CELEX: 51988PC0429
Language: en
Date: 1988-07-25
Title: PROPOSAL FOR A COUNCIL DECISION ADOPTING THE SECOND PHASE OF THE PROGRAMME ON COOPERATION BETWEEN UNIVERSITIES AND ENTERPRISES REGARDING TRAINING IN THE FIELD OF TECHNOLOGY ( COMETT II )

14. 9. 88                              Official Journal of the European Communities                                  No C 239/3
                                                               II
                                                       (Preparatory Acts)
                                                  COMMISSION
             Proposal for a Council Decision adopting the second phase of the programme on cooperation
             between universities and enterprises regarding training in the field of technology (Comett II)
                                                      COM(88) 429 final
                                       (Submitted by the Commission on 26 July 1988)
                                                         (88/C 239/04)
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,                           Whereas the Council, in its resolution of 2 December
                                                                    1986 concerning a strategic programme for growth and
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European              employment, underlined the priority of initial and
Economic Community, and in particular Article 128                  continuing education (3); and confirmed this commitment
thereof,                                                           in its Decision 87/569/EEC of 1 December 1987
                                                                   adopting the action programme for the vocational
Having regard to Council Decision 63/266/EEC of                    training of young people and their preparation for 'adult
2 April 1963 laying down general principles for                    and professional' life ( 4 );
implementing a common vocational training policy ('),
and in particular the second, sixth, seventh, ninth and
                                                                   Whereas the Council has already adopted, in extending
tenth principles thereof,
                                                                   the framework programme of research and devel-
                                                                   opment (5), measures aimed at reinforcing technological
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,                 and industrial cooperation at Community level,
                                                                   in particular by its Decisions 88/479/EEC (6),
Having regard      to   the   opinion    of  the   European        8 8 / 1 0 8 / E E C O , 88/419/EEC (8) concerning Esprit,
Parliament,                                                        Brite/Euram,           Science,     and     by its    Decision
                                                                   88/417/EEC (') concerning Delta, which is directed
Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and                   specifically at learning technologies; whereas this techno-
Social Committee,                                                  logical and industrial cooperation in the field of research
                                                                   and development must be supported by parallel efforts in
Whereas in its Decision 86/365/EEC of 24 July 1986 (2)             the field of vocational training;
the Council adopted a programme on cooperation
between universities and enterprises regarding training in
the field of technology for a period of four years                 Whereas the Council, in its Decision 87/307/EEC of 13
commencing on 1 January 1986;                                      June 1987 on the Strategic Community Programme for
                                                                   Innovation and Transfer of Technology (Sprint) ( I0 ),
                                                                   adopted certain activities concerning the transfer of
Whereas Article 6 of the above Decision provides that
                                                                   know-how in the fields of innovation management and
the Commission will submit by 31 October 1988 to the
                                                                   transfer of technology;
Council, the European Parliament and the Economic
and Social Committee a report on experience in
implementing the Comett programme, together with a                 Whereas the European Parliament adopted on 24 May
proposal regarding the arrangements for continuing it, if          1983 a resolution on the competitiveness of Community
appropriate; and that the Council shall take a decision            industry ( n ), in which it asks for increased efforts to be
on this proposal by 31 October 1989, after consulting the          made in favour of vocational training and the training of
European Parliament and the Economic and Social                    the leaders of enterprises; whereas this resolution
Committee;
                                                                    (3)  OJ   No   C 340, 31. 12. 1986, p. 2.
Whereas the European Council which met in December
                                                                    (4)  OJ   No   L 346, 10. 12. 1987, p. 31.
1986 emphasized the importance of Community actions
                                                                    (5)  OJ   No   L 302, 24. 10. 1987, p. 23.
for employment and of having as their objective to
                                                                    (6)  OJ   No   L 118, 6. 5. 1988, p. 32.
encourage better training of young people and adults;
                                                                    O    OJ   No   L 59, 4. 3. 1988, p. 23.
                                                                    (•)  OJ  No    L 206, 30. 7. 1988, p. 34.
                                                                    O    OJ   No   L 206, 30. 7. 1988, p. 20.
(') OJ No 63, 20. 4. 1963, p. 1338/63.                             O     OJ   No   L.153, 13. 6. 1987.
O OJ No L 222, 8. 8. 1986, p. 17.                                  (")  OJ   No    C 135, 24. 5. 1983, p. 27.
