe's science and technology scene.
They are now facing common problems (financing, integration of researchers from central
and eastern European countries, dialogue with the United States). It would be useful to
provide them with a framework in which they could discuss their respective roles on the
European scientific and technological scene and their relations between one another and
with the Union.

Priority must be given to establishing the conditions for political consultation between these
organisations. This could be achieved by way of a council of their senior officials meeting
at regular intervals. This would also give Europeans and outside observers a more coherent
image of the Europe of science and technology.

3.

MORE DYNAMIC PRIVATE INVESTMENT

3.1.

Better use of instruments or indirect support to research

Increasing use is being made in the world of instruments for indirect support, especially fiscal
measures, in order to stimulate private investment in research and development and to create
researcher and technician posts in companies. In the United States and Canada, interesting
long-term support schemes for start-up companies are in place, for example.

In Europe the mechanisms used in the various countries are very diverse. Some Member
States make sustained use of them, others far less.

User-friendly information systems need to be developed on existing mechanisms. The
exchange and spread of good practices should also be encouraged in order to stimulate
private investment in research, particularly among SMEs, and innovation.

The different situations between countries and regions in this area can affect competition
between them in many ways and create conditions that are more, or less, conducive to
investment in research and innovation. Where the measures employed have an element of
State aid about them, Community rules on State aid should always be respected.

3.2.

Development of effective tools to protect intellectual property

The current European system of patents, as operated around the European Patents Office and
the national offices, is based on the issue of national patents which are valid only in the
Member States in which they are issued. This system is costly and the high cost of patents is
broadly believed to be one of the major obstacles to widespread use of patents in Europe. The
Commission therefore plans to propose the creation of a standard Community patent to cover
all of the European territory. At international level the Commission will endeavour to adapt
the TRIPS agreements on intellectual property to new technological developments.

It is important for research in Europe for the European patent to be started up as soon as
possible. It must be readily affordable and comparable in cost to a European patent
covering a limited number of countries. Efforts need to be made in particular to reduce the
costs of translation. The Commission is also keeping a close eye on work carried out by the
European Patent Organisation as part of the revision of the Munich Convention in order to
see how the effects of disclosures prior to filing can be taken into account by European
patent law.

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To increase the impact of research efforts undertaken in Europe in terms of innovation, the
relevance and consistency of the intellectual property arrangements used to implement
public research programmes should also be improved.

The protection of intellectual property can be achieved by other means than patents. In
addition to the initiatives taken in the First Action Plan for Innovation in Europe,
information systems and systems for exchange of good practices in this field could be put in
place by national and European support organisations for research and innovation.

3.3.

Encouragement of the creation of companies and risk capital investment

The creation of high tech companies by researchers, or with researchers having a stake in the
capital, is still fairly low-key in Europe. Measures taken in recent years at regional level, such
as the creation of technology parks and business incubators, or by certain Member States,
such as changes in the status of public sector researchers, have had a positive effect in this
respect. These could be completed by other initiatives.

Europe also suffers notoriously from too low a level of risk capital investment in high tech
sectors. Positive changes have been observed for some time now. Some 650 companies are
now quoted on the new European markets (Euro-NM, EASDAQ and AIM). That said, this is
eight times fewer than in the United States. In extending the first action plan for innovation in
Europe, the Commission has, in recent years, taken a series of initiatives in this area, several
of which (e.g. I-TEC project) are being implemented in conjunction with the European
Investment Bank (EIB). In 1999 it presented two communications on this subject.8 As part of
the e-Europe initiative the Commission recently proposed a plan of action designed to
establish an inventory by March 2000 of existing instruments at Union level.

Several national research centres and the JRC have joined forces to provide innovative
start-up companies with the technical support and expertise they need to develop. Initiatives
of this kind need to be stepped up.

Initiatives should also be encouraged to bring scientists, industrialists and financiers at all
levels into contact need to be stepped up. This could be achieved in conjunction with the
national and European research programmes, preferably on a combined basis. Promising
experiments have been completed along these lines, like the "Investment Forum" in the
field of
the
"Biotechnology and Finance Forum".

information technology and communications and the

creation of

4.

A COMMON SYSTEM OF SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL REFERENCE FOR POLICY
IMPLEMENTATION

4.1.

Developing the research needed for political decisions

Science and technology play an increasingly important role in the implementation of public
policies, particularly Union policies. They are involved in various forms in the drafting of
regulations and can be found more and more in the policy-making process, at the heart of
trade negotiations and at the centre of international discussions in fields such as, for example,
safety in its various forms or the various aspects of sustainable development.

8

COM (99)232 and COM (99)493.

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The European research system most be organised in such a way as to preempt and take
account of needs arising at the different stages of implementation of public polices: drafting,
decision-taking, implementation, monitoring. Policy-makers must be able to draw on precise
knowledge which is as complete as possible and constantly updated and validated.

Accordingly, research directly undertaken by the Commission must tie in with the major
concerns of the individual and the decision-makers, such as environmental protection, food
safety and chemical products or nuclear safety.

The results of research undertaken as part of European programmes should be
systematically exploited in support of the various Union policies and all the Union's
research activities better co-ordinated in this respect.

