Report from the Commission - Annual Report on research and technological development activities of the European Union in 2003 [SEC(2005) 725]
Date: 2005-06-03
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EU programme, activity report, research and development, technology

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 03.06.2005 
COM(2005) 233 final 

REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION 

Annual Report on research and technological development activities of the European 
Union in 2003 

[SEC(2005) 725] 

EN 

   EN 

 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION 

Annual Report on research and technological development activities of the European 
Union in 2003 

(Text with EEA relevance) 

1. 

INTRODUCTION 

European  research  policy  is  geared  towards  the  realisation  of  the  Lisbon  objective  to 
transform  the  European  Union  into  a  competitive  and  dynamic  knowledge  based  economy, 
capable of sustainable economic growth. To this end, it has three interrelated objectives: 

•  To  realise  a  European  Research  Area  to  allow  the  free  movement  of  knowledge  and 
researchers and overcome fragmentation and duplication of research policies and activities 
in Europe. 

•  Increasing the levels of research investment in Europe to 3% of the Union’s GDP by 2010, 

with two thirds of this to come from the private sector. 

•  To support and strengthening research excellence to achieve the first two objectives and by 

reinforcing and complementing national and private sector research efforts. 

This Report covers developments and activities during the period from January 2003 to March 
2004.  It  has  been  prepared  pursuant  to  Article  173  of  the  Treaty  establishing  the  European 
Community,1  and  Article  4  of  the  decision  on  the  Sixth  Framework  Programme.2  It  is 
accompanied  by  the  annexed  Commission  Working  Document  providing  more  detailed 
reporting  and  a  statistics  annex.  As  an  addition  to  previous  Annual  Reports,  information  is 
included on  developments in  research and technological development activities taking place 
within the Member States of the European Union. 

2. 

COMMUNITY RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES  

2.1. 

Implementation of the 6th Framework Programme 

A major step towards the creation of a European Research Area was taken in 2003 with the 
first  full  year  of  the  6th  Framework  Programme.  The  Programme  is  one  of  the  largest 

1 

2 

“At the beginning of each year the Commission shall send a report to the European Parliament and the 
Council. The report shall include information on research and technological development activities and 
the dissemination of results during the previous year, and the work programme for the current year.” 
Decision  No  1513/2002/EC  of  27  June  2002.  Article  4  “In  the  context  of  the  annual  report  to  be 
submitted  by  the  Commission  pursuant  to  Article  173  of  the  Treaty,  the  Commission  shall  report  in 
detail  on  progress  with  implementing  the  sixth  framework  programme,  and  in  particular  progress 
towards achieving its objectives and meeting its priorities…; information on financial aspects and the 
use of instruments whall also be included.  

EN 

2 

   EN 

 
 
 
                                                 
international R&D programmes in the world, with a budget of 17.5 billion euro for the period 
2002-06  (increased  to  19.2  billion  euro  with  the  enlargement  of  the  Union).  As  well  as 
European  Union  Member  States,  the  Programme  is  open  to  the  participants  from  other 
countries through cooperation agreements. 

Progress on objectives and priorities 

The 6th Framework Programme has attracted a very high level of response. During 2003 over 
16000  proposals  were  submitted  involving  nearly  160000  participants  from  more  than  50 
countries.  Some  2600  of  these  proposals  were  retained  for  funding  (involving  over  27000 
participants). 

Under  the  heading  of  Focusing  and  Integrating  Community  Research,  more  than  10000 
proposals  were  submitted  of  which  over  1,600  were  selected  for  funding  involving  some 
24000 participations. The majority of these (over 1100 proposals selected for funding) were in 
the  seven  thematic  priorities  identified  in  the  6th  Framework  Programme,  and  a  significant 
number  in  the  horizontal  activities  involving  SMEs  and  the  specific  measures  in  support  of 
international  cooperation.  In  addition,  the  new  activities  introduced  in  the  6th  Framework 
Programme  on  Scientific  Support  to  Policy  and  NEST  (New  and  Emerging  Science  and 
Technology)  witnessed  a  considerable  success  with  128  proposals  selected  to  be  funded, 
including  11  proposals  selected  from  a  special  call  for  proposals  in  response  to  the  SARS 
epidemic.  

Calls for proposals in the Structuring the European Research Area heading led to nearly 6000 
proposals being received in 2003, the vast majority under the human resources and mobility 
actions. Some 880 of these proposals were selected for funding, of which over 700 were for 
human  resources  and  mobility,  and  the  others  are  for  funding  actions  for  Research  and 
Innovation,  Research  Infrastructures  and  Science  and  Society.  Furthermore,  a  Researcher’s 
Mobility Portal was launched providing information on job and funding opportunities and the 
practicalities of a European research career. 

Under  the  Strengthening  the  Foundations  of  the  European  Research  Area  heading,  a  new 
activity was introduced in the 6th Framework Programme, the ERANet initiative – to network 
and open up national and regional research programmes. The initiative has a successful start 
in  2003  with  74  proposals  received  in  the  first  call  of  which  over  30  were  selected  for 
funding. 