 ---pagebreak--- No C 239/4                              Official Journal of the European Communities                                  14. 9. 88
complements the resolution on the continuing training of           Whereas in the implementation of the programme the
workers in enterprises and various other resolutions               Commission should be assisted by a committee;
concerning in particular higher education and the devel-
opment of university cooperation in the European                   After consultation with the Comett committee estab-
Community ('), open universities in the European                   lished by Decision 86/365/EEC referred to above, and
Community, the framework programme for techno-                     having regard to the opinions expressed by the Industrial
logical research and development (2), and regional devel-
                                                                   Research and Development Advisory Committee (Irdac),
opment, education and training ( 3 );
                                                                   of the Advisory Committee for Vocational Training, the
                                                                   Union of Confederations of Industry and Employers
Whereas the exploitation of technological developments             in Europe (Unice), the European Trades Union
throughout industry will depend on the adaptability of             Confederation (ETUC), as well as the Liaison
the qualifications and the enterprise of the workforce;            Committee of Rectors Conferences of the Member
whereas, in this context, there is a more urgent need              States of the European Community,
than ever to reinforce, at Community level, the appro-
priate initiatives and actions in progress which aim to
draw the full potential from human resources and                   HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS:
investments in training as a complement to an overall
Community strategy in the field of industrial, research,
development and innovation policies; and whereas in this                                     Article 1
context vocational training is an indispensable instrument          1.    A second phase of the Comett programme for
for the completion of the internal market in 1992;                 cooperation      between    universities and     enterprises
                                                                   regarding training in the field of technology, hereinafter
Whereas cooperation between university and enterprise              referred to as 'Comett IF, is hereby adopted for a period
in the field of training already developed within the first        of five years commencing on 1 January 1990.
Comett programme must be strengthened within
Member States, particularly at local and regional level,
                                                                   2.     The detailed arrangements        for Comett   II are
and be assisted by Community measures; whereas, in this
                                                                   contained in the Annex.
context, it is important to support training actions having
a Community dimension and to ensure balanced devel-
opment throughout the Community, and therefore in                                            Article 2
order to do so it is appropriate to involve, as far as
possible, existing bodies in the Member States;                     For the purposes of Comett II:
Whereas in this respect Comett is contributing to the              — the term 'university' is used in its general sense td
 strengthening of the scientific and technological base of              indicate all types of post-secondary education and
 European industry and its international competitiveness                training establishments which offer, where appro-
 as well as also to the reduction of the disparities between            priate within the framework of advanced training,
various regions and in the gap between the more and the                 qualifications or diplomas of that level, whatever
 less developed regions in terms of Articles 130F and                   such establishments may be called in the Member
 130A of the Treaty;                                                    States,
                                                                    — the term 'enterprise' is used to indicate all types of
 Whereas it is necessary, in extension to the Council
                                                                        economic activity, including both large and small and
 resolution of 3 November 1987 concerning a strategic
                                                                        medium-sized enterprises, whatever their legal status
 programme in favour of small and medium-sized enter-
                                                                        and the manner of applying new technologies. By
 prises ('), to engage such enterprises in the implemen-
                                                                        extension, the term 'enterprise' may indicate also
 tation of Comett as well as in the diffusion of the results
                                                                        professional associations, economic development
 of the programme;
                                                                        agencies (notably chambers of commerce and
                                                                        industry and their equivalents) as well as organi-
 Whereas the Council has taken its Decision 87/327/EEC                  sations representing employers or employees.
 of 15 June 1987 (5) adopting the European Community
 action programme for the mobility of university students
 (Erasmus);                                                                                   Article 3
                                                                    The objectives of Comett II are as follows:
 Whereas it is necessary to proceed with a periodic
 evaluation of the programme;                                       — to improve the supply of training at local, regional
                                                                        and national level with the assistance of the auth-
                                                                        orities concerned, thus contributing to the balanced
  (l) OJ  No C 104, 16. 4. 1984, p. 48.                                 economic and social development of the Community,
  C) OJ   No C 7, 12. 1. 1987, p. 19.
  ( J )OJ No C 99, 13. 4. 1987, p. 15.                              — to give a European dimension to cooperation
  ( 4 )OJ No C 287, 14. 11. 1986, p. 1.                                  between universities and enterprises in initial and
  (') OJ  No L 166, 25. 6. 1987, p. 20.                                  continuing training relating to technologies and their
 ---pagebreak---   14. 9. 88                               Official Journal of the European Communities                             No C 239/5
      applications and transfer, supporting in this respect          The Commission may also consult the committee on
      the contribution of higher education institutions to           any other matter concerning the implementation of
      the completion of the internal market,                         Comett II.
