Source: EURLEX
Language: en
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COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES

Brussels, 15.07.1998
COM( 1998)'439 final

### **RESEARCH AND** **TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT** **ACTIVITIES OF THE EUROPEAN UNION** **1998 ANNUAL REPORT**

(Presented by the Commission)

##### **_SUMMARY_**

This Annual Report of the Commission on research activities in 1997 provides an overview of
developments regarding Community research policy and the implementation of research during the
year. It aims to provide information which is of interest to researchers and research organisations,
industrial enterprises, research policy specialists and politicians with an interest in the Community
programmes, as well as. to the European Parliament and Council of Ministers [1] .

In order to take account of the progressive refinement of the data available on the implementation of
Community research programmes, and to accommodate feedback on previous reports, in particular
from the European Parliament and the Scientific and Technical Research Committee (CREST), the
presentation of this latest Annual Report has been further modified in comparison with earlier years.
To facilitate reference and comparisons, its overall structure nevertheless has been standardised. The
report itself gives a synopsis of the main activities during 1997 (extending into 1998 in some areas
where important actions or decisions were taken). Annex 1 gives more detailed information on the
implementation of each of the specific programmes of the Fourth Framework Programme, and
examples of projects supported. Annex 2 provides statistical information on contracts signed, on
proposals and on funding. Annex 3 contains a list of complementary sources of information on
Community Research (see note overleaf).

1997 was a pivotal year in the development of Community research policy. The Amsterdam Treaty
modified the legal base for research which, when ratified, will eliminate the requirement for
unanimous voting in Council, thus streamlining decision making and bringing research in line with
other policy areas where a co-decision of EP and Council is required. Agenda 2000 - the
Commission's strategy for addressing enlargement and the challenges of the future - also gave an
important boost for research, emphasising the key role for knowledge-based policies. The
Commission presented its formal proposals for the Fifth Framework Programme which represent a
significant departure from earlier programmes in the direction of a more strategic, focused and
integrated set of activities designed to further improve the impact of Community funding.

*** * ***

Implementation of the Fourth Framework Programme continued at a similar level to 1996, with
nearly 24000 proposals received and evaluated across all the specific programmes, 6000 contracts
signed and ECU 3 000 million of Community funds attributed to research projects, involving 24000
participants. Cumulatively, more than 15000 research projects had been established under the
Fourth Framework Programme by the end of 1997, amounting to ECU 8 200 million in signed
contracts, with 10000 projects ongoing. Strong growth has been achieved in the level of
participation of SMEs (24% of total participants in 1997 as compared to 18% in 1996) and the
budgetary contribution they receive (16% of total budgetary contributions in 1997 against 13% in
1996), largely through the success of stimulation measures (cooperative research and exploratory
awards) and take up actions (for information technologies).

*** * ***

i Article 130P of the EC Treaty and the Framework Programme Decisions (EC and Euratom) require the
Commission to send a report each year to the European Parliament and Council.

**The Fifth Framework Programme was again the main focus for policy developments during the year,**
**with the presentation of the Commission's formal proposal in April 1997. The first reading of the**
**proposal by the European Parliament took place in December** **1997,** **followed by a modified proposal**
**from the Commission in January 1998 and the Common Position of Council in March. The ground**
**is thus prepared for a Decision on the Fifth Framework Programme and the specific programmes to**
**implement it by the end of 1998, allowing continuity of funding to be maintained beyond the**
**termination of the Fourth Framework Programme in** **1998.**

**A decision was reached during the year 1997 on the Commission's proposal for supplementary**
**funding of the Fourth Framework Programme, presented early in 1996. This resulted in an increase**
**of funding of ECU** **115** **million for a number of specific research areas including transmissible**
**spongiform encephalopathies (TSE). Concrete progress was also achieved in implementing the First**
**Action Plan for Innovation in Europe, which includes a wide range of measures designed to improve**
**the climate for innovation in Europe.**

**Considerable attention was given to programme management during the year, and into 1998.**
**Besides the efforts towards progressive improvement of management performance and quality,**
**significant advances were made in the evolution and further development of management systems to**
**reflect fully the new principles of focus, coordination and flexibility in the implementation of the Fifth**
**Framework Programme.**

**NOTE**

**Extensive information is available on EU research through regular complementary reports relating**
**to different aspects of research activities. In addition to the present Report, which is issued**
**annually, the following main types of documents are published by the European Commission**
**which together provide a very comprehensive picture:**

**-**
_**Annual Monitoring Reports,**_ **for the Framework Programme and the Specific Programmes,**
**which provide rapid, independent feedback on the state and quality of programme**
**implementation.**

**-**
_**Five-year Assessment Reports,**_ **issued every fourth year, both for the Framework and the**
**Specific Programmes, which present an independent retrospective evaluation on the relevance,**
**efficiency, effectiveness, results and impact of the EU RTD programmes.**

**-** _**The European Report on Science and**_ _**Technology**_ _**Indicators,**_ **the second edition of which was**
**issued in December 1997 and which gives data and comparative analyses on European and**
**national RTD in the world context.**

**-**
_**Research and development: annual statistics,**_ **a Eurostat report issued each year, which**
**provides extensive data on Community and national R&D expenditures, R&D personnel and**
**patents**

**- The Commission's main** _**annual budgetary documents**_ **i.e. the preliminary draft budget, the**
**budget and the consolidated revenue** **and** **expenditure account and balance sheet.**

**- Various** _**studies**_ **and** _**analyses**_ **conducted and published on the initiative of the research**
**programmes and which address issues specific to the RTD domains they cover.**

**The main documents are listed in Annex III.**

*** * ***

##### **_CONTENTS_**

**THE COMMUNITY'S RTD POLICY IN 1997** **-1998**

**1.** **NEW DEVELOPMENTS IN RESEARCH POLICY** 1

1.1. The context of the RTD policy 1
1.2. Preparation of the Fifth Framework Programme 2
1.3. Implementation of the First Action Plan for Innovation in Europe 5

2 **OTHER MAIN ASPECTS OF COMMUNITY RESEARCH POLICY IN**

**1997-1998** 6

2.1. Supplementary financing for the Fourth Framework Programme 6
2.2. CREST and coordination between Community policies and national

policies 7
2.3. Advisory Committees 8
2.4. Economic and social cohesion 10

2.5. International cooperation 12

3. **RESEARCH ACTIVITIES IN 1997 AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE**

**FRAMEWORK PROGRAMMES** 13

3.1. Issues and scientific and technical results 14

3.2. Monitoring of the framework programmes 15
3.3. Contracts signed and payments made in 1997: Annual basis and
framework programmes 15
3.4. Implementation of the framework programmes and objectives of European
research policy 16
3.4.1. Industrial participation 16
3.4.2. Technology stimulation measures for SME access to RTD 17
3.4.3 Contribution of Community research to the development of
the European economy 18

4 **MANAGEMENT OF RESEARCH** **19**

**ANNEX I: RTD ACTIVITIES IN 1997 AND WORK PROGRAMMES**

**FOR** **1998** **21**

**ANNEX II:** **STATISTICAL AND FINANCIAL DATA: ANNUAL BASIS**

**1997 AND FRAMEWORK PROGRAMMES** **71**

**ANNEX III: MAIN REPORTS RELATING TO COMMUNITY RESEARCH**

**ACTIVITIES** **92**

**LIST OF MAIN ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS USED** **93**

#### _THE COMMUNITY'S RTD POLICY IN 1997-1998_

The research and technological development (RTD) policy of the European Union aims to
strengthen Europe's scientific and technological base and thus to contribute to the
development of the competitiveness of European industry and to promote the quality of
life of Europe's citizens. EU RTD policy complements Member States' national research
efforts and supports other Union policies such as in agriculture, economic and social
cohesion, transport, environment, health, education, energy, etc.

The European Union's RTD policy is implemented by means of specific research
programmes which associate companies - including SMEs - universities and research
centres from various European countries in joint research projects. The research themes
covered by EU RTD are defined in multiannual Framework Programmes. The current
Framework Programme (1994-1998) has a total budget of ECU 13 215 million: ECU
11 879 million for the Fourth EC Framework Programme and ECU 1336 million for the
Euratom Framework Programme (see Annex II, table 9).

The Joint Research Centre (IRC), with its seven institutes, is the Community's own
research centre which contributes to the implementation of the Framework Programmes
by carrying out research directly, and provides scientific support for other Union policies.
A separate annual report of the JRC for 1997 is available (a brief summary is included in
Annex 1).

**1.** **NEW DEVELOPMENTS IN RESEARCH POLICY**

**1.1.** THE CONTEXT OF **RTD** POLICY

1997 was a year in which the role of research within the overall political objectives of the
Community was substantially advanced. Two major political developments of the year
were the finalisation of the Amsterdam Treaty and Agenda 2000, the Commission's
proposals for the future institutional and financial development of the Community. Both
confirmed the need to attack major issues such as employment, competitiveness and
sustainability, by further developing the Community as a society founded on knowledge,
and to build a Europe which is closer to its citizens.

The Amsterdam treaty signalled a true maturity in research policy by removing the
requirement in the co-decision process of unanimous voting in Council, thus bringing it in
line with other policy areas, such as Single Market policy. This show of confidence in the
European _acquis_ should bring a more balanced debate and speed decision-making in the
negotiation of future Framework Programmes.

Agenda 2000 provides a strategy for addressing the far-reaching changes - geopolitical,
demographic, environmental, technological and economic - which Europe is facing, and
which will open new political and economic horizons in the next century. Achieving
sustainable growth and employment, within an inclusive society with a high quality of life
requires dynamic enterprises and skilled and knowledgeable citizens. Thus knowledge
policies - research, innovation, education and training - are of decisive importance, and
must be properly resourced and effectively targeted to get the very best value for Europe

**as a whole. Agenda 2000 recommends that, within a more constrained budgetary**
**framework,** **the Fifth Framework Programme should be given a somewhat increased**
**financial allocation above the level of the current programme.**

1.2. PREPARATION OF THE FIFTH FRAMEWORK PROGRAMME

**1997 was also a pivotal year in the development of research policy, with the Commission**
**presenting its formal proposals for the Fifth Framework and rules for participation and**
**dissemination (Article** **130j** **Decision), as well as a working document on the detailed**
**content of the Framework Programme.** **The ground is therefore prepared for the**
**decisions which are needed before the end of 1998 to secure continuity of research**
**funding in 1999. Proposals were put forward by the Commission in June 1998 for the**
**specific programmes concerning the EC** **[2]** **and Euratom** **[3]** **Framework Programmes, and**
**including the Joint Research Centre.**

_**The FP5 proposal**_

**The Commission presented its proposal for the Fifth Framework Programme in April**
**1997*.** **It represented a significant departure from earlier programmes, in line with the**
**orientations given in earlier working documents, which were the subject of extensive**
**consultation, and from which a general consensus emerged. Research was structured in**
**six programmes - three thematic programmes and three horizontal programmes - and**
**followed a highly targeted and integrated approach encompassing both EC and Euratom**
**programmes, allowing significantly greater flexibility in implementation. The criteria for**
**selecting research themes were set out and included social and economic relevance as well**
**as high European added value.**

**The proposal predated the Commission's forecast of the economic outlook and its**
**proposals for the development of the overall Community budget for the years 2000 and**
**beyond. These were presented in July** **1997,** **in the context of Agenda 2000, and a**
**modified proposal was put forward at that time** **[5]** **. This proposal set out an overall budget**
**corresponding to the political objectives and** **financial** **perspective given in Agenda 2000,**
**and providing for an increase in funds, in comparison with FP4 to ECU** **16** **300 million,**
**which represents a constant percentage of GDP plus** **3%.**

**Parliament's first reading on 18 December** **1997** **supported the transition to a more**
**strategic and focused Framework Programme, addressing major European concerns, and**
**involving integrated research actions in a small number of large thematic programmes.**

2 COM (98) 305, adopted by the Commission on 10.06.1998.

3 COM (98) 306, adopted by the Commission on 10.06.1998.

4 Proposal for a European Parliament and Council Decision concerning the Fifth Framework
Programme of the European Community for research, technological development and demonstration
activities (1998-2002); Proposal for a Council Decision concerning the Fifth Framework Programme
of the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) for research and training activities (19982002). COM(97) 142.

5 COM(97) 439 final, 11.08.1997.

This was also welcomed by the Economic and Social Committee [6], and the Committee of
the Regions [7] . Parliament proposed an increase in the budget to ECU 16 700 million, and
a number of changes to the structure, increasing the number of thematic programmes to
four and bringing energy and environment research together in a separate programme.
Changes were also made to the research content.

Following Parliament's first reading, the Commission modified its proposal in two major
respects. In the first place it took up a number of Parliamentary amendments to the
research content [8] that represented an improvement of the proposal. Second, it proposed
moving to a structure involving four thematic programmes, thus responding to the
substantive concerns of Parliament on the distribution of research activities but at the

same time maintaining an integrated approach, focused on socio-economic objectives,
which was consistent with the original political intent. The modified proposal, presented
on 14 January 1998, retained the original budget of ECU 16 300 million.

Following a first examination of the proposal on 15 May and a more substantial debate on
10 November 1997, which benefited from CREST's advice on the scientific and
technological content, the Research Council came to a common position, at its meeting on
12 February 1998, which was formally adopted on 23 March. This confirmed a four
programme structure and developed the research content in a manner which, with a
number of exceptions, was broadly convergent with the position of the Parliament and the
Commission's modified proposal. However, it diverged considerably from the
Commission's proposal in setting out an overall budget of ECU 14 000 million. [9], a figure
which would fall well short of the allocation for the Fourth Framework Programme once
account is taken of inflation. Council also proposed that the fourth thematic programme
should give rise to two committees concerned with environment and energy respectively.
The Commission expressed its serious reservation on these matters in its subsequent
communication to Parliament.

_**Consultation**_ _**on**_ _**the**_ _**S/T**_ _**content**_ _**of**_ _**the**_ _**Fifth Framework Programme**_

During the course of 1997, the detailed content of the new Framework Programme began
to be filled out with the twin objective of meeting the political aims set out in the proposal
and providing a package of research activities which corresponded to the proposed
budget. Publication of the Framework Programme proposal followed a wide ranging

6 CES 1407 de 1997, JO C73 09.03.1998 p. 133.

7 CdR 158/97 fin. 17/18.09.1997.

Several additional key actions were proposed by Parliament, on chemical and molecular bases of life,
health systems, taking account of ageing and the handicapped, global change and climate, social
changes brought about by the introduction of new ICTs, and land and marine transport technologies.
Moreover, Parliament proposed that the key action on advanced energy systems and services in the
Commission's proposal be broken down into two key actions, dealing respectively with fossil and
renewable energies.

To avoid anticipating a decision on the financial perspective for the years 2000+, the common
position specified that this budget should be segmented into the years 1998-1999 and 2000-2002; the
latter part being the subject of revision should it not be compatible with a future financial perspective,
or should that financial perspective not be decided.

**process of consultation and profited from a considerable effort of** **analysis,** **taking account**
**also of the many productive outputs of the** **research/industry** **task forces.**

**Many contributions were received from the various players involved in European**
**research. By the end of 1997 over 300 contributions had been received, including just**
**under 150 from European associations and over 170 from private bodies ; among the**
**latter 50 were from European industrial and professional federations. A conference on the**
**scientific and technological content of the Fifth Framework Programme was held in**
**February 1997, at which comments were provided by representatives of the research**
**community, industry and users. This process of consultation was continued by a more in-**
**depth review, in July 1997, of the prospective content of the specific programmes, again**
**with the help of the constituencies concerned. Advice was also provided by the Scientific**
**and Technical Research Committee (CREST) and by the Commission's advisory bodies**
**IRDAC** **and ESTA (see section 2).**

**A working paper on the proposed content of the specific programmes was presented in**
**November 1997** **[10]** **. Updated and modified in the light of comments received and**
**developments in the programme structure signalled during the first readings by Parliament**
**and Council, this forms the basis of** **the** **S/T** **content of the Commission's proposals on the**
**specific programmes.**

_**Preparations**_ _**for**_ _**implementation**_

**Alongside the preparation and negotiation of the Framework Programme proposal and the**
**development of its detailed content, the Commission commenced preparations for its**
**implementation, these being of particular importance given the need to adapt to the new**
**approach. These involved, in particular:**

**• The** _**rules for participation and dissemination,**_ **on which the Commission adopted its**
**formal proposal on 15 December** **1997** **[11]** **.** **Consistent with their key role in the**
**administration of the Framework Programme, they contain several innovations with**
**respect to earlier programmes. For the first time a complete, coherent and transparent**
**set of rules will be applied consistently across all the specific programmes,**
**supplemented as required by a minimal number of specific rules adapted to each**
**programme.** **The rules for dissemination and exploitation will normally vary**
**accordingly to the rate of Community financing, reflected by the distance of the project**
**to the market.** **A more flexible regime** **will** **apply to intellectual property rights,**
**allowing the contractors to negotiate specific agreements, notably concerning exclusive**
**rights, in compliance with the applicable rules on competition.** **This will be**
**complemented by a more stringent monitoring of the commitment to exploit results,**
**with a strengthened role of the technology implementation plan.**

10 COM(97) 553 final, 05.11.1997.

11 Proposal for a Council Decision concerning the rules for the participation of undertakings, research
centres and universities and for the dissemination of research results for the implementation of the
Fifth Framework Programme of the European Community (1998-2002); Proposal for a Council
Decision concerning the rules for the participation of undertakings, research centres and universities
and for the implementation of the Fifth Framework Programme of the European Atomic Energy
Community (1998-2002); COM(97) 587, 15.12.1997. NB, in the case of the Euratom Framework
Programme, the rules for dissemination are stated in the Euratom Treaty itself.

**4**

- Development of _practical arrangements for programme implementation_ which are
compatible with the new approach for FP5 and which provide for more general
improvements in management efficiency, matters which were raised in successive
research Councils. The new structure of FP5 will open the possibility of streamlining
and improving the process of consultation with industry, the science base and users,
through mechanisms which are consistently applied across the programme. The
Commission's initial ideas on this matter were discussed informally with ministers'
personal representatives towards the end of 1997. Work was also done to take
forward the conclusions of the June 1996 seminar on management of research
programmes in developing the operational aspects of the new Framework Programme
(see also section 4).

1.3. IMPLEMENTATION OF THE FIRST ACTION PLAN FOR INNOVATION IN EUROPE

Work continued during 1997 ir; taking forward the objectives of the First Action Plan for
Innovation, by putting into place a series of coordinated initiatives. Mobilising the various
services concerned (Innovation, Internal Market, SMEs, Industry, Education and
Training, Research and Development), the Commission's activities in this first phase
focused mainly on 5 areas:

- _Protection of intellectual property :_ on 24 June 1997 the Commission adopted a Green
Paper on the Community patent and the patent system in Europe designed to launch a
debate leading to practical proposals to simplify the patent system while making it
more efficient and less expensive. To make those involved in innovation aware of what
is at stake in the protection of intellectual property, the Commission is also setting up,
under the Innovation Programme, an assistance and information service for participants
in Community research programmes. Lastly, progress has been made with protecting
innovations in rapidly expanding sectors such as biotechnology: with regard to
biotechnological inventions, the Commission has put forward a revised draft Directive
which was endorsed by the European Parliament and agreed upon by the November
1997 Internal Market Council.

- _Innovation financing:_ particular attention was paid to the mobilisation of private
capital for this purpose, in order to help Europe catch up in this area of fundamental
importance to innovation. The Research Council of 10 November 1997 recognised the
legitimacy of Community action in this connection, and the need for an approach under
the Framework Programme allowing better account to be taken of aspects linked to
research and competitiveness. In addition, the strong backing given by the Amsterdam
and Luxembourg European Councils for innovation financing will allow considerable
resources (EIB, EIF, Community budget) to be released for 1998 and 1999, thus
enhancing Europe's capacity to provide equity finance for innovative high-tech
businesses. [12] Other initiatives supplementing these measures include: investment
forums for the various programmes; setting up of an assistance and guidance service
and a performance benchmarking system at European level in the field of innovation
financing.

12 The measures taken are intended mainly to channel capital (especially venture capital) more
effectively towards innovative projects in their early stages. The I-TEC pilot project launched in
1997 under the Innovation Programme is helping to bring this about by enabling venture capital
companies to acquire a lasting ability to assess and manage high-tech projects.

**5**

**•**

_**The regulatory framework and administrative simplification:**_ **apart from pursuing**
the SLIM (Simplified Legislation for the Internal Market) measures and promoting
various forms of enterprise at European level (European company, EEIG, proposal for
a statute for joint enterprises in research and development), the major initiative in this
field is the setting up of the BEST task force with a mandate to formulate (for the
Cardiff European Council in June 1998) specific proposals aimed at simplifying
administrative procedures and improving the quality of legislation (both at Community
level and in the Member States).

_**Education**_ _and training:_ a major effort was devoted to training and education, in
particular with measures to stimulate mobility ("Erasmus Apprenticeship",
EUROPASS-Training, CAMPUS VOICE service) and to make better use of
information technologies ("Learning in the information society" initiative), and pilot
projects aimed at strengthening the innovation culture to complement projects to
exploit research.

_Gearing research towards innovation:_ the preparation of the Fifth Framework
Programme enabled this priority to be taken into account. The proposed Fifth
Framework Programme is more focused (4 thematic programmes and 3 horizontal
programmes) and explicitly includes innovation among the objectives of all the
programmes. Within the thematic programmes, the "key actions" are aimed at
fostering the emergence of targeted industrial applications. Lastly, the Commission has
taken steps to ensure that the know-how and expertise of the Joint Research Centre are
better exploited.

At the Employment Summit on 20 and 21 November 1997, the Heads of State and
Government solemnly confirmed the need to promote research, innovation and the spirit
of enterprise in order to help reduce unemployment in Europe. Continued implementation
of the Action Plan for Innovation in 1998 will remain one of the Commission's priorities,
in particular in the fields of intellectual property, access to financing, administrative
simplification, and developing the spirit of enterprise.

2. OTHER MAIN ASPECTS OF COMMUNITY RESEARCH POLICY IN 1997 
**1998**

**2.1** . FINANCIAL SUPPLEMENT FOR THE FOURTH FRAMEWORK PROGRAMME

Negotiations on the Commission's January 1996 proposal for a financial supplement to the
Fourth Framework Programme continued throughout 1997, following a modified
proposal presented by the Commission in November 1996 for a supplement of ECU 100
million. The common position of Council, reached on 27 January 1997 confirmed this
sum, while the European Parliament, in its second reading on 13 March 1997, voted 5
amendments, increasing the supplement to ECU 200 million. Rejection of these
amendments by Council resulted in the establishment of a conciliation committee which
met twice, on 9 and 23 September.

The outcome of conciliation was agreement on a supplement of ECU 115 million, which
was officially confirmed in a Decision of Parliament and Council in December 1997 [13] . A
significant proportion of the new funding is allocated to research on transmissible
spongiform encephalopathies. The increase of ECU 15 million above the Commission's
modified proposal (and Council common position) reflected an increase in the allocation
to research on the detection and destruction of landmines, and the introduction of an
additional theme on non-nuclear energy, in view of the Parliament's preferences.

2.2. CREST AND COORDINATION BETWEEN COMMUNITY POLICIES AND NATIONAL

POLICIES:

In 1997 the activities of CREST (the Scientific and Technical Research Committee) were
strongly influenced by the preparations for the Fifth Framework Programme, resulting in
particular in opinions on various Commission papers related to this, for example the second
working paper on the Fifth Framework Programme, [14] and the S/T content of the formal
proposal on the Fifth Framework Programme. [15] These opinions indicated, among other things,
that CREST shares the Commission's desire for a focusing of efforts and welcomes the
concepts of key actions and generic technologies.

Other topics were discussed within the Committee, in particular the coordination of RTD
policies and the assessment of Community RTD activities. In the latter connection, CREST
endorsed the five-year evaluation and monitoring of the specific programmes and the
Framework Programme, and the 1997 Annual Report.

With regard to coordination between Community policy and national RTD policies
(Art. 130H), the Commission focused on the continuation of the exchange of information
on national RTD activities within the _ad hoc_ Committee set up in accordance with the
Council conclusions of 9 June 1995. Other efforts related to indirect RTD support
measures, research programming methods in Member States, and European partnerships
within the national RTD programmes.

In its initial conclusions [16] on the exchange of information on national RTD activities,
CREST stressed the importance of the work accomplished and the permanent nature of
the exercise. At a seminar with the rapporteurs of the _ad hoc_ Committees, organised by
the Commission in October 1997, and to which representatives of IRDAC, ESTA and
CREST were also invited, there was a fruitful exchange of experience and best practices.
In the light of the results of this seminar, December 1997 CREST issued a second series
of conclusions [17] outlining the strengths and weaknesses of the exercise. For example, it
was recognised that the exchange of information results in better knowledge and mutual
understanding of national RTD activities and is a good way of identifying areas in which

13 Decision No 2535/97/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 1 December 1997 ; OJ L
347/1, 18.12.97.

14 (COM (97) 47 final; doc CREST/1202/97)

15 (COM (97) 142 final; doc CREST/1214/3/97 rev3)

16 (doc CREST/1206/97)

17 (doc CREST/1220/97)

**coordination could be strengthened. However, this activity imposes a heavy burden on**
**rapporteurs in terms of the communication of information on national activities (with**
**problems of comparability), and does not always have a sufficiently high priority and**
**profile.**

**To remedy these weaknesses, CREST and the Commission have specified the activities**
**devolved to the** _**ad hoc**_ **Committees, stressing that they must be clearly targeted on**
**selected priority areas, and that a clear distinction must be established between what can**
**be done by the Committees themselves, in particular by adapting the work programme,**
**and what must be brought to the attention of CREST for its opinion and future action.**
**The driving role of the rapporteurs and the need to give them increased support was**
**stressed, as was the need to promote the circulation of** **the** **reports and work of** **the** _**ad hoc**_
**Committees.**

**In the first half of 1998, the Commission will be holding a second workshop with the**
**rapporteurs in order to continue the exchange of views and experience and ensure that**
**appropriate account is taken of CREST's conclusions. The Commission will analyse the**
**1997 annual reports in order to identify the main messages emerging from the work of** **the**
_**ad hoc**_ **Committees and guidelines for the future, in particular the adaptation of the**
**exercise in the context of the Fifth Framework Programme. In 1998, CREST's activities**
**have continued to be influenced by the discussions on the Fifth Framework Programme.**
**For example, at the beginning of the year the Committee considered the S/T content of**
**the Commission's working paper on the specific programmes** **(COM(97)553),** **basing itself**
**in particular on the work of** **the** _**ad hoc**_ **workshops set up for this purpose, thus providing**
**the Commission with a contribution that sheds light on the S/T content of the specific**
**programmes. Other topics will also be addressed by the Committee in the course of** **1998,**
**e.g. the second European Report on S/T Indicators and international cooperation on**
**RTD.** **The Committee's medium-term work programme will be updated.**

**2.3.** **ADVISORY COMMITTEES**

_**Industrial Research**_ _**and Development Advisory**_ _**Committee (IRDAQ**_

**The main topics addressed by IRDAC were the Fifth Framework Programme and**
**innovation. IRDAC presented its opinion of the specific programmes under the Fifth**
**Framework Programme to Mrs Cresson at the October 1997 plenary meeting, and started**
**deliberations on the revision of the standard contract, with a view to the implementation**
**of the new Framework Programme. The Committee issued a report concerning the**
**participation and dissemination rules and will continue its activities in this connection,**
**contributing to the preparation of the application rules and the standard contract. In**
**addition, the Committee expressed its views on the structure of the programme, its budget**
**and the composition of its consultative structures on a number of occasions.**

**IRDAC also expressed its views at length on the subject of innovation and the conditions**
**needed to promote it. For example, the Committee presented its opinion on the Action**
**Plan for Innovation and on the legal and regulative framework for RTD and innovation.**
**Venture capital was the subject of** **two** **reports, one concerning the links between venture**
**capital and the high-technology sector and the other, in preparation, analysing the**
**measures taken by the Commission to ensure the provision of venture capital for**
**Community RTD projects.**

Three other IRDAC reports were noteworthy: the opinion on the Agreement for
Cooperation on Science and Technology between the EU and the United States, the
proposal for a European system of industrial host fellowships in the context of the Fifth
Framework Programme, and the opinion on the management of Community RTD
programmes. IRDAC plans to organise round tables on State aid for RTD, the use of
"outsourcing" by European industry, and, last but not least, the Committee's annual
seminar will concern the contribution of RTD and innovation to competitiveness and
employment. The latter topic was addressed from the point of view of SMEs by
Commissioner Papoutsis at the last meeting.

_**European Science and**_ _**Technology**_ _**Assembly (ESTA)**_

ESTA actively contributed to the debate on Fifth Framework Programme during 1997 at
the same time undergoing a transition from an Assembly of approximately 100 members
to a smaller body of 64 which saw the election of a new ESTA chairman and a new,
smaller Bureau. Separate reports were produced in early 1997 on each of the three
thematic priority topics put forward in the Commission's Working Paper, "Inventing
Tomorrow". These reports offered strategic input on the development and
implementation of the programmes, in advance of the formal proposals. They were
complemented by a series of meetings between small groups of ESTA members and
research Directors to discuss specific programme details.

ESTA also provided input for the development of the horizontal programmes, organising
a round table on International Cooperation and addressing a number of issues in the area
of "Improving Human Potential", such as research infrastructure, centres of excellence
and research training networks. An exploratory round-table, bringing together experts
from the main European academic organisations, was also organised to explore the
contribution social scientists could make to the achievement of EU goals in research and
related fields.

Longer-term recommendations were developed for Fifth Framework Programme at the
March 1998 ESTA Plenary meeting, in four areas, each of which will be considered for
further ESTA action [18] : support to research infrastructure; international co-operation in
science and technology with Central and Eastern European countries; the link between the
Fifth Framework Programme and the Innovation Action Plan with a focus on hi-tech
SMEs; the attractiveness of regions, critical mass and competitiveness.

ESTA provided further encouragement to the development of entrepreneurial culture in
universities in its report on "Academic and Industrial Research Co-operation in Europe"
and carried out a study on the "Strengths and Weaknesses in European Science", jointly
with the main national research councils.

18 The new ESTA Bureau developed a work plan for 1998 on the basis of which ESTA activities have
been structured into four areas: i) ESTA projects related to the development of advice on RTD
activities undertaken by the Commission; ii) longer term projects undertaken at ESTA's own
initiative; iii) actions to maintain constructive relationships with the main European and
international RTD organisations; iv) contributing to Uie promotion of a scientific and technological
culture in Europe and the stimulation of debate at European level.