Regarding  the  dissemination  of  results,  the  Research  and  Innovation  actions  in  the  6th 
Framework  Programme,  including  the  network  of  Innovation  Relay  Centres,  supported  the 
use  of  research  results  for  the  purpose  of  innovation  while  the  horizontal  research  activities 
involving  SMEs  allowed  smaller  companies  to  access  research  which  meets  their  needs. 
Furthermore,  the  CORDIS  internet  service  has  focussed  on  providing  open  access  to 
information about European projects as well as various technology brokerage activities. The 
uptake  of  research  results  by  policy  makers  is  a  particular  characteristic  of  the  Scientific 
Support to Policy scheme, and wider public engagement in research is an aim of the Science 
and  Society  actions.  At  individual  project  level,  rules  have  been  introduced  and  reporting 
mechanisms defined to promote the use and dissemination of results. 

The  series  of  evaluations  conducted  during  the  year  confirmed  that  Community  research 
activities  have  provided  very  major  contributions  to  Europe’s  scientific  and  technological 
knowledge  base,  creating  extensive  networking  and  collaborations  between  and  amongst 

EN 

3 

   EN 

 
European  researchers  in  the  private  and  public  sectors  and  with  significant  European  Value 
Added.  

Financial aspects and instruments 

Implementation  and  budgetary  execution  of  the  Programme  remained  on  track,  a  major 
achievement  given  the  level  of  response.  By  the  end  of  2003  a  total  of  489  contracts  were 
signed with a financial commitment of 1.64 billion euro. The rest of the budget for 2003 was 
committed globally, and then committed to individual contracts during 2004. 

A major novelty of the 6th Framework Programme was the introduction of new instruments to 
enable  a  larger  critical  mass  of  resources  and  partners,  and  greater  autonomy  in  project 
implementation. From the proposals submitted in 2003, over 400 major projects using these 
instruments  were  selected  for  funding.  By  the end of 2003,  over 80 contracts  for Integrated 
Projects were signed and 30 for Networks of Excellence. These represent 53 percent and 11 
percent respectively of the EC financial commitment to contracts signed in 2003. A review of 
the effectiveness of the instruments started at the end of 2003 by an independent panel led by 
Professor Marimon; the panel reported in July 2004.  

Finally, the first use of Article 169 of the Treaty, which allows Community participation in 
research undertaken jointly by Member States, was agreed in 2003 with the establishment of 
the  European  and  Developing  Countries  Clinical  Trials  Partnership  (EDCTP)  to  enable 
clinical trials for drugs and vaccines against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. 

2.2. 

Other actions toward the creation of a European Research Area 

In  addition  to  the  Framework  Programme,  the  European  Union  took  a  number  of  other 
important steps towards the creation of a European Research Area: 

•  Regarding the improvement of human resources, the Commission published proposals3 for 
improving  research  careers  in  Europe,  including  the  creation  of  a  European  Charter  and 
Code of Conduct.  

•  The launch of a Europe wide debate on the future of European universities. A consultation 
document was published in January 2003 and a major conference held in Liege, Belgium, 
in April 2004. 

•  To  further  the  international  dimension  of  the  ERA,  negotiations  for  bilateral  science  and 
technology  cooperation  agreements  were  pursued  with  partners  in  the  Mediterranean 
region, Switzerland, Mexico, Brazil, Chile, the US, Russia and the Ukraine.  

•  Progress was achieved on the Science and Society action plan, and three actions (Women 

and industry, women and enlargement, and research and foresight) were completed. 

•  Considerable  progress  was  made  in  establishing  a  European  space  policy,  with  the 
publication  of  a  Green  Paper  and  then  a  White  Paper  during  2003,  and  a  cooperation 
agreement signed between the European Union and the European Space Agency. 

3. 

COM (2003) 436, 18.7.2003. 

EN 

4 

   EN 

 
                                                 
•  Debate about support to basic research in Europe and the creation of a European Research 
Council  was  elevated  to  a  political  level  with  a  Commission  Communication  in  January 
2004. 

•  A first wave of Technology Platforms was established, to bring together stakeholders and 
define strategic research agendas for key technologies, including in areas such as hydrogen 
fuel cells and nano-electronics. 

•  A European strategy for life sciences and biotechnology was put in place in March 2003. 

•  A three year preparatory action for Security research was launched, to prepare the ground 

for a full Programme from 2007. 

•  The implementation of the Regions of Knowledge pilot action to stimulate the creation of 

regional knowledge based economies through research.  

3. 

DEVELOPMENTS IN MEMBER STATES AND APPLICATION OF THE OPEN METHOD OF 
COORDINATION. 