 — to foster the joint development of training
                                                                     3.    Two representatives of the social partners,
      programmes and the exchange of experience, and
                                                                     appointed by the Commission on the basis of proposals
      also the optimum use of training resources at
                                                                     by the organizations representing the social partners at
      Community level,
                                                                     Community level, will participate in the work of the
 — to develop the level of training in response to techno-           Committee in the capacity of observers.
      logical change and social changes by identifying the
      resulting priorities in existing training arrangements,        4.    An annual  report regarding the implementation of
      in particular in favour of small and medium-sized              Comett II shall   be submitted by the Commission after
      enterprises, which call for supplementary action both          consulting the    Comett committee to the European
     within Member States and at Community level, and                Parliament, the  Council and the Economic and Social
     by promoting equal opportunities for men and                    Committee.
     women.
                                                                     5.    The Commission shall ensure that Comett II is
                                                                     consistent with other Community research and devel-
                             Article 4
                                                                     opment actions already programmed — in particular the
 1.     The Community will contribute to the execution of           Delta programme — as well as those implemented on the
 Comett II to the extent of the resources voted for this            one hand in the field of innovation and technology
 programme in the budget of the European Communities,               transfer — notably the Sprint programme — and on the
 in conformity with the financial perspectives decided              other hand in the field of education and training, in
jointly by the three institutions and with the development          particular the Erasmus programme for the mobility of
 foreseen in those perspectives.                                    university students, the Eurotecnet programme for voca-
                                                                    tional training in information technologies, and those
 2.     The funds estimated as necessary for the implemen-          actions in favour of small and medium-sized enterprises.
 tation of Comett II amount to 250 million ECU. This
 amount is intended to finance the various support and                                       Article 6
 measures set out in the Annex, including support for
 evaluation, animation, and diffusion actions necessary              1.   The Commission shall submit by 30 June 1992 an
for the execution of the programme.                                 evaluation report to the Council, as well as the European
                                                                    Parliament and Economic and Social Committee, on the
                            Article 5                               implementation of Comett II. This report shall, if appro-
                                                                    priate, be accompanied with suggestions for possible
 1.     The Commission shall implement the Comett II                changes in the execution of Comett II which might prove
programme in accordance with the provisions of the                  necessary in the light of developments in the implemen-
Annex.                                                              tation of the Programme.
2.      In the performance of that task the Commission              2.    The Commission will by 30 June 1995 submit to the
shall be assisted by a committee of a consultative nature,          Council, the European Parliament, and the Economic
consisting of two representatives from each Member                  and Social Committee a final report on the experience
State, of whom at least one shall be from the industry              and results of Comett II having regard to the objectives
sector, and chaired by a Commission representative. The             set and defined in Article 3 of this Decision.
members of the Committee shall be responsible for
liaison between Comett II and similar initiatives                   3.    With a view to the preparation of the reports
implemented in the Member States. The representative of             referred to in paragraphs 1 and 2 above, the Commission
the Commission shall submit to the committee a draft of             will invite the Member States to present a contribution
the measures to be taken. The committee shall deliver its           which describes the current state of development in
opinion on the draft, within a time limit which the                 university-enterprise cooperation in the field of training
chairman may lay down according to the urgency of the               for technology and its applications as well as the
matter, if necessary by taking a vote. The opinion shall            measures taken with a view to ensuring the full devel-
be recorded in the minutes; in addition, each Member                opment of this cooperation both at national and
State shall have the right to ask to have its position              Community level.
recorded in the minutes. The Commission shall take the
utmost account of the opinion delivered by the
Committee. It shall inform the Committee of the manner                                       Article 7
in which its opinion has been taken into account.                   This decision shall take effect on 1 January 1990.
 ---pagebreak--- N o C 239/6                               Official J o u r n a l of the E u r o p e a n C o m m u n i t i e s              14. 9. 88
                                                                    ANNEX
            1. The Comett programme comprises a range of transnational actions to strengthen and encourage
               cooperation between universities and enterprises within the European framework in regard to advanced
               training in response to technological change and social changes.
               These measures are directed at trainees, including new graduates, persons in active employment,
               including the social partners and the training officers concerned.