_**Outlook**_ _**for the**_ _**structure**_ _**of IRDAC and**_ _**ESTA**_

One essential aspect of the implementation of the Fifth Framework Programme lies in the
greater involvement of those concerned with Community research on its management.
Work has been done to develop new ways for consultative structures to achieve this. In
particular, the Commission intends that ESTA and IRDAC should be transferred into a
single "two chamber" body, giving advice for the Framework Programme and Community
research policy as a whole. The renewed ESTA/IRDAC will entertain links with the
External Advisory- Groups, which will be established to act as channels of advice and
communication on the focus and implementation of the Framework Programme between
the Commission and the various parties concerned (researchers, industrialists, users) in
relation to the key actions.

**2.4.** **ECONOMIC AND** **SOCIAL COHESION**

1997 was an important year for coordination between RTD and innovation policy and the
structural policies on account of the preparations for the Fifth Framework Programme and
the reform of the Structural Funds. Analyses relating to the new communication
"Reinforcing cohesion and competitiveness through research, technological development
and innovation" [19] made it possible to increase knowledge of this matter and promoted the
mutual exchange of expertise within the Commission's services and hence the
coordination process.

Coordination between RTD and innovation policy and cohesion policy was given a boost
by the guidelines set out in Agenda 2000, which places particular emphasis on economic
and social cohesion and on knowledge-related policies, as well as the European Spatial
Development Perspective (ESDP) approved by the informal Council of Ministers
responsible for regional planning in Noordwijk in June 1997, which stresses the
importance of access to knowledge throughout the territories of the European Union.

With regard to the Structural Funds, studies carried out in preparation for the "Second
European Report on S&T Indicators" confirmed the growing trend towards RTD in the
Community Support Frameworks and the Single Programming Documents in the case of
Objectives 1, 2 and 5b. The percentage of RTD and innovation related measures for the
periods 1989-93 and 1994-99 increased from 2.92% to 5.37% (Objective 1); from
11.50% to 16.80% (Objective 2); and from 1.43% to 2.06% (Objective 5b) respectively.
However, the total funds allocated to RTD and innovation related operations has
remained more or less stable, amounting to ECU 8 518 million for the period 1994-99, or
5.6% of the amounts available. A more precise evaluation, involving qualitative aspects,
has been initiated on the role of RTD and innovation in the Structural Funds from 1994 to

1999, based on the mid-term evaluation of the structural instruments in that period
(intermediate results will be available in mid-1998).

It has been shown [20] at the same time that a catching-up process is under way in most of
the less-favoured regions (Objective 1). Where the Framework Programmes are

19 COM (98) 275; 27.05.1998.

20 Second European Report on S&T Indicators 1997, EUR 17639.

**10**

concerned, these regions have in fact done better than in the past, given that the financial
participation rates were 8.95% and 8.77% for the Fourth and Third Framework
Programmes respectively, which is slightly higher than these regions' share in research
personnel. In 1997, the number of participations of Objective 1 regions was 12.6%, and
the Community contribution for projects involving at least one participant from an
Objective 1 region was 47% (52% for the first activity).

Action under the Framework Programme therefore supplemented that under the
Structural Funds in terms of improving research capacities in the less-favoured regions, by
enabling researchers from these regions to participate in high-level international research
projects and slot into networks. For example, in 1997 alone, 13 463 collaboration links
were created between the cohesion countries (Ireland, Portugal, Spain and Greece) and
the other European Union countries, out of a total of 56 478 (23.8% of the links created).

In addition, each of the four areas of activity of the Fourth Framework Programme
(1994-98) contributed in 1997 to economic and social cohesion in various ways, ranging
from participation in programmes of particular interest to these regions (environment,
socio-economic research, etc.), international cooperation, promotion of innovation and
dissemination of results, to access to programmes concerning the training and mobility of
researchers.

The Innovation Programme (dissemination and optimisation of research results) continued to
play a key role developing cohesion aspects of the Framework Programme. The close
cooperation with the Structural Funds has continued, supporting 40 new regions in their
endeavour to define a Regional Innovation and Technology Transfer Strategy (RITTS). A
large proportion of these projects are located in LFRs, which, through a pan-European
network allows access to collective expertise and good practice. The network of Innovation
Relay Centres has actively promoted the transnational flow of technologies toward LFRs,
where the industrial fabric presents problems of dispersion or insufficient local infrastructure
for addressing technological requirements. Innovation awareness activities have proven to be
effective for the transfer of know-how from Nordic countries' cultures to LFRs. For instance

in 1997, half of the 20 workshops conducted in European cities in the field of urban ecology
took place in LFRs. Finally, more than 20% of the 74 partners selected after the third call for
Technology Transfer Projects (in 65 projects), are from Objective 1, 2 or 6 regions (the
cohesion dimension was included in the selection criteria).

While assigning greater importance to the dissemination and exploitation of results, the
Fifth Framework Programme [21] will focus on the resolution of a limited number of
socio-economic problems thanks to a new instrument to be known as key actions, some of
which are of particular interest to the less-favoured regions: "Sustainable management and
quality of water", "Sustainable agriculture, fisheries and forestry, including integrated
development of rural areas", "Systems and services for the citizen", "Sustainable mobility
and intermodality" and "The city of tomorrow and cultural heritage".

The Commission organised mobilisation seminars in order to continue its work on raising
the awareness of those concerned, at national, regional or local level by economic

21 Proposal for a European Parliament and Council Decision concerning the Fifth Framework
Programme of the European Community for research, technological development and demonstrationactivities (1998- 2002), COM(97) 142 of 30 April 1997.

**11**

development, RTD and innovation problems. [22] The series of seminars begun in 1994
finished in March 1998 in Denmark. It should make it possible to ensure by the year 2000
a more rapid and more effective integration of the RTD and innovation dimension in the
next Structural Fund period 2000-2006.

With the prospect of future enlargement, in 1997 the Commission launched a study [23] to
measure Eastern Europe's technology gap. This study provides the basis for reflecting on
the need for structural and operational support for RTD and innovation systems in the
accession candidate countries. The conclusions of this study were presented in Vienna in
November 1997.

2.5. INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION

In the context of the globalisation of knowledge and economies, the enlargement of the
Union, the ongoing development of S&T relations with the emerging economies, and in
the context of the Fifth Framework Programme, the Council of 14/15 May 1997 stressed
the growing importance of RTD cooperation. This cooperation, entailing in particular a
"European added value", helps to ensure a higher profile in the world for European knowhow in the field of science and technology compared with the United States and Japan in
particular. It also promotes economic and trade links, while helping to improve the
competitiveness of the Union's economy and to implement other sectoral and external
policies.

The activities conducted in 1997 were part of the medium-term strategy set out in the
communication on the perspectives for international cooperation. [24] Efforts continued to
increase the participation of the _accession candidate countries_ in the second activity
"international cooperation" and the other specific programmes under the Fourth
Framework Programme, with the support of the second activity. A "structured dialogue"
meeting (14 May) was held between the Research Ministers of the applicant countries and
the Union countries, during which it was agreed in particular to step up the dialogue on
RTD policy and explore ways, including financial ones, of facilitating these countries'
participation in the Fifth Framework Programme.

Turning to the _advanced countries,_ a Cooperation Agreement on S&T was signed
between the EU and the United States of America, following on from the Transatlantic
Action Plan signed in December 1995. It is designed to encourage and facilitate the
development of scientific cooperation in areas of common interest. Negotiations began
with Russia with a view to a Cooperation Agreement aimed at expanding and
consolidating the present collaboration between Russia and the EU, presupposing, among
other things, a solution for problems connected with taxation and the protection of
intellectual property rights.

22 "Science and Technology - optimising the impact in the regions", Liverpool (UK), 18.04.1997.
"Stimulation of Research and Technological Development via the Structural Funds," Groningen
(NL), 20.06.1997. "RTD policies, regional policies and structural policies," Metz (FR), 21.11.1997.

23 "Impact of the enlargement of the European Community towards the Associated Central and Eastern
European Countries on RTD-innovation and structural policies", Coopers & Lybrand, 09.03.1998.

24 COM (95) 489 final, 18.10.1995.

**12**

The European Parliament adopted a resolution on the communication on promoting RTD
cooperation with the world's _emerging economies,_ which sets out vis-à-vis these
countries, which are both the EU's partners and its competitors, a selective cooperation
policy based in particular on the conclusion of Cooperation Agreements.

Where the _developing countries_ (DCs) are concerned, following the conference coorganised by the Dutch Presidency and the Commission on partnership for research
(Leiden, March 1997), the Commission published a communication on "scientific and
technological research - a strategic part of the European Union's development
cooperation with the DCs" [25] which was endorsed by the Development Council in a
resolution adopted on 5 June. The general objective is to utilise RTD as a determining
factor for sustainable development and for facilitating the integration of developing
countries in the global economy. This strategy is based on four main principles:
partnership, differentiation, mainstreaming of RTD, and an integrated approach to solving
problems which combines institutional development, strengthening research capacities and
international scientific and technological cooperation. Coherence between RTD and
external policy will be ensured through coordination of the two instruments available scientific and technological cooperation (through the INCO-DC programme) and official
development assistance programmes. More active coordination with the Member States
should further strengthen the impact of RTD in all the areas of development co-operation,
on the basis of a global partnership with the developing countries.

Continued participation of the EFTA EEA countries (Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein) in
the Fourth Framework Programme has been enabled via an extension to the EEA
Agreement and has worked satisfactorily. Where the other international cooperation
forums are concerned, the meeting of the COST Ministerial Conference (June 1997)
confirmed the interest of the Member States and the Commission in this intergovernmental
initiative to coordinate European research. Detailed discussions were started between the
Commission's services and representatives of Eureka on the procedures for greater
interaction between Eureka, COST and the Framework Programme, with a view to
encouraging the optimum utilisation of the results of European research.

**3.** **RESEARCH ACTIVITIES IN 1997 AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE**

**FRAMEWORK PROGRAMMES**

The Union's RTD policy mobilises a growing number of Union researchers and it
supports or encourages European networks of undisputed quality; it plays an important
role in all Community activities. [26] Networks involve firms, universities and research
centres on a transnational basis in an increasingly wide variety of ways: for the first three
years of the Fourth Framework Programme the respective share of firms, universities and
research centres was 43%, 28% and 23% of total European participation in shared-cost
actions [27] for the first activity of the Fourth Framework Programme.

25 COM (97) 174, 25.04.1997.

26 Almost ECU 3 000 million and some 4% of the Community budget (see Tables 10 and 11).

27 For 1995, 1996 and 1997, the data are those given in Table 5 of the 1996, 1997 and 1998
Article 130P reports for European Union participants: the "others" category amounts to 6%.

**13**

3.1. IMPACTS AND SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL RESULTS

In the course of 1997, numerous results were achieved through Community RTD projects
which will contribute, sometimes indirectly and/or in the long term, to improving the
quality of life in Europe: sequencing of the genome of several living organisms,
development of a powerful climate-forecasting model for Europe, development of several
innovative production technologies, launching of an international campaign to study the
depletion of the ozone layer above Europe, etc.

However, the impact of the Community programmes also helps, in a more diffuse but
equally important way, to support Europe's scientific, technical and industrial fabric. For
example, Community funding has made it possible to establish hundreds of networks and
conferences and has given rise to thousands of publications and patents - activities which
help to promote the dynamism of European science and technology.

Where the economic impact of Community activities is concerned, an important aspect of
the value added by the Community programmes is the coordination of research. In many
areas Europe is at the forefront of science and technology - for example in certain
branches of environmental, biotechnology and energy research - thanks to the
coordination of research made possible by the European programmes, coordination which
does not exist - or which exists to a lesser extent - in the case of some of our competitors.
The pooling of data and expertise is another aspect of this European added value, making
it possible to speed up the development of treatments in the medical field, for example:

- our understanding of certain forms of cancer has improved significantly as a result of
studies carried out in parallel in several Member States and funded by the Biomedicine
and Health Programme;

- it was also an epidemiological monitoring network supported by the European Union
which detected the first ten atypical cases of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease suspected of
being linked to "mad cow" disease.

The fact is that because Community projects are selected on the basis of their quality,
most European research teams are consistently at the forefront of research in their
particular sector. To quote just one example, a network under the TMR Programme
made it possible to discover the quantum teleportation phenomenon, offering the prospect
of new generations of computers.

However, these interesting scientific and technical results should not conceal the fact that
the Union's major weakness lies not in its research potential but rather in translating the
results of this research in economic and commercial terms. One of the objectives of the
Framework Programme is therefore to improve this state of affairs and, through the
Innovation Programme and the other specific programmes, to establish a framework
conducive to innovation in Europe. Thus, following on from those initiatives, in particular
by DG XIII-D, in 1997 ESPRIT established an annual Investment Forum designed to
bring together IT firms and investors in innovation. Other similar initiatives have been
launched elsewhere, in particular in the field of biotechnology (first conference of the
"Biotechnology and Finance Forum").

**14**

**3.2.** **MONITORING** **OF** **THE FRAMEWORK PROGRAMMES**

As forseen in the relevant legal Decisions, the implementation of each of the 18 specific
programmes and the Framework Programme overall were the subject of an independent
monitoring exercise by panels of experts from the Member States; for the year 1997 all of
these were completed by the end of March 1998.

The Framework Programme monitoring panel consisted of 8 senior experts, under the
Chairmanship of Prof. J. Viana Baptista, Vice Chairman of IRDAC. As this monitoring
exercise was conducted during the period when discussions on the Fifth Framework
Programme were in progress, the Panel's deliberations took particular account of the
approach forseen for the next Framework Programme and the actions in 1997 which are
precursors to this new approach.

The Panel commended the significant improvements already effected by the Commission
services in several areas of Programme management, and the Commission's efforts in
responding to earlier monitoring exercises. It concluded that, overall, the Framework
Programme is developing in a positive way and substantial results have been achieved in
specific fields. Improvements were noted in processing proposals, supply of information
to applicants, reduction of over-subscription, management flexibility and coordination and
cooperation between programmes. The Panel highlighted a number of areas to which
further attention should be given; in particular for the long term development of the
programme, such as the development of a comprehensive concept of European added
value, to assist programme definition/proposal selection and underpin output measures
and impact assessment techniques.

3.3. CONTRACTS SIGNED AND PAYMENTS MADE IN 1997: ANNUAL BASIS AND

FRAMEWORK PROGRAMMES

The statistical and budgetary data (see Annex II, Tables 1 to 3B and 5 to 7) relate to the
contracts signed in 1997 and the projects in progress under all the Framework
Programmes. The data relate to the Community and Euratom Framework Programmes;
the financing structures for the Fourth Framework Programme include the financial
supplement approved in 1997 (Tables 9 to 11). The calls for proposals (Tables 4 and 8)
concern 1997 and 1998.

For 1997, Tables 1-8 indicate that nearly 24 000 proposals were received by the
Commission in response to calls for proposals and that over 7 000 contracts and
amendments to contracts were signed, corresponding to nearly ECU 3 000 million [28] and
nearly 24 000 participations. On 31 December 1997 over 11000 projects were in
progress, including 10 500 under the Fourth Framework Programmes alone.

The 6 300 contracts signed in 1997 comprise on average 3.8 participations and 2.6
Member States and correspond to average funding of ECU 0.41 million (Table 2), which
is slightly less than in previous years: this can be explained by the growing success of the

28
The commitments for 1997 for appropriations for operations amount to ECU 3 149 million, a figure
which is more **than the** contracts signed in 1997. Generally speaking, the difference between
commitments and contracts is attributable to contracts committed one year and signed by all the
contractors **the** next year.

**15**

technology stimulation measures for SMEs and the accompanying measures which rose
from 9.5% of the amount of contracts signed in 1996 to 13.6% in 1997. Concerted
actions represented 6.9% of participations in 1997.

In the case of shared-cost actions (SCA), in 1997 as in 1996 over 4 000 projects were
signed, giving rise to 18 000 participations. Taking into account amendments (which
apply almost exclusively to SCA), since the start of the Fourth Framework Programme
nearly 9 700 contracts have been signed, corresponding to ECU 7 100 million and over
46 500 participations. An average project (SCA) therefore involves ECU 0.73 million,
4.8 partners and 3.2 Member States.

In accordance with the revenue and expenditure accounts, all the appropriations for
Community research operations (including the competitive scientific and technical support
activities [29] ) are accounted for in terms of payments in Table 1, totalling
ECU 2 487 million under the Third Framework Programme (Table 3 A), and
ECU 2 188 million under the Fourth Framework Programmes (Table 3B).

Table 9 gives the breakdown of funding, including the financial supplement, for the
various specific programmes for all the budgetary commitments concerning the
Framework Programmes comprising management costs and direct actions (JRC) as well
as the appropriations for operations. Tables 10 and 11 set out the budgetary
commitments (1984-1998) for the Community research Framework Programmes in
current prices and 1992 prices. [30 ]

3.4. IMPLEMENTATION OF THE FRAMEWORK PROGRAMMES AND OBJECTIVES OF

EUROPEAN RESEARCH POLICY

3.4.1. INDUSTRIAL PARTICIPATION

After levelling off in 1995 and 1996, industrial participation in the Framework Programme
as a whole increased in 1997, mainly as a result of SME participation. Aggregated data
for the first three years of the Fourth Framework Programme show that for the first
activity firms accounted for 43% of European Union participation (18% for large firms
and 25%o for SMEs) in SCA, and 44% of the Community contribution.

Industrial participation varies quite considerably from one specific programme to another
(see Tables 5A and 5B). In 1997 the five programmes where industrial participation is
around 50% include the two biggest programmes under the Fourth Framework
Programme, "Information Technologies" and "Industrial and Materials Technologies"
(16%> and 22% of SCA respectively); large firms play the leading role (Table 5B). SMEs
play a major role compared with the large firms in the case of the third activity
"Dissemination and Optimisation of Results" (accounting for over 46% of the types of
organisations), in the case of transport where they are more numerous than large firms,
and in the case of non-nuclear energy.

29 In 1997 as in 1996 these are accounted for in terms of payment. Qualitative and quantitative
information concerning them is given in Annex 1 to this report on page 48.

30 The current financial perspective was decided upon in 1992 at the Edinburgh Summit for the period
1992-1999).

**16**

3.4.2. TECHNOLOGY STIMULATION MEASURES FOR SME ACCESS TO **RTD**

The percentage participation of SMEs in all the specific programmes increased between
1995 and 1997, bringing it to a level which, according to a recent report, is the highest of
all public national or international RTD programmes. [31] SMEs now account for 24% of
total participation (Table 5B).

The most important result in terms of SME participation [32] undoubtedly concerns the
increase in SMEs,with research facilities participating in collaborative research projects.
Nearly 5 400 SMEs were funded in a project of this type between 1995 and 1998 - more
than double the number in the previous framework programme.

Between 1995 and 1997, the technology stimulation measures for SMEs (TSME) thus
enabled 2 900 SMEs to benefit from one of the 1 264 exploratory awards financed and
nearly 1 900 other SMEs to participate in one of the 300 CRAFT projects in progress. [33 ]

Over 80%) of the SMEs receiving an exploratory award had never before taken part in a
Community project.

A recent study [34] has confirmed that the latter point applies to the entire Fourth
Framework Programme: 64% of SMEs interviewed are taking part for the first time, while
in the case of 63% of them it is also their first participation in a public RTD programme
(regional, national or international). The study shows that the Framework Programme
enables SMEs to establish new contacts, 50% of them never having collaborated with any
of the partners involved in the projects financed by the Framework Programme. In
addition, the fact of obtaining an exploratory award increased the rate of selection of
projects submitted by SMEs in 1995 and 1996: from 28 to 4 1 % for collaborative research
projects. In the case of CRAFT projects, the increase is lower (from 47 to 49%), but in
this case the awards enabled a new category of SMEs to participate in the Framework
Programme.

With an average of six or seven SMEs per CRAFT project, it can be estimated that the
calls scheduled for 1998 will bring total participation under the Fourth Framework
Programme to around 12 500 SMEs compared with 5 400 for the previous Framework
Programme. On the basis of the study and these estimates, it is likely that under the Fourth
Framework Programme nearly 8 000 SMEs will have participated not only in their first

31 "Second European Report on S&T indicators - 1997", EUR 17639, December 1997.

32 The 9 300 SMEs obtained by adding up those indicated in Table 5 for the years 1995 to 1997 break
down into 5 400 SMEs collaborating with other types of participants (large firms, research centres,
universities) in research contracts and 3 900 SMEs benefiting from technology stimulation measures.

33 The 9 300 SME participations obtained by adding up the figures in Table 5 for the years 1995 to
1997 only represent organisations which have signed a contract with the Commission. Associated
contractors such as, for example, the 1 700 SMEs that are co-beneficiaries of an exploratory award do
not appear. Similarly, very many SMEs benefit from Community RTD programmes as
subcontractors, without the Commission being able to quantify their participation or the funding
received by them..

34 "SME Participation in the 4 th RTD Framework Programme of the European Union", publication in
preparation.

**17**

**international research project but also their first public RTD programme (including over**
**5 000 as a result of the TSME).**

**3.4.3.** **CONTRIBUTION OF COMMUNITY RESEARCH TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE**

**EUROPEAN ECONOMY**

**The Framework Programme makes an active contribution to industrial competitiveness,**
**growth and employment as a result of the production of high-quality knowledge. The**
**latter is** **essential,** **to the development of the Union's productive capacity and is a**
**precondition for the availability of human resources capable of meeting new needs. In**
**addition to its direct impact on employment,** **[35]** **, the Framework Programme increases the**
**dynamism and productive capacity of the research community by supplementing the**
**research efforts at national and regional level (subsidiarity principle). In particular, as a**
**result of the numerous links that it establishes between the various players involved (since**
**the beginning of the Fourth Framework Programme, 160 000 collaboration links between**
**EU partners have been created, of which nearly 60 000 in 1997), it helps to consolidate**
**the European dimension which is becoming an increasingly essential aspect of growth and**
**employment. In this connection, mention should also be made of the Training and**
**Mobility of Researchers Programme.**

**A study completed in 1998 on completed projects under the Brite-EuRam Programme has**
**indicated that firms' participation in Community research has major economic**
**implications: nearly half of** **all** **the firms involved have managed to increase their turnover;**
**40%>** **of them have gained access to new markets; and 40% have been able to increase the**
**size of their workforce. Another study concerning a series of projects under the Esprit**
**Programme** **[36]** **has also shown that 1 ecu invested in research results ECU** **11** **of economic**
**output eight year later.**

**Thanks to the Training and Mobility of Researchers Programme several thousands of**
**young scientists have been able to obtain training in a country other than their own and**
**have been able to expedite their research by having more rapid access to relevant and**
**recognised results. For example, by the time it ends the current programme will have**
**made it possible to support the training through research of 6 500 researchers/year in the**
**context of the "networks" activity and some 5 600 researchers/year in the case of the**
**Marie Curie fellowships. The "large facilities" activity of the programme has made it**
**possible to facilitate the access of European researchers to very expensive large facilities**
**in order to carry out certain research work. This activity is particularly important for**
**researchers working in the regions of the Community that are the furthest away from such**
**facilities. The Association of Marie Curie Fellows set up in** **1997** **and its branches in all the**
**Member States also represent an important channel of dialogue and source of information**
**and assistance for Marie Curie fellowship holders during and after their fellowship.**

**35** **By involving over** **24** **000 firms, universities and research centres in over** **6** **000 projects in 1997, the**
**Framework Programme provided employment for a considerable number of people working in the**
**field** **of** **S&T.**

**36** **"Pilot Evaluation of Economic Effects, HPCN - ESPRIT', Office for Official Publications of the**
**European Communities, 1997.**

**18**

The Commission has lengthy experience with the evaluation of RTD programmes, but in
particular because of the difficulties of evaluating the socio-economic impact of RTD it
has begun to reflect on how to improve evaluation methodologies by attempting to
increase their ability to measure the output of programmes.

4. MANAGEMENT OF RESEARCH

In the context of the debate on the Commission's proposal for the Fifth Framework
Programme and the lead-up to proposals for the specific programmes, management was a
subject of considerable attention during the year and into 1998. Besides the ongoing issue
of progressive improvement of management performance and quality, significant advances
were made in the evolution and further development of management systems to reflect
fully the new principles of focus, coordination and flexibility in the implementation of the
Fifth Framework Programme.

Following a suggestion to the Council of research ministers at its meeting on 15 May
1997 from Mrs Cresson, the Commissioner responsible for research, a group of personal
representatives of research ministers was set up and met three times during the year. The
group was set up with the aim that the Commission should "...provide on an _ad-hoc_ basis
... more detailed information on the modalities of programme implementation and
management ...".

In its three meetings, the group discussed the principal issues related to programme
implementation within EU RTD programmes. These meetings provided for the possibility
of constructive discussions between the Commission and the Member States, allowing
concerns to be aired, issues to be clarified and overall principles for programme
management to be confirmed. In particular, the discussions focused around the issues of
transparency, the role of programme Committees in the more strategically-oriented Fifth
Framework Programme, the networks of providers of information and assistance to
proposers, and the Commission's external advisory structures. A representative of the
Commission chaired the group and the Chairman's report on the main findings of the
group was a major input for the Council conclusions on the implementation and
management of Community RTD programmes adopted at the 10 November 1997 meeting
of research ministers.

Ministers affirmed the need for a closer liaison with the research, industry and user
communities in the implementation of the Fifth Framework Programme and the need to
adapt management structures to improve flexibility. Their conclusions opened the way,
following the political agreement on a Common Position reached at the February research
Council, to a further discussion in the context of an informal ministerial colloquium held in
London on 28 April 1998, focusing specifically on management aspects of SME
participation and training/mobility fellowships, as well as general management issues.

At the informal colloquium, the Commission put forward a series of proposals for
adaptations to the management system applying to the Fifth Framework Programme,
including:

- A regular "benchmarking" exercise to compare the performance of the Commission
with that of other research organisations (a first such exercise carried out by
independent consultants in early 1998 concluded that the Commission's administrative
costs compared favourably with those of both member states' and other European
research organisations).

**19**

**• The setting of targets for the timescales of** **key** **steps in the process leading from project**
**proposals to research contracts.**

**• Guidelines for the setting up of external "Advisory Groups", to act as consultative**
**bodies for the Commission on the priorities for research work and as an instrument for**
**transparency, providing channels for communication between the Commission and the**
**various parties involved (researchers, industrialists, users).**

**• A pilot experiment of** **"host** **fellowships" for Marie Curie research training fellowships,**
**in which the Commission would be responsible for selection of the host institutions,**
**which would themselves handle the selection of fellows on the basis of criteria**

**established by the Commission (and subject to Commission confirmation).**

**• Arrangements to improve the management of SME-specific measures, building on the**
**achievements in the Fourth Framework Programme, including the setting up of a**
**renewed and reinforced network of information and assistance, and the creation of a**
**single entry point for SMEs, covering all the programmes of the Fifth Framework**
**Programme.**

**The Commission also confirmed its interest in the possibility of strategic research**
**initiatives within the Fifth Framework Programme which, through voluntary efforts on the**
**part of researchers, would involve grouping ("clustering") projects around particular**
**objectives, with greater autonomy for the project coordinators and simplification of**
**administration, whilst giving those involved access to a larger, and closely coordinated,**
**RTD activity.**

**On more detailed aspects of management, as reported in the last Annual Report, the**
**Commission has set up an inter-service group to examine all the steps involved in the**
**implementation of the programmes and, in particular, any changes that will need to be**
**made in the context of the Fifth Framework Programme. With the Commission's**
**proposals for the structure of the Fifth Framework Programme decided, the group**
**continued to work throughout 1997 and, towards the end of** **the** **year, set up a number of**
**specialist sub-groups to examine particular issues in much more detail. These groups are**
**continuing to work and cover all the major topics relating to programme management,**
**including internal Commission procedures and delegation, contractual issues,** **proposal,**
**evaluation procedures and evaluation manuals, harmonisation and simplification of**
**documentation (including forms, information packages, etc.), information and assistance**
**networks, project monitoring and evaluation, statistics and informatics systems for the**
**management of the Fifth Framework Programme (including electronic proposal**
**submission).**

**20**

**ANNEX!,**

##### **RTD ACTIVITIES IN 1997 <B& WOMC PkdGRMl^ FORÎ998**

**1ST ACTIVITY OF THE FOURTH EC FRAMEWORK PROGRAMME AND THE**

**EURATOM FRAMEWORK PROGRAMME** 22
Information and communications technologies    - 22
1. Telematics 22
2. Communications technologies 25
3. Information technologies 27

Industrial technologies 30
4. Industrial and materials technologies 30
5. Measurement and testing 33

Environment 35

6. Environment and climate 35
7. Marine sciences and technologies 38

Life sciences and technologies 40
8. Biotechnology 40
9. Biomedicine and health 42
10. Agriculture and fisheries (including agro-industry, food technologies, forestry,
aquaculture and rural development) 45

Energy 47
11. Non-nuclear energy 47
12. Nuclear fission safety 50
13. Controlled thermonuclear fusion 52

14. Transport 55

15.Targeted socio-economic research 57

**2ND ACTIVITY** **OF THE** **FOURTH FRAMEWORK** **PROGRAMME** 59

Cooperation with third countries and international organisations 59

**3RD ACTIVITY OF THE FOURTH FRAMEWORK** **PROGRAMME** 62

Dissemination and optimisation of results 62

**4TH ACTIVITY OF THE FOURTH FRAMEWORK** **PROGRAMME** 64

Stimulation of the training and mobility of researchers 64

**JOINT RESEARCH CENTRE** **(JRC)** **66**

**COMPETITIVE SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL SUPPORT** **ACTIVITIES** **70**

**21**

**1ST ACTIVITY** **OF** **THE FOURTH FRAMEWORK PROGRAMME**

**AND** **THE**

**EURATOM** **FRAMEWORK** **PROGRAMME**

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGIES

1. TELEMATICS APPLICATIONS

Activities in **1997**

The Telematics Applications Programme is a user-driven research
programme, focusing on the applications of information and/or
communications technologies to society, thus providing some of the
building blocks for Europe's Information Society. Its activities are
relevant to a range of other European policies in fields such as transport,
health, education. At the end of 1997 the Telematics Applications
Programme was responsible for a total of some 500 projects, of which
more than 450 were shared-cost projects.

In the course of the year, contracts were signed following three calls for
proposals: the fourth general call generated 179 new projects, of which
140 were shared-cost projects; the call concerning Integrated Applications
for Digital Sites (IADS) generated 21 new contracts, of which 11 were
shared-cost projects; the joint call for Educational Multimedia (EMM)
involved 6 programmes (Telematics Applications, ESPRIT, Targeted
Socio-economic Research, TEN-Telecom, Leonardo da Vinci and
Socrates) and generated 29 new projects, of which 25 were shared-cost
projects. The fifth call for proposals for the "Research networks" sector
resulted in one new shared-cost project to be signed in 1998. A joint call
for proposals was launched in December 1997 by the Transport
Programme together with the "Telematics Applications for Transport"

sector.

The time between the closing date for the call and the signature of most of
the contracts was brought down to five open months (seven months in
1996). This significant improvement has been achieved through a
combination of a robust evaluation process and the use of a two-stage
proposal process involving pre-proposals and full proposals. The 1997
calls have also seen a reduction in the "over-subscription" of the budget
compared to previous years. There has also been a tendency to select
larger projects (in particular, the IADS activity encompasses projects
worth an average EC contribution of ECU 4.5 million, which reflects the
cross-sectoral nature of this initiative).