A reliable and recognised system of validating knowledge and methods of analysis, control
and certification also needs to be put in place and centres of excellence in Europe in the
fields concerned networked.

4.2.

Establishment of a common system of scientific and technical reference

When drawing up regulations or when faced with emergency situations, policy-makers,
especially at European level, are confronted with complex problems where the stakes are
high. Citizens and economic and social operators must be guaranteed greater safety whilst
resolving conflicts between categories of actions with often divergent
interests. As the
Commission underlined in the White paper on food safety,9 the Union must re-establish the
confidence of the public and consumers in food (they way it is produced, regulated and
controlled).

In Europe the way expertise is provided for decision-makers differs according to country and
subject matter. Authorities established at European and national levels abound. Experts are
also forced to leave the ground of solely scientific consideration. The way they assess the
problems and their recommendations bear the imprint of their discipline, their areas of activity
or the community to which they belong.

By aligning methods, harmonising procedures and comparing results, a common system of
reference needs to be established at Union level. Given its institutional proximity to the
development of the Union's policies and its independence of national and private interests,
the JRC could, in line with its mission, play a significant role in the development of a
European scientific and technical reference area. This would be built up on the basis of
national reference centres, European agencies, the various scientific committees and the
organisations established at European level, such as the Food Safety Authority, free of
industrial and political interests and open to public enquiry and scientifically recognised,
which the Commission has suggested be established by 2002 following broad consultation.

9

COM(99)719.

15

5.

MORE ABUNDANT AND MORE MOBILE HUMAN RESOURCES

5.1.

Greater mobility of researchers in Europe

training researchers and spreading
Mobility is an effective and well-known way of
knowledge. Activities undertaken by the Union to encourage this have met with great success.
In recent years almost 8 000 young European scientists have taken advantage of this option
and a further 13.000 are expected to do so over the next four years. To date this measure has
been largely for training purposes.

Overall, researchers are more mobile than the rest of the population. Roughly speaking, their
level of mobility is around 5% of the active population whereas 2% is the average for other
professional groups. That said, they are still not as mobile as they could be in proportion to
requirements.

One aspect which plays a significant role is the lack of familiarity of European researchers
with the research "cultures" that exist in other countries, and the lack of attraction that they
feel for them. There are also obstacles of an administrative nature. Application at national
level of Community directives on free movement and right of establishment, social or pension
cover, is not always straightforward and requires an effort from interested parties which can
be dissuasive.

More use should be made in future, at national and European level, of the possibility of
using mobility as an instrument of information and technology transfer.

The mobility of researchers between the academic world and the business world, in the
different forms that this might take, should also be readily encouraged and developed. This
is one of the best ways of improving cooperation between universities and industry.

Information, training and familiarisation projects for researchers and the administrative
managers of research organisations should, moreover, be undertaken in tandem by the
Member States and the Commission. In the longer term the possibility should be looked at
of improving, on a co-ordinated basis, for the bodies concerned, certain internal regulatory
and administrative provisions.

5.2.

Introduction of a European dimension into scientific careers

In Europe today the career of researchers unfolds by and large within a national reference
framework. Recruitment methods that give preference to nationals for academic or scientific
careers and the lack of adequate career structures for researchers from other European
countries deprive research organisations of the possibility of benefiting from the experience
and knowledge of brilliant researchers trained elsewhere. Appointments and promotions
amounting in some cases to penalising researchers that have remained outside national
frontiers for too long discourage mobility.

Initiatives have been taken in some Member States to introduce a European dimension into
careers, such as opening up researcher recruitment committees to scientists from other
countries. This trend and the adoption by research bodies of measures along these lines
should be encouraged, as should the establishment of career prospects for researchers from
other European countries and the systematic inclusion of activities performed elsewhere in
Europe or at European level in career assessments.

16

5.3.

Greater place and role for women in research

There are not enough women in research in Europe. Although they account for 50% of
university graduates and even exceed the number of men in some subjects (life sciences and
technologies, for example), they are not found in the same proportions in the laboratories and
research departments of companies. Their progress in a scientific career is slower than that of
men and their numbers start to rarefy as we climb the ladder of responsibilities. At the top of
the academic hierarchy in the European Union, for example, there are on average fewer than
10% women.

There are several factors behind this situation, in particular certain discrimination mechanisms
and anticipation of them by women and little attention paid to particular constraints facing
women in the conduct of their professional lives. This is a loss for women themselves, for
research and for society.

Measures have been taken in all the Member States to rectify this situation. The European
Union has taken a major initiative in this area. In February 1999, the Commission
presented a communication entitled "Women and science"10 which was the subject of a
favourable resolution from the Council. It is accompanied by a plan of action which is now
being put into effect.

This effort should be continued and developed and the aim of increasing the number of
women in research will be achieved that much more easily if it is pursued jointly at national
and at the Union level.

5.4.