2003 was also an important year for the implementation of the Open Method of Coordination 
in  the  field  of  research  policy  through  its  application  to  the  objective  of  raising  research 
investments  towards  3%  of  GDP  in  the  European  Union.  In  April  2003,  the  Commission 
launched  an  Action  Plan  proposing  measures  to  be  undertaken  at  European,  national  and 
regional levels. Following this, groups of experts from Member States were established in six 
areas under the Scientific and Technical Research Committee (CREST) as a first cycle in the 
application of the Open Method of Coordination for the 3% objective. 

In line with the 3% objective, nearly all Member States have set national targets for increasing 
R&D investment. Latest data suggests that a majority of Member States have increased their 
level of public funding of R&D since 2002, although substantial further progress is needed to 
reach the 1% of GDP. In terms of the public policy mix, support for R&D investment through 
fiscal measures are becoming increasingly important. Trends in private sector investments in 
research  are  less  clear,  and  the  situation  varies  considerable  across  Member  States. 
Nevertheless, it is evident that major progress is required if the level is to reach 2% of GDP.  

4. 

OUTLOOK  

The implementation of the Sixth Framework programme is well on track. The continued high 
level of response from the research community shows its important role in the promotion of 
the European research efforts.  

The Work Programmes for the Specific Programmes of the Framework Programme have been 
updated  several  times.  By  the  end  of  2004,  the  Work  Programme  for  the  'Integrating  and 
strengthening'  programme  (EC  Treaty)  had  been  updated  a  total  of  14  times,  the  work 
programme for the 'Structuring' programme (EC Treaty), a total of eight times, and the work 
programme  for  the  'Nuclear'  programme  (Euratom  Treaty),  a  total  of  two  times.  Each 
updating generates the content for new calls for proposals. In all, over 120 calls for proposals 
were published by the end of 2004.  

EN 

5 

   EN 

 
At  the  same  time  the  Commission  is  making  improvements  to  the  implementation  of  the 
Programme in order to address concerns of the research community and the recommendations 
of  monitoring  and  evaluation  exercises,  including  the  report  of  the  high  level  panel  on  the 
effectiveness of the Instruments of the 6th Framework Programme.4 The Commission has set 
out  these  measures  in  its  response  to  the  panel’s  recommendations  and  has  established  an 
action plan to rationalise and accelerate procedures.  

The  Commission  has  prioritised  research  in  its  budget  and  policy  proposals  for  the  period 
2007-13.5 In June 2004, the Commission launched the debate on preparing the 7th Framework 
Programme,6 which foresees a more ambitious European policy to support research in order to 
progress towards the Lisbon objective. Following this  debate, the Commission  presented its 
proposals for the seventh Framework Programme in April 2005. 

SOURCES OF FURTHER INFORMATION 

More  details  are  included  in  the  Commission  Working  Document  that  accompanies  this 
Report. For further information, the following are publicly available: 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

4 
5 
6 

the  Framework  Programme  and  Specific 
Annual  Monitoring  Reports  for 
Programmes,  which  provide  a  concise,  independent  summary  of  the  progress  and 
quality of the measures taken to implement the programmes. 

Five-year Assessment Reports which examine implementation and achievements of 
Community research activities over the 5 previous years.  

The  European  Report  on  Science  and  Technology  Indicators,  which  contains 
descriptions, statistics and detailed analyses of European and national RTD activities 
in the world context. 

Key Figures reports published each year, providing a set of indicators to take stock of 
Europe’s position in science, technology and innovation. 

Research  and  Development:  Annual  Statistics  (Eurostat):  containing  comparable 
international  statistics  on  R&D  budgets,  R&D  expenditure,  R&D  personnel  and 
patents in the Member States, broken down by region. 

Statistics on Science and Technology in Europe, published as part of the “Panorama 
of the European Union” collection (DG Research/Eurostat). 

Studies and analyses published in connection with the Community RTD programmes 
and addressing issues specific to the fields of RTD which they cover. 

COM(2004)574; SEC(2004)1057, 27.8.2004 
COM (2004) 101, 10.2.2004; COM (2004) 487, 14.7.2004. 
COM (2004) 353, 16.6.2004. 

EN 

6 

   EN 

 
                                                 
Most of these documents can be obtained or ordered from the Commission’s Internet sites: 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

The Commission’s general EUROPA site: http://europa.eu.int/  

The  CORDIS  site  containing  comprehensive  information  on  the  RTD  Framework 
Programme: http://www.cordis.lu 

site 

The 
http://europa.eu.int/comm/research 

of 

the  Commission’s  Directorate-General 

for  Research: 

The site of the Commission’s Directorate-General for the Information Society: 
 http://europa.eu.int/information_society/index_en.htm  

site 

The 
http://europa.eu.int/comm/dgs/enterprise/  

of 

the  Commission’s  Directorate-General 

for  Enterprise: 

The  site  of  the  Commission’s  Directorate-General  for  Energy  and  Transport: 
http://europa.eu.int/comm/dgs/energy_transport/index.html 

The Joint Research Centre (JRC) site: http://www.jrc.cec.eu.int/  

The Eurostat site: http://europa.eu.int/comm/eurostat 

EN 

7 

   EN