For the second annual technical review of projects, 261 independent
experts got together to carry out a technical audit of 355 projects, 30 of
which were subject to an in-depth audit.

The annual monitoring report stressed the improvements in the efficiency
and transparency of programme management during 1997, the consistency
of project selection with the initial objectives and the work programme,
the relevance of dissemination activities, and the consideration given to
output indicators that are appropriate for individual sectors.

**22**

Examples of results

100 000 severely
mobility-impaired
Europeans will get a
better quality of life and

get more independence
through development by

the Focus project of a

standardised way to
equip wheelchairs with

different assistive

devices. The TESTLAB

project, which provides

access for blind and

visually-impaired readers
to library catalogues and

to documents,

demonstrated its services

at 25 test sites in 1997.

The monitoring of air
quality is essential for
human health and well
being. An efficient
telematic environment

management system has
been developed by the
EMMA project to provide
24/48-hour air pollution
forecasts so that traffic

restrictions or other

measures can be taken to

reduce risks.

**Contribution to Community RTD objectives**

The programme covers the whole range of RTD activities from applied
research to real-site demonstration. By developing systems components
and specific services, and integrating them into generic platforms, this
programme helps to satisfy society's needs in areas of general interest,
contributes to the competitiveness of the industries and services
concerned, and helps to implement other relevant European Union
policies. In 1997 projects selected from the first two calls entered into
their demonstration phase which will give preliminary indications on the
tangible impact of the results on significant socio-economic objectives
such as employment, market stimulation or cohesion.

Contribution to strengthening industry's S&T bases and developing
European competitiveness

The results of the projects take the form of prototypes of telematics
systems and services, incorporating various equipment, algorithms and
software tools, to provide potential users with innovative technical
solutions meeting their needs and expectations. The programme reinforces
the technological bases of the European industry (35% of the number of
participants), thus enabling hardware, software and service companies to
increase their competitiveness on the emerging applications and
multimedia service markets. Increased structuring of the various user
communities and quicker uptake of RTD results are dramatically
enhanced through the involvement of the users in all phases of the project
cycle.

An important innovation in the programme in 1997 was the launch of 11
large-scale demonstration projects for Integrated Applications for Digital
Sites. These projects will design, implement, test and evaluate cooperative
digital platforms in order to support and further deploy a wide range of
multi-language and cross-sectoral services. The projects aim at providing
one-point access to a wide range of public and private services and
thereby boost the industry's ability to provide relevant services for the
information society of the 21st century.

Contribution to other Community policies

In 1997, most projects in the Telematics Applications Programme went
into their demonstration phases on real sites with large numbers of users.
The projects will thus have a direct influence on the shaping of the
information society and the optimisation of the European model of
society.

The joint call for educational multimedia directly supports the educational
policies of the Community as described in the White Paper on Education,
by developing multimedia services providing equal access to high quality
education regardless of where the pupils are living. In addition, the
projects in the Libraries sector provide new ways of opening up access to
the vast stores of knowledge traditionally held in libraries, museums and
galleries.

Employment policies are supported by the combined projects' efforts, as
new services are being developed to prototype stage, and new

**23**

A prototype of a "safe"

car which can monitor

the state of the driver and

take corrective action if

necessary has been
developed by the SAVE

project. This has the
potential to reduce the
number of road accidents

by up to 30%. More

accident victims are

going to be saved

following the
development by the

HECTOR project of a
telematic communication

system linking the
accident site via an

ambulance directly to the

intensive care units, so

that first aid can be

guided directly by the

expert consultants.

The police forces and
emergency services all
over Europe can now
more efficiently combat
cross-border crime and

fraud through a multilingual communication
system developed by the

LlNGUANET project
which provides simple

forms of translation

where appropriate. Many

instances of practical
results are reported such
as recovery of stolen
vehicles, foiling of
abductions and drugs
related interceptions.

employment possibilities are being created. Employment policies are being
supported directly by projects in the Administrations and Education &
Training sectors which support teleworking and better information to the
unemployed and to employers.

The projects in the Health and Disabled and Ageing sectors are directly
contributing to policies concerning the quality of life for citizens. Projects
are now demonstrating applications which will give a better quality of life
for people living in remote areas, by providing access to distance
diagnostic services; development of smart cards for health records will
make travelling safer and easier for citizens.

In the Transport sector, the projects concern all modes of transport (road,
rail, air, waterborne and multimodal) and have begun to demonstrate the
potential of telematics applications to improve deteriorating transport
conditions by increasing network efficiency, enhancing traveller safety and
reducing environmental impacts. Policies towards a better environment
are supported by the applications developed in the Environment sector for
better monitoring of the environment, and pollution forecasts, be it in air,
water or soil.

The barriers between people speaking different languages or those
between man and machine are being progressively overcome thanks to
Language Engineering and Information Engineering. Activities in these
fields provide systems that can be applied in a broad range of business and
societal applications for addressing complex issues such as multi-lingual
software and service interfaces, human-computer interaction, technology
mediated inter-personal communication, ease of access, usability and
multimedia information content.

**Work programme for 1998**

In 1998 the programme's activities will be strongly directed towards
dissemination and uptake of the results of the projects. A first effort in this
direction will be a major conference and exhibition in February in
Barcelona promoting the first results of the projects and highlighting their
contribution to the information society. This will be followed by sectorspecific conferences in the year and a set of publications and dissemination
of results on the WWW promoting the results of the programme.

**24**

A very flexible and

powerful platform

developed by the
COOPWWW project has

been adopted as their

infrastructure for
cooperative group
working by an increasing

number of European
research projects and by
prestigious Europe-wide

users such as regional

development and
employment policymakers. A collection of
interoperable tools and

services has been
assembled and integrated
with an upgraded version

of the so-called BSCW
kernel which has already
been installed in over 200

Web sites around the

world.

2. ADVANCED COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGIES AND SERVICES (ACTS)

Activities in 1997

The ACTS programme is now fully implemented. As a result of the third
and last call for proposals of 1997, the decision has been taken to support
a further 89 projects which reinforces work in key strategic areas, such as
high-speed Internet services, advanced optical communications and
'agent' technology developments which will make it easier to find
information.

Interoperation and standardisation have always been strong themes within
EU communications RTD. In 1997, the consolidation of cooperation on
development of common guidelines for advanced infrastructure and
service deployment further strengthened Europe's lead in key areas. Work
in the ACTS programme also supported wider consensus development in
the areas of electronic commerce, multi-media access to cultural heritage,
and new working methods.

The critical review of each project in an annual technical audit has also
again proved a valuable way of allowing projects to re-orient work in a
rapidly changing technical and regulatory environment, as well as of
ensuring a high level of European 'added value' for public investment.

Contribution to Community RTD objectives

Strengthening Europe's science and technology base

As a result of a decade of cooperation in technology developments, in
conjunction with agreements on common specifications and standards,
European industry has a strong base and leads world developments in a
number of key areas. All the major European telecommunications
network operators, the equipment manufacturers, the leading broadcasters
and cable TV operators collaborate in the ACTS programme. In 1997,
their joint work involved over a thousand other companies and
universities, and attracted partnerships with organisations in 23 other
countries outside the EU.

Development of European competitiveness

In 1997, the first evaluation of benefit from participation in the ACTS
programme showed that more than half of the projects have already
improved the world competitive position of the partners. Participation in
the EU RTD is also seen to contribute to faster product and service
development (over 400 new systems and components are now emerging),
reduced investment risks, and more focused business strategies. Over
1300 technical papers have already been published, over 345 contributions
have been made to standardisation bodies, and over 40 new patents have
been registered.

A major achievement of ACTS cooperation has already been realised with
the unanimous industrial agreement on specifications for the next
generation of multi-media mobile communications: the UMTS system.
This agreement arose from the long and careful analyses in RACE and
ACTS projects, and will give European industries a head start in product

**25**

Examples of results

Advanced optical multiwavelength
communication networks

will provide the
infrastructure for the

explosive growth in
Internet services and data

communications.

The agreement on
common specifications
for the Universal Mobile

Telecommunications

System (UMTS) will
enable rapid and coherent

market development in
Europe and elsewhere.

and service developments, and European citizens the confidence in
transborder use and the longer-term value of new investments.

Similarly important achievements have also been reached in common
digital video/TV standards and in image coding - also now widely used on
the Internet.

Stimulation of growth and employment

The telecommunications and broadcasting sectors continued to grow at
over 8% per year in 1997, well above the level in the economy as a whole.
In addition, wider use of new communications systems contributes to
growth and employment in the economy as a whole. ACTS RTD
contributes directly to new forms of secure electronic commerce and to
widening employment opportunities by allowing new ways to work,
particularly various forms of teleworking. These developments are now at
the centre of European and national strategies for employment and small
business innovation.

The link between _sustainable_ growth and the emergence of an
information society was strengthened in 1997 through initiatives in the
Information Society Forum and the ACTS programme. A group of 16
projects have combined their efforts to promote the use of new
communications systems for sustainability through common guidelines.

In the area of electronic commerce, the common guidelines for
interoperability and consumer protection published in 1998 build directly
on cooperation within the ACTS programme framework. This agreement
will further strengthen the single market and will stimulate faster take-up
of new business practices by SMEs, with consequential benefits for
employment.

**Work programme for 1998**

A major technical audit of all ACTS projects has already been carried out
in late January 1998. This clears the way for both re-orientation of some
work and for launching the new projects selected following the call for
proposals in 1997. Commitments of budget resources will therefore be
completed by mid-'98, and the focus of effort will then be on maximising
benefits of the results, and in ensuring a smooth transition to the
information society part of the Fifth Framework Programme.

Cooperation with organisations in Central and Eastern Europe will be
substantially strengthened with the new projects in 1998. In addition,
science and technology agreements with Israel and the USA will underpin
growing cooperation with major companies in these countries.

**26**

Digital television and
Internet video services

will open up new

opportunities for
European creativity, with

a single set of technical
standards underpinning
rapid market deployment.

New ways to work and

electronic commerce
offer new opportunities
for millions of Europeans

and small businesses.
Over 500 major trials are

being supported through

ACTS projects in 1998.

**3.** **INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES** **(ESPRIT)**

**ESPRIT fostered progress on two fronts - RTD and use of information**
**technologies (IT) - and continued to contribute towards making all**
**European industry more competitive. The accent was placed on involving**
**users and suppliers at an early stage, while the choice of activities was**
**dictated by the prospects for industrial application. Accompanying**
**measures are an integral part of** **the** **RTD projects, the principal objective**
**being to promote the take-up of IT in a wide variety of sectors.**

**Activities in 1997**

**Three new calls for proposals were published, based on a work**
**programme updated annually with the twin objectives of taking account of**
**the latest data on technological and industrial changes and of introducing**
**a new thematic approach. This provides a means of overcoming the**
**degree of fragmentation caused by a field-by-field approach and of**
**focusing on finding answers to key issues such as electronic commerce,**
**mobility, access to information and interfaces, apprenticeship and training**
**in industry. Joint calls for proposals were also published, in conjunction**
**with the industrial and materials technologies programme: one on**
**intelligent manufacturing systems (an area also covered by international**
**cooperation), the other on aeronautics. Finally, the ACTS and ESPRIT**
**calls for proposals each allocated ECU 10 million to subjects related to**
**satellite communications. These activities and the follow-up work on**
**subjects such as intellectual property rights** **(IPR)** **and the Web ensured**
**close coordination between the programmes concerned.**

**Estimates put the proportion of new participants at around 30%. For the**
**programme as a whole, the success** **rate** **over the period** **1994** **to** **1997** **for**
**all procedures combined was around 20%.**

**SMEs (around 85% of them employing fewer than** **100** **staff) are involved**
**in 75% of the projects. They receive 25% of the total funding and**
**represent 34% of** **all** **participations. Big companies receive** **41%** **and make**
**up 28% of the participations. Partnerships between small firms (suppliers)**
**and big companies (users) are common. The number of exploratory**
**awards is also increasing gradually and totalled 85 by the end of 1997.**

**At the end of 1997 some 2% of the ESPRIT projects involved an**
**organisation from a non-EU country. Nine of the twelve projects started**
**on intelligent manufacturing systems included an EU organisation. Finally,**
**53 new** **INCO** **projects on IT started in 1997, of which 33 were with**
**Central and Eastern** **European** **countries and the New Independent States**
**and 12 with Mediterranean countries.**

**The PROSOMA multimedia database** **supplements** **the** **sectoral**
**dissemination and information activities. It contains the results of 280**

**ESPRIT projects but more are being added constantly and it should fill up**
**considerably in the course of** **1998.** **It is accessible** **on-line**
**[(http://www.cordis.lu/esprit/home.html).](http://www.cordis.lu/esprit/home.html)** **CD-ROMs are released regularly**
**and publications are distributed at events such as the annual conference**
**(EITC-97).**

**27**

**Examples of results**

**Electricity consumption by**

**the key components of**
**portable telephones has**
**been reduced to one-fifth.**

**Use** **of** **a multi-chip**
**module, in turn, has**

**allowed further big**
**reductions in weight, size**

**and thickness.**

**Technological**
**breakthroughs on large**

**dimensions and high**
**brightness have been**
**achieved for flat active**

**liquid crystal matrix**

**displays and will be**
**applied in television for**
**professional use and the**

**general public, for both**
**front and rear projection.**

**Considerable progress has**
**been made with electronic**

**signatures, confidentiality**
**systems and cryptography.**
**This greater security is the**

**key to the success of**
**electronic commerce. The**

**results obtained from**

**several projects are now**

**being marketed in the**

**USA,** **amongst other**
**places.**

The principal recommendations made in the five-yearly evaluation of the
programme and during the annual monitoring are to bring together the
ITC programmes in a single programme, to speed up the time to market
the results, for example by shortening the projects from an average of 25
months today to 18 months, to fund projects by infant companies, to
develop a common view of RTD and market trends and, finally, to
simplify and speed up the administrative procedures and make them more
flexible.

**Contribution to Community RTD objectives**

Strengthening Europe's science and technology base and industrial
competitiveness

ESPRIT provides companies in Europe with the means to acquire the
technological know-how essential in order to achieve the highest
competitiveness, with the aid of cooperation between some 4 210
companies and 2 200 research centres and university teams. It supports
important RTD activities in essential fields such as technologies for
components and subsystems, software technologies, high-performance
computing, on-board systems, multi-site and network applications,
technologies for business processes and electronic commerce, multimedia
systems, microprocessors, integration in manufacturing and long-term
research.

ESPRIT is open to all industries. Users account for around 60% of the
industrial participation, a sure sign that the programme is spreading
throughout the economic fabric. By way of example, microelectronic
components and microprocessors now account for 20% of the value of
electronic systems - a world market which will be worth an estimated
US$ 1 160 billion by the year 2000. In many sectors it is vital for
undertakings to have the capacity to incorporate the know-how specific to
their products in silicon-based components combining hardware and
software functions. ESPRIT can also have a strong potential impact on
industrial competitiveness and employment. One study showed that 80%
of the 400 projects analysed ended in industrial application within five
years of completion. Another on a limited but representative sample of
projects on high-performance computing (HPCN) showed a ratio of over
8 between direct effects and Community funding and of over 2.4 for the
indirect effects. It is widely recognised that ESPRIT plays a decisive role
in progress in all IT in Europe.

By encouraging first experimental use of microelectronics (FUSE), best
software practice (ESSI), integration in manufacturing (IiM) and, more
generally, take-up of IT in all the fields covered, ESPRIT provides firms
from all sectors, particularly SMEs, with tangible means of increasing
their industrial competitiveness.

**28**

High-performance

computing has
substantially improved the
efficiency of on-line visual

inspection systems, for

example in the steel or
textiles industry, and for
sorting and routing mail.

Germany's young
entrepreneurs' prize went
to a participant in ESPRIT

for an automated system

for sorting coffee beans
and other fruit, which is
now exported to several

countries.

A post-production
multimedia system for
conversion of all recording
formats was launched on the

market in March 1998. It

seems to be in a class of its

own at the moment. It has

won several international

prizes already.

An intelligent robot system

for automatic paving and
brick-laying is being used at

various sites in Europe,

where it has brought
considerable productivity

and quality gains.

Contribution to other Community policies

ESPRIT contributes to completion of the single market on several fronts:
with regard to general intellectual property and copyright issues, the
specific nature of software and IT issues has been taken into account
effectively and transparently. Looking ahead to the year 2000, a recent
communication discussed smooth operation of transfrontier infrastructure,
particularly for telecommunications, transport, energy and financial
services. As for conversion to the euro, procedures have been established
to identify common problems and to provide a channel for exchanging
information on best practice.

ESPRIT has helped to increase cohesion, thanks to 521 participations by
organisations from objective 1 regions between 1995 and 1997, giving
them access to over half the work carried out under this programme.

ESPRIT not only organises numerous advanced training schemes on
essential subjects ranging from microelectronics to software technologies
but also helps to ensure wider Internet use in schools, for example in the
form of "Netd@ys". It is supporting the establishment of a European
network for schools (Schoolnet) and the rural world and a pilot project on
an IT knowledge passport aiming at a target population of 100 000
persons from 13 countries and extending to Eastern European countries.

Several other ESPRIT projects are focusing on various environmental
applications of IT: for effective crisis management (for fires, floods, etc.),
appropriate treatment of water in the event of accidents causing pollution,
various issues relating to energy saving, pollution control, etc.

Finally, ESPRIT plays a role in humanitarian action, by allocating around
ECU 15 million to the development of effective methods for detecting
anti-personnel mines.

**Work programme for 1998**

The 11th and final call for proposals was published in March 1998. It
covers three areas in the programme (TCS, HPCN and IiM) and has a
budget of ECU 32.4 million. The annual conference/exhibition on the
programme will be extended to the other ICT programmes and will be
held outside Brussels for the first time - in Vienna from 30 November to

2 December 1998 under the title "1ST '98 Vienna". As in 1997, it will be
transmitted to several countries by satellite and will provide a setting for
special events such as the Investment Forum and the presentation of the
ITEA prizes. A large proportion of the activities in 1998 will be devoted
to preparing the information society programme under the Fifth
Framework Programme.

**29**

A rethink of the chain

between fishermen,

wholesalers and retailers has

led to the development of an

electronic system, using IT

and satellite

communications, for selling

catches from the fishing
boat, revolutionising fishing

and distribution conditions.

The same system can be
applied to other activities.

The TEN 34 project (in
collaboration with the

Telematics and ACTS

programmes) has
established 34 Mbyte
interconnections between

the national research

networks for researchers

from all disciplines.
Upgrades to 155 Mbytes

are now being studied.

Automatic lip-reading,

combined with voice

recognition, has resulted in
commercial applications for

dubbing of actors and
teaching foreign languages.

INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGIES

4. INDUSTRIAL AND MATERIALS TECHNOLOGIES (IMT)

Activities in 1997

The main activity in 1997 was implementation and management of the
calls for proposals for RTD projects, of the thematic networks and of the
CRAFT projects and negotiation of the projects recommended for
Community funding. The number of proposals received in 1997 was up on
the previous year to 11*40 RTD projects, 156 thematic networks and 840
CRAFT projects (both types). The percentage accepted by the evaluators
was also up to around 37%, 55% and 60%, with funding totalling around
ECU 702 million, ECU 54 million and ECU 74.6 million respectively.

The efforts to stimulate basic research bore fruit and attracted an adequate
response in terms of numbers and quality of proposals, easily attaining the
target set (10% of the budget). A major milestone was also passed, with
more than half the existing thematic networks set up in the course of 1997
alone.

The schemes started in 1996 to encourage SMEs to participate in
CRAFT-type projects produced promising results, with the number of
proposals up by 60% compared with 1996, the proportion rejected as
ineligible down to under 15% and a selection rate of over 60%. These
schemes continued in 1997.

ECU 11 million was committed to preparatory, accompanying and
support measures, particularly conferences, training grants, support for
SMEs and workshops and studies in preparation for the Fifth Framework
Programme. The seventh conference on industrial technologies was held
in Toulouse, where the central theme was European research at the
service of citizens, focusing on three areas of industrial research with an
impact on everyday life: the urban environment, the factory of the future
and aeronautics - three topics at the heart of the Fifth Framework
Programme.

In its 1997 report the monitoring panel found that the quality indicators
used by the programme were an extremely useful tool for monitoring the
performance and impact of projects. As regards take-up of results, the
panel recommended placing greater emphasis on quantified application
plans and economic forecasts during the research phase.

Contribution to **Community RTD** objectives

Objectives such as industrial competitiveness, economic growth, quality
of life, environmental protection and industrial safety are an integral part
of the programme. The multidisciplinary projects are carried out by
partnerships bringing together suppliers, manufacturers, universities and
users, thereby ensuring application of the results in as many industries and
countries as possible.

**30**

Examples of results

Safety of high-speed

trains is a constant

concern. A partnership of

rolling stock
manufacturers, research

centres and railway
operators from four EU
countries has designed a
new type of wagon with

low distortion of the

passenger compartments.

A new European safety
standard was proposed.

An original application of

laser beams provides a
means of cleaning every

nook and cranny of
ancient monuments or

other buildings. The laser

beam, guided by optical

fibres and set to the

appropriate intensity, is
capable of hitting precise

small target zones and
cleaning highly irregular
surfaces. This innovation

is fully compatible with
the material cleaned and

the environment and

offers safer working

conditions as well.

**The 1997 evaluation of recently completed projects found that over**
**three-quarters of the participants had fully attained their objectives in**
**terms of strengthening industry's S&T base and that two-thirds**
**considered the results of their projects ahead of the state of the art, in that**
**they** **combined** **new** **scientific** **knowledge** **with** **technological**
**developments.**

**The same study demonstrated that the majority of the projects had an**
**economic impact and* made the undertakings more competitive. In**
**particular, almost half generate potential economic activity worth over**
**ECU 5 million within five years of completion. To be more precise, this**
**adds up to a total economic gain of over ECU** **11** **billion from all the**
**industrial research projects selected during the current programme in**
**return for Community funding totalling ECU** **1.3** **billion.**

**Almost two-thirds of the projects analysed in** **1997** **produced results likely**
**to bring environmental benefits: energy savings, lower discharges of**
**hazardous products, smaller amounts of materials used, etc. They also**
**brought spin-offs for health and working conditions in areas such as user**
**safety, quality of the working environment and use of less hazardous**
**products.**

**The recent analysis of the projects completed showed that 36% offered**
**potential for direct job creation by the partners responsible for application**
**of** **the** **results. Only 10% could have adverse effects in this area. In all, by**
**the end of the programme almost 500 industrial entities will be applying**
**an implementation plan generating direct employment.**

**The projects in the IMT programme, some of** **them** **with budgets of over**
**ECU 10 million, seek to attain the critical mass necessary in order to**
**tackle strategic technologies (see boxes for examples) and to produce**
**practical results, particularly in fields requiring highly intensive research.**
**For** **example,** **the economic importance of** **the** **boom in air traffic forecast**
**during the next ten years has unleashed fierce competition between**
**European and US manufacturers. Technological progress is a key factor**
**in this competition.**

**In 1997, the IMT programme granted 30 research projects in strategic**
**fields for the European aviation industry Community support totalling**
**ECU 85 million. Half focused exclusively on technologies relating to**
**aircraft efficiency, one particularly competitive field of research. The vast**
**majority of the European industrialists concerned are involved. Their own**
**resources and the national funding for RTD in the aviation sector would**
**not be enough for them to see this research through on their own.**

**31**

**A** **joint project between**
**the chemical and tanning**
**industries has produced a**

**new clean process for**
**treating pelts producing**
**high-quality leather while**

**at the same time cutting**

**production costs. This**

**project enables the**
**industry to adapt to the**

**increasingly severe**
**Community rules on**
**environmental protection**

**while remaining**

**competitive.**

**Nickel, particularly in**
**jewellery and bracelets, is**

**a prime cause of allergic**
**reactions. In one CRAFT**

**project,** **15** **jewellers and**

**6 research bodies have**

**developed a technology**

**to limit the adverse**

**effects of nickel and new**

**alloys causing no allergy**
**to replace it. This keeps**
**these firms' activities in**

**tune with public demand**

**for healthier products.**

This example vividly illustrates the European added value which the
programme can generate, particularly in fields of strategic importance for
the EU economy.

**Work programme for 1998**

The evaluation process will concentrate on:

- the two joint calls for proposals published on 31 October 1997, one
on water together with the Environment and Climate Programme, the
other on concurrent engineering in aeronautics, together with the
Information Technologies Programme;

- the call for proposals published on 15 April 1997, in conjunction with
the Information Technologies Programme, under the Agreement on
international cooperation in research and development in the domain of
intelligent manufacturing systems, as approved by the Council on 27
January 1997;

- technological stimulation in favour of SMEs (CRAFT), thematic
networks and accompanying measures: the closing date for this call for
proposals is 20 May 1998.

Scientific monitoring of progress on the 823 RTD projects selected since
1995 will, of course, continue to be one of the main activities in 1998.

Preparation of activities under the Fifth Framework Programme will be
another essential task. As last year, workshops and studies will be
organised to contribute towards the preparations for the thematic
programme on "Competitive and sustainable growth" under the next
Framework Programme.

Some industrial
processes are at the
mercy of fluctuating raw

material quality, yet the

quality of the end
product must remain the

same. One project used

artificial intelligence in

timber and pulp
production to predict the

quality of the end
product from data on the

raw material and on

progress with the
production process.
Industrial users' energy,

water and starch
consumption and the

volume of waste
generated have plunged

as a result.

A new industrial process has sharply cut the cost of the chemicals used for recycling aluminium. The

technology has been tested and should bring considerable economic benefits in the years ahead. The

partners on this project are about to obtain a European patent.

**32**

5. MEASUREMENT AND TESTING

Activities in 1997

In 1997 over 300 proposals were evaluated, the majority on theme I in the
programme - "measurements for quality European products" - and the
targeted calls to support Community policies and European
standardisation. A total of 145 projects received Commission funding
totalling ECU 37 million in 1997.

The procedure was completed for the following calls for proposals:

RTD projects:
Under the second call for theme I in the programme, 104 proposals were
evaluated, 47 of which were selected. So far 39 projects have received a
Community contribution totalling ECU 22 million. In response to the
fourth and fifth targeted calls, 62 proposals were received, 34 of which
were selected. The Commission granted a total of ECU 8 million to
20 projects. Overall, at least one third of the partners in all these projects
are from industry (50% SMEs).

Technology stimulation for SMEs/CRAFT:
There was a marked increase in the response from SMEs in 1997, with
over twice as many proposals evaluated - 86 compared with 41 in 1996.
The Commission granted 35 projects a total of over ECU 2 million.

Thematic networks and accompanying measures:
Under the continuously open call for proposals, funding totalling
ECU 2 million was granted to 17 new networks and 34 accompanying
measures received support totalling over ECU 2 million.

Contribution to Community RTD objectives

The programme has contributed to several major Community policy
objectives. The research supported by the programme has a strong impact
on industry, trade and society in general and the results are a prime means
of protecting consumers, health, public safety and the environment, as
illustrated by the examples described in the boxes and below.

Out of concern to improve the quality of suncreams on the world market,
the European cosmetics industry has proposed a work programme to
verify their efficacy against harmful ultraviolet radiation. The
telecommunications industry in turn needs precise evaluation of the
electromagnetic radiation emitted by portable telephones in order to
define conditions ensuring greater reliability for users. These measures
will make European industry more competitive by putting on the world
market products inspected and labelled in accordance with recognised
scientific methods. Turning to the measures to support standardisation,
the results of a method for testing the performance of liquid solvents less
harmful to the ozone layer, together with the establishment of the
European network of police science laboratories, will incontestably
generate Community added value, since all these measures concern key
sectors for the European Union.

**33**

Examples of results

Acoustical thermometry.

measurement of

temperatures from 1000°C

to 1500°C. This

thermometer uses ceramics

capable of withstanding

high temperatures. It

provides a means of

calibrating other
thermometers. Lively
interest has been shown in

this innovation in the USA,

where there is nothing of

the kind on the market.

Work is under way to
extend the range of the

thermometer beyond
2000°C. At the same time

this instrument is allowing

decisive progress in
manufacturing processes

for ceramics (estimated
market: ECU 5 million per

year).

Measurement of

carcinogenic polycyclic
hydrocarbons in table oils

calls for highly
sophisticated methods of

analysis, for which it is

essential to develop
reference materials in

order to verify the validity
of the measurements. One

project has allowed
certification of the first

two materials in this field.

Some 2000 inspection
laboratories are potential

users of these materials

(estimated market:
ECU 2 million per year).

The Commission further underlined the advantages of standardisation in a
communication entitled "Research and standardisation" drafted in 1997

and adopted by the Commission on 27 January 1998 (COM(98) 31). The
objective is to give greater consideration to the prenormative dimension at
an early enough stage in the research and innovation programmes under
the Fifth Framework Programme in order to make European industry
more competitive and improve the quality of products and services to the
benefit of consumers and citizens.

**Work programme for 1998**

The priority will be to make a start on the projects selected following the
1997 calls for proposals with a view to building up Europe's metrology
infrastructure, primarily in the fields of chemistry and biology, and
defining the measurements and tests which customs laboratories require
for monitoring trade in goods, for confirming the origin of products and
for cultural heritage and forensic medicine purposes.

Finally, to mark the 25th anniversary of the Community Bureau of
References (BCR), a conference on measurements for tomorrow bringing
together the leading players in the field of metrology from Europe and the
rest of the world is planned in Brussels in November 1998.

Commitment appropriations totalling ECU 43 million are available in
1998, inter alia for funding the projects selected in response to the 1997
calls for proposals and the sixth targeted call. ECU 9 million is earmarked
for cooperative research projects (CRAFT), ECU 3 million for the final
package of thematic networks and ECU 2 million for accompanying

measures.

Detection of steaming-up
of goggles: The principal
cause of eye injuries due
to industrial accidents is

the removal of goggles
during dangerous work

because they have
steamed up on the inside.

This project has
developed a mini-camera

capable of detecting the
environmental conditions

leading to steaming up.

This method will

supplement
Directive 89/686/EEC

relating to personal
protective equipment.
The project will help to

reduce the number of

accidents, which cost an

estimated

ECU 220 million every

year.

New collector for measuring low gas flows
The margin of error in air pollution analyses is 25%, mainly due to unreliability on the part of the

flowmeters. The Milogas project has developed a new instrument using a silicon collector
manufactured with the aid of micromechanics. The principal applications are in medicine, air
pollution analyses, mining, etc. The estimated market will be 10 000 instruments over the next 3

years at a unit cost of ECU 200. The research and production costs will total ECU 1 million.