Giving the young a taste for research and careers in science

More human resources for research in Europe also means action upstream of scientific
careers. Every country in the Union is observing a disaffection for scientific study and a loss
of interest among the young in careers in research. In Germany, for example, the number of
physics students has dropped by half since 1991. In the United Kingdom the number of future
teachers of physics slumped from 553 in 1993 to 181 in 1998. And in France the number of
science students dropped from 150 000 in 1995 to 126 000 in 1999.

A key question revolves around science teaching. It is at school that a basic knowledge and
understanding of science is acquired and that a taste for scientific and technical subjects is
developed.

In the continuation of often long traditions in science teaching and learning, initiatives have
been taken in the Member States to make the public and in particular the young more familiar
with science and its methods. Accordingly, the Commission organises a competition each
year for young European scientists.

The Member States and the Union should rapidly undertake a joint in-depth study of the
room made for science subjects in education systems and how the teaching of sciences in
Union can be improved at levels of education, primary, secondary and further.

Using the experience gained at national level, awareness-raising campaigns should also be
stepped up to create conditions conducive to the sharing of experience and good practice.
The Research Ministers of the Union met to explore the possibility of better coordination of

10

COM (99)76.

17

the different "science weeks" organised in the Member States, both between one another
and with the Union's "European Science and Technology Week". Organisation at the
same time of events in all the Member States and on a European scale would markedly
increase the awareness-raising effect.

6.

A DYNAMIC EUROPEAN LANDSCAPE, OPEN AND ATTRACTIVE TO RESEARCHERS AND
INVESTMENT

6.1.

A reinforced role for the regions in the European research effort

Europe's scientific and technological fabric lacks cohesion. Although they are being narrowed
down, the development gaps between European regions in terms of the production of
scientific knowledge and technological innovation are still appreciable. In an attempt to
reduce these gaps the Structural Funds set aside EUR 12 billion for research and technological
development projects between 1989 and 1999: development of research facilities; creation of
science and technology parks; science and technology training activities; in certain cases,
research as such.

In most of the Member States the regions are also tending to play an increasingly positive role
in research and innovation, benefiting from sometimes significant resources and launching
initiatives to promote the development of links between universities, companies and research
centres locally.

The opportunity should be taken to negotiate on the structural assistance planned for the
years 2000 to 2006 in order to examine how best to combine projects implemented within
this framework with projects undertaken in the European programmes.

the conditions must be studied and put

Going further,
in place for a real
"territorialisation" of research policies (adaptation to the geographical socio-economic
context), and a better understanding and strengthening is needed of the role that the
regions can play, in addition to the Member States and the Union, in the establishment of a
more dynamic European research area on the international scene. To this end, activities
and measures undertaken to encourage research first have to be benchmarked. It would
also be useful to establish a balance of the best ways of transferring knowledge to the
economic sector at regional and local level.

The Member States and the Commission should also make a joint analysis of how best to
use the "prime regional movers" to develop a more dynamic scientific and technological
landscape in Europe, in particular by developing the role of training in science and
technology that the centres of excellence can and should play.

6.2.

Integration of the scientific communities of western and eastern Europe

Improving the research capacities of the countries applying for accession and integrating their
researchers in the European scientific community can help them to prepare for accession.

Scientific and technological cooperation projects undertaken in recent years with these
countries by the Union and by the Member States have made a first contribution along these
lines. Association of applicant countries in the fifth framework programme for research opens
up the possibility for their organisations to participate in European programmes under exactly
the same conditions as the countries of the Union.

18

The challenge of enlargement of the Union in the field of research is proportional to its
potential contribution to the creation of the European research area. Applicant countries
currently spend less on research and their research structures have to be adapted to the need to
apply knowledge for economic and social purposes. Applicant countries from central and
eastern Europe can take advantage of funds from the PHARE programme for assistance to
finance part of their contribution to the fifth framework programme (for which they benefit
from a diminishing reduction).

These funds and the contributions made from the research programmes should be used in
tandem. One aim should be to strengthen the research capacities as well as research
administration capacities in applicant countries. The expertise available in national and
European research administrations and organisations should be mobilised to this effect.

6.3.

Making Europe attractive to researchers from the rest of the world

Research institutes do not have the same magnetic attraction on researchers from all over the
world that American laboratories, companies and universities do. Europe does not offer
researchers from third countries particularly advantageous (material and administrative)
conditions.

The formalities to be completed are generally unwieldy. The regulations and languages also
vary from one country to another. And the "brain drain", which some have claimed is being
held in check, has not stopped. Between 1988 and 1995, 8 760 Europeans students took a
doctorate in the United States. Five years after obtaining their diplomas about half of them
were still in the United States.

To attract
the best researchers from all over the world to European laboratories a
European system of grants for scientists from third countries might be set up. National and
European research programmes could also be more open to researchers and teams from
countries outside the Union.

to guarantee the development of local research
In the case of developing countries,
potential, this system should be such as to encourage the beneficiaries to return to their
countries in order to take advantage of their experience and to spread the knowledge they
have acquired.

Measures should be taken at national and European level to encourage the return to
European laboratories of researchers who have left to complete their training or pursue
their careers in the United States.

The possibilities provided by the science and technology cooperation agreements between
the Union and a number of third countries should be maximised in these respects.