**34**

**ENVIRONMENT**

**6. ENVIRONMENT AND CLIMATE**

**Activities in 1997**

**Main programme implementation activities in 1997 related to the launch**
**and evaluation of the final calls for proposals for the second phase of the**
**programme (1997-1998). The second main call for proposals covering**
**most areas of the programme, together with the call, for the relaunch of**
**the ENRICH initiative (European Network for Research in Global**
**Change) ultimately led to the selection of 306 high quality proposals,**
**involving an EU contribution of ECU 205 million, for funding in** **1997** **and**
**the early part of 1998. However, there was a disappointing outcome in**
**the number and quality of proposals submitted for the potential**
**operational instruments theme of the space techniques area and ENRICH.**
**Consequently, calls for these activities were reopened in the second half**
**of 1997 and associated awareness campaigns succeeded in producing**
**better quality proposals. A call for the Centre for Earth Observation**
**(CEO) was also launched in the middle of 1997. These further space calls**
**led to 32 RTD projects for an EU contribution of ECU 32 million being**
**selected for funding in 1998 for CEO activities and** **pre-development** **of**
**new space sensors in various domains such as forest fire or vegetation**
**monitoring.**

**Core horizontal and support activities have continued to provide the vital**
**underpinning for implementing the strategic objectives of** **the** **programme.**
**The concerted campaign undertaken by the Commission services, with the**
**assistance of national focal points, to make SMEs aware of the**
**opportunities to participate in RTD at EU level has now started to**
**produce significant, increased responses: as many exploratory and**
**CRAFT awards were granted in 1997 under the technology stimulation**
**measures as in the whole of the first phase of the programme (46**
**exploratory awards and 11 CRAFT awards have now been made**
**available). Improving the human research potential, particularly through**
**assuring an appropriately qualified environmental scientific community,**
**has continued to be a focus of the programme, with financial support**
**being provided in 1997 for a further 37 training grants (72 so far under**
**the programme), 13 advanced study courses (22 in total under the**
**programme) and a significant number of workshops, seminars and**
**conferences organised or sponsored under the programme.**

**Introduced in 1997 were a new evaluation manual (made available in**
**advance to proposers and aiming at greater transparency and objectivity),**
**a pre-checking service for potential proposers, as well as the scrutiny by**
**independent observers of the new evaluation procedures. The observers**
**have been broadly supportive and positive towards the new evaluation**
**manual, the process and its implementation.**

**Over 80% of** **all** **A-rated proposals and one out of every two high quality**
**proposals (A and B-rated) have been funded since the programme started**

**- overall 684 RTD projects and concerted actions have to date been**
**evaluated positively for funding under the programme. But a specific**

**35**

**Examples of results**

**The PROVOST project**

**forecasts global rainfall**
**probability. The partners**

**have been remarkably**
**successful in producing**
**six-month forecasts of** **El**

**Nino and associated**

**global impacts (e.g. dry**

**and wet conditions).**

**In May, the first scientific**
**conference of ELOISE**

**(European Land Ocean**

**Interaction Studies)**

**assembled** **150** **scientists**

**from** **15** **projects.** **IGBP**

**-** **LOICZ** **is recognising**

**ELOISE as the ÈU**

**contribution to global**
**change research in the**

**coastal zone.**

**The** **first** **"European**
**Conference on research**

**for the protection of**

**cultural heritage:**
**Opportunities for**
**European** **Enterprises"**
**(Rome, December 1997),**

**consolidated the**

**European networks**
**established under EU**

**projects and contributed**

**to reinforcing SME**
**competitiveness in this**

**area.**

problem relates to ensuring that only good proposals addressing the
targets and objectives of calls are submitted. Despite the detailed
evaluation criteria set out in the new evaluation manual, the pre-checking
offered by the Commission services, and encouraging potential proposers
to auto-evaluate their proposals before* submission, more than half of the
proposals evaluated in 1997 did not pass the threshold for scientific and
technical quality and project management. Considerable resources are
devoted to proposal preparation and evaluation, and all involved in RTD,
including European and national focal points, networks disseminating
information on the programme and Member States, must discourage
submission of lower quality proposals.

**Contribution to Community RTD objectives**

Contribution to the reinforcement of the S&T bases in industry and of
competitiveness: many of the outputs of the programme have significant
potential for subsequent application and development for global
exploitation, especially in relation to environmental technologies and
sustainable development. Pockets of high industrial participation are
found in the areas perceived to be of more direct relevance to industry,
such as environmental technologies and space where two-thirds of the
projects selected for funding to date involve one industrialist or more,
including one SME or more in about 44% of the projects. Almost a
quarter of all the participants funded in these areas involve industrialists
(13% SMEs).

Contribution to other Community policies: ongoing activities under the
programme and the organisation of a series of seminars provided key
inputs to the Kyoto negotiations on the UN Convention on Climate
Change and will continue to be a major basis in the preparation for the
follow-up Buenos Aires conference, particularly on the tradable permits
and "sinks" issues. The breadth of projects continues to provide the
sound scientific basis needed for the development of environmental
policies, the implementation of the Fifth Environmental Action
Programme and the preparation of its follow-up. Work under the space
techniques area of the programme will provide the platform in 1998 for
identifying the information needs of the EU for future operational space
missions, for the preparation of a Commission action plan for earth
observation by satellite, and for developing a European policy (with
Member States, ESA and EUMETSAT) and an integrated strategy
(CEOS) for earth observation.

**Work programme for 1998**

The major activities in 1998 for the programme under the 4th Framework
Programme will centre around the remaining open calls, in particular,
relating to the supplementary funding of ECU 7 million decided by the
Council and European Parliament on 1 December 1997 for activities
relating to water, a further "tranche" for advanced study courses, the final
selection round for the CRAFT awards for SMEs closing on 1 April 1998,
and two further selection rounds for training grants.

Attention will also be given to management issues which have arisen in
the existing programme or highlighted by annual monitoring panels.

**36**

Floods have increased in

Europe. A major

concerted action

RIBAMOD has defined

best practices for flood

plain management

For green accounting, an

approach of an
environmentally adjusted

national product has
been developed to orient

statistical and empirical
modelling for measuring

future economic 

environmental

performance.

Satellite remote sensing
is helping regional and

national governments
decide the limits of new

nature reserves, and
managers of established

reserves to plan
developments, by
mapping land cover and
monitoring the health of

the vegetation in their

areas. Europe is now
placing itself as a major
and highly experienced
contender in projects of
this kind throughout the
world.

Further efforts will be made to ensure that research results are made

available, quickly and in an understandable way, to potential users ranging
from policy-makers to the business, industrial and scientific communities.

The necessary instruments and tools will be developed for the smooth
transition to the integrated and problem-solving approaches to be adopted
for environmental activities proposed for the Fifth Framework
Programme.

Projects have shown how regulatory policies could

be designed to promote cleaner technologies with
both economic and environmental advantages over

traditional strategies. They show how
environmental sustainability objectives can be

coupled with competitiveness.

**37**

The VEGETATION 1

space instrument in

which the EU has

invested ECU 50 million

was launched on SPOT

4 in March 1998 and the

first data received from

April 1998 onwards will
be used for the benefit of

EU policies.

7. MARINE SCIENCES AND TECHNOLOGIES

Activities in 1997

- In response to the second general call for proposals (closing date.
15 October 1996), work was started on an initial package of 34 RTD
projects, 5 of them in research area A of the programme ("Marine
science"). The largest project (OMEX-II, involving 33 laboratories
from 10 European countries) is a multidisciplinary study into the
margin between the continental shelf and the deep seas in the NorthEast Atlantic (see box). Eight of the 11 projects in research area B
("Strategic marine research") focus on management of coastal zones
and studying typical physical phenomena there (sediment transport,
wave patterns), while the other three are developing improved designs
for various coastal protection structures (sea walls and breakwaters).
Finally, area C ("Marine technology") was covered by 18 projects on
such diverse subjects as communications and underwater acoustics,
seafloor characteristics, measurement and sampling instrumentation
(including a new core sampler for sediments), remotely operated
underwater vehicles (ROVs) and also research to find bioindicators of
the state of the marine environment.

- On 17 June 1997 a call for proposals was published to supplement
activities under the predictive oceanography programme. In 1998
work will start on the projects selected.

- Five projects were started as the MAST programme's contribution to
the ENRICH network, run jointly with the Environment and Climate
and INCO programmes.

- Under this programme, 16 scholarships were granted and four
advanced courses funded on ocean forecasting, the role of methane in
the marine environment, the dynamics of the wave-breaking zone along
rocky coasts, and living communities in the vicinity of deep-sea
hydrothermal springs.

- A major international conference on recent advances in océanographie
research in the Mediterranean region was held in Rome from 17 to 19
November. A special session entitled "From océanographie science to
society" rnarked the start of a dialogue between naturalists and
sociologists, two sides of a single system requiring a holistic approach.
In January all the coordinators of the marine technology projects met in
Aberdeen to discuss, with the Commission, scientific topics, project
management and ways of improving dissemination of the results. The
annual meeting on the ELOISE (European Land-Ocean Interaction
Studies) programme was held in Arcachon in May.

- The 1997 monitoring report made recommendations for measuring the
long-term impact of the projects. It also advocates continuing the
approaches made to SMEs and greater focusing of the advanced
training.

**38**

Examples of results

The EN AM (European
North Atlantic Margin)

project combines the
efforts of 14 research

bodies acting with the
agreement of a partnership
of oil companies operating
off Norway. It is focusing,
in particular, on identifying

areas of the continental

slope posing a risk of
instability and should help
the offshore industry with

siting of operations.

The OMEX (Ocean
Margin Exchange) project
is studying and attempting

to quantify exchanges of

water and materials

between the European
continental shelf and the

open seas of the North
Atlantic. The CANIGO

project in turn is looking
into the region under the

direct influence of the

current from Gibraltar. A

sound knowledge of these
interactions and flows is

necessary to evaluate the
contribution made by the
European margin and the

Mediterrranean to the

processes leading to global

change.

**Contribution to Community RTD objectives**

- Work on the four major regional projects (MATER for the
Mediterranean, BASYS for the Baltic, OMEX for the North-East
Atlantic and CANIGO for the Canary Islands-Azores-Gibraltar region)
continued. Both BASYS and MATER cover geographical areas with
fragile ecosystems under extremely heavy pressure from human
activities. They are,therefore key projects for acquiring the scientific
base for the Union's environment policy in the regions concerned.

- All the projects in progress reflect the European dimension of RTD in
various ways: scale (in the case of regional projects), geographical
complementarity of sites studied, opportunity to set up networks of
laboratories on-leading-edge subjects such as biodiversity and marine
microbiology, the design of unmanned underwater vehicles and
underwater laboratories, drilling techniques adapted to the increasing
depth required for offshore oil exploration or, finally, marine
biotechnologies.

- Six of the projects completed in 1997 concerned physical
oceanography (currents, transport of materials and C0 2 absorption) in
the North Sea and North Atlantic and seven were on coastal zones

(impact of storms, restoration of beaches, breakwater design, mapping
of seabed).

- The products emerging from this research in 1997 included several
CD-ROMs containing data and final reports, a guide to electronic
publication of project data and the development of a website on
MAST.

**Work programme for 1998**

- Start of the second package of projects selected after the second
general call for proposals.

- Start of the projects selected following the 1997 calls for proposals on
operational oceanography, supporting initiatives and ENRICH.

- Funding of a new set of scholarships and advanced courses and aid for
small firms (exploratory awards and CRAFT projects).

- Drafting of work programmes on the key actions making up the marine
sciences component of the Fifth Framework Programme.

- Organisation of the third European Conference on Marine Sciences
and Technologies (former "MAST Conference") in May 1998.

The CHABADA (Changes
of bacterial diversity and

activity in eutrophied
Mediterranean waters)
project under the ELOISE

programme on coastal

ecosystems has
demonstrated the adverse

impact of pollutants on
bacterial biodiversity and,
hence, on the food chains

in the seas concerned.

The GEOSTAR

(Geophysical and
océanographie station for

abyssal research) project

aims at developing a
prototype underwater
observatory capable of
long-term measurements

of the principal
geophysical and
environmental parameters

at depths of down to

4000 metres. It is

conceived as the first link

in a monitoring network

for, in particular,
earthquake prediction.

The BENGAL project recently discovered abrupt and totally unexpected major changes in the fauna
almost 5000 metres down in the Atlantic. The next question is whether they were due to natural
causes or human activity.

**39**

LIFE SCIENCES AND TECHNOLOGIES

**8.** BIOTECHNOLOGY

**Activities in 1997**

Objectives:

In 1997 the specific programme on biotechnology continued to pursue its
original objectives: to understand the mechanisms which make the living cell
so productive and to generate the knowledge needed for industrial progress in
the areas targeted for Community intervention.

To concentrate on what distinguishes biotechnologies from other modern
technologies, the programme focuses on the following research areas: the cell
factory, genome analysis, plant and animal biotechnology, cell communication
in neurosciences, immunology and generic vaccinology, structural biology,
prenormative research, biodiversity and social acceptability, infrastructure and
horizontal activities (demonstration activities; ethical, social and legal aspects;
public perception; and socio-economic impact).

RTD projects:

Following the third call for proposals published on 15 June 1996,
contracts were concluded to grant a total of ECU 113.5 million to 96
projects (eight of them demonstration projects) covering ten areas,
including somatic gene therapy, immunological substances, in-vitro
pharmaco-toxicology or biotechnology for the environment. The
demonstration projects concerned prototype vaccines against malaria or
HIV inter alia.

The fourth call for proposals issued on 17 June 1997 attracted 572
proposals which were evaluated by independent experts in
November 1997. They included 75 proposals for demonstration projects.
Biodiversity, biosafety, generic vaccinology, neurosciences, animal
models, sequencing and cell factories were amongst the subjects covered.

A joint call for proposals on transmissible spongiform encephalopathies
was launched on 29 April 1997, in conjunction with the two other life
sciences programmes. From the 66 proposals evaluated in July 1997, a
total of 22 proposals (seven of them on biotechnology) were selected
under the three life sciences programmes and will receive a total of
ECU 21.3 million. The biotechnology projects concern prion transmission
and propagation, evaluation of the risk of transmission of bovine
spongiform encephalopathy to man via contaminated food and the
development of methods of diagnosis and of inactivation of the infectious
agent causing transmissible spongiform encephalopathy in particular.

Technology stimulation measures for SMEs

In 1997, exploratory awards were granted to 35 proposals covering
subjects such as somatic gene therapy to treat neurodegenerative diseases

**40**

**Examples** of **results**

1997 marked the end of

the project on sequencing

of the _Bacillus_ _subtilis_

genome. The decoding of

the 4000 or so genes of
this bacterium opens the
way for numerous
applications in the agrifood, pharmaceutical and
detergents industries.

The COLDZYME project to

explore the properties of

microbes living in

extremely cold
environments has

discovered and patented
an enzyme active at low

temperatures. This
provides a means of
cutting energy costs for
processes in the food or
pharmaceutical industries.

One practical example

would be a washing
powder effective in the

cold.

(Alzheimer's, Parkinson's or Huntington's diseases) or the synthesis of
peptides for use as new immunosuppressive agents. The third and fourth
calls for proposals in turn reflected the growing interest shown in
biotechnologies by SMEs (which accounted for 40% of the proposers).

Research training grants

In 1997 a total of 133 research training grants were awarded. In addition, in
April 1997 the biotechnology programme paid for 100 of these grantholders
to participate in a meeting with representatives of the European industry to
present the opportunities offered by the biotechnology sector in Europe.

Other accompanying measures

A workshop on the spirit of enterprise in biotechnology was organised
under the biotechnology programme in June 1997. It brought together
100 or so participants from the world of academic research, the
biotechnology industry, risk capital providers, business start-up agencies
or science parks in Europe to address questions such as: Which sectors of
biotechnology research are the most conducive to business start-ups?
Which measures must be taken iu encourage the spirit of enterprise?
Which type of project is best suited to business start-ups? What can be
done to improve interactions between the leading players in the
development of biotechnology firms?

Following a call for proposals for training grants for practical courses in the
field of biotechnology, published on 17 December 1996, one grant was
awarded in 1997.

**Contribution to Community RTD objectives**

Biotechnology opens up numerous opportunities to improve the quality of
life in sectors such as health care, chemical manufacture, agriculture and
the environment. In the case of the environment, the knowledge acquired
in fields such as microbial diversity or biosafety helps to answer the
relevant ecological issues. One of the principal areas of activity is
bioremediation of polluted compounds in the environment using
genetically modified organisms.

Finally, the increase in industry's response to the third call (77%) indicates
that the biotechnology programme is moving increasingly towards
strengthening the science base, enabling industry to become more
competitive at international level.

**Work programme for 1998**

A second joint call for proposals on transmissible spongiform
encephalopathies was published on 17 March 1998 and will close on
17 June 1998.

All the contracts based on the fourth call and on the two joint calls on
transmissible spongiform encephalopathies will be negotiated and concluded
by the end of the vear. A budget of around ECU 156 million will be set aside
in 1998 for the RTD projects, research training grants and other
accompanying measures Finally, the first conference of the "Biotechnology'

and Finance Forum" is to held from 12 to 14 Mav 1 Q^S

Scientific progress,

combined with

optimisation and
standardisation of

methods, enabled
QlAGEN to place kits for

the detection and

evaluation of plant
biodiversity on the

market in 1997.

Practical applications
include verification of the

origin of certain types of

wood used in

winemaking.

Gene therapy provides a

means of making up for
genetic deficiencies. One

pioneering project on
muscular dystrophy, for

example Duchennes
disease, holds out hope
of treatment. This new

approach uses bone

marrow cells to

compensate for the loss

of muscle cells.

9. BIOMEDICAL AND HEALTH RESEARCH (BlOMED)

**Activities in 1997**

Following the second call for proposals, 125 projects were funded for an
amount of ECU 88 million.

The evaluation of the proposals received for the third (and final) call for
proposals was organised in March 1997 and concerned: cancer research;
cardiovascular research; chronic diseases, ageing and age-related diseases;
occupational and environmental health; rare diseases; public health
research; biomedical ethics; ethical, legal and social aspects; and
demonstration projects.

From a total of 1002 proposals, 159 (approximately 16%) have been
selected for a total EC contribution of ECU 72.4 million (to be funded
from the 1998 budget). Another 36 proposals were put on a reserve list.

On the issue of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE), a joint
call for proposals for RTD activities within the BIOTECH, FAIR and
BIOMED specific research programmes was launched on 29 April 1997.
As a result of the evaluation, 12 proposals in the field of BIOMED have
been shortlisted for an EC contribution of ECU 12 million.

The report of the "Life Sciences and Technology interprogramme group
on vaccines" established the first inventory of all vaccine research
undertaken with Community support together with an analysis of R&D
activities currently being undertaken in the Member States in this field.

A workshop on synthetic drugs was organised in September 1997 which
helped to define future priorities for research on medical, pharmacological
and toxicological issues of synthetic drug abuse.

A conference under the title "Diabetes in Europe - A Major Health
Problem and a Research Opportunity" was organised by the Commission
in March 1997 to discuss future RTD priorities in this field.

An invitational conference on the occasion of the Netherlands EU

presidency on "Innovative research and appropriate health care for the
citizens of Europe", held in April 1997 in Noordwijk, assembled scientists
and decision-makers around the question of how public health research
can meet, in a European perspective, the health needs of the European
population.

As a follow-up to the recommendations of the monitoring exercise in
1996 the programme has endeavoured to improve even more the existing
review process notably by increasing the transparency of the evaluation
and ameliorating the feedback to the applicants. Furthermore strong
emphasis has been put on the monitoring of ongoing BIOMED projects
by setting up a new project review board consisting of internationally
recognised experts.

**42**

**Examples of results**

A European multi-centre

study on schizophrenia
involving eight European

Member States resulted

in the identification of an

association between a

specific serotonine

receptor gene and
schizophrenia which can

be considered as a

significant breakthrough
in the field of psychiatric

genetic research.

A European group of
geneticists working on

human inherited

neurosensorial deafness

were able to clone the

first two genes
responsible for isolated

forms of deafness.

Moreover the consortium

was able to give a first
insight into the molecular

epidemiology of
deafness.The frequent
involvement of one of the

numerous deafness genes

in the European
population offers for the
first time the opportunity

to develop a molecular

diagnostic test for

counselling.

**Contribution to Community RTD objectives**

Research in the cancer area is covering a very large area from basic
science to pure clinical proposals. Gene therapy approaches are
considered in both basic molecular science projects and for use in clinical
practice. Particularly strong proposals in tumour immunology involve
pharmaceutical companies.

In the cardiovascular area excellent European expertise is developing in
the areas of: cellular and molecular mechanisms (e.g.. role of growth
factors); genetic basis of diseases of high prevalence such as hypertension,
coronary heart disease and stroke; and clinical research including clinical
trials and identification of pertinent risk factors.

Research in the area of chronic diseases, ageing and age-related diseases
puts special emphasis on chronic inflammatory diseases, diabetes and
genetic predisposition of age-related changes. Occupational and
environmental health research proposals relate to musculoskeletal
disorders, sensitisation against occupationally induced allergens and
occupational cancer risk.

Several proposals in the area of rare diseases are focusing on severe
childhood diseases. One project aims at creating a European network of
information centres for rare diseases.

The proposals selected in the area of public health research cover topics
such as prevention and surveillance (notably on Creutzfeld Jacob
Disease); cost benefit and socio-economic research on therapeutic
outcomes; the use of new or known technologies and the quality of health
care and health services research.

In biomedical ethics research focuses on: end of life and palliative care;
autonomy and consent for vulnerable patient groups; and ethical aspects
of decision-making procedures in various health settings.

The horizontal activity 'Ethical, Legal and Social Aspects'(EL S A) reflects
research into fundamental values and methodologies in bioethics, embryo
and foetus protection, and social implications of human genome research.

Finally the selected demonstration projects aim to prove the viability of
new medical practices such as a new test for a reliable indicator of
cardiovascular risk, a new biomedical technology (hybrid-liver support),
and innovative surgical practices using new biodegradable implants for
corrective surgery of rare craniofacial syndromes.

The selection of the BIOMED-TSE proposals in the joint call strengthens
and complements the previous BIOMED selections in this field. It also
allows the development of a comprehensive European research effort in
essential issues such as the epidemiology and surveillance of human SEs,
the harmonisation of clinical and diagnostic procedures and the
characterisation of the role of the infectious agent in the development of
the disease(s).

**43**

A group of European
scientists examined the

role of hypoxia on
changes in the arterial

wall that might be

atherogenic and
discovered that vascular

endothelial growth factor

(VEGF) might protect
against atherosclerotic

damage in the adult
artery. This research

gave rise to an
international patent for a

potential new treatment
for arterial disease using
VEGF. As a follow-up a

company "Eurogene'
was set up with venture

capital, which funds a
relevant Phase I clinical

trial but also further

research for new

patentable agents and
new pharmaceuticals in
four research institutes in

Europe.

European scientists have

developed a simple,
sensitive and inexpensive
method for recording the

activity of individual
neuronal synapses in the
brain. This technique will

make it possible to assay

the action of drugs and
toxic substances on brain

functions such as learning

and memory.

**J**

**Work programme** for **1998**

The contracts from the third call for proposals are being prepared.
Specific efforts will be made to disseminate and publish the results of the
completed projects. Implementation of the Fifth Framework Programme's
thematic programme on "Quality of life and management of living
resources" will be prepared, notably by drawing up the specific
programme, work programme, calls for proposals and information
packages. The first Life Sciences Demonstration Conference will take
place in Uppsala in 1998. Its aim is to help maximise the outcome of the
life sciences demonstration projects under the Fourth Framework
Programme. Participants from all BIOMED demonstration projects will
be invited.

**44**

10. AGRICULTURE AND FISHERIES (including agro-industry, food technologies, forestry,
aquaculture and rural development)

Activities in 1997

In 1997 the specific programme for agriculture and fisheries continued to
pursue its original objectives: to increase the competitiveness, efficiency
and sustainability of agriculture and the fishing industry, to support the
Community policies in these fields and to meet the demand from

consumers for wholesome food.

RTD projects, demonstration projects and concerted action:
Following the fourth and fifth calls for proposals, on 13 February and
29 July 1997 the Commission adopted decisions selecting 147 research
projects, 16 demonstration projects and 45 concerted actions or thematic
networks for funding from the 895 proposals received. The special call for
proposals targeted on transmissible spongiform encephalopathies attracted
24 proposals. On 18 July the Commission adopted a decision selecting
eight of these projects on the development of methods of diagnosis of
TSE and of combating the illness in sheep, goats and cattle.

A joint call for proposals on TSE under the biomedicine, biotechnology
and agriculture and fisheries programmes was published on 29 April and
closed on 15 July 1997. From the 66 proposals received, 22 (three of
them under the agriculture and fisheries programme) were selected and
granted a total of ECU 21.3 million. This was made possible by the
agreement reached between Parliament and the Council on

1 December 1997 to allocate a further ECU 115 million to the Fourth

Framework Programme, ECU 35 million of which was earmarked for

research on TSE.

Technology stimulation measures for SMEs:
Contracts were concluded on 118 projects (109 exploratory awards and 9
cooperative projects). The total number of SMEs participating rose from
251 (22% of all participants) in 1996 to 328 (32%) in 1997.

Research training grants:
In 1997 a total of 99 research training grants were awarded

Contribution to Community RTD objectives

Producing wholesome foods and strengthening industrial competitiveness:
Food projects are, by nature, interdisciplinary, often bringing together
researchers from the fields of nutrition, medical science and food

technology. Industry is represented (by at least one partner) in virtually all
the projects on "integrated production and processing chains" and
collaboration between partners from northern and southern Europe is
particularly close. High value-added products are obtained from wood,
natural fibres, carbohydrates and oils to create new markets or replace
synthetic products.

**45**

Examples of results

One concerted action

produced a set of

practical

recommendations to

safeguard
microbiological safety all

along the
meat-production chain,

from the farm to the

slaughterhouse and then

throughout processing

and distribution. They

will be extremely

valuable for meat

producers and

distributors and for

national and Community

inspectors.

The STORMS project

for the forestry and

timber industry has

developed forest
management strategies to

minimise damage by

wind, snow and fire

without diminishing the

quality or quantity of
timber produced. These
results have been applied

already for forest
management in Sweden,

Finland and the

United Kingdom and
should be adopted all
over Europe very soon.

Contribution to the reformed common agricultural policy (CAP) and
Community rural development policy:
The projects in this field contribute to a better balance between
production and utilisation of biological raw materials, meeting the
demands of the end-users, particularly with regard to raw material quality.
The projects respond to the socio-economic issues facing the communities
concerned and the safety, quality, health and environmental implications
of new food and non-food products. They are based on comprehensive
approaches and the multi-functional and sustainable management of the
environment and optimum use of the resources of the rural world.

Support for the objectives of the common fisheries policy (CFP):
The projects selected will help to support various aspects of the CFP. On
the environmental side, they will help to promote sustainable fishing and
aquaculture, notably by reducing the impact of trawls and other dragnets
on the seabed and offish escaping from fish farms on wild fish. Turning to
management of fishing activities in Europe, the socio-economic aspects
and improved methods for fish stock assessment are also covered. Finally,
work has been stepped up on the health and genetic aspects of
aquaculture.

Work programme in 1998:

A second joint call for proposals on transmissible spongiform
encephalopathies will be published on 17 March 1998 and close on
17 June 1998. The call for proposals for measures in favour of SMEs
open continuously since 16 December 1994 will close on 8 April 1998 in
the case of cooperative research projects. As for the projects from the
fifth and sixth calls, the two joint calls on TSE and the call for cooperative
research projects, these contracts will be negotiated and concluded by the
end of the year. A budget of around ECU 179 million is earmarked in
1998 for RTD and demonstration projects, concerted action, research
training grants and other accompanying measures.

One project is expected to develop a typology of rural areas and to
analyse the socio-economic characteristics of such areas using national

and European databases. In particular, it will examine the interactions
between local agricultural activities, other sectors of the economy and the

public authorities in the EU regions which have managed to maintain or

create extra jobs over the last ten years.

**46**

The AQUA-FLOW
network was set up to
disseminate the results of

Community research
projects in the field of

aquaculture. It will
provide a channel for
transferring knowledge

and sharing relevant
information between

scientists and industry'.

One project has

contributed to

development of optimum
agricultural production of

spelt, an ancient but
limited variety of wheat

requiring little fertiliser
and ideally suited to the
less favoured regions of

the Community. It also

provides a more

environmentally
sustainable alternative to

common wheat.

ENERGY

**11.** NON-NUCLEAR ENERGY

**R&D component: JOULE**

**Activities in 1997**

The programme continued to focus on priority themes relating to energy
technologies and to define the qualitative and quantitative objectives of
each call for proposals. A substantial proportion of the budget, some
ECU 195 million, was spent in 1997 and two calls for proposals for
shared-cost action, covering all the fields of science in the programme,
were closed. Over 600 proposals were evaluated and 231 were selected
for Community funding totalling ECU 119 million, 62% of them on
renewable energy sources.

The JOULE programme made an active contribution to the preparations
for the Kyoto conference on climate change and to several Commission
communications, including one on "green accounting".

The monitoring report recognised the efforts made on the transparency
and openness of the programme and the experts noted the introduction of
a quality management system.

**Contribution to Community RTD objectives**

The R&D supported by JOULE is designed to provide substantial support
for the development of renewable energy sources, such as solar energy,
windpower or energy from biomass, thereby contributing to sustainable
energy supplies for Europe, while preserving the environment. The
growing participation in the research projects by partners from industry
and users helps to foster technological progress in Europe and to keep
these emerging sectors competitive.

More efficient use of energy and management of lighting in buildings will
help to improve living conditions while the development of propulsion and
energy-storage systems for zero-emission vehicles offers the prospect of a
cleaner, quieter urban environment.

Work **programme for** **19f)8**

The final touches will be put to implementation of the current framework
programme by selecting concerted action projects and schemes to provide
support for training and SMEs.

A large proportion of the activities in 1998 will be concerned with
providing input for definition of the next framework programme.

Support for the development of new processes based on parallel
optimisation of water and energy consumption has produced a 40%
water saving and 70% energy saving in the agro-food and paper pulp

industries, two traditionally heavy consumers of these resources.

**47**

**Examples of results**

Techno-economic models

supported by the
programme have allowed
worldwide comparison of

costs and emissions of

pollutants. These results
have made it possible to

estimate the costs of

technological measures to
meet the target set at the

Kyoto conference on
climate change, i.e. a 15%

reduction in emissions of

greenhouse gases.

Trials on a dual-fuel

diesel/electric-powered
bus obtained by converting

a conventional diesel bus

have proved that very
substantial fuel savings can

be made, while causing no

pollution and very little

noise. The industrial

partners in the project are

now studying how to put

this technology on the

market.

ZF Friedrichshafen AG has

set up a new department
especially for this purpose.

Demonstration component: THERMIE

Activities in 1997

THERMIE is focused on the cost-effective and environmentally friendly
demonstration and promotion of clean and efficient energy technologies.
These consist of renewable energy technologies, rational use of energy in
industry, buildings and transport, a clean and more efficient use of fossil
fuels and better exploration, distribution and transport of hydrocarbons.

In 1997 the programme allocated over ECU 148 million to action, often
as a follow-up to JOULE results, aimed at proving the technological and
economic viability of energy technologies by highlighting their benefits
and by supporting a wider replication and market penetration both in the
EU and beyond.

THERMIE also provided support for associated measures
(ECU 11.5 million) aimed at raising the awareness of the results of the
demonstration projects and removing barriers to wider market
penetration. Special attention was paid to SMEs by supporting initiatives
in which training and information are offered and facilities for project
investment are provided. SME involvement in demonstration projects
increased significantly: 65% of the proposals in the building sector
involved SMEs and participation reached 72 and 76% respectively in the
wind and biomass sectors. All in all, 749 proposals were submitted to the
THERMIE programme, 275 new contracts were awarded and around 800
running projects were monitored.

In the field of international cooperation, 45 (out of 183) associated
measures were supported. Among these measures, three feasibility
studies for project implementation within priority areas in China, using
innovative EU technologies in the fields of biomass gasification, energy
use in buildings and clean coal combustion; two actions targeting the use
of renewable energy, specifically rural electrification and energy efficiency
in industry, with South Africa; and a business seminar in the renewable
sector as a follow-up to the World Solar Summit Programme, initiated by
UNESCO.

Following the report of the 1996 monitoring panel, a number of measures
were undertaken. Priority was given to site-management control of
problematic or risky projects; enormous efforts were allocated to the
development of a new computerised programme information system
designed to support the whole cycle of management activities from
proposal submission to technical and financial project monitoring;
enhanced contract negotiations and accurate administrative follow-up of
the associated preparatory procedures are now performed under the
responsibility of a Task Force on Contracts (TFC); a new strategy for
disseminating and publicising the results was agreed and implemented;
new initiatives concerning the participation of SMEs were launched; and
success stories for promoting emerging energy technologies are now
widely disseminated through the OPET - Organisation for the Promotion
of Energy Technologies- (joint initiative with the Innovation programme)
and FEMOPET -Fellow Members of the OPET - networks in the EU and

Central and Eastern European countries respectively.

**48**

Examples of results

The establishment of major
demonstration sites

focusing on
energy/environment in
cities and residential and

commercial buildings are
the result of an important
contribution by the
programme. The
Greencities and RE
START projects have been
implemented in many cities
in Europe, and include
over 32 500 buildings.
These large-scale projects
have the capacity to
transform urban design
development.

Eight European cities have
decided to take an active

role in promoting the use
of low and zero emission

vehicles. Between them

these cities have over 20

million inhabitants. Energy

reductions from the

outcome of this project are
expected to be about 20%,

depending on the type of

vehicle fleet and other

measures taken in the city.

Substantial reductions in

emissions of carbon

monoxide, carbon dioxide

and NOx are also

expected.

**Contribution to Community RTD objectives**

The actions supported under the umbrella of the THERMIE programme
have contributed to promote the innovative use of energy technologies
and to maximise the efficiency of their development. The programme
focuses investments on the technologies which will produce the maximum
benefit for EU citizens and maximises the security and diversity of
supplies by improving efficiency of energy production, transport and use
and by increasing the use of renewable sources. It accelerates the rate of
development and uptake of energy technologies in order to maximise the
long- and short-term competitiveness of European industries in EU and
global markets.

The many developments included cost reductions and small-scale systems
for wind energy and photovoltaics, demonstration plants for energy from
biomass and wastes, energy efficiency in industry and combined heat and
power production, best practices in buildings, alternative fuels in
transport, new burners of solid fuels and co-combustion with biomass.

**Work programme for 1998**

The THERMIE programme will provide funding estimated at
ECU 96 million for the demonstration of clean and efficient energy
technologies and it will support, to the tune of up to ECU 14 million,
complementary associated measures designed to propagate and encourage
at the appropriate moment the future use of demonstrated results.

Other examples from THERMIE

Support is given to the
construction of a 37.5 MW

wind farm on a sandbank

approximately 3 km off the
east coast of England. This

will be the largest offshore

wind farm constructed in

Europe to date.

In the hydrocarbons area, installing and decommissioning deck units in the open sea
together with direct validation of the structural integrity of floating production, storage
and offloading units (FPSOs) made significant steps towards the safety and
competitiveness of European offshore energy technology.

Important progress has been made by a number of completed projects focusing on
biomass gasification within existing/conventional coal-fired power stations and/or

boilers.

The China-EU Renewable Energy Technology Conference was attended by 90
representatives from Chinese institutions and companies and by over 35 EU renewable

energy technology manufacturers.

**49**

12. NUCLEAR FISSION SAFETY

General objectives

The programme is part of the 1994-1998 Euratom framework programme
for research and training and is active in: innovative approaches in reactor
safety passive decay heat removal and innovative nuclear fuel cycle
concepts (partitioning and transmutation); reactor severe accident
phenomena and mechanisms to develop accident management measures,
with emphasis on mitigation techniques; safety evaluation methods and
feasibility of concepts 'for radioactive waste management and disposal;
technology and strategy for the decommissioning of nuclear installations;
radiological impact on man and the environment, radiation mechanisms
and epidemiology, radiation risks and exposures; the mastering of events
of the past (faOctors influencing health, contaminated territories and
emergency management approaches).

Activities in 1997

The programme was implemented by a single call with two deadlines for
submission of proposals on shared-cost projects (20 March 1995 and 28
February 1996), while a call on concerted action was continuously open
until 1 November 1997. In total, 66 proposals for concerted action were
received in 1997 (16 on 15 February and 50 on 1 November) and
evaluated with the assistance of external experts. At the end of the year, a
first set of 11 contracts were signed, while the selection procedure for the
last 50 proposals was started.

From the beginning of the programme up until the end of 1997, 190 multipartner contracts were signed (out of 461 proposals in total). Projects
with related research subjects were combined into 38 clusters to ensure
better project management and to facilitate the exchange of results among
specialists.

Where appropriate, mid-term reviews have been carried out for adjusting
project plans or for setting-up the programme for a second phase of the
projects.

Four EUROCOURSE training sessions were organised: three courses in
the field of radiation protection and one course on reactor severe
accidents.

Accompanying measures (conferences, workshops, grants) were
organised, developing a wide forum for discussion/exchange of results
and offering attractive prospects for young scientists and researchers.

Major achievements in 1997 (in addition to the examples in the boxes)
included:

- the progress in the assessment of partitioning and transmutation
strategies to reduce the long-lived radionuclide inventories using LWR
and/or FNR;

- the feasibility studies for innovative safety techniques like passive
decay heat removal systems for both RPV and containment;

- the improvement of knowledge and harmonisation of predictive tools
for irradiation induced ageing phenomena;

**50**

Examples of results

Design/equipment and
operating procedures are

being developed in

cooperation with
industries to cope with

the main risk issues in

case of reactor severe

accidents (i.e. molten
corium, fission product

releases and hydrogen

combustion).

Completion of the
RODOS decision support

system for the off-site
management of nuclear

accidents in the early

phase: this version is
being implemented for

pre-operational use in

emergency centres in

Hungary, Poland,
Slovakia and the Ukraine

with assistance from the

ECHO and TACIS

programmes (interest in

its use has also been

expressed by several EU

countries).

the research carried out on waste volume minimisation,
characterisation of waste forms, host-rock and backfill materials;
the conclusion of Phase I of the Palmottu project for characterising and
understanding the general flow system at the site;
the further development of the databank on decommissioning of
nuclear installations;
the concerted action aimed at providing a forum for dialogue between
industry, regulators and academia on risk governance, particularly in
terms of acceptability and efficacy;
the development and use of multi-step cancer models to analyse
epidemiological data;
the development of methodologies for vulnerability assessment of

ecosystems;
the publication of a series of documents giving guidelines and
protocols for quality criteria for different common diagnostic
procedures;
the development and implementation of a decentralised approach for
management and improving living conditions in contaminated
territories.

**Contribution to Community RTD objectives**

The nuclear fission programme contributes to the improvement of the
safety of nuclear reactors and of the competitiveness of the nuclear
industry in particular through research concerning major accidents,
advanced techniques for the decommissioning of nuclear facilities and
methods for the safe management of radioactive waste. It also aims at
protecting the public and the environment against the possible adverse
effects of radiation which can result from the use of nuclear energy and
the medical applications of radiation.

**Work programme for 1998**

The implementation of the programme will be completed by a selection of
concerted action and accompanying measures for training and
dissemination of results. Five training courses will be organised by the
programme in the fields of reactor safety and radiation protection.

The nuclear fission safety components of the Fifth Framework Programme
will be prepared as well as the corresponding implementation instruments.

**51**

Improvement of the
technical feasibility of

geological disposal
concepts and of the
performance assessment

study for spent fuel

disposal concepts
(implementation of the
FEBEX project, start of
the operational phase of
DEBORA and definition

of the SPA-source term

model).

A decentralised approach

to the long-term

management of
contaminated territories

has been developed and

piloted in a village in

Belarus. While the

project is continuing, the

success already achieved
is such that consideration

is already being given to

the wider dissemination

of the approach to
Chernobyl affected areas.

13. CONTROLLED THERMONUCLEAR FUSION

Activities in 1997

The long-term objective of the programme, which embraces all the
activities undertaken in the Member States (plus Switzerland) in the field
of fusion with magnetic confinement, is "the joint production of safe,
environmentally sound prototype reactors". After the tokamak known as
JET (Joint European Torus), the proposed strategy towards the prototype
reactor includes an experimental reactor ("Next Step") which is now
being designed in detail in the context of the quadripartite cooperation
between Euratom, Japan, Russia and the USA referred to as ITER-EDA
(International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor - Engineering Design
Activities) and a demonstration reactor (DEMO).

"Next Step" activities: in 1997 the engineering design activities of the
central project team (San Diego, Naka and Garching) and the four partner
teams collaborating in the ITER-EDA made it possible to optimise the
solutions selected for the ITER. At the end of December the central team

submitted the final report on the project to the partners involved in the
ITER for an internal assessment. Europe has been given the task of
coordinating three of the seven major RTD projects for the ITER
(prototype toroidal magnet, shielding for the blanket and remote handling
system for the divertor) and is contributing actively to work on them. The
NET, JET and JRC teams together with the associated fusion laboratories
("associations") each made a substantial contribution to the work on
physics and technology applicable to the ITER. JET, the only reactor in
the world capable of using tritium, provided a means of studying fusion
plasmas in the conditions planned for the "Next Step".

Concept improvement: operation of specialised devices allowed
consolidation of the database required for the Next Step and concept
improvements which, in the long term, will allow definition of DEMO.
The TJ-II stellarator in Madrid entered into service. Approval was given
for the installation of new equipment at the TORE SUPRA tokamak in
Cadarache and the TEXTOR tokamak in Jiilich and of the heating system
at a third (the MAST tokamak under construction at Culham).

Long-term technology: work continued on long-term technology,
particularly on the tritium breeding blanket (procedure launched for the
provision of reference structural material), evaluation of the conceptual
design of a neutron source, start of new safety and environmental studies
and of socio-economic research on fusion (including questions relating to
public acceptability). Finally, in September Parliament held an STOA
conference on the operating conditions required for a commercial fusion
reactor to consult experts from Europe's leading electricity distributors.

Industrial participation: European industry has long been involved in
supplying the components and prototypes required for the construction
and operation of fusion devices.

**52**

Examples of results

JET recently operated

with the fuel and

conditions envisaged for
the fusion reactors of the

future. It set world

records (16 MW of
fusion power, equivalent

to two thirds of the

injected power; 21 MJ of

fusion energy). The
results obtained indicate

that some of the

conditions necessary for
the reactor (particularly
the minimum power for

access to high
confinement regime) are

easier to meet than

originally thought.

Projections of economic

and social scenarios,
economic prospects and
public acceptance aiming

at raising awareness of

fusion as a potential

energy source.

In April representatives of the industry exchanged views with
representatives of ITER on the organisational aspects of eventual
construction of such a reactor.

Implementation: the programme is implemented in the form of contracts
of association with the Member States (plus Switzerland), the JET joint
undertaking and the NET (Next European Torus) Agreement which
includes Euratom's participation in ITER-EDA, contracts with industry
and other contracts of limited duration. The Community contributed 25%
towards the current expenditure of the Associations and the contracts of
limited duration and 45% of the investment costs of priority projects
approved by the Consultative Committee for the Fusion Programme. Up
to 100% may be granted for certain specific tasks (in industry). As part of
the activities to keep in touch with inertial fusion technology, a start was
made on coordinating civil research in this field. The Commission
proposal for the Framework Programme for 1998-2002 includes fusion as
one of the key actions and maintains the strategy for integrated research
with a view to the reactor. In its 1997 report the monitoring panel found,
amongst other things, that the fusion programme had been administered
and implemented fully in line with the Council guidelines.

**Contribution to Community RTD objectives**

As with the other fusion programmes elsewhere in the world, the
European Union's programme is directed towards the Next Step, which
will incorporate all the key aspects of physics and technology necessary
for the "combustion" of long-pulse fusion plasma. Europe has made a
valuable contribution to progress with research in this field, particularly
with JET.

By placing an obligation on laboratories to publish Europe-wide calls for
tenders to carry out priority projects, the fusion programme has
encouraged a two-way flow of information between the fusion and
industry sides and helped to reinforce European industry's S&T base. In
turn the system for qualification of firms in the 15 specific technologies
required for fusion has helped to make European industry more
competitive against its rivals for collaboration on ITER.

The integrated structure of the programme guarantees the cohesion of
European research on fusion. Irrespective of any transfers of technology
which could be generated in the short term, the long-term aspect of this
research was underlined by stepping up the public awareness campaign on
the safety and environmental advantages of fusion as an energy option.

**Work programme for 1998**

The Associations will continue their activities and new systems for
installation on certain devices (particularly ASDEX Upgrade) will be
examined. To support the experimental work in all the laboratories,
theoretical work will continue. The research on JET, particularly on the
divertor concept applicable to the ITER, will continue as planned. As
requested by Parliament, the Commission will submit a strategy paper on
the possibility of continuing to use JET after December 1999 and on the
framework for its future programme. As regards ITER-EDA, originally
planned to run until July 1998, a three-year extension has been proposed
to undertake joint activities in various fields (adaptation of ITER

**53**

Important scientific

results have been

obtained at the

associated fusion

laboratories, particularly:

successful operation of
the Lyra divertor in the

ASDEX Upgrade
tokamak; progress in

optimisation of the
bootstrap current and of

non-induced current

drive in the TORE

SUPRA tokamak; use of

high atomic number
materials with ECRH

(electron cyclotron
resonant heating) in the

FTU tokamak; high
confinement regimes in
the TEXTOR tokamak;

determination of

reference parameters in

the TCV tokamak;
magnetic surfaces in

accordance with

predictions in the TJ-II

stellarator; start of

construction of the

Wendelstein 7-X

stellarator and

production of prototype
coils for this device, etc...

engineering design to actual conditions at specific potential sites, safety
assessments and preparatory work for applications for consent, tests on
prototype components, etc.). Preparations will start for a study on the
reference design for DEMO. Like last year, Marie Curie fellowships will
be granted (between 10 and 15 per annum) and strong support will be
given to the mobility of researchers (between 300 and 400 secondments
per annum). The final touches are now being made to establish bilateral
collaboration with Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan.

**54**

14. TRANSPORT

Activities in 1997

With the 109 new contracts which were signed in 1997 from the
implementation of the second and third calls for proposals, the Transport
RTD Programme has now financed some 244 projects of which 26 were
completed with a number of significant results delivered.

The new contracts signed in 1997 cover the following areas of the
Programme:

- Strategic research: 13 projects, with emphasis on information systems
(including definition of transport databases) and policy assessment
(including the extension of the trans-European networks to eastern
Europe);

- Rail transport: 10 projects, focusing on interoperability of train systems
and on more efficient and faster freight transport;

- Integrated transport chains: 12 projects, addressing the improvement
of the quality of the intermodal transport network (6 projects) and
terminals (6 projects);

- Air transport: 17 projects, the majority of which (10 projects)
contribute to the definition of technical and operational solutions to
improve the efficiency of the air traffic management system;

- Urban transport: 12 projects, with emphasis on the enhancement of
intermodality in urban transport through the improvement of
interchange and through legal and regulatory measures;

- Waterborne transport: 24 projects, including projects aiming at
improving the efficiency and safety of maritime operations and projects
focusing on the improvement of working conditions;

- Road transport: 19 projects, aiming at improving road transport
performance, reliability and safety, while minimising the negative
impact on the environment;

- Accompanying measures: 2 projects which will develop and implement
an intensive dissemination and exploitation plan for the Transport
Programme aiming at maximising the impact of the programme results.

In 1997, the programme provided major contributions for the
development of important policy documents such as the Green Paper on
ports and maritime infrastructure, the forthcoming White Paper on
infrastructure charging, the communications on trans-European rail freight
freeways and intermodal freight transport.

Other challenges in the field of transport, such as congestion, safety and
environmental aspects continue to be tackled, both in ongoing projects
and in the fourth call for proposals launched in December 1997. The
particular transport challenges of the accession of Central and Eastern
European countries are also being addressed through increased
participation from organisations from these countries and local
dissemination events. Substantial efforts were devoted to ensure the

transferability of results, the involvement of relevant end-users and the
acceptance of new systems and methods. This is being tackled through
encouraging the creation of formal and informal networks and by the
establishment of concerted action (13 projects as a result of the first three
calls).

**55**

Examples of results

ERTMS

Test sites in Germany,
France and Italy have been
made available for the full
scale testing of the
developed European Rail
Traffic Management
System (ERTMS).
European standardisation

activities necessary for
implementing the ERTMS

started in 1997.

MBB

A maritime black box

(MBB) similar to the ones

used in aeroplanes has
been developed to record

accident data. Improved
accident investigations will

increase the safety of ship

operations. Further
development of the MBB
into a cargo black box is

envisaged to track
shipments and facilitate
short-sea shipping and the

exchange of
documentation.

TAPE

The project developed a

software prototype to
determine the interaction

of landside and airside

operations in airports, to
optimise the total airport
performance in terms of

efficiency and capacity.

The 1997 monitoring panel on the Transport RTD Programme concluded
that the programme is being managed in a professional and transparent
way, although it was concerned by the continuing staff shortages in some
areas of the programme. The panel made seven valuable recommendations
for the future management of the programme to further strengthen results
delivery, which are being taken on board. They are mainly focused on the
dissemination and exploitation of results and future elements of transport
RTD activities.

**Contribution to Community RTD objectives**

The general objective of the research carried out under the Transport
RTD Programme is to reach conclusions opening up new policy options
and to facilitate the implementation of new generic technologies. The
objectives of implementing new technologies to increase the efficiency,
safety and sustainability of the transport system have also been or will be
achieved through a series of projects like ERTMS (European Rail Traffic
Management System), MBB (Maritime Blacjc Box), and ATM (Air
Traffic Management) related projects.

The 1997 monitoring panel noted the potential benefits to European
industry from achievements like European standardisation of railways'
signalling systems resulting from the ERTMS projects. The potential
impact of these results could lead to a 20-30% reduction of equipment
costs, together with a significant increase in European railway
manufacturing competitiveness in world transport markets. Another
example of strengthening the competitiveness of European industry is the
establishment of integrated ship control standards. These projects
(ATOMOS II and DISCI) are an important effort to unite the fragmented
European industries involved in this domain and at the same time to set
universal standards. Other examples of research work contributing to
Community objectives are projects in the strategic area assessing the
impact of the trans-European transport networks on accessibility and
cohesion. A series of urban transport projects aim at the improvement of
urban public transport and have already delivered valuable results (e.g.
ISOTOPE project).

**Work programme for 1998**

The fourth call for proposals and the joint call by the Transport and
Telematics Application Programmes on transport intermodality, for which
a Community budget of some ECU 12 million was allocated, both closed
on 16 March 1998. The submitted proposals will be evaluated and
subjected to contract negotiation. The fourth call for proposals should
result in a number of actions to consolidate results arising from projects
from the previous calls and to prepare future Transport RTD activities. As
a result of the joint call on intermodality a series of large-scale
demonstration projects building upon the results of ongoing research
work in the area of intermodality should arise. The first projects are to
start towards the end of 1998. A number of projects already financed will
conclude their work and present their results in a series of planned
dissemination events. A programme-wide dissemination and exploitation
strategy will be implemented to ensure the concrete deployment of the
RTD results.

**56**

ISOTOPE

The project described the

advantages and disadvantages of the various
organisational forms of
public transport services
and gives
recommendations on

adequate contractual and
legal frameworks. Data
has been examined from

109 urban transport
networks in Europe.

Air Traffic Management:

Several projects in this

domain have been

completed and the results
have been fed into the

development of the future
European Air Traffic
Management System
(EATMS) to be demonstrated in the Fifth

Framework Programme.

Information Systems:
Concerted action has been

started, involving a series

of ongoing projects and

policy-makers and
statisticians from all

Member States. It will

establish synergies and lay
the ground for the creation

of a European transport

information system
facilitating the exchange of

and access to transport
data, in support of policy

decision-making.

15. TARGETED SOCIO-ECONOMIC RESEARCH

Activities in 1997

1997 marked a major turning point in the evolution of the TSER
programme. Introduced in 1994 as a new element to the Framework
Programme much work had to be done in the early stages of the
programme to sensitise researchers and policy-makers to the importance
of European level socio-economic research in areas of S&T policy,
education and training and social integration and exclusion. However, the
recent selection of successful second call projects and the launching in
September 1997 of the third and final call means that attention is turning
to the consolidation and follow-up of funded activities. Indeed, the
programme now comprises a broadly-based portfolio of complementary
activities ranging from collaborative research projects and thematic
networks, studies and support for conferences in key areas, to specific
ET AN initiatives, and to the programme's participation in the Educational
Multimedia Task Force.

Given the current stage of development of the programme, and the
improvements made both in terms of the policy relevance and in the
execution of successive calls, the recommendations made in the 1997
TSER monitoring report primarily concern take-up and dissemination
activities.

Contribution to **Community RTD** objectives

A characteristic of this programme is that all its activities are expected to
lead to policy relevant insights. Following the second call a total of 112
shared cost actions, dealing with topics such as the European information
society, industrial dynamics and employment, and social integration
policies in Europe, will have received Community support. This number
will increase by 50-60 new activities arising from the evaluation and
selection of third call proposals. Moreover the third call itself was
launched on the basis of a revised work programme focusing on three
strategic orientations: competition, change and dialogue; work, welfare
and employment; and innovation and institutional change. These
orientations demand a multidisciplinary approach and thus the third call,
which closed in January 1998, set out to solicit proposals which would
combine research tasks from two or more of the programme's main
research areas.

In addition to this, some 39 grants were awarded in 1997 for
accompanying measures. Funded activities include studies on the effects
of labour markets on employment, the redistribution of work, the
problems and possibilities for self-employment, and support for various
fora dealing with topics such as immigrant integration and ethnic conflicts,
women in science, and approaches to cultural diversity within educational
institutions in Europe.

As regards ETAN (European Technology Assessment Network,
supported under area I of the evaluation of S&T policy options in Europe
programme), expert working groups were held on the first of a series of
topics: ageing population and technology - challenges and opportunities
and technology policy in the context of internationalisation. The experts'
reports will be presented to policy-makers in the course of 1998.

**57**

**Examples** of results

EVALUE has,
developed and
produced a CD-ROM
and Internet media on

the (self-)evaluation of
universities in Europe.

The information

available includes case

studies, national

indicators as well as a

flexible evaluation

tool.

Following a
conference in

November 1997 the

"Technology,
Economic Integration
and Social Exclusion"

project has published

leading-edge articles

on world trading
environment, regional

technology gaps in

Europe and
competitiveness.

The LoWER project

has established a

European database on

low-wage
employment and
published a report on

"Statistical data

available on low-wage

employment in the
European Union and

its Member States".

LoWER publishes a
newsletter and has a

site on the Internet.

A further significant event in 1997 was the launch of five projects, partfunded by the TSER programme, submitted under the Educational
Multimedia Task Force's joint call for proposals. These projects, dealing
with the processes of learning, the effectiveness of the introduction of
multimedia technology and the attendant socio-economic consequences,
demonstrate the importance of the social shaping of technology and serve
as examples of the more integrative approach to combining social sciences
with technology development which is being proposed for the Fifth
Framework Programme.

**Work programme** **for'1998**

A major activity for 1998 will be the introduction of measures for
disseminating and enhancing the impact of insights arising from the RTD
projects and networks funded. In addition to the normal mechanisms for
dissemination of results at the project level, a number of activities at the
level of the programme itself are being planned. An important initiative
will be a TSER programme conference planned for the end of 1998. This
conference will bring together researchers and policy-makers and will
itself be underpinned by a series of policy relevant workshops organised
around the thematic clustering of first and second call projects - a concept
which was successfully tested in 1997.

Third call activities will centre on negotiating and issuing contracts for
projects selected for funding. And a number of possible new ET AN
initiatives are under consideration in the areas of global climate change,
intellectual property, the assessment of the impact of RTD, indirect
support to RTD employment, and women and science.

Furthermore it is anticipated that four more projects submitted under the
Educational Multimedia joint call, involving the financial participation of
the TSER programme, will be launched.

Work on finalising the role of socio-economic research in the Fifth
Framework Programme will take place alongside the above activities.

The REGIS project has found that innovation in Europe tends to be
market driven by cost and quality considerations and that pure innovation

is rare since the process is characterised more by the recombination of

non-original technologies - thus demonstrating the need for better
integration of technology centres and universities within the innovation

process.

**58**

. The RTD networks

and high-tech SMEs

project has found
evidence which links

successful

globalisation with a

high level of local
networking suggesting

the importance of

access to locally

developed
technologies.

The globalising
learning economy:

implications for
innovation policy is a

report based on the

preliminary
conclusions from

several related TSER

projects (example of

cluster activity).

The KISINN network

has produced a review

of private sector
knowledge intensive

services drawing on
existing international
expertise with special

emphasis on the
transmission and

application of technical

and management
innovation including the

implications for policy

implementation.

**2 N D** **A C T I V I T Y** **O F T H E** **F O U R T H** **F R A M E W O R K** **P R O G R A M M E**

**COOPERATION** **WITH** **THIRD** **COUNTRIES** **AND** **INTERNATIONAL**

**ORGANISATIONS**

**Activities in 1997**

**Examples of results**

RTD projects

As part of the cooperation with the Central and Eastern European
countries and the New Independent States from the former Soviet Union,
ECU 26.3 million was earmarked to fund 110 contracts concluded

following the 1996 call for proposals. A call for proposals published in
1997 (main areas covered: environment, health and industry) attracted
1 300 research proposals worth a total of ECU 398 million.

The international cooperation programme (INCO) also continued to
provide support for Eastern European countries to participate in the
specific programmes under the 4th Framework Programme.

Around ECU 700 000 was earmarked for accompanying measures,
particularly support to enable scientists from these countries to participate
in conferences. INTAS, funded primarily by the Community, granted
ECU 18.8 million to 321 projects covering all fields. And the
International Science and Technology Centre (ISTC) set up in Moscow to
help with the redeployment of military researchers from the New
Independent States from the former Soviet Union received support
totalling ECU 13.5 million from the EC for civil projects in 1997 (a total
of 19 000 scientists have taken part since 1994).

As for S&T cooperation with developing countries (INCO-DC), in 1997
ECU 65.6 million was set aside to fund 125 contracts. A call for

proposals published in 1997 on management of renewable natural
resources, agriculture, agro-industry, health and information technologies
attracted 1 020 proposals.

Twenty-five new COST projects also began, bringing to 159 the total
number of projects in progress in 17 areas (food science, chemistry,
transport, etc.). In 1997 the Commission was involved in 11 EUREKA
projects.

The monitoring panel stressed the high quality achieved in 1997 in all the
fields covered by the programme.

S&T agreements and scientific contacts

The agreement on scientific and technical cooperation between the EU
and the USA was signed, the one with South Africa entered into force and
negotiations started on a nuclear research agreement between Euratom
and Canada. In 1997 negotiations started on an S&T cooperation
agreement with Russia and the first expressions of interest were received
from certain countries which wish to be associated with the 5th

Framework Programme.

**59**

A European first in the

campaign against
parasitic infections: a

number of research

projects bringing
together scientists from
developing countries and
Europe have been started

to discover why some

people are more
vulnerable than others to

parasitic infections. This

is the key to an
efficacious response.
Collaboration with Brazil

has demonstrated that

genetic factors are to
blame for vulnerability to

bilharziasis (an illness

caused by trematode
worms). Scientists have

discovered that gene
Sml on chromosome 5

controls resistance or

sensitivity to the disease.

Another gene
determining sensitivity to

fibrosis of the liver has

also been identified.

These breakthroughs
could pave the way for
the development of new

treatments to provide
relief for sufferers from

these illnesses.

To promote relations with Japan and Korea in the field of science and
technology, 74 European researchers received grants in 1997, taking the
total number of EU researchers assisted to work in these two countries to

490.

Technical or political contacts were maintained with non-EU countries
and regional groupings. Over 100 seminars, workshops or conferences
involving developing countries received support (for example, on soil
fertility in Asia and on Aids in Africa). The political dialogue with the
EU's Mediterranean partners continued via the secretariat of the EuroMediterranean RTD Committee and a formal meeting of the Committee.

Thinking about future guidelines

A communication on the European initiative for agricultural research for
development (EIARD) was adopted to improve coordination between the
18 partners involved. Another communication entitled "Scientific and
technological research - a strategic part of the European Union's
development cooperation with developing countries" was also adopted
and then endorsed by the Council.

**Contribution to Community RTD objectives**

INCO contributes in many ways to promoting the competitiveness of the
European economy as a whole. For example, by giving extra value added
to Union RTD or helping to define other EU policies (e.g. on transport,
energy or fisheries) in the light of the experience of non-EU countries or
thanks to the "large market effect" generated as S&T cooperation opens
up prospects for commercial cooperation.

International RTD cooperation provides access to know-how, researcher
networks and installations (for example, by sending European researchers
to Japan). Beyond the strictly scientific benefits, this cooperation
contributes to the influence of European science and technology
worldwide.

In connection with EU enlargement policy, modernisation of the RTD
arrangements in the Central and Eastern European countries together with
the support provided by INCO for participation by these countries in the
EU RTD programmes helps these countries to prepare to fit into the
Union.

INCO-DC has helped to strengthen Europe's research capacity in areas
related to development and to stimulate RTD in the developing countries
(in 1997 by providing support for networks on malaria and tropical forests
in particular), thus backing up the Community's development aid policy.

Another example of the contribution to foreign policy is the International
Science and Technology Centre in Moscow (ISTC) which supports the
efforts to redeploy Russian military researchers to civil activities.