Finally, it is especially necessary to improve appreciably the environment provided for
researchers in Europe. An effort should be made in particular to simplify and harmonise
regulations and administrative conditions more. Rules have recently been adopted in
France, for example, to shorten the procedures for granting visas to researchers from third
countries.

19

7.

AN AREA OF SHARED VALUES

7.1.

Tackling the questions of science and society in their European dimension

Europeans are attached to a model of society based on a combination of a market economy, a
high level of social protection and quality of life and a number of principles, such as free
access to knowledge. They are also aware of the richness of their cultural diversity and
sensitive to the need to preserve it.

European countries are increasingly faced with common or identical problems, which they are
tending to tackle at Union level.
that
“science/society” questions arise, such as technology/work relations or the principal options
in terms of energy, environment and health.

increasingly at European level

thus

is

It

These matters need to be approached at this level in the dual interest of common values and
European diversity.

More consistency should be introduced into foresight exercises, science and technology
watch, socio-economic intelligence and scientific and technological options taken at
national and European level and within the framework of the numerous existing networks.
There is a need to establish a platform for exchange, to create points of synthesis and to
align methodologies. The collection of data throughout
the Union also needs to be
improved and statistics and indicators developed at European level.

The development of new and sustained forms of dialogue between researchers and other
social operators should also be encouraged.

On the initiative of the national parliaments, in particular, measures designed to open a
direct dialogue between citizens, researchers, experts, industrial managers and political
decision-makers have been initiated in recent years. Called “consensus conference” in
Scandinavian countries and the United Kingdom or “citizens’ conference” in France, these
formulas have illustrated the capacity of ordinary citizens to express valid opinions on
complex issues and the possibility for groups with divergent interest to reach a consensus.

Exchanges of experience that have taken place in this arena should be encouraged and
become systematic. Cross-participation formulas could also be tried. Conferences of this
kind might also be organised at European level on issues emerging at that level.

7.2.

Development of a shared vision of the ethical issues of science and technology

Cloning, embryonic tissues used for medical purposes, personal databases and virtual
universes: progress in knowledge and technology, especially in fields such as life sciences and
technologies and information technology, goes hand in hand with a growing number of ethical
issues.

Europeans share largely the same values and adhere to the same fundamental principles. But
they often differ in how to apply the latter in practice. Ethical issues concerning scientific and
technological advance are thus approached differently from one country to another.

The differences in culture and moral sensitivity at the root of this variability have to be
respected. That said, it would be hard to accept too great a difference. It is therefore important
to foster convergent and coherent approaches to these issues, especially in areas where the
Union is active.

20

The links between the ethics committees established at national and European levels
(“European Group on Ethics in Science and New Technologies”) should be strengthened.
To help make for mutual understanding of points of view and the development of
harmonious approaches there should be encouragement to open up the various national
committees to experts from other European countries.

The rules in force and the criteria on ethics used in national and European research
programmes should be compared with a view to alignment around shared principles and
respect for differences in sensitivities and opinions.

21

CONDITIONS FOR ACTION

1.

LINES AND MEANS OF ACTION

The European research area will not come into being instantly in its final form. It will develop
gradually. Of the measures suggested and others that might be, a distinction must be made
between measures to be taken in the short, medium and long term, the former often being a
pre-condition for the success of the other two.

Certain measures could be implemented immediately while others will need more time, e.g.
measures requiring amendments to laws, regulations or administrative provisions at national
or at European level.

An important aspect
is the question of role-sharing. These roles and their attendant
responsibilities should be defined in the light of the “principle of subsidiarity” in its broadest
sense: measures must be taken at the level where they will be most effective. An efficient
European research area thus means that the respective roles of the public and the private
sectors need to be settled, along with what measures are to be taken at regional, national,
European and international level. In the context of a global economy and in the light of
problems emerging at planetary level, research activities sometimes have to be defined on a
broader scale than European.

Very often the objective will only be achieved through a combination of initiatives, means
and instruments at the different levels. In this respect the Union could play a leading role. It
can provide a framework and an environment and help, for example, to accentuate and
amplify the initiatives taken independently by the Member States to open up Europe as part of
bilateral cooperation or multilateral initiatives.

The full panoply of instruments available to the Union should be brought into play:

–

–

–

–

–

Practical instruments, such as databases and information systems;

Structures and mechanisms of exchange of information and experience: working
groups, networks of experts and operators;

Financial instruments;

Legal instruments: regulations and directives;

Policy coordination instruments, making for a genuine political debate and
culminating in recommendations or resolutions from the Council.

The range of possibilities provided by the Treaty (joint ventures, supplementary programmes,
participation in national programmes, in particular) should be re-examined.

An important dimension is the comparison of situations and efforts. Benchmarking exercises
could be undertaken, including the drafting of national reports. Using the results of these
reports as a basis (which will require a joint effort by the Member States and the Union on the
statistics front), as well as the European report on scientific and technological indicators and
the work of Eurostat and the OECD, the Commission could draw up a periodic progress

22

report on research in Europe. Taking the form of a political analysis, this would provide an
overall profile of the situation in Europe in this area.