**Work programme for 1998**

The main activities in 1998 will be to monitor the 1600 ongoing contracts
(including the preparatory, accompanying and support measures) and the
1997 INCO-COPERNICUS and INCO-DC calls for proposals, to
conclude contracts on the participation of non-EU countries in the 1st,

**60**

Study of marine
pollution: the Black Sea

is ideal for a case study
of the impact of pollution

on biodiversity. A

project involving
Romania, Bulgaria,

Russia and seven

Member States has

already brought a fuller

understanding of the
decline in biodiversity in
the Black Sea. A model

for predicting the
response of the coastal
system to attacks on the
environment is now being

devised.

Fisheries and sustainable

development: 15

research projects

focusing on new
aquaculture techniques,

shellfish farming and
management of coastal

ecosystems were
launched in 1997 in

conjunction with the

EU/ACP fisheries

initiative based on the

resolution adopted by the

ACP-EC Joint

Committee. The

objective of this initiative

is to promote targeted
research on aquaculture

and sustainable

management of fisheries.

3rd and 4th activities of the Framework Programmes and to select and
monitor grantholders (in Japan and Korea).

Other activities will include analyses of the impact of the S&T
cooperation agreements, the meeting of the various joint committees
responsible for monitoring the cooperation agreements and the EuropeJapan Science and Technology Forum. As recommended by the
monitoring panel, a management information system will be implemented
and the publicity campaign on INCO will continue in various forms:
written (success stories, catalogue of INCO projects, etc.), audiovisual
(slides, etc.) and electronic (INCO homepage on Cordis-Europa).

The political priorities will be to prepare for enlargement, particularly by
encouraging full association of the applicant countries in the Fifth
Framework Programme, and to build closer relations with the nonassociated Central and Eastern European countries. The S&T agreements
between the EU and the USA and Russia will also be concluded.

Looking ahead to implementation of the Fifth Framework Programme,
there are plans to amend various S&T agreements (the EEA Agreement
must not only be extended to the Fifth Framework Programme but also
adjusted to take account of the supplementary funding for the Fourth
Framework Programme).

Coordination of S&T with the Member States will be stepped up, for
example via the secretariat for the European initiative for agricultural
research for development, by coordinating individual Member States'
health programmes, via the Member States' contact group and within the
biotechnology network set up as part of the cooperation on S&T with
China. Efforts will also be made to obtain a fuller picture of cooperation
in the RTD field between the Member States and non-member countries

and international organisations (INCOPOL study).

The redeployment of international cooperation in the Fifth Framework
Programme will call, inter alia, for defining the interactions between the
INCO programme and the other programmes in the Framework
Programme and producing stronger synergies between COST, EUREKA,
international organisations and the Framework Programme.

Bone marrow donors:

with the help of a partner

from the Netherlands,
both Hungary and the

Czech Republic were

linked up to an
international database on

bone marrow donors.

This link-up has added
6 000 extra donors from

these two countries to

the database. Given the

success of the operation,

there are now plans to

extend the scheme to

three more Eastern

European countries. It is

being introduced in

Slovakia already.

Recycling of 50 tonnes of plutonium from military plants in Russia:
In Moscow in April 1996 the G7 countries and Russia decided to cooperate
more closely on the downgrading of plutonium from the dismantling of Russia's

nuclear weapons.
The Community is making an active contribution to putting these G7
conclusions into action, by financing projects run by the ISTC in Moscow.

**61**

**3RD** **ACTIVITY OF THE** **FOURTH FRAMEWORK** **PROGRAMME**

**DISSEMINATION AND OPTIMISATION OF RESULTS**

(INNOVATION PROGRAMME)

**Activities in 1997**

Activities in 1997 focused on the implementation of (i) the First Action
Plan for Innovation (see above chapter I - paragraph 3 of the report) and
the specific programme corresponding to the third activity, the
INNOVATION Programme.

Implementation of the INNOVATION Programme concentrated on (i) the
follow-up to the network of Innovation Relay Centres and CORDIS,
(ii) intellectual property and the financing of innovation, (iii) the
technology transfer and technology validation demonstration projects and
(iv) support for regional innovation infrastructures.

A mid-term evaluation of the network of Innovation Relay Centres (ERCs)
was carried out in 1997 prior to its extension for two additional years.
Client satisfaction was a major criterion used in the evaluation. It
indicated that the network is functioning well and is likely to still further
increase its performance during the next two years. The performance of
29 Relay Centres out of 52 (i.e. 56 %) was rated very good. Seven
centres (i.e. 14 %) were evaluated as performing below expectations.
Following this evaluation, the network of IRCs is being extended for two
years and those IRCs rated as performing poorly were restructured.

As regards CORDIS, a user survey was carried out by a professional
market research organisation at the beginning of 1997. The survey
indicated that CORDIS is known as the major information service for
Community R&D and that it is used regularly by the vast majority of
intermediaries active in this field. The survey also led to 10
recommendations related to future developments of the system, most of
which, after discussion with the programme committee, were taken into
account in the call for tenders for provision of the CORDIS service over
the next two years (OJ S 247, 19.12.1997, p. 27). A new type of user
service was introduced, called Rapidus, allowing users to receive
automatically, via e-mail, information tailored to their expressed needs.

The main activity in the area of financing innovation has been the launch
of the I-TEC pilot project in cooperation with the European Investment
Fund. I-TEC is to support the establishment of an adequate availability of
skilled human resources able to appraise and follow up early stage,
technology investments, and thus, in the medium to long term, to
encourage venture capital investment in such projects.

Also a call was launched inviting proposals for the transnational transfer,
promotion and dissemination of measures, schemes and good practices, to
bring together financiers, technologists and SME support organisations
and to stimulate the creation of firms by researchers (public and private).
One of the proposals selected is a consortium consisting of National
Westminster Bank (UK), Deutsche Bank (Germany), ING Bank (NL), the
Innovation Partnership (UK) and the Fraunhofer Gesellschaft (Germany)
which seeks to further develop and disseminate the Dutch "technology
rating system" for technology-based SMEs.

**62**

**Example of results**

INNOVATION'S various

activities in the area of

intellectual property
including the IPR parts
of the First Action Plan

for Innovation and the

collaboration with the

European Patent Office
have given a -if not the
major impulse to
important new European

initiatives in the area

such as the Green Paper

on intellectual property

and the decision by the

European Patent
Organisation to set up a
web-based pan-European

patent information

service.

Inl997theCORDIS

website registered 10
million visits compared

to 2.2 million in 1996.

Also the average number

of active users (using
CORDIS at least twice a

month) nearly doubled to
47500 in 1997 compared

to 25000 in 1996.

Circulation of CORDIS

Focus increased to 32000

in 1997, compared to

22000 in 1996.

Activities in the area of intellectual property included :

- the development of the concept of IPR helpdesk for EU RTD results
and the launch of a call for tenders for establishing such a helpdesk;

- the second round of the "Quick Scan" pilot operation which in
collaboration with the European Patent Office checks the novelty of
technologies in technology transfer and technology validation projects;

- the completion of the Straus report on the present state of the patent
system in the EU;

- the organisation of the PATINNOVA conference (May 1997), one of
the major get-togethers of patent professionals in Europe;

- the organisation of the second series of training seminars on IPR
involving more than 100 project officers;

- the administration of the Community patent portfolio (approximately
1500 patents) and safeguarding of the European trademarks and logos.

In technology transfer and validation, two calls were evaluated in 1997,
bringing to 230 the total number of proposals supported for a definition
phase since the beginning of INNOVATION. It is expected that about
150 of them will lead to a larger demonstration phase. SMEs participate
in 90 % of the demonstration phases and coordinate 60 % of them. The
ultimate objective of these projects is to be test-beds for transnational,
often also intersectoral, technology validation and/or transfer and to
demonstrate good practice. As such the demonstration phases are built
around the following pillars : (i) managing transnational technology
validation and/or transfer, (ii) intellectual property, (iii) absorbing or
assimilating new technologies, (iv) mastering technological know-how.

Regional actions include audits of regional infrastructures to support
innovation and technology transfer. Following the 1997 call for proposals
about 90 regions have been participating in this scheme since 1995. Three
main types of results are emerging from these projects :

- boosting innovation finance capabilities in regions (e.g. PoitouCharentes, Hamburg, Wiener-Neustadt);

- development (or reorganisation) of innovation support organisations,
in particular technology centres, to better adapt them to SME needs
(e.g. Highlands and Islands, Umbria, Extremadura);

- improving links between vocational training and SMEs.

Furthermore some of the participating regions are using the results of
these audits to maximise the benefits of EU structural funds' interventions

in order to strengthen a homogeneous regional economic and innovation
policy (Limburg/NL, Halle/Leipzig/Dassau).

**Work programme in 1998**

Activities will focus on managing the projects selected in the previous
years, the implementation of the continuation of CORDIS, the further
development of the IPR and Innovation Financing Helpdesks for EU
RTD-results, the preparation and launch of the horizontal programme on
"Innovation and Participation of SMEs" under the 5th Framework
Programme. The cycle of conferences on "Innovation, creation of new
businesses and employment" which was started by the conference in Paris
(December 1997), will be continued and involve major conferences in
Luxembourg (May 1998) and Vienna (November 1998).

**63**

The network of 52

Innovation Relay
Centres, during the first

16 months of operation
(i.e. from October '95 till

February '97) was
contacted more than

120000 times for advice

related to technology

transfer and/or

submission of proposals

to EU programmes,
performed 7500 audits

for clients wishing to

offer or requiring
technology, negotiated

1250 transnational

technology transfer
agreements of which 190

were signed. In addition

the IRCs contributed

more than 2750

proposals that were
submitted for EU RTD

programmes of which
700 were accepted for

funding. More
importantly the trends in

these numbers are

increasing.

The first nine venture

capital funds selected
under I-TEC will invest

ECU 186 million of

(private) venture capital

for early stage
technology investments
in SMEs over the next

three years. (For
comparison, in 1996,
ECU 441 million was

invested in early stage
projects in Europe by the
venture capital profession

as a whole (source:

EFVA).

**4TH ACTIVITY** **OF** **THE FOURTH FRAMEWORK** **PROGRAMME**

**STIMULATION OF THE TRAINING AND MOBILITY OF RESEARCHERS**

**(TMR)**

**Examples of results**

**Activities in 1997**

**Implementation of the TMR programme and of the contracts still in**
**progress under the Human Capital and Mobility (HCM) and Science**
**programmes continued in 1997.**

**Under the TMR programme, 1** **190** **contracts were concluded in** **1997,** **of**
**which 980 were for Marie Curie Fellowships, 64 for research networks,**
**ten for concerted action on large-scale facilities and 136 for**
**Euroconferences, summer schools and practical courses. Funding was**
**also approved for 83 new research network projects.**

**A more active approach was taken to apply the results of the TMR**
**programme and of** **its** **predecessors - the HCM and Science programmes.**
**Another major concern throughout the year were the preparations for the**
**specific programme on improving the human research potential.**

**The accompanying measures for this programme included, in particular,**
**organisation of the 9th European contest for young scientists aged**
**between 15 and 20 in Milan from 9 to 14 September, establishment of** **the**
**Marie Curie Association to keep in touch with fellows and sound out their**
**opinion on, for example, new Commission proposals, the study by** **the**
**working party on industry on industrial participation in the programme**
**and the call for proposals to study the role of women in research.**

**Other action in the course of the year focused on the need to find**
**appropriate solutions to the disparities in the treatment of researchers**
**awarded Marie Curie grants by the Community.**

**In 1997** **big** **improvements were made in implementation of the**
**programme, as confirmed in the 1997 report by the monitoring panel for**
**the TMR programme. These included:**

**• considerable shortening of** **the** **delays between submission of proposals**
**and notification of the decision to the proposers and signature of the**
**contracts;**

**• the setting of annual objectives for all units in the programme**
**concerning, in particular, processing of proposals, management of the**
**evaluation panels and management of contracts;**

**• tighter monitoring of contracts, particularly on-the-spot inspections;**

**• wider public information on the programme, particularly via Internet;**

**• improvements in the evaluation procedures, e.g. interdisciplinary**
**approach and greater transparency on points awarded by the**

**evaluators.**

**64**

**A young trainee**
**researcher in one**

**network developed**
**instant teleportation of**

**the quantum state of**
**photons. This should**
**allow consequent**
**improvements in**
**quantum computers.**

**The NEUROS network**

**is working on restoring**

**the mobility of**
**paraplegics with the aid**

**of implants stimulating**

**muscles. Six young**
**trainee researchers in this**

**network are each**

**working in two different**

**teams and cooperating**

**with the industrial**

**partner.**

**One young grantholder**
**was given an opportunity**

**to continue his research**

**on functioning of the**
**brain during epileptic fits,**
**particularly on the**
**potential adverse side-**
**effects of long-term**
**treatment with anti-**

**convulsives. The results**

**hold out hope of**
**improvements in the**
**active agents in anti-**
**convulsives to reduce the**

**adverse effects.**

**Contribution to Community RTD objectives**

The programme management measures adopted have significantly boosted
industrial participation in the projects. Industrial participation in the
"research networks" activity in particular has doubled since the first call
for proposals published at the start of the programme and more than
trebled compared with the Human Capital and Mobility programme.

There are also plans, to introduce industrial fellowships in the 5th
Framework Programme.

Participation by entities from the less-favoured regions of the Community
also increased, from its already high level.

Employment: By the end of implementation of the TMR programme,
grants equivalent to 5 600 researcher-years will have been granted plus a
further 6 500 or so under the training and networks activities. Another
point which must be stressed is that these grants boost the young
researchers' chances of finding a stable job in the research sector at the
end of their fellowship.

**Work programme for 1998**

Work on the TMR programme will continue in 1998, together with
completion of the HCM and Science programmes.

In the case of the individual grants, the programme introduced in 1997 for
systematic monitoring of the contracts, under which 50% of the
grantholders have been contacted, will be completed.

The top priority for the activities on networks and large facilities will be
to organise the mid-term evaluations of each contract by panels of
independent experts. A conference will also be held on the networks
activities to allow closer examination of the performance of a number of
them.

Amongst the accompanying measures, preparations will be made to award
the first Descartes prize to a group of research teams from different
Member States or associated countries which have made a substantial

contribution to solving a scientific or technological problem with the aid
of transfrontier cooperation and to individual researchers who have
attained scientific success in a laboratory or university outside their
country of origin.

With a view to coordination with other training activities, the programme
will continue to provide its input to the action plan on the Green Paper
entitled "Education - Training - Research. The obstacles to transnational
mobility."

Finally, as recommended by the monitoring panel, a call for proposals will
be published in 1998 to farm out to an outside agency some of the routine
tasks entailed in processing proposals and managing the contracts for the
proposals selected. And, of course, preparations for the Fifth Framework
Programme will continue.

**65**

One young Italian
grantholder built an

autonomous robot

capable of learning
simple tasks adapted to

the real world. This

project has been warmly

welcomed. It won the

Italian prize for artificial

intelligence. The
designer has been taken
on as a researcher by his

host institute.

One young grantholder
was able to take his

research on

superconductivity a stage
further towards opening
the way to transporting
electric currents long
distances. He focused in

particular on adaptation
of the materials to largescale applications, for
example cables and
transformers. Having
met this challenge this
researcher was offered a

five-year post by his
previous research
institute.

###### **ipINT RESEARCH CENTRE (JRC)**

The Joint Research Centre is the European Union's scientific and
technical research laboratory, with headquarters in Brussels. Five separate
sites, located in Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain,
house seven research institutes, each with its own focus of expertise:
Reference Materials and Measurements, Transuranium 'Elements,
Advanced Materials, Systems, Informatics and Safety, Environment,
Space Applications, and Prospective Technological Studies.

**Mission**

The JRC promotes and carries out customer-driven research of the
highest quality and integrity in support of Community policies. It is an
integral part of the Community RTD system. It executes research
programmes funded from the Framework Programmes and engages itself
in competitive activities, participating in joint projects with industry,
research organisations and universities of the Member States.

More than 2000 scientists, engineers and other professionals are employed
on a full-time basis under different contractual arrangements: temporary
researchers, grant holders, visiting scientists, industry or national
government secondments, officials, etc.

The overall credits committed in 1997 were of around ECU 291 million;
of these, about ECU 246 million were funded by the Commission budget,
about ECU 37 million came from diverse competitive activities and about
ECU 8 million from specific funding to the High Flux Reactor (HFR) in
Petten (NL).

**The year 1997**

1997 was a year of strong evolution towards the customer-driven
approach undertaken in previous years. Some achievements of 1997 are
highlighted in this report. In particular, an innovative form of radiotherapy
was for the first time tested on patients suffering from brain cancer, and
preliminary clinical trials have shown promising results in treating
leukaemia with alpha-immunotherapy.

A Technology Transfer Initiative was proposed, including collaborative
agreements for sharing large installations, a capital fund, training and
education initiatives, a telematics network for technology transfer, and
procedures for bringing forward new technologies to production stage.

Research activities

The JRC research activities, as described by the Council, are those for
which the JRC has expertise and special, if not unique facilities in the
Community, and which contribute to the implementation of the research
and technological development policy of the Community.

These in-house research activities amounted to 65% of the JRC

programme budget in 1997. As established by the Council Decisions,
JRC research covered subjects such as advanced materials, surface
engineering, non-destructive evaluation techniques for the inspection of
industrial structural components, reference measurements and materials,
the assessment of the reliability of buildings and civil engineering
structures, the atmosphere, soil, water and waste pollution, the setting-up

**66**

**Examples** of **results**

Alpha-immunotherapy:
An alpha-emitting radioisotope, bismuth-213, was
prepared and adapted to a
new kind of

immunotherapy against
cancer. It is a by-product
of nuclear energy, derived
from nuclear waste, and
decays rapidly into a nonradioactive substance.

Early clinical trials carried
out at the Memorial Sloan
Kettering Cancer Center in
New-York, USA, on
leukaemia patients,
showed for the first time

that alpha-particle therapy
could be feasible and safe.

Standards and norms for

materials:

Standards and norms are

of vital importance for

industry, in particular
when reliability and quality

are at stake. The JRC has

contributed to new

standard test methods for

mechanical performance

assessment of technical

ceramics and composites,
thermo-mechanical fatigue,

damage tolerance of
ceramic composites and
residual stress, and to the

improvement of existing

standards. JRC

collaborates closely with
CEN (Comité Européen de

Normalisation), VAMAS

(Versailles project on
Advanced Materials and

Standards) and ESIS
(European Structural

Integrity Society).

of the Centre for Earth Observation (CEO), applications of remote
sensing techniques; materials for clean technologies, standardisation of
photovoltaic devices; the science and technology observatory function and
prospective work in which the essential role of the JRC is to analyse,
process and integrate factual information on technological trends for
decision-makers; studies on reactor safety, nuclear safeguards, fissile
materials management, safety of nuclear fuels, fundamental research into
actinides, and support to the ITER project.

**Support activities**

The activities to support the services of the Commission accounted for
35%> of the JRC programme budget in 1997. They were related to
information technologies, environment and climate, agriculture and
fisheries, targeted socio-economic research, and nuclear safety and
safeguards. They correspond to activities which necessitate the neutrality
of the JRC and respond to requirements arising from EU directives,
decisions of the Commission and the Council, or obligations stemming
from the Euratom Treaty.

The support activities continued to be implemented in three main lines:

The **support to the environmental policy** which accounted for 43% of
the support budget, provided DG XI (Environment, Nuclear Safety and
Civil Protection) with scientific and technical assistance for the
implementation of the legislation on atmospheric pollution, chemical
pollutants, chemical waste, water quality, industrial risks and nuclear
safety. This is part of the 5th EC Action Programme on the Environment.

The **support to the common agricultural policy (DG VI),** which
accounted for 17% of the support budget, concentrated on applications of
remote sensing for agricultural statistics, monitoring and control of the
common agricultural policy and implementation of Community legislation
and prevention of fraud, including the IDEA project for the electronic
identification of animals.

The **support for nuclear safeguards** (Euratom safeguards in support of
DG XVII, Energy, IAEA safeguards support of DG I-External Relations)
accounted for 28% of the support budget in areas such as training of
inspectors, completion of the design phase of the on-site laboratories for
safeguards analysis at the reprocessing plant at La Hague and Sellafield,
and work on testing of safeguards equipment together with sealing and
identification techniques.

**Competitive activities**

Competitive activities are becoming an integral part of the JRC corporate
culture and **a** significant increase in revenue from new contracts has been
accomplished in respect of the two previous years. Where its neutrality is
not compromised, JRC develops competitive activities in order to enter
new areas, diversify and strengthen its competences.

**Under the Community RTD Framework Programmes,** the JRC
participated in shared-cost action funded by other Community research
programmes in association with partners from Member States, for a total
contract value of ECU 15.5 million, and obtained contracts for a total
value of ECU 18.5 million from the programme for competitive scientific

**67**

Boron neutron capture
therapy (BNCT) against

malignant brain tumors:

BNCT is an innovative

form of radiotherapy
which is being tested for
the first time in Europe at
the JRC's HFR reactor at

Petten (Netherlands). This

new therapy is only at the

clinical trials stage (5
patients have been treated

with clinical tests that

began in October 1997).
These tests are also a first

case of multi-national

clinical application in
Europe: patients from one

country are treated in

another country by
physicians from a third

country.

Environmental sampling:

The JRC is actively
contributing to the EU

policy to support and
strengthen the
International Atomic

Energy Agency's activities
in nuclear safeguards as a
member of its network of

laboratories for the

analyses of environmental

samples. JRC is also
providing similar support

to the Commission's

Euratom Safeguards
Directorate (ESD) in the
area of high performance

trace analysis.

and technical support activities described in the next section, in response
to invitations to tender.

**Outside the Framework Programmes,** the JRC obtained new contracts
from third parties (mainly research services to industrial companies), for a
total of ECU 11.1 million. It participated in various other Community
activities that are put out to tender such as PHARE, TACIS and
cooperation with developing countries for a total contracted value of
ECU 6.1 million.

**High** **Flux** **Reactor (HFR) supplementary programme**

The HFR is operated by the JRC in Petten (Euratom/Netherlands
agreement of 25 July 1961 and Council Decision of 27 June 1996 for a
supplementary research programme covering 1996-1999). Besides its
traditional work for the nuclear R&D and industry, a large part of HFR
activities are dedicated to medical applications such as the implementation
of Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT) and the production of
medical radioisotopes for the European radio-pharmaceutical industry.
Another significant achievement is the upgrading of a beam tube, used for
the measurement of residual stress in materials by neutron diffraction. This
technique is applicable to a wide range of components used in industrial
plants, aeronautics, or the car industry.

**Communication,** **collaboration,** **publications and** conferences

The JRC promotes collaborative research and networks with partnerships
from all the EU Member States and around the world. The JRC is

involved in collaboration agreements with research organisations,
universities, and private industries. It now has more than 1000 partners,
out of which 875 are from the European Union.

In 1997 the JRC published a total of 1 333 papers, the detailed list being
published each year in the "Publications Bulletin". The latest issue, No 17
of March 1997, lists all publications issued in 1996.

In addition to publications, there were 23 patents granted in 1997, a
considerable increase in comparison with previous years .

Each year, the JRC organises a number of conferences, workshops and
seminars at its five sites in Europe and information days in the Member
States. The numerous visitors show the constant interest of the scientific

community in the contributions made by the Joint Research Centre to
research and development. Its achievements received considerable media
attention during 1997.

**More detailed information can be found in the 1997 JRC Annual**

**Report.**

**Work programme for 1998**

1998 will be a most important year when, on the one hand, objectives set
forth at the beginning of the Fourth Framework Programme will be
accomplished and, on the other hand, the transition to the new priorities
foreseen for the JRC activities in the Fifth Framework Programme needs
to be initiated. The work programme of the JRC for 1998 was approved
by the board of governors in December 1997.

**68**

Safeguards plant at

Obninsk:

JRC, with the Institute for

Physics and Power
Engineering (IPPE) at
Obninsk, Russia, has been
given the task of designing

and implementing the

Safeguards
Methodological and
Training Centre in IPPE.
The principal tasks of the
Centre are the training of

plant operators and of
inspectors of the Russian

authorities to help in the

development and
implementation of
upgraded approaches for

accounting and
safeguarding fissile
materials. The project is

financed by the TACIS
Programme to improve

nuclear material

accountancy and control in

Russia.

Technology transfer and

intellectual property:
mechanisms have been

proposed for providing
technology users across
Europe with access to JRC

facilities, results,
intellectual property,
expertise and know-how.
They offer flexible options

such as collaboration

agreements and
innovation-oriented

actions. An effort was

made in 1997 to increase

the awareness of the JRC

staff on intellectual

property issues and patent
coordinators were trained.

**ANTI-PERSONNEL MINE DETECTION SYSTEM**

**AND STRATEGIES**

**JRC set up an outdoor test range for establishing**
**standards to validate the performance of mine detection**
**sensors (e.g. metal detectors, ground penetrating radars**
**and thermal infrared sensors). The facility has been used**
**by Various mine-detection sensor producers, and in**
**feasibility studies of** **a** **multi-sensor system for anti-**
**personnel mine detection and identification. The**
**standards obtained will be applied to subsequent tests, as**
**well as to mine clearance projects suppoted by the**
**European Commission in mine-infected countries.**

**QUICK RESPONSE TO CONSUMER CONCERN:**
**SAFETY OF EURO COINS**

**In the field of heavy metal traces of environmental or**
**biomedical relevance, analytical research was carried out**
**on the release of nickel from euro coins. Concern had been**

**raised by the European Bureau for Consumer Protection**
**about the potential of nickel released from such coins to**
**provoke allergies while being handled by consumers. The**
**JRC carried out the necessary chemical reference**
**measurements and found that the nickel released from the**

**new euro was similar to that of many coins currently in**
**circulation, and substantially lower than some of them.**

**69**

**COMPÉTITIVE** **SCIENTIFIC AND** **TECHNICAL** **SUPPORT** **ACTIVITIES**

The Fourth RTD Framework Programme provided for a competitive
approach for scientific and technical support to Community policies.
These support activities come under a separate specific programme
adopted by the Council on 15 December 1994 (Decision 94/918/EC).
These activities cover the work carried out for the Commission's

Directorates-General and which, since 1995, may be carried out either by
a research organisation from a Member State or by the JRC (competitive
approach), where the neutrality and independence of a Commission
service is not required.

These activities are implemented in two stages:
« re-allocation on an annual basis of the appropriations available between

the various Commission Directorates-General and services;

- administration of these resources by each Directorate-General or

service concerned.

In order to guarantee appropriate transparency and satisfy the needs, the
resources are allocated by an interdepartmental group representing all the
Directorates-General and services concerned and convened and chaired by
the Commission's Secretariat-General. It meets on an ad hoc basis, but at
least twice a year.

This group examines the needs identified by the Directorates-General. It
analyses requests, verifies compatibility with the objectives of the
Framework Programme and decides on an annual allocation within the
limits of the available budget (budget heading B6-792). Account is also
taken of any funding available from other programmes and scope for
integration or convergence between several projects.

The Directorates-General and services whose proposals are selected are
responsible for managing the funds allocated. They bring into play
competition between suppliers (which may include the JRC) in order to
secure the best terms in the light of their requirements. The resources
allocated are managed in accordance with the relevant rules in force, in
particular the provisions of the financial regulation applicable to the
general budget of the European Communities.

**Examples** of **results**

The TREES II project
entered its third year in
1997. The objective is to

develop a prototype
system for monitoring

tropical rainforests

worldwide.

In the ECCAIRS-4

project to improve safety

by creating a new
instrument for detecting
safety deficiencies in civil

aviation, a system for
pooling data gathered at

national level under the

system for compulsory

submission of incident

reports by air operators
has been developed and

brought into service.

From financial commitments totalling almost ECU 38 million available in 1997, the 16 spending
departments funded 99 new or ongoing projects (one project may give rise to several contracts)
totalling ECU 36 million, i.e. an implementation rate of 95%.

A total of ECU 23.7 million was paid out for all the projects in progress in 1997 to research institutes,
universities, bodies, other contract signatories and to the JRC, all selected on a competitive basis.

Following **the** participation of two additional services in the activities covered by the budget heading in
1997, three new services submitted requests for 1998. Altogether 20 Directorates-General and services
will draw on **the** commitment and/or payment appropriations for competitive scientific and technical
support activities in 1998.

**70**

ANNEXII

_**„Àm**_

### STATISTICAL AND FINANCIAL DATA; 1997A^tfALfiASis

**,,/'**
AND FRAMEWORK PKOGRAMMES

**Description of** **tables** **72**

**Table 1** EC FP4 + Euratom FP; EC FP2 + FP3 73

**Table 2** Specific programmes (EC FP4 + Euratom FP): all projects
(contracts signed in 1997) 74
**Table** **3A** Specific programmes under EC FP3: all projects
(contracts signed in 1997), all types of projects 75
**Table 3B** Specific programmes under EC FP4 + Euratom FP: all projects
(contracts signed), all types of projects 76
**Table 4** Calls for proposals evaluated by the Commission in 1997 by specific
programme under EC FP4 + Euratom FP 77
**Table 5A** Breakdown of the Community contribution and number of participations by
type of organisation: Specific programmes under EC FP4 + Euratom FP;
shared-cost actions (SCA): new projects (contracts signed in 1997) 81
**Table 5B** Share (%) of the Community contribution and number of participations
by type of organisation: Specific programmes under EC FP4 + Euratom FP;

shared-cost actions (SCA): new projects (contracts signed in 1997) 82
**Table 6** Access to European research for Objective 1 regions: specific programmes
under EC FP4 + Euratom FP: shared-cost actions (SCA); new projects
(contracts signed in 1997) 83
**Table 7** Intra-country and inter-country collaboration links, excluding international
organisations: specific programmes under EC FP4 + Euratom FP:
shared-cost actions; new projects (contracts signed in 1997) 84
**Table 8** 1998 timetable for calls for proposals and the selection procedure;
budget - specific programmes under EC FP4 + Euratom FP 85
**Table 9** Funding of the 4th EC framework programme and of the Euratom
framework programme (million ECU) (including decisions on
enlargement and additional funding) 89
**Table 10** Development of Community research commitments - period 1984-1998
(million ECU, current prices) 90
**Table** **11** Development of Community research commitments - period 1984-1998
(million ECU, 1992 prices) 91

**71**

#### **DESCRIPTION OF TABLES**

Tables 1-8 provide an overview of Community RTD activities in 1997 under each
specific programme in quantitative terms (number and nature of projects, number of
participations, level of funding, etc.). The figures refer to all indirect activities under
the third and fourth framework programmes for all projects. The figures relating to
payments made are based on budgetary data (Sincom) and not on the contracts signed.
The data take account of the participation of Member States and of countries having
concluded specific agreements with the European Union: European Economic Area,
and Israel.

**Tables 1 and 2** concern all shared-cost actions, special measures, concerted actions,
and preparatory, accompanying and support measures.

**Tables** 3A **and** 3B indicate the number of contracts signed and the associated
Community contribution since the beginning of the 3rd and 4th framework
programmes respectively. The number of projects under way and payments are also
given: as in Table 1, payments are based on budgetary data (Sincom) and not on the
contracts signed.