This benchmarking should focus on the most pertinent aspects in order to review the impact
of research on the development of a knowledge-based society and on employment. It should
in particular, public and private expenditure on research and technological
cover,
development, the performance of systems of innovation and dissemination of results and the
situation concerning patents. Special attention should be paid to the specific areas of this
communication, e.g. mobility of researchers, measures taken to stimulate private investment
in particular), situation regarding risk capital, opening-up of national
(in tax matters,
programmes, networking of centres of excellence,
involvement of women in research,
improvements to the unfolding of careers in science.

The approach taken in the employment sector can serve as a model. This is based essentially
on the establishment of guidelines geared to the achievement of concrete objectives, the
development of national plans of action and the presentation of joint reports on the
implementation of those plans. Applying it to the field of research would have the effect of
improving the consistency and providing greater convergence of policies undertaken at
national and European levels.

The financial instrument for implementing the Union’s research policy is still the framework
programme. And it will have its part to play. The results of the important evaluation exercises
five years into the framework programme and the specific programmes will be available in
the middle of the year. These will be used as a basis for the preparation of the Sixth
Framework Programme and for the first discussions on this subject.

In form as in content the Sixth Framework Programme will have to be thoroughly rethought
out in the light of the project to develop the European research area. An extra effort must be
made on issues that need to be tackled at European level. The methods of operating and
assistance with the framework programme will also have to be re-examined and new means of
action based on greater decentralisation of programme implementation need to be introduced
after being studied and tested.

2.

NEED FOR A BROAD-BASED DEBATE

Before any actual decisions are taken a broad-based debate has to take place. The analyses set
out in this communication and the proposals put forward have to be discussed in depth.

This debate should unfold first and foremost in the European institutions: in the Council and
in the European Parliament in extensions of discussions on the future of research in Europe
that have been held in recent years and also in the Economic and Social Committee and the
Committee of the Regions.

It is also essential to hear the views of the scientific community, the world of industry and,
more broadly, “civil society”.

The Commission will seek the views of the representative organisations established at
European level. It will also invite the Member States to examine the possibility of organising
debates at national and regional level along these lines and is willing to help organise them.

Research has more and more of an impact on everyday life. This debate must therefore be
extended to all of European society. This will be done in particular by way of an electronic

23

forum. This Communication will be placed on the Internet and comments invited. Except
where explicit requests for confidentiality are made, these comments will be made public
through the same medium.

3.

THE NEXT STAGES

The situation is urgent. Without a co-ordinated impulse and a determined effort to increase
and better organise the European research effort, Europe might compromise its chances of
taking full advantage of the potential offered by the transition to a knowledge-based economy
and society. This will not be without its negative impact on growth and employment.

The European research area should be an area where the scientific capacity and material
resources in Member States can be put to best use, where national and European policies can
be implemented more coherently, and where people and knowledge can circulate more freely;
an area attractive both to European researchers and to the best researchers from third countries
and built on respect for the common social and ethical values of Europeans and their
diversity.

The next stages along this path might be:

–

–

–

–

–

An examination and discussion of this Communication by the European Parliament.

A first informal debate at Research Ministers level under the Portuguese Presidency
in March 2000.

A contribution from the Commission on this subject at the European Summit on
Employment in Lisbon in March 2000.

A public debate in the Member States during the first sixth months of the year 2000.

A second debate by the Research Council in June, when the Commission would ask
the Council to give its assent to the opening of a number of areas of work on each of
the themes identified in the communication.

24

ANNEX I

POSSIBLE SPECIFIC THEMES FOR ACTION

1.

A SERIES OF MATERIAL RESOURCES AND FACILITIES OPTIMISED AT EUROPEAN
LEVEL

1.1.

Networking of centres of excellence and creation of virtual centres

–

–

–

Mapping of European centres of excellence

Creation of "virtual centres of excellence"

Financing plan for centres of excellence on the basis of competition

1.2.

Definition of a European approach to research facilities

–

–

–

Analysis of the responsibilities as regards creation, operation and access

Assessment of needs to be met at European level

Establishment of a framework for discussion

1.3.

Maximising the potential offered by electronic networks

–

–

Promotion of the use of electronic networks in the various fields of research

Awareness-raising and training campaigns for researchers

2.

2.1.

MORE CONSISTENT USE OF PUBLIC INSTRUMENTS AND RESOURCES

More co-ordinated implementation of national and European research
programmes

–

–

–

Application of the principle of mutual opening of national programmes

Establishment of information mechanisms on the objectives and content of
programmes

Support for initiatives to evaluate national activities by international panels

2.2.

Closer relations between European organisations for science and technology
cooperation

–

Establishment of a Council of senior officials from these organisations for
policy consultation

25

3.

MORE DYNAMIC PRIVATE INVESTMENT

3.1.

Better use of instruments of indirect support for research

–

–

Development of information systems on existing media

Encouragement of the exchange and spread of good practices

3.2.

Development of effective tools for the protection of intellectual property

–

–

–

Support for the creation of the Community patent

Greater consistency of the systems used in public research programmes

Establishment of systems of information and exchange on good practices

3.3.

Encouragement of risk capital investment and company start-ups

–

–

Encouragement for national centres of research to provide technical support for
start-up companies

Initiatives for putting scientists, industrialists and financiers into contact with
one another, in connection with national and European programmes

4.

A COMMON SYSTEM OF SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL REFERENCE FOR POLICY
IMPLEMENTATION

4.1.

Development of the research needed for political decision-making

–

–

–

Alignment of research undertaken by the Commission on the concerns of
citizens and decision-makers

Establishment of a reliable and recognised system of validation of knowledge
and control methods

Networking of centres of excellence in the fields concerned

4.2.

Establishment of a common system of scientific and technical references

–

–

Establishment of a common system of reference at Union level

Development of a European scientific and technical reference area based on the
JRC, the national reference centres, scientific committees and establishments at
European level

5.

MORE ABUNDANT AND MOBILE HUMAN RESOURCES

5.1.

Greater mobility of researchers in Europe

–

–

Encouraging mobility as an instrument of knowledge and technology transfer

Greater mobility of researchers between the academic world and business

26

–

–

Training programmes for researchers and administrators

Improvement of certain regulatory provisions

5.2.

Introduction of a European dimension into scientific careers

–

–

–

Encouragement for recruitment committees to open up to Europe

Establishment of career prospects for
countries

researchers from other European

Taking into account of activities undertaken elsewhere in Europe or at
European level

5.3.

Greater place and role for women in research

–

Implementation of the "Women and science" action plan

5.4.

Giving young people a taste for research and careers in science

–

–

–

Better teaching of science at all levels in the Union

Support for exchanges of experience and good practice in campaigns to raise
young people's awareness of science

Coordination of the "Science Weeks" organised in the Union

6.

A DYNAMIC EUROPEAN LANDSCAPE, OPEN AND ATTRACTIVE TO RESEARCHERS AND
INVESTMENT

6.1.

Greater role of the regions in the European research effort

–

–

–

–

Combined use of the Structural Funds and the European research programmes

Benchmarking of the research activities of the regions and measures taken to
encourage research

Balance of the best ways of transferring knowledge to the economic sector at
regional level

Analysis of the role of the “prime regional movers” in the development of
more dynamic a European scientific area

6.2.

Integration of the scientific communities of Western and Eastern Europe

–

Mobilisation of expertise available in the Union to increase the capacities of
research and research administration in applicant countries

6.3.

Making Europe attractive to researchers from the rest of the world

–

–

Creation of a system of grants for scientists from third countries

Opening of national and European research programmes to researchers from
third countries

27

–

–

Simplification and harmonisation of regulations and administrative conditions

Encouragement for researchers that have left for the United States to return to
Europe

7.

AREA OF SHARED VALUES

7.1.

Tackling science/society issues on a European scale

–

–

–

–

Greater coherence of foresight exercises and socio-economic intelligence at
national and European levels

Establishment of a platform for exchange

Development of
methodologies on a European scale

statistical

indicators and harmonisation of data and

Organisation of “Citizens’ Conferences” at European level

7.2.

Development of a shared vision of ethical issues in science and of technology

–

–

–

Strengthening of links between national and European ethics committees

Opening-up of national ethics committees to experts from other European
countries

Comparison of criteria used in the national and European programmes with the
prospect of convergence around common principles, while respecting diversity

28

ANNEX II

1.

THE UNION’S OVERALL RESEARCH EFFORT IN RELATION TO ITS GROSS DOMESTIC
PRODUCT HAS BEEN STEADILY DECLINING FOR 10 YEARS. THE GAP IS WIDENING IN
RELATION TO THE UNITED STATES AND JAPAN

R&D expenditure as % of GDP

3.00

2.80

2.60

2.40

2.20

2.00

1.80

United States

Japan

EU

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

Source: Eurostat

2.

THE GAP BETWEEN R&D EXPENDITURE IN AMERICAN AND EUROPEAN FIRMS IS
MUCH WIDER THAN THE DIFFERENCE IN PUBLIC SPENDING

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

s
e
c
i
r
p
0
9
9
1

t
a
)
s
o
r
u
E

(

S
P
P
n
o

i
l
l
i

M

10000

0

-10000

-20000

-30000

-40000

-50000

-60000

-70000

Source: Research DG, based on OECD data

GOVERNMENT

INDUSTRY OTHER

29

3.

THE UNITED STATES INVESTS MORE VENTURE CAPITAL THAT THE EUROPEAN
UNION IN HIGH TECHNOLOGY AND IN FUNDING INNOVATIVE START-UPS

Trend of the difference in venture capital investment between the United States and the EU by
sector

positive gap in favour of the European Union

10000

8000

6000

4000

2000

0

-2000

-4000

-6000

-8000

s
e
c
i
r
p
0
9
9
1

t
a
)
s
o
r
u
e
(

S
P
P
n
o

i
l
l
i

M

negative gap for the European Union

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

Electronics

Industry/Energy

Biotechnology

Medecine and Health

All other sectors

Source: Research DG, based on EVCA and NVCA data

30

4.