Tables 5A-7 concern shared-cost actions only.

_Tables_ _5A_ _and 5B_ indicate amounts and percentages respectively.
_Table 6_ concerns access to research for Objective 1 regions, and indicates the number
of projects and the associated Community contribution to which the Objective 1
regions have access, and the number of participations from Objective 1 regions.

_Table 7_ indicates the number of collaboration links between countries and between

participants from the same country. It excludes international organisations, which
generated a further 412 links.
(To understand _Tables 6 and_ _7,_ please read the footnotes carefully.)

Tables 4 and 8 concern calls for proposals made in 1997 and 1998 respectively. They
are not generated from a database, but are compiled on an _ad hoc_ basis from the most
exhaustive information available.

Tables 9. 10 and 11 concern budgetary commitments.

_Table 9_ concerns the funding of the fourth framework programme and takes account
of enlargement and the additional funding.

_Tables 10 and 11_ indicate the trend of Community research commitments in current
prices and in 1992 prices respectively, in accordance with the Edinburgh summit,
which covered the period 1992-1999.

N.B. For the sake of simplicity, the programme on agriculture and fisheries,
including agro-industry, food technologies, forestry, aquaculture and rural
development, is sometimes referred to simply as the agriculture and
fisheries programme.

**72**

RTD activities in 1997

Shared cost actions (1)

Concerted actions (1)

Preparatory, accompanying
and support measures (1)

TOTAL (7)

**Table 1: EC FP4 + Euratom FP; EC FP2 + FP3**

New projects

(contracts signed (2) in 1997 - EC FP4 + Euratom FP)

AH projects under way (3)

(EC FP2 + FP3 + FP4 + Euratom FP)

**Community**

**contribution**

**(ECU million)**

**(4)**

2209.11

41.18

354.32

2604.61

Average number
of MS per project

(5)

2.87

7.79

1.58

2.56

Average
Community
contribution per

project

(ECU million)

0.54

0.32

0.17

0.41

Number of projects
under way at 31.12.97

(6)

8064

453

2542

11059

Total payments

1997

(ECU million)

2109.67

39.34

338.47

2487.48

Average number of

participations per

project

4.40

12.64

1.98

3.75

**Number** **of**

**projects**

4072

129

2141

6342

**Number** **of**

**participations**

17900

1631

4246

23777

(1) Special measures are attached either to shared-cost actions, or to concerted actions, or to preparatory, accompanying and support measures, as appropriate.

(2) Contracts signed in 1997, whether or not amended by supplementary contracts signed in 1997: see (7).

(3) All signed contracts under way (completion date after 31.12.1997) for all specific programmes under EC FP4 + Euratom FP; EC FP2 + FP3.

(4) Sum of the total Community contributions to all new projects, as stipulated in the contracts (i.e. for the entire duration of each project).

(5) MS = Member States
(6) Projects under way at 31.12.1997 = contracts and supplementary contracts signed before 1.1.1998 with a completion date for research work after 31.12.1997.

(7) The 1 079 supplementary contracts signed in 1997, amending contracts originally signed in 1995 and 1996, accounted for a further ECU 381.29 million.

**Direct action** **-** **JRC** **:** **ECU 246.000 million** **in** **commitments**

73

RTD activities in 1997

Names of specific programmes

(EC FP4 + EURATOM FP)

Telematics applications

Communication technologies

Information technologies

Industrial and materials technologies

Standards, measurements and testing

Environment and climate

Marine science and technology

Biotechnology

Biomcdicinc and health

Agriculture and fisheries

Non-nuclear energy

Transport

Targeted socio-economic research

International cooperation (5)

Dissemination and utilisation of the results (6)

Training and mobility of researchers

Nuclear fission safety

Controlled thermonuclear fusion

TOTAL (7)

**Table 2: Specific programmes EC FP4 + Euratom FP:**
**AH projects (contracts signed in 1997)**

Total new projects (contracts signed (2) In 1997; EC FP4 + Euratom FP)

Shared-cost

actions ( 1 )

Accompanying
measures ( 1 )

Community

contribution (ECU

million)

23.28

0.69

164.75

10.53

3.23

6.80

2.80

12.08

1.28

4.68

13.36

14.59

1.77

30.68

53.05

8.01

1.27

1.47

354.32

Community

contribution

(ECU million)

79.31

0.46

355.39

482.11

39.67

116.12

47.03

117.14

79.14

124.84

238.35

60.67

37.06

128.23

19.45

168.73

0.99

114.42

2209.11

**Community**

**contribution**

**(ECU million)**

**(3)**

**102.79**

**1.15**

**520.77**

**492.64**

**43.10**

**126.87**

**50.03**

**130.24**

**92.01**

**142.18**

**251.71**

**77.89**

**38.83**

**163.03**

**72.5**

**178.74**

**4.24**

**115.89**

**2604.61**

**Number of**

**projects**

**102**

**3**

**734**

**944**

**182**

**298**

**92**

**309**

**212**

**347**

**492**

**109**

**108**

**797**

**202**

**1193**

**47**

**171**

**6342**

Average

Community

contribution per

project (ECU

million)

1.01

0.38

0.71

0.52

0.24

0.43

0.54

0.42

0.43

0.41

0.51

0.71

0.36

0.20

0.36

0.15

0.09

0.68

0.41

Average Community

contribution per

project

1.09

0.46

1.36

0.60

0.29

0.70

1.09

0.92

0.62

0.58

0.72

0.71

0.57

0.37

0.18

0.16

0.33

0.85

0.54

Concerted

actions (1)

Community

contribution (ECU

million)

0.20

0.00

0.63

0.00

0.20

3.95

0.20

1.02

11.59

12.66

0.00

2.63

0.00

4.12

0.00

2.00

1.98

0.00

41.18

Average number of

participations per

project

10.85

8.33

3.86

4.76

4.55

4.04

3.43

2.84

5.80

4.82

4.26

9.27

4.49

3.38

4.07

1.45

3.62

1.10

3.75

Average number

of MS per project

(4)

5.00

4.00

3.59

2.69

3.05

2.69

2.21

2.89

3.40

4.82

2.83

5.18

3.68

1.60

2.50

1.28

2.66

1.09

2.56

**Number of**

**participations**

**1107**

**25**

**2835**

**4490**

**828**

**1203**

**316**

**878**

**1229**

**1674**

**2097**

**1010**

**485**

**2695**

**822**

**1725**

**170**

**188**

**23777**

**(1) Special measures arc attached either to** **shared-cost** **actions, or to concerted actions, or to preparatory, accompanying and support measures, as appropriate.**

**(2) Contracts signed in 1997, whether or not amended by supplementary contracts signed in 1997: see (7).**

**(3) Sum of the total Community contributions to all new projects, as stipulated in the contracts (i.e. for the entire duration of each project).**

**(4) MS = Member States**

**(5) Horizontal international cooperation actions permitting certain non-member countries (e.g. those of Central and Eastern Europe) to participate in projects under specific programmes account for a further Community contribution of ECU 15.1 million.**

**(6) "Special measures" (79 projects - ECU 49.45 million) designed to support the establishment of infrastructure and innovation support networks are attached to the "preparatory, accompanying and support measures".**

**(7) The 1 079 supplementary contracts signed in 1997, amending contracts originally signed in 1995 and 1996, accounted for a further ECU 381.29 million.**

**74**

RTD activities in 1997

**Table 3A: Specific programmes under EC FP3: AH projects (contracts signed** **in** **1997),**

**all** **types** **of** **project**

Total payments 1997
(ECU million)

45.57

17.36

5.51

55.05

6.26

14.97

6.29

14.81

36.19

13.37

11.95

10.72

1.55

7.80

36.34

1.08

284.82

Overall Community
contribution (ECU million)

(3)

1488.00

521.60

379.00

761.42

57.69

305.72

107.72

174.77

350.06

144.26

121.59

242.14

46.28

465.94

548.06

60.76

5775.01

Names of specific programmes under EC FP3

Information technologies

Communication technologies

Telematics applications of common interest

Industrial and materials technologies

Measurements and testing

Environment

Marine science and technology

Biotechnology

Agriculture and agro-industrial research, fisheries

Biomedicine and health

Life sciences and technologies for developing countries

Non-nuclear energy

Nuclear fission safety

Controlled thermonuclear fusion

Human capital and mobility

Centralized action for diffusion and utilization of results

TOTAL

Number of projects
under way at 31.12.97

(1)

9

0

0

48

21

5

5

0

133

14

39

5

0

8

150

6

443

Overall number of

projects (2)

715

123

312

1655

202

659

145

374

578

627

355

506

125

396

3461

207

10440

(1) Projects under way at 31.12.1997: contracts signed before 1.1.1998 with a completion date for research work after 31.12.1997.
(2) Total number of projects since the beginning of the third framework programme, including those which have already been completed.
(3) Overall Community contribution over the whole duration of the framework programme.

N.B.: Data on the Thermie programme arc not included in this table, since up to 1994 Thermie was not covered by FP3.

75

RTD activities in 1997

**Table 3B: Specific programmes under EC FP4** **+** **Euratom FP:** **All** **projects (contracts signed** **(1))**

**All types** **of** **project**

Overall Community
contribution (ECU million)

(4)

638.26

477.80

1400.77

1127.98

120.75

380.97

170.84

424.12

250.81

445.37

725.91

224.17

61.10

297.36

194.10

556.73

132.42

            - 547.00

8176.45

Total payments 1997
(ECU million)

189.7

150.02

380.71

320.33

30.91

114.61

51.03

83.69

83.11

88.28

155.07

66.82

23.28

93.18

51.70

104.18

18.96

27.66

154.41

2187.65

Names of specific programmes under EC FP4 + Euratom FP

Telematics applications
Communication technologies

Information technologies
Industrial and materials technologies
Standards, measurements & testing

Environment and climate

Marine science and technology
Biotechnology

Biomedicine and health

Agriculture and fisheries
Non-nuclear energy

Transport
Targeted socio-economic research
International cooperation

Dissemination & utilization of the results

Training and mobility of researchers
Competitive S/T support
Nuclear fission safety

Controlled thermonuclear fusion

TOTAL

Number of projects under
way at 31.12.97

(2)

420

145

1109

1158

290

574

145

433

487

614

1143

218

127

846

351

2127

215

213

10615

Overall number of

projects (3)

508

154

1762

1802

402

790

224

739

663

940

1371

244

160

1756

646

3016

251

529

15957

(1) Except where a specific programme provides otherwise, a project includes the initial and any supplementary contracts.
(2) Projects under way at 31.12.1997: contracts signed before 1.1.1998 with a completion date for research work after 31.12.1997.
(3) Total number of projects since the beginning of the fourth framework programme, including those which have already been completed.
(4) Overall Community contribution over the whole duration of the framework programme (including supplementary contracts).

**7 «**

RTD activities in 1997

**Table 4 : Calls for proposals evaluated by the Commission in 1997 by specific programme under EC FP4 + Euratom FP**

_**/&**_ _**'**_ _**t?*X?J'l**_ **V**

163.7

n/a

22.1

n/a

50.8

n/a

8.6

79.7

124 4

520

25.2

92 4

7 8

4.5

702.5

540

22

44

74.6

_yy.i:::.y:_ _:_ _::.X6*:y:$Z_
Telematics applications (excluding telematics engineering and support activities)

Educational multimedia

Integrated applications for digital sites

Research networks

**fCOMMUNÏCATION** **TECHNOLOGIES (ACTS)**

**INFORMATION** **TBCHNOLOGIRS** **(«SHUT)**

Open microprocessor systems initiative - Technologies for business processes - Integration in manufacturing - IT for mobility  
Electronic commerce

Technologies for components and subsystems - Long-term research - High-performance computing and networking

Software technologies: ESS I

Software technologies - Multimedia systems - Long-term research - Open microprocessor systems initiative - Integration in
manufacturing + satellite communications + information access - IT for learning and training in industry'

Technologies for components and subsystems - Multimedia systems - Long-term research - High-performance computing and

networking

Accompanying measures and various tasks (open call), including measures for SMEs

**INDUSTRIAL AND MATERIALS TECHNOLOGIES** **(Btft*** **Em-am)**

Thematic networks

Accompanying measures

Intelligent manufacturing systems

Technology stimulation actions for SMEs

(1) Including the reserve list, where appropriate.

(2) _n/t:_ _not_ applicable

C381/22 (17/12/96)

C381/18 (17/12/96)

C3 81/20 (17/12/96)

C84/5 (13/03/97)

CI83/22 (17/06/97)

C84/12 (15/03/97)

CI83/06 (17/06/97)

C280/09 (16/09/97)

C357/07 (15/12/94)

C381/19 (17/12/96)

C357/03 (15/12/94)

C357/03(15/12/94)

CI 17/15 (15/04/97)

C357/03 (15/12/94)

jp*fX»*tt

35

n/a

44

n/a

92

n/a

100

46

27

22

32

29

37

55

74

100

60

712

Stage 1: 837

Stage 2: 107

Stage 1: 79

Stage 2: 26

Stage 1: 6

Stage 2: 1

193

300

157

526

698

306

605

271

1140

156

90

1

840

702

805

106

76

26

6

1

193

297

144

516

654

297

598

252

1081

156

90

1

729

246

n/a(2)

47

n/a

24

n/a

1

117

93

13

190

74

400

86

67

1

436

77

RTD activities in 1997

Tabic 4 (continued): Calls for proposals evaluated hv the Commission in 1997 hv specific programme under EC FP4 + Euratom FP

Number of

eligible
proposal*

104

39

31

56

86

1177

61

40

97

23

107

9

11

26

12

32

3

14

**Nfanab«r**

47

12

17

36

39

291

20

13

7

44

9

8

5

3

7

6

**Fropwa t» wkctai** **by** **the Commissiaa (t)**

Number of .

proposals
rwehrd

129

40

31

56

100

1182

62

40

100

23

111

9

11

26

12

37

3

14

**Names *f $p*et&c prograaimtt (EC** _**¥P***_ **+** **I!wr*t»tt*** **Ft*)**

***** ***«4 »ro»** **ftfwfQrk** **programme**

**STANDARDS,** **MEASUREMENT** **AND** **TESTING**

Measurements for quality European products, including written standards for industry

Measurements for quality European products, including written standards for industry

Research related to written standards and technical support to trade, measurements related to the needs of society

Thematic networks (open call)

Accompanying measures (open call)

Technology stimulation actions for SMEs (open call)

**ENVIRONMENT** **AND CUMATE**

Research into the natural environment, environmental qualitv and global change - Environmental technologies - Space techniques
applied to environmental monitoring and research (excluding Area 3 3 CEO) - Human dimension of environmental change

ENRICH (European Network for Research in Global Change) in the fields of environment and climate, and marine science and
technology

First call

Advanced study courses

Space techniques applied to environmental monitoring and research (Area 3 3 Centre for Earth Obsenation)

Space techniques applied to environmental monitoring and research (.Area 3 2)

Technology stimulation actions for SMEs (open call): exploratory awards

Cooperative research
**MARINE** **SCIKWfcAND TECHNO W>GY** **(MAST)**
Support initiatives

Strategic marine research in coastal and shelf seas  - Structure and dynamics of shelf ecosystems (.Area B 1 2)

Advanced study courses

Marine science (Area A 1 1 only) - Strategic marine research (excluding areas B 1 2 and B 2 1) - Marine technology (Area C 2 onlv)

Supporting initiatives (Area D 3 only)

Technology stimulation actions for SMEs (open call)

(1) Including the reserve list, where appropriate

Notice N« and QJf dates «f

tattt

far proposal*

C171/24 (15/06/96)

CI71/23 (15/06/96)

C381/24 (17/12/96)

C357/06 (15/12/94)

CI48/06 (15/06/95)

C357/06 (15/12/94)

C271/18(17/09'96)

C306.09 (15/10/96)

C381/21 (17/12/96)

C183'10(17/06'97)

CI 83/11 (I706'97)

C381/21 (17/12/96)

C271/18 (17/09/96)

C075/05 (15/03/96)

CI 10/10 (16/04/96)

C381/26 (17/12/96)

CI 83/15 (17/06/96)

CI 83/16 (17/06/97)

C357/19 (11/06/97)

78

**EC tftftfributfon**

_**.**_ **(E€l? million}**

30,4

7,7

8,5

2,6

2,9

3.1

203,0

2,0

0,9

18,7

13,6

1.8

3.5

5.3

6,5

0,2

12,5

0,9

0,3

**44 of** **fofat** **eligible**
**proposal***

45

55

56

55

64

45

25

33

33

26

30

41

**100**

73

19

25

67

43

RTD activities in 1997

Table 4 : Calls for proposals evaluated by the Commission in 1997 by specific programme under EC FP4 + Euratom FP

**1** **£c<*Wib<*fc>«,**

126 9

90

0.05

1.4

914

13.0

2.8

56

59.2

103.3

8.8

8.5

17.9

97.0

98.0

0.4

162.0

27.3

1.1

'NMmWo*,

391

213

3

55

988

39

110

95

252

627

18

272

218

241

324

2

286

401

56

107

125

1

36

195

13

36

42

76

143

8

99

109

107

124

1

175

266

27

**ProfH^wdc^ty^**

**%«ftB<*Ur#W<**

^jtàmber*f,

_4_ _,i\^êhf/'_ _[r]_ _''_

391

213

3

55

1002

39

110

98

264

631

24

272

227

250

353

2

289

403

57

27

59

33

65

20

33

33

44

30

23

44

36

50

44

38

50

61

66

48

Cell factories - Genome analysis - Plant biotechnology - Immunology and trans-disease vaccinology - Structural biology - Prenormative research - Biodiversity and social acceptance - Infrastructures - ELSA

Training grants (open call)

Training grants for advanced workshops (open call)

Technology stimulation actions for SMEs (open call)

**BIOMEmCINE AND HEALTH (BJOMKD)** *** > . - * ' . - . * ., *,**
Cancer research - Research on cardiovascular diseases - Research on chronic diseases, ageing and age-related diseases - Research on
occupational and environmental health - Rare diseases - Public Health research, including health services research - Research on
biomedical ethics - Horizontal activity: ethical, legal and social aspects - Horizontal activity: demonstration

Joint call for transmissible spongiform encephalopathies

Marie Curie research fellowships

Technology stimulation actions for SMEs

AcasueiJLTtjREANnns^^,
**devriop*0eM)<FA!R)** _\*y''--_ _.-"_ _1**.';_ / 

Scaling-up and processing methodologies - Generic science and advanced technologies for nutricious foods

Integrated production and processing chains - Agriculture, forestry and rural development - Concertation activities

Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies

Mobility and training fellowships (open call)

Technology stimulation actions for SMEs (open call)

**NON-NUCLEAR ENERGY #QU*JK*TTHERMIE}** *** V - . « - ; \** **/ :** _**>.**_ _**''""-**_

JOULE

open call

THERMIE type A: demonstration projects

THERMTE type B: accompanying measures (open call)

THERMIE type B: measures for SMEs

(1) Including the reserve list, where appropriate

C171/27 (15/06/96)

C171/28 (15/06/96)

C381/25 (17/12/96)

C240/09 (15/09/95)

C271/08 (17/09/96)

CI 34/07 (29/04/97)

C12/06 (17/01/95)

CI2/06 (17/01/95)

CI 71/14 (15/06/96)

C381/19 (15/12/96)

C381/17 (17/12/96)

C357/10(15/12/94)

C357/19 (15/12/94)

C271/13 (17/09/96)

CI 8/05 (17/01/97)

C357/11(15/12/94)

C271/13 (17/09/96)

C357/11 (15/12/94)

C357/11 (15/12/94)

RTD activities in 1997

Strategic research

Hail transport

Integrated transport chains

Air transport

Urban transport

Water-borne transport

Road transport

Accompanying measures

Table 4 (continued): Calls for proposals evaluated by the Commission in 1997 by specific programme under EC FP4 + Euratom FP

C381/10(17/12/96)

**46**

**54**

**42**

**35**

**24**

**45**

**22**

**13**

**25**

**24**

**81**

30

**20**

100

**30**

100

**14**

**42**

**27**

**26**

**69**

**52**

**^SCcMrtrifotton**

**80**

**4.3**

**61**

**80**

**74**

15.8

**5.2**

**2.5**

33.7

690

**4.9**

117

**4.9**

23.7

35.0

**20**

**81** **2**

**38**

48.9

446

**16**

30

**11**

**7**

10

11

10

**29**

11

**2**

**74**

304

**79**

236

**16**

**52**

**92**

10

147

**68**

553

511

11

**26**

24

13

24

31

41

65

51

16

301

1248

98

790

80

52

302

10

1067

161

2050

1979

16

50

28

14

29

32

43

70

51

17

308

1298

101

1020

82

52

314

11

1071

166

2192

2124

16

50

**TARGETED SOCIOECONOMIC RESEARCH**

COPERNICUS

Training (Fellowships Japan/Korea)

Developing countries

**T*DWK*DmTiOJ«AW€»^^**

European networks and services (*)

Network of innovation relay centres (•*)

Validation and technology transfer projects

**TRAINING AND MOBttJTY** **OF RESEARCHERS**

Access to large-scale facilities (concerted actions)

Research networks

Accompanying measures (Euroconferences, summer schools and practical training courses)

Marie Curie training grants

**NUCLEARSAFETY** **,**

C306/10 (15/10/96)

Cl 17/14 (15/04/97)

C38/08 (15/02/95)

Cl 17/13 (15/04/97)

C337/24 (15/12/95)

C12/08 (17/01/95)

C271/09 (17/09/96)

C271/10 (17/09/96)

C271/17 (17/09/96)

C381/16 (17/12/96)

C271/12 (17/09/96)

C84/07 (15/03/97)

C12/03 (17/01/95)

C38/10(15/02/95)

Corrigendum

Cl2/03 (17/01/95)

C38/10 (15/02/95)

Corrigendum

(•) The call for proposals had two closing dates. This information concerns the last closing date. i.e. 13/9/96.
(•*) The call was published in January 1995 for 2 years (réf. 95/C12 page 9 published on 17/1/95): this call concerns the extension for 2 years of the 52 centres selected in 1995.

(1) Including the reserve list, where appropriate.

80

RTD activities in 1997

**Table 5A: Breakdown of the Community contribution (in ECU million) and number of participations by type of organisation:**

**Specific programmes under EC** **FP4** **+ Euratom FP**
**Shared-cost** **actions (SCA)** **(1):** **new projects (contracts signed (2) in** **1997)**

**(1) On account of their nature, some special measures are attached to the shared-cost actions.**
**(2) Contacts signed in** **1997.** **whether or not amended by supplementary contracts signed in** **1997** **contracts signed in** **1995** **and 1996 which have been amended by supplementary contracts signed in 1997 are not** **included**

**(3)** **LE:** **Large enterprises.** **.**
**(4)** **SME:** **enterprises** **which have fewer than 500 employees, not more than t third of whose capital is controlled by a large enterprise and with a turnover not exceeding ECU 38 million (ECU 50 million for information** **technologies)**

**(5)** **REC:** **Research bodies (private/public/mixed), including the JRC.**

**(6) EDU: Higher education institutes.**
**(7) Other E1G,** **EEIG,** **non-pro6t-making** **bodies, etc.**
**(8) Int.** **Org.:** **International** **organizations.**
**(9) Third countries:** **countries** **not belonging to the European Union.**

81

RTD activities in 1997

Type »f organlsatUa

Namef of specific programmes

(EC FP4 + Euratom FP)

Telematics application!

Communication technologies

Information technologie»

Industrial and materials technologies

Standards, measurements and testing

Environment and climate

Marine science and technology

Biotechnology

Biomedicine and health

Agriculture and fisheries

Non-nuclear energy

Transport

Targeted îocio-economic research

International cooperation

Dissemination and utilization of the results

Training and mobility of researchers

Nuclear fission safety

Controlled thermonuclear fusion

TOTAL RESEARCH

**Table** **5B:** **Share (%) of the Community** **contribution** **and of the participations** **bv type** **of organisation:**

**Specific programmes under EC FP4 + Euratom FP**

**Shared-cost** **actions (SCA) (1): new projects (contracts signed (2) in 1997)**

European Union

Other (7)

REC(5)

**SME(4)**

Int. Org. (8)

Third countries (9)

**Comm.**

**contrlb.**

**LE(3)**

**Participations**

EDU(6)

Participations

Participations

27.26

n/a

7.33

1.75

326

1 89

1 95

181

4 19

1.84

890

10 86

769

1 34

17.16

0.20

0.00

20.53

5.16

Participations

603

n/a

5.50

2.93

3.78

9.13

7.39

498

4.33

359

5.72

9.07

633

5500

3.16

3 16

0.00

331

10.38

Total

Participations

Comm.

contrlb.

23.82

n/a

13.49

23.96

2201

4448

48.73

49 60

5560

46.51

11.72

1781

6632

27.72

11.31

67.09

909

0.28

29 00

Coram,

contrlb.

3.94

n/a

2.24

1.56

035

4.46

383

1.57

2.17

1 59

. 3.42

3.26

4.78

52.42

1.75

1.77

0.00

0.52

Coram,

contrlb.

100.00

n/a

100.00

100 00

100.00

100.00

100 00

100 00

100 00

100.00

100.00

100 00

100 00

100 00

100.00

10000

100.00

100.00

100 00

100

n/a

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

Coram,

contrlb.

9.72

n/a

1351

1838

35.80

4079

2885

32.34

25.55

35.59

11.31

1855

2267

16.00

961

2555

48 48

32 58

21.37

Participations

8 04

n/a

11.53

15.53

35.72

39.03

28.79

27.45

23.92

26.36

1462

13.72

20.59

15.21

11.74

2468

53.33

63 58

19.57

Comm.

contrlb.

1.03

n/a

009

0.04

0.28

0.46

0.00

2.39

0.91

0.14

0.00

0.51

038

0.21

0.46

1.62

0.00

55.86

3.31

Participations

1.56

n/a

0.07

. 0.02

0 13

0 84

0.00

1.36

0.60

0.10

0.00

0 84

023

0.30

1.13

1.61

0.00

1.32

**1364**

**n/a**

**47.12**

**31.98**

**14.57**

**1.58**

**3** **19**

**431**

**2.73**

**4.21**

**35.14**

**21 19**

**000**

**073**

**8.79**

**232**

**13 13**

**1** **98**

**2081**

**11.06**

**n/a**

**37.33**

**21.76**

**13.04**

**1.57**

**3 11**

**694**

**3.44**

**5.91**

**20.33**

**20.29**

**000**

**1** **29**

**6.77**

**2.02**

**1333**

**265**

**13.47**

**Comm.**

**contrlb.**

**2555**

**n/a**

**19.44**

**2199**

**24.80**

**7.31**

**1484**

**866**

**8 10**

**9.78**

**29 19**

**3030**

**1.43**

**206**

**31.67**

**1.50**

**29.29**

**246**

**15** **96**

Participations

23.69

n/a

24.10

40.77

29.60

8 18

2023

19.61

15.99

31.78

37.70

2888

1 58

292

46.28

1 48

23.33

2.65

24.24

Comm.

contrlb.

22.30

n/a

4.10

209

2 19

0.92

0.55

1 13

494

2.19

9.21

840

4 43

087

36.40

0.16

0.00

6.32

439

22.35

n/a

14.15

17.24

14.47

3935

38.52

37.86

47.53

30.43

12.74

16.35

63.57

23.93

13.77

6685

1000

5.96

26.69

0.47 5.18

**( 1** **) On account of their nature, some special measures are attached to the shared-cost actions.**

_**(2)**_ **Contracts signed in 1997, whether or not amended by supplementary contracts signed** **in** **1997: contracts signed in 1995 and 1996 which have been amended by supplementary contracts signed in** **1997** **are not** **included**

**(3) LE: Large** **enterprises**
**(4)** **SME** **enterprises which have fewer than 500 employees, not more than a third of whose capital is controlled by a large enterprise and with a turnover not exceeding ECU 38 million (ECU 50 million for information technologies).**

**(5)** **REC:** **Research bodies (private/public/mixed), including the JRC.**

**(6)** **EDU** **Higher education institutes.**

**(7) Other. E1G,** **EEIG,** **non-profit-making bodies, etc.**

**(8)** **Int.** **Org** **:** **International organizations.**

**19)** **Third countries: countries not belonging to the European Union.**

8?

RTD activities in 1997

Names of specific programmes
(EC FP4 + Euratom FP)

Telematics applications

Communication technologies

Information technologies
Industrial and materials technologies

Standards, measurements and testing

Environment and climate

Marine science and technology

Biotechnology

Biomedicine and health

Agriculture and fisheries (DG VI and XII)

Non-nuclear energy

Transport
Targeted socio-economic research

International cooperation

Dissemination and utilization of the results

Training and mobility of researchers

Nuclear fission safety

Controlled thermonuclear fusion

TOTAL DISTRIBUTED

TOTAL RESEARCH

Total

73

1

262

801

136

165

43

128

128

(165) 214

329

85

65

351

107

1047

3

134

4.022

4.072

**Table 6: Access to European research for Objective 1 regions:**

**Specific programmes under EC FP4 + Euratom FP**
**Shared-cost actions (SCA) (1); New Projects (contracts signed (2) in 1997)**

Total Community contribution to the
projects (ECU million) (5)

Number of projects (3)

Number of participations (4)

Total

79,31

0,46

355,39

482,11

39,67

116,12

47,03

117,14

79,14

(101,79) 124,84

238,35

60,67

37,06

128,23

19,45

168,73

0,99

1 14,42

2185,60

2.209,11

Objectiye 1

41,01

n/a

182,68

283,21

20,04

55,84

33,88

61,43

28,88

(44,71)

90,87

36,75

27,39

33,96

7,50

77,54

0,20

0,13

1026,02

Objectiye 1

35

n/a

115

319

48

75

27

57

40

(56)

121

51

46

88

49

170

1

4

1302

Total

895

7

1527

4339

767

953

257

663

669

(824) 1032

1382

838

442

2018

443

1487

30

151

17.685

17.900

Objectiye 1

122

n/a

178

588

70

113

53

66

46

(83)

175

96

75

284

79

203

1

6

2238

(l)On account of their nature, some special measures are attached to the shared-cost actions.
(2) Contracts signed in 1997, whether or not amended by supplementary contracts signed in 1997: contracts signed in 1995 and 1996 which have been amended by supplementary contracts signed in 1997 are not included.

(3) Total number of projects, and number of projects with at least one participant based in an "Objective 1" region.
(4) Total number of participations, and number of participations by participants based in "Objective 1" regions.

(5) Total Community contribution to all projects, and to projects with at least one participant in an "Objective 1" region.

83

RTD Activities in 1997

Table 7: Intra-countrv and inter-countrv collaboration links (3), excluding international organisations (4):

Specific programmes under EC FP4 + Euratom FP
Shared-cost actions (SCA) (1); New projects (contracts signed in 1997 (2))

**Liechtena**

**5**

**3**

**5**

**2**

**3**

**3**

**0**

**5**

**0**

**1**

**2**

**1**

**1**

**3**

**5**

**39**

**0**

**0**

**1**

**0**

**0**

**1**

**«**

**Portugal**

**141**

85

349

165

437

351

62

336

**9**

176

**"0**

211

105

**124**

535

**J.** **156**

**1**

**16**

**7** **9**

**10**

**42**

**131**

**3.435**

**Luxemb.**

**35**

**14**

**49**

**15**

**13**

39

**4**

**24**

**4**

**9**

**14**

**9**

**7**

**1"**

**34**

**287**

**0**

**1**

23

**0**

**8**

**7**

**326**

**Austria**

123

106

506

96

**143**

219

**54**

238

**14**

183

**13'**

**'O**

90

128

311

**2.418**

**2**

**10**

**45**

**6**

62

98

**2.641**

**United**

Kingdom

871

616

2 958

676

1.479

2*03

430

1 766

34

1 448

311

535

581

1.155

2.132

**17.595**

**5**

**34**

583

67

266

786

**19.336**

**TOTAL**

**EUR** **IS**

**5.208**

**3.432**

**15.989**

**3.880**

**8.095**

**13.783**

**1.867**

**10.665**

**287**

**7.690**

**2.418**

**3.156**

**3.479**

**5.902**

**17.595**

**56.478**

**39**

**250**

**2.788**

**453**

**1.607**

**4.231**

**Sweden**

269

252

938

139

480

6"0

114

M "

P

414

128

**121**

281

404

1.155

**5.902**

**3**

**31**

216

**14**

**81**

175

**6.422**

**Iceland**

**10**

**15**

26

**13**

20

**1"**

**8**

**10**

**1**

28

**10**

**16**

**II**

**31**

**34**

**250**

**0**

**16**

23

**0**

**4**

**3**

**296**

**Netherlands**

**481**

2~2

**1** **V f**

240

446

998

120

643

**9**

606

183

l~6

276

414

**1** 448

**7.690**

**1**

28

212

38

120

295

**8.J84**

**Finland**

**184**

155

**5-4**

**140**

**214**

307

4 7

**2 ".I**

**-**

2"ti

90

105

**244**

281

581

**3.479**

**1**

**II**

145

**3**

**43**

164

**J.846**

**Israel**

25

**15**

86

**18**

26

**83**

**10**

52

**0**

**38**

**6**

**10**

**3**

**14**

67

**453**

**0**

**0**

**4**

22

**9**

**31**

**5, 9**

**Rest of** **(he**

**world**

269

**113**

652

226

206

615

67

427

**7**

295

**98**

**131**

**164**

**175**

786

**4.231**

**1**

**3**

**56**

**31**

**33**

**3.015**

**7.370**

**TOTAL**

**5.688**

**3.809**

**17.508**

**4.310**

**8.574**

**15.013**

**2.040**

**11.482**

**J26**

**8.384**

**2.641**

**J.435**

**J.846**

**6.422**

**19.336**

**41**

**296**

**3.088**

**519**

**1.709**

**7 J 7 0**

**65.846**

**Greece**

**171**

116

520

220

324

489

**61**

508

**15**

240

96

165

140

139

676

**3.880**

**2**

**13**

122

**18**

**49**

226

**4.J10**

**France**

839

366

2.504

189

987

1 543

224

1 644

39

998

219

351

307

6"0

2.603

**13.783**

**3**

**17**

**2** 75

83

237

615

**15.013**

**Germany**

"64

517

1 8 3 

520

1.087

2.504

241

1.769

49

1.3-6

506

349

5-4

938

2958

15.989

5

26

418

80

332

652

17.508

Spain

330

219

1 OR

324

-01

9 8 [7 ]

130

1.105

13

446

143

437

214

480

1.479

**8.095**

**3**

20

149

26

75

206

**8.574**

**Ireland**

96

**71**

241

**61**

130

224

**45**

168

**4**

120

**54**

62

4 7

114

430

**1.867**

**0**

**8**

66

**10**

22

67

**2.040**

**Italy**

439

307

1"69

508

1.105

**1** 644

168

927

**24**

643

238

336

**2** **[7]** **4**

517

1-66

**10.665**

**5**

**10**

**1"3**

52

150

427

**11.482**

**Norway**

105

177

418

122

149

775

66

173

**23**

212

**45**

**79**

145

216

583

**2.788**

**1**

23

193

**4**

**23**

56

**3.088**

**Switzerland**

66

**54**

332

**49**

**75**

237

22

150

**8**

120

62

**42**

**43**

**81**

266

**1.607**

**0**

**4**

23

**9**

**33**

**33**

**1.709**

Melgnim

Denmark

i iennany

Greece

Spain

Trance

Ireland

Italy

Luxembourg

Netherlands

Austna

Portugal

Finland

Sweden

United Kingdom

**Total** **F.IK** **15**

Liechtenstein

Iceland

Norway

Israel

Switzerland

Rest of the world

C R A N D **T O T A L**

Belgium

313

150

"6-1

r i

330

839

96

-139

35

  - 183

123

141

184

269

871

5.208

5

10

105

25

66

269

5.688

**Denmark**

150

186

51  

116

219

366

"1

307

14

272

106

85

155

252

616

3.432

3

15

177

15

54

113

3.809

. 11 (lii ictout* of their nature, some special measures are attached to the shared-cost actions
1: 1 Contract! signed in 199? not amended by supplementary conlracti signed in 1997: contracts signed in 1995 and 1996 which have been amended by supplementary contracts signed in 199" are not included
11 A collaboration lirak between : participant! from the same country is counted once only A collaboration link between _2_ different countries is counted twice, once for each country.
Coinllng each Intra EU Snk once only gives a total of 5* i"S Bnks for the whole of the European Union (the bolts between the thick ane and the EUR IS lane).
Cowling each Intra EEA Ink once only gives a total or 59 "88 links for the whole or the European Economic Area (the botes below the thick fete for members of the EEA).
t'ouifing each tntra Ft! and extra. TU Ink once only g Kes a total or 65 846 inks b i l l countries (»B boles below the thick fete),
i 11 Tli« JKt'uf (?>. tables SA and .Mil is included under the address of thecerrtrc carrying out Ihe research, as the host Member Slate benefits indirectly from hosting the JRC caifrc.
Miiitha 421 IOIIIIMMXIOTI I,,*, with internal ioml organisations (Kll oilier thai the JRC (links between two Ids or between an l(> and a country) are not included in this table

84

RTD activities in 1998

**Table 8 : 1998 timetable for calls for proposals and the selection procedure; Budget**

**Specific programmes under EC FP4 + Euratom FP**

**UL4t #4?'*4y** _**WiFK^fefW*?-^-**_ _**Ufa**_
**Dd^ftnes/datesforj**

**Telematics** **applications** **j.1fe>%** **^~>?r-.^a**
**Communication technologies** **(ACIS)-v*y**>t:.**

**Infomatkm** **techiwlog^** .^--ft*»!^^
Call in 1 stage in the following fields: technologies for components and subsystems (TCS), high
performance computing and networking (HPCN), integration in manufacturing (IiM)

**Industrial and** **materials** **technologies(Brit^uRam)**

Thematic networks (9th series, exploratory stage and implementation stage)

Technology stimulation action's for SME (10th series, cooperative research)

Technology stimulation actions for SME (11th series, cooperative research)

Accompanying measures
**Standards,** **measurements and testing**
Call for research related to written standards and technical support to trade; measurements
related to the needs of society

6th targeted call (CEN, ETSI, CENELEC) for support for Union policies

Open call for thematic network projects

Accompanying, preparatory and support measures

Technology stimulation actions for SME (cooperative research)

17/3/98

C82

15/12/94

C357

15/12/94

C357

15/12/94

C357

15/12/94

C357

17/06/1997

C183

17/06/1997

C183

15/12/94

C357

15/06/95

C148

15/12/94

C357

30-Jun-98

31-Dec-97

31-Dec-97

30-Apr-98

20-May-98

27-Nov-97

27-NOV-97

17-Dec-97

23-Jan-98

30-Jul-98

11-Dec-97

08-Apr-98

September

June

April

September

In 1998

July

July

July

July

November

June

October

**^Toblî998** **Budget**
**{BCUmfltfon) I**

32.4

12.0

320

700

300

13.5

50

30

1.7

7.3

September-October

April

February

June

In 1998

May-June

May-June

May-June

May-June

October-November

April-May

September-October

Juty-September

February

January

May

In 1998

January-February

January-February

January-February

January-February

September

January

May

RTD activities in 1998

Table 8 (continued) : 1998 timetable for calls for proposals and the selection procedure: Budget

Specific programmes under EC FP4 + Euratom FP

**Anticipated date** **of**

**^fe'^i^tracte ^-Jl**
**7wls^s^^^>J** **i^Jb^'** **!H".SA** **[ %v]** **#"**

July

September

December

June-November

July

December

December

July

April

May-June

September

October

November-December

**total** **1998 Budget**

1.8

100

0.8

3 8

2 6

0 9

0 2

1379

6 6

120

2.1

5.5

ENRICH (European Network for Research in Global Change) in the fields of the environment,

climate, and marine science and technology

Water use and water management in the fields of the industrial and materials technologies

programme and the environment and climate programme

Advanced study courses

Training grants

Technology stimulation actions for SME (cooperative research)

**Marine science and technology** **( M A S T )**

Supporting initiatives

Training grants

**Biotechnology.**

Cell factories; genome analysis; plant biotechnology, cell communication in neurosciences;

immunology and trans-disease vaccinology, structural biology; prc-normative research,

biodiversity and social acceptance; infrastructures; ELSA

Joint call for transmissible spongiform encephalopathies

Biontedicine **and** **health** **(BIOMED)**

Joint call for transmissible spongiform encephalopathies

Technology stimulation actions for SME (cooperative research projects)

Marie Curie research fellowships

Technology stimulation actions for SME (cooperative research projects)

**D*<*»** **and 0J** **reference***

**«fddb** **lor** **jpjroj>o»«l« (ot**

16/9/97

C280

31/10/97

C329

31/10/97

C381

15/12/95

C337

31/10/97

C271

17/06/97

C183

17/12/96

C381

17/06/1997

C183

29/04/1997

C134

29/04/1997

C134

17/01/95

C12

17/01/95

C12

29/04/1997

C134

86

**;** **D^adtlii^dates** **for-,** **Vkyaiuation^**

**•'iipcttol'^pro^** **:**

16-Dec-97 February-June

02-Feb-98 March-June

16-Mar-98 March-July

20/03/98

April-September

August 98

01-Apr-98 February

12-Jun-98 June-July

20-Aug-98 September

15-Oct-97

30-Jul-97

15-Jul-97

January

31-Dec-97

April

November-March

July-February

July

January

May

May

**l** **?u«3£»^BssntsaKj93KW3sV**

July-September

July-October

August-November

June-November

June

September- October

October-November.

May-September

March

March-April

May-June

June-July

September

RTD activities in 1998

**Table 8 (continued) : 1998 timetable for calls for proposals and the selection procedure; Budget**

**Specific programmes under EC FP4 + Euratom FP**

**>** **[ v]** _**„i**_ **</** **|r;\.'«**

**Anticipated dète** **of** **[*&&§/' ]**

**f^I^'Budget**
**ÎCUBuTïion)**

**Agriculture** **and Fisheries** (FAIIQ;^:^^^:V^&v^?ie;:n _^-fW§r_ 'ï-ïïW'<"'r^ - •'•:'•*: _^_ - _?*_

Generic science and advanced technologies for nutritious foods, agriculture, forestry and rural
development, fisheries and fish-farming

Technology stimulation actions for SME (exploratory awards); open call for cooperative

research

Call for transmissible spongiform encephalopathies

Marie Curie research fellowships

**Non-nuclear energy** (JOULE-THERMIE)

JOULE: technology stimulation actions for SME (exploratory awards restricted to cooperative

research projects)

JOULE: training grants

THERMIE: preparatory, accompanying and support measures (development and

implementation of specific energy RTD strategies; dissemination of energy technologies;

concerted actions and concerted networks; measures for SME)

THERMIE: Demonstration projects in the fields of the rational use of energy, renewable

sources of energy, and fossil fuels

**Transport**
Air transport, road transport, measures to consolidate the results of transport research under

the 4th FP, measures/studies targeted on policy issues, tasks preparing for future activities in

the field of transport research

Intermodal transport: demonstration projects in the field of freight and passenger transport

—,oiintfèr«wf)J

15/10/97

C313

15/12/94

C357

**17/03/1998**

C134

15/12/94

C357

15/12/94

C357

**15/6/96**

**C171**

**15/12/94**

**C357**

16/9/97

C280

16/12/97

C381

**16/12/97**

**C381**

**R7**

16-Jan-98

15-Dec-97

08-Apr-98

17-Jun-98

15-Dec-97

08-Apr-98

01-Jul-98

17-Dec-97

30-Jan-98

16-Mar-98

16-Mar-98

160.0

7.0

10.0

27

2.5

08

140

960

**120**

**120**

June-November

April-July

July-November
September
November

May-June

September

October

M ay-June

**May-June**

July-December

July-December

September

June

October

November

June

December

January

September

September

September

September

March-June

January-March

May-June

June-September

February-April

May

Jury

January-February

February-March

April

April

**RTD activities in 1998**

**Table 8 (continued) : 1998 timetable for calls for proposals and the selection procedure; Budget**

**Specific programmes under EC FP4 + Euratom FP**

_**WkM**_ *t«» fori _**[mm ]**_ **T>p!** **3998 Budget**

41 _m$*?_

**Targeted** **aocio^ècwio^** "'•*-' / [<¥] -••?":
Science and technology policy options, research on education and training, research on
integration and social exclusion (certain sub-areas only)

16/9/97
15-Jan-98 January-May' June-September September 300
C280

**International** **cooperation (INCO)** \ -,, i r _,.+_ _J_ _~._ ' _ : ! "*INCO-COPERNÏCUS: cooperation with the countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the
newly independent States (DGs III, XII, XIII, XVII) 15/04/97 10-Oct-97 November March June 7.3

**Dissemination and** **optimisation of** **the** **results (INNOVATION)**
Validation and technology transfer projects

European networks and services

Regional measures

**Training and mobility of researchers**
Access to large-scale facilities

Accompanying measures (Euroconferences, summer schools, training courses)

Accompanying measures (Euroconferences, summer schools, training courses)

Training through research

**Nuckar** **fission** **safety**
Concerted actions

17/1/95 December-March
01-Nov-97 April-June 98 Jul-98
C12 98

**88**

17/6/97

C183

**16/9/97**

**C280**

16/9/97

C280

**15/03/1997**

**C84**

17/6/97

C183

16/12/97

C381

16/9/97

C280

April

May

May

06-Oct-97

15-Dec-97

15-Dec-97

16-Jun-97

30-Sep-97

31-Mar-98

15-Dec-97

January

January-March

January

Jury-August 97

October-March

April-September

February-M arch

January-March March

March

September

June

February-March

April-M ay

April-May

180

55

11.5

400

48

48

540

30

**Table** **9:** **Funding of** **the** **Fourth EC Framework Programme and**
**of the Euratom Framework Programme (ECU million)**

**(including decisions on enlargement and additional funding)**

TOTAL

3668

913

671

2084

2140

1833

307

1157

914

243

1709

595.5

374

739.5

2412

1076

441

895

263

147

575

352

792

13215

Euratom Framework

Programme
Decisions 94/268,

96/253/Euratom

                

FIRST ACTIVITY

Research, technological development
and demonstration activities

Information and communication

technologies

1. Telematics applications
2. Communications technologies
3. Information technologies

Industrial technologies

4. Industrial and materials technologies

5. Measurement and testing

Environment

6. Environment and climate

7. Marine science and technology

Life sciences and technologies

8. Biotechnology
9. Biomedicine and health

10. Agriculture and fisheries

Energy

11. Non-nuclear energy
12. Nuclear fission safety

13. Controlled thermonuclear fusion

14. Transport

15. Targeted socio-economic research

SECOND ACTIVITY

Cooperation with third countries and
international organisations

THIRD ACTIVITY

Dissemination and utilisation of results

FOURTH ACTIVITY

Stimulation of the training and mobility
of researchers

TOTAL

MAXIMUM OVERALL AMOUNT

Fourth Framework Programme

Decisions 1110/94/EC,616/96/EC

2535/97/EC

**Support for DGs**

**96**

**10.5**

10.5

**10.5**

10.5

**27.5**

27.5

**31.5**

31.5

**16**

**16**

**40**

**136**

**89**

**Indirect actions**

**9425**

**3 646**

913

671

**2** 062

**1921**

**1737**

**184**

**816.5**

573.5

243

**1627.5**

595.5

374

658

**1039**

1039

**263**

**112**

**575**

**312**

**792**

**11104**

**JRC**

**639**

**11.5**

11.5

**208.5**

96

112.5

**313**

313

**50**

50

**21**

21

**35**

**639**

**11879**

Indirect

actions

1 016,5

170.5

846

1 016,5

1336

JRC

319.5

270.5

49

319.5

**Table** **10:** **Development** **of** **Community research commitments**

**Period** **1984 - 1998**

(ECU million, current prices)

Situation at 01.05.98

YEARS

1984-87 FP

1987-91 FP

1990-94 FP

90-94 FP additional funding

1994-98 FP(»)

RTD PROGRAMMES

APAS

RTD+APAS

SPRINT

ECSC

80% of THERMIE

Total for ail research ( 1 )

EC budget (current prices)

Total research as % of budget

1984

593.0

593.0

593.0

593.0

28905

2.1

29925

2.5

1985

735.0

735.0

735.0

735.0

1986

874.0

874.0

874.0

874.0

1987

701.8

188.1

889.9

49.4

939.3

939.3

1988

260.8

810.6

1071.4

56.6

1128.0

1128.0

1989

101.1

1241.3

1342.4

69.8

1412.2

1412.2

1990

4.9

1596.9

1601.8

113.1

1714.9

16.0

17.5

36.0

1784.4

1991

1270.7

296.0

1566.7

168.8

1735.5

16.0

17.5

118.4

1887.4

1992

230.9

2160.5

2391.4

308.4

2699.8

17.0

17.5

128.9

2863.2

1993

14.8

1929.5

150.0

2094.3

440.2

2534.5

17.5

139.2

2691.2

1994

3.9

' 1264.7

750.0

0.0

2018.6

571.8

2590.4

17.5

145.6

2753.5

1995

0.2

1.0

3017.5

3018.7

2.1

3020.8

3020.8

1996

 

3201.5

3201.5

3201.5

3201.5

1997

3485.4

3485.4

3485.4

3485.4

1998 (2)

3491.0

3491.0

3491.0

3491.0

TOTAL

3270.6

5357.4

5651.7

900.0

13195.4

28375.1

1780.2

30155.3

49.0

87.5

568.1

30859.9

4269.3 i.e. 2.42% of the budget

7151 i.e. 3.18% of the budget

1

11980 i.e. 4.05% of the budget

| 15952 i.e. 3.98% of the budget

35842

2.4

38392

2.4

43080

2.6

45057

4.0

**90**

56111

3.4

42569

3.3

61232

4.7

67760

4.0

65929

4.2

75355

4.0

82125

3.9

87651

4.0

89503

3.9

(*) The amounts of the 1994-1998 FP are those adopted following EU enlargement.

(1) RTD + THERMIE + ECSC + SPRINT + APAS.

(2) Budget for 1998.

**Table** **11:** **Development** **of** **Community research commitments**

**Period** **1984 - 1998**

(ECU million - 1992 prices) Situational 01.05.98

1990

5.4

1770.4

1775.8

125.4

1901.2

17.7

19.4

39.9

1978.2

1994

3.8

1224.3

726.0

0.0

1954.1

553.5

2507.6

16.9

140.9

2665.4

1995

0.2

1.0

2887.6

2888.8

2.0

2890.8

2890.8

1987

886.1

237.5

1123.6

62.4

1186.0

1186.0

1997

3148.5

3148.5

3148.5

3148.5

1988

317.7

987.3

1305.0

68.9

1373.9

1373.9

1989

117.1

1438.4

1555.5

80.9

1636.4

1636.4

1991

1339.0

311.9

1650.9

177.9

1828.8

16.9

18.4

124.8

1988.9

1992

230.9

2160.5

2391.4

308.4

2699.8

17.0

17.5

128.9

2863.2

1993

14.6

1901.0

147.8

2063.4

433.7

2497.1

17.2

137.1

2651.4

1986

**1139.5**

**1139.5**

**1139.5**

**1139.5**

1996

v

2969.9

2969.9

2969.9

2969.9

1985

**991.9**

**991.9**

**991.9**

**991.9**

40385

**2.5**

**0.741**

**6.0**

1998(2)

3092.1

3092.1

3092.1

3092.1

1

TOTAL

4306.1

6022.1

5598.7

873.8

12098.1

28898.8

1813.1

30711.9

51.6

89.4

571.6

31424.5

YEARS

1984-87 FP

1987-91 FP

1990-94 FP

90-94 FP additional funding

1994-98 FP(»)

RTD PROGRAMMES

APAS

RTD+APAS

SPRINT

ECSC

80% of THERMIE

Total for all research (1)

EC budget (1992 prices)

Total research as % of budget

Deflation factors (**)

Annual inflation (%)

1984

**848.4**

**848.4**

**848.4**

**848.4**

41352

**2.1**

**0.699**

i

**•**
**5539.7** **i.e.** **2.41%** **of** **the** **budget**

8163 i.e. 3.15% ofthe budget

12147 i.e. 4.04% ofthe budget

14767 i.e. 3.98% ofthe budged

63823

4.2

1.033

1.8

66759

4.0

1.015

1.5

72110

4.0

1.045

1.2

49952

4.0

0.902

4.5

76183

3.9

1.078

3.2

79179

4.0

1.107

2.7

52473

2.6

0.821

3.6

59126

3.4

0.949

5.2

61232

4.7

1.000

3.5

48475

2.4

0.792

3.3

46730

**2.4**

**0.767**

**3.5**

49327

3.3

0.863

5.1

79276

3.9

1.129

2.0

(*) The amounts ofthe 1994-1998 FP are those adopted following EU enlargement.

(**) The deflation factors used from 1995 take account ofthe enlargement ofthe Union from to 15 Member States (COM(96)65).

(1) RTD + THERMIE + ECSC + SPRINT + APAS.

(2) Budget for 1998.

**91**

**1** **"">-** **:** **ANNEXIII** **I**

**Main reports relating to Community Research Activities**

**1.** **Main documents relevant to the current Community RTD activities issued by the European**
**Commission:**

**•** **Five-Year** **Assessment Reports of:**

**(i)** _**The**_ _**Fourth RTD**_ _**Framework Programme/Euratom**_ _**Framework Programme**_ **(** **1994-**
**1998),** **EUR** **17644** **(** **1997);** **and**
**(ii)** **Specific Programmes:**

_**Telematics**_ _**Applications,**_ **EUR** **17603** **(1997)**
_**Advanced**_ _**Communication**_ _**Technologies**_ _**and**_ _**Services,**_ **EUR** **17602 (1997)**
_**Information**_ _**Technologies**_ **(ESPRIT), EUR** **17601** **(1997)**
_**Industrial and Materials**_ _**Technologies,**_ **EUR** **175** **87** **(** **1997)**
_**Measurements and**_ _**Testing,**_ **EUR** **17588 (1997)**
_**Environment and**_ _**Climate,**_ **EUR** **17589(1997)**
_**Marine Sciences and**_ _**Technologies,**_ **EUR** **17590** **(1997)**
_**Biotechnology,**_ **EUR** **17591** **(1997)**
_**Biomedicine**_ _**and Health,**_ **EUR** **17592 (1997)**
_**Agriculture and**_ _**Fisheries,**_ _**including**_ _**Agro-Industry,**_ _**Food**_ _**Technologies,**_
_**Forestry, Aquaculture and**_ _**Rural**_ _**Development,**_ **EUR** **17593** **(1997)**
_**Non-Nuclear**_ _**Energy,**_ **EUR** **17594** **(** **1997)**

_**Transport,**_ **EUR 17595 (1997)**
_**Targeted**_ _**Socio-Economic**_ _**Research,**_ **EUR** **17596** **(** **1997)**
_**Cooperation with**_ _**Third**_ _**Countries**_ _**and International Organisations,**_
**EUR 17597 (1997)**

_**Dissemination and**_ _**Optimisation**_ _**of Results**_ _**(Innovation),**_ **EUR** **17600** **(1997)**
_**Stimulation of**_ _**Training**_ _**and Mobility of Researchers,**_ **EUR** **17598 (1997)**
_**Nuclear Fission Safety,**_ **EUR** **17599** **(** **1997)**

_**Controlled**_ _**Thermonuclear**_ _**Fusion,**_ **EUR** **17521** **(1996)**

**(In addition, Annual Monitoring Reports have been produced for all the above-mentioned**
**Programmes,** **for** **the years 1995, 1996 and 1997.)**

**•** _**Joint Research Centre: 1997**_ _**Annual**_ _**Report**_ **(forthcoming)**

**•** _**Evaluation**_ _**ofthe**_ _**Joint Research Centre**_ _**1992-1996,**_ **Communication from the Commission,**
**COM(97)** **164 final.**

**•** _**Commission's**_ _**Responses to the**_ _**Recommendations**_ _**ofthe**_ _**Independent External Assessments**_ _**ofthe**_
_**Last Five Years of Activities in the Domains covered by the Specific Programmes and**_ _**the**_ _**JRC**_
_**Institutes under the Fourth**_ _**Framework Programme**_ _**and**_ _**Euratom**_ _**Framework Programme,**_
_**Communication from the Commission,**_ **COM(97)** **149** **final.**

**•** _**Second European Report on S&T Indicators 1997,**_ **EUR 17639 (1997).**

**•** _**Research and development : annual statistics**_ _**1997**_ _**-**_ _**Eurostat,**_ _**9c**_ **-** _**CA-06-97-416-SAC**_

**2.** **Most recent main annual budgetary documents of relevence to Community RTD activities.**

**•** _**Preliminary Draft General Budget for the Financial Year 1998,**_ **Volume 4,** **COM(97)** **280.**

**•** _**General**_ _**Budget**_ _**for the Financial Year 1998,**_ **L 44, Volume** **41(16** **Feb.** **1998).**

**•** _**Revenue and Expenditure Account and Balance**_ _**Sheet,**_ _**Relating to Operations under the 1997**_
_**Budget,**_ **SEC(98)519.**

**•** _**Vademecum**_ _**Budgétaire,**_ **which provides a time series of research payments from the year** **1958,**
**SEC(97) 1200.**

**92**

**Main acronyms and abbreviations used**

ACP African, Caribbean and Pacific countries
ACTS Advanced Communications Technologies and Services
AIDS Acquired Immuno-Deficiency Syndrome
APAS Accompanying, Preparatory And Support measures
ATM Asynchronous Transfer Mode
BIOMED BIOMEDicine and health (specific RTD programme)
BRITE-EURAM Basic Research in Industrial Technologies for Europe - European Research in
Advanced Materials (specific RTD programme under FP3)
BSE Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathies
CAD Computer Assisted Design
CAM Computer Assisted Manufacturing
CAP Common Agricultural Policy
CCFP Consultative Committee for the Fusion Programme
CEECs Central and Eastern European countries
CEN European Committee for Standardization
CENELEC European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization
CERN European Centre for Nuclear Research
CIS Commonwealth of Independent States of the former Soviet Union
CJD Creutzfeld Jacob Disease

CNES Centre National des Etudes Spatiales (France)
COPERNICUS Cooperation in science and technology with Central and Eastern Europe
CORDIS Community Research and Development Information Service
COST European Cooperation in the field of Scientific and Technical research
CRAFT Cooperative Research Action for Technology
CREST Scientific and Technical Research Committee (advises the Commission)
DCs Developing Countries
EAEC European Atomic Energy Community
EBRD European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
EC European Community
ECHO European Community Humanitarian Office
ECSC European Coal and Steel Community
EEA European Economic Area
EFTA European Free Trade Association

1 ESSI European Systems and Software Initiative
ESTA European Science and Technology Assembly
### I

EMBL European Molecular Biology Laboratory
ES A European Space Agency
ESF European Science Foundation |
ESPRIT European Strategic Programme for Research and Development in Information J
Technologies I
ETAN European Technology Assessment Network - I
ETSI European Telecommunications Standards Institute ]
| EU European Union I
I EUREKA Framework for European technological cooperation 1
I EURATOM European Atomic Energy Community j
I EURET European REsearch for Transport (specific RTD programme under FP2)
I FNR Fast Neutron Reactor

- ——— - —
| FP Framework Programme
I FUSE First User Experiments
| HCM . Human Capital and Mobility (specific RTD programme under FP3)

**93**

HPCN High Performance Computing and Networking
IiM Integration in Manufacturing
IEA International Energy Agency
IMT Industrial and Materials Technologies
IPTS Institute for Prospective Technological Studies (JRC, Seville)
IRDAC Industrial Research and Development Advisory Committee
ISPO Information Society Project Office
1ST Information Society Technologies
ISTC International Science and Technology Centre (Moscow)
IT Information Technologies
ITEA Information Technologies European Awards
ITER International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor
JET Joint European Torus
JOULE Joint Opportunities for Unconventional or Long-term Energy supply (specific
RTD programme)

JRC Joint Research Centre

LFR Less Favoured Region
LWR Light Water Reactor
MAST MArine Science and Technology (specific RTD programme)
MEDA Measures accompanying the economic and social reforms in the Mediterranean
countries

MERCOSUR Southern Common Market (South America)
NAFTA North American Free Trade Agreement
NIS New Independent States of the former Soviet Union
OECD Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development
OJ Official Journal

PHARE Aid for economic reconstruction of the CEECs

R&D Research and Development
RPV Reaction Pressure Vessel

RTD Research and Technological Development
SAVE Special Action Programme for Vigorous Energy Efficiency
SCA Shared-Cost Actions

SMEs Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
SPD Single Programming Document (Structural Funds)
SPRINT Strategic PRogramme for INnovation and Technology Transfer 1
STD/STD-3 Science and Technology for Development/STD under FP3
TACIS Technical assistance to the New Independent States of the former Soviet Union

TASK FORCE Research-industry coordination structure in a field of RTD
#### I TCS Technologies for Components and Subsystems

THERMIE Demonstration programme in the field of non-nuclear energy
TMR Training and Mobility of Researchers (specific RTD programme)
TSER Targeted Socio-Economic Research (specific RTD programme)
TSME Technology Stimulation Measures for SMEs
UMTS Universal Mobile Telecommunication Systems
WMO World Meteorological Office
WTO World Trade Organization

**94**

ISSN 0254-1475

## COM(98) 439 final

# DOCUMENTS

##### EN 15 02 16 17 Catalogue number : CB-CO-98-450-EN-C ISBN 92-78-38078-4

Office for Official Publications of the European Communities

L-2985 Luxembourg **' c**

## **_3i_**