THE EUROPEAN UNION HAS FEW RESEARCHERS IN COMPARISON WITH THE UNITED
STATES AND JAPAN AND EUROPEAN FIRMS EMPLOY MANY FEWER RESEARCHERS
THAN THEIR AMERICAN AND JAPANESE COUNTERPARTS

Number of researchers in firms per
1 000 labour force, 1997

Number of researchers per 1 000
labour force, 1997, or most recent year

6,7

6,0

8,

7,

6,

5,

4,

3,

2,

1,

0,

2,5

EU

US

JAP

Source: Research DG, based on OECD data

8,5

7,4

5,1

EU

US

JAP

9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0

31

5.

LEVELS OF R&D INVESTMENT IN THE MEMBER STATES STILL VARY WIDELY,
BOTH AS A % OF GDP AND IN ABSOLUTE FIGURES. IN RECENT YEARS COUNTRIES
WITH THE LOWEST INVESTMENT HAVE STEPPED UP THEIR EFFORTS IN PARTICULAR.

Intensity of R&D (GERD/GDP)
for the EU, United States and Japan -
1998 or most recent year

Total R&D expenditure in the Member States between
1990 and 1998

Greece 0.5

Portugal 0.65

Spain 0.86

Italy 1.03

Ireland 1.43

Belgium 1.58

Austria 1.63

United
Kingdom
1.87

Denmark
1.91

Netherlands
2.12

France 2.20

Germany
2.32

Finland 2.92

Sweden 3.85

EU 1.8

United States
2.8

Japan 2.9

0

1

2

3

4

5

GERD in billion
euros

Rates of real growth in GERD as %
1990-1998

203.3

107

140.1

10.8

21.1

28.3

44.1

3.4

4.3

6.8

3.1

7.7

3

0.6

0.5

3.3

1

USA

2,6

Japan

2,0

UE15

0,9

Italy

UnitedKingdom

-1,6

-0,6

France

0,4

Germany

0,8

Belgium

1,7

Spain

Netherlands

Austria

Sweden

Denmark

Portugal

Greece

Finland

Ireland

2,5

2,6

4,0

5,1

5,3

5,5

5,8

7,3

14,4

-5,0

0,0

5,0

10,0

15,0

20,0

*

The rates of real growth in GERD for each country are calculated in
purchasing power standards (PPS) at constant prices for 1990. The real
growth for Japan refers to the period 1997/1990. GERD refers to 1996 for
Belgium and 1997 for Greece,
the Netherlands, Portugal,
Sweden, the United Kingdom and Japan.

Ireland,

Source: Research DG, based on OECD and Eurostat data

32

6.

THE BREAKDOWN OF RESEARCH EXPENDITURE BETWEEN THE PUBLIC SECTOR
(GOVERNMENT RESEARCH ORGANISATIONS AND UNIVERSITIES) AND THE PRIVATE
SECTOR VARIES CONSIDERABLY IN THE EUROPEAN COUNTRIES.

R&D expenditure in the sector of business
enterprise (BERD) and the public and university
sector (GOVERD + HERD) as % of GDP for each
Member State, 1998 or most recent year *

JAPAN

USA

EU15

UNITED KINGDOM

SWEDEN

FINLAND

0.65%

0,61%

0,66%

1,14%

0,63%

1,22%

0,97%

0,94%

2.10%

2,08%

2,88%

1,98%

PORTUGAL

0,42%

0,15%

AUSTRIA

NETHERLANDS

ITALY

IRELAND

FRANCE

0,65%

0,83%

0,94%

1,15%

0,48%
0,56%

0,38%

1,05%

0,81%

1,37%

SPAIN

0,43%
0,43%

GREECE

0,38%

0,11%

GERMANY

DENMARK

BELGIUM

0,75%

1,57%

0,70%

1,19%

0,49%

1,07%

0,00

1,00

2,00

3,00

4,00

n BERD//GPD

GOVERD+HERD/GPD

*

Any slight differences in the sum of the percentages for a given country
over the global percentages shown in Table 5 (left) are due to the non-
consideration of other (limited) categories of expenditure (private sector
for non-profit-making purposes) and/or differences in the last year of
available data.

Source: Research DG, based on OCDE data, 1999

33

7.

INTENSITY OF R&D IN APPLICANT COUNTRIES IS SUBSTANTIALLY LOWER THAN
THE EU-15 AVERAGE.

R&D intensity (GERD/GDP) of applicant
countries - 1998 or most recent year

Cyprus 0.2

Latvia 0.4

Turkey 0.5

Lithuania 0.5

Bulgaria 0.6

Romania 0.6

Estonia 0.6

Hungary 0.7

Poland 0.7

Malta 1.0

Slovakia 1.2

Czech Republic

Sloveni

1.5

0

0.5

1

Source:

OCDE and Eurostat, except for Malta (Malta Council for Science and
Technology)

34

8.

IN HIGH-TECHNOLOGY SECTORS, EUROPEAN COUNTRIES ACCOUNT FOR ONLY 36%
OF PATENTS APPLIED FOR IN EUROPE, AND ONLY 9% AND 3% OF PATENTS APPLIED
FOR IN THE UNITED STATES AND JAPAN RESPECTIVELY. ON THE OTHER HAND, THE
UNITED STATES AND JAPAN ACCOUNT FOR 36% AND 22% RESPECTIVELY OF
APPLICATIONS TO THE EPO FOR PATENTS IN THOSE SECTORS.

Percentage of patents applied for
in high-technology sectors by
country of origin

(1998)

4%

36%

22%

92%

36%

EPO

2%

JPO

100%

90%
80%

70%
60%

50%
40%

30%
20%

10%
0%

57%

22%

9%

APO

Europe Japan USA

Other

Source:

European Patent Office (EPO), Japanese Patent Office (JPO), US Patent
and Trademark Office (USPTO) - Trilateral Statistical Report (1998)

35

9.

THE EUROPEAN UNION DEFICIT OF FOREIGN TRADE IN HIGH-TECHNOLOGY
PRODUCTS HAS BEEN WORSENING SINCE 1987

T r e n d o f E U , U n i t e d S t a t e s a n d J a p a n e s e t r a d e
b a l a n c e i n h i g h - t e c h n o l o g y p r o d u c t s

)
s
e
c
i
r
p
t
n
e
r
r
u
c
(

s
U
C
E
n
o
i
l
l
i

B

6 0

5 0

4 0

3 0

2 0

1 0

0

- 1 0

- 2 0

- 3 0

1 9 8 0

8 1

8 2

8 3

8 4

8 5

8 6

8 7

8 8

8 9

9 0

9 1

9 2

9 3

9 4

9 5

9 6

9 7

E U - 1 5 ( e x t r a )

U S

J P

Source: Research DG, Eurostat, Key Figures in S&T, 1999

36

10.

HIGH-TECHNOLOGY INDUSTRIES CREATE MORE JOBS THAN OTHERS. COUNTRIES
SPECIALISING STRONGLY IN HIGH-TECHNOLOGY SECTORS ARE BETTER AT
COMBATING UNEMPLOYMENT

Intensity of R&D and growth of jobs - high-tech (HT) medium-tech (MT) and

1 4 .0 0

1 2 .0 0

1 0 .0 0

8 .0 0

6 .0 0

4 .0 0

2 .0 0

0 .0 0

D
&
R

f
o

y
t
i
s
n
e
t
n

i

e
v
i
t
a
l
e
R

U K M T
C A L T

J A P L T

D E L T

- 2 .0 0

U S H T

D E H T

IT H T

F R H T

U K H T

C A H T

J A P H T

D E M T

J A P M T

C A M T

IT L T

IT M T

F R M T

U S M T

U K L T

F R L T

U S A L T

- 4 .0 0

- 1 .0 0

-0 .5 0

0 .0 0

0 .5 0

1 .0 0

1 .5 0

2 .0 0

2 .5 0

3 .0 0

R e la t i v e g ro w t h o f j o b s

low-tech (LT) industries in the G7 countries (1977-96)

Source: Research DG, based on OECD data

11.

INDUSTRIAL R&D EXPENDITURE AND UNEMPLOYMENT BY REGION (1992-95)

European regions investing more in R&D have relatively lower levels of unemployment

Source: Research DG, based on Eurostat data

Andalucia

Extremadura

Canarias

Campania

Murcia

Pais Vasco

Castilla-León

Cataluña

Madrid

35

30

25

20

15

10

5

)

%

(

l

t
n
e
m
y
o
p
m
e
n
u
n
a
e
M

Languedoc-Roussillon

Nord-Pas-de-Calais

Haute-Normandie

Provence-Alpes-Côte

d'Azur

Aquitaine

Bruxelles

Rhône-Alpes

Bremen

Midi-Pyrénées

South East (UK)

Île de France

Toscana

East Anglia

Lombardia

Vlaams Gewest

Hamburg

Schleswig-Holstein

Rheinland-Pfalz

Hessen

Baden-Württemberg

Bayern

1.00

2.00

3.00

4.00

5.00

6.00

7.00

Business R&D expenditure per employee in the manufacturing sector (000 1990 PPS)

37

Centro (P)

0
0.00

12.

COOPERATION AGREEMENTS BETWEEN FIRMS AND UNIVERSITY OR GOVERNMENT
RESEARCH INSTITUTES ARE NOT VERY WELL DEVELOPED IN MOST MEMBER
STATES OF THE UNION. ON AVERAGE, A LITTLE OVER 10% OF FIRMS CO-
OPERATION WITH RESEARCH INSTITUTES.

Cooperation between firms and universities and research institutes

Proportion of innovative firms having
cooperation agreements
with universities (1994-96)

Proportion of innovative firms having
cooperation agreements with government
research institutes (1994-96)

Norway

United Kingdom

Sweden

Finland

Portugal

Austria

Netherlands

Ireland

Italy

France

Denmark

Germany

Belgium

EU

Norway

United Kingdom

Sweden

Finland

Portugal

Austria

Netherlands

Ireland

Italy

France

Denmark

Germany

Belgium

EU

0

20

40

60

%

0

10

20

30

40

50

%

Source: Eurostat, Enterprise DG, 2nd Community Innovation Survey

38