            2. Within the framework of the Comett programme the projects which are to receive Community
               assistance will be chosen on the basis of, in particular, their stimulative and exemplary character, and
               their contribution to the achievement of the objectives set out in Article 3 of the Decision.
               The selection of projects will take account of the development of the framework programme for tech-
               nology research and development (R&D), independently of the participation of the enterprises
               concerned in it. Particular emphasis will be put on the training needs of small and medium-sized enter-
               prises.
            3. The following measures will be implemented in the course of Comett II:
                                                               A. European Network
               (a) The development and extension of the existing European network of university-enterprise training
                    partnerships (UETPs), regional or sectoral, having as its objective transnational cooperation,
                    particularly in the following fields:
                    — identification of training needs in technology,
                    — training for innovation transfer and for the consequences of the establishment of the Europe of
                        technology — particularly for the small and medium-sized enterprises in the context of the
                        completion of the internal market,
                    — shared development and exploitation of joint projects in the field of technology training within
                        the other strands of the Comett II programme,
                    — reinforcement of inter-regional cooperation and transfer in the field of technology training.
                (b) The Community will contribute to the implementation and management of the UETP network by
                    taking into account other Community initiatives for supporting local and regional development as
                    well as small and medium-sized enterprises.
                (c) The Community will grant financial support for activities with a European dimension as well as for
                    the functioning of the UETPs within the network. This flat-rate contribution shall not normally
                    exceed 50 % of the expenditure eligible. This support will be reduced progressively, with a ceiling
                    per UETP of 70 000 ECU, 60 000 ECU and 50 000 ECU respectively for the first three years. In
                    certain exceptional and duly justified cases, in particular with the aim of contributing to a more
                    balanced development of the programme within the Community, the Community contribution may
                    exceed the 50 % ceiling of eligible expenditure.
                                                           B. Transnational Exchanges
                (a) Specific financial assistance to promote, for the benefit of all Member States, transnational exchange
                    through the allocation of grants:
                     (i) for students, including new graduates, carrying out a training period in enterprises located in
                         another Member State, either for short to medium periods (three months to one year) or for
                         longer periods linked to carrying out industrial projects; an important assessment criterion in
                         the selection of projects submitted shall be the capacity of the sending university to recognize
                         this training period in the enterprise as an integral part of the university course;
 ---pagebreak--- 14. 9. 88                             Official J o u r n a l of the E u r o p e a n C o m m u n i t i e s              N o C 239/7
              (ii) for personnel seconded from universities and enterprises to an enterprise or university respec-
                    tively in another Member State with a view to participating in training activities and enriching
                    their knowledge and professional practices.
          (b) The Community's financial contribution will be limited to the direct and indirect mobility costs of
              recipients of grants, the costs of preparing, supervising and organizing the activities implemented
              and, where necessary, the costs of language courses for beneficiaries. The contribution will take the
              form of a flatrate payment.
                                C. Joint Advanced training and multimedia distance training projects
          (a) Support for advanced training courses with a European dimension designed for the rapid dissemi-
              nation in universities and enterprises of research and development results in the field of new techno-
              logies and their applications, as well as for the promotion, particularly for small and medium-sized
              enterprises, of innovation transfer.
          (b) Support for work on devising, developing and testing at European level innovative joint advanced
              training projects, particularly those of an interdisciplinary character, initiated in common by
              different enterprises in liaison with the universities concerned in at least two Member States in fields
              relating to the new technologies and their applications in the context of the completion of the
              internal market and the reinforcement of economic and social cohesion.
          (c) Support for multilateral arrangements for initial and advanced training initiated jointly by different
              enterprises in association with the universities concerned aimed at establishing open systems for
              distance education utilizing the new information technologies and/or resulting in transferable
              training products.
          (d) For the actions referred to in (a), (b), and (c) above, priority will be given to projects oriented
              towards the training of trainers and to projects favouring the participation of SMEs in the actions
              planned. Special attention will be paid to projects associating in their execution university and
              industry partners from the peripheral regions of the Community. In exceptional cases and for a
              limited duration, the Commission may support projects in those regions' preparatory actions for the
              development of transnational projects.
          (e) The Community's financial contribution will be limited to 50 % of the total expenditure on the
              initiatives described in (a), (b), and (c) above.
                                                     D. Complementary measures
          a) These measures have as their aim:
                (i) support for preparatory actions, notably in the form of visits or meetings, having as their
                     objective the planning of projects within the different strands of the programme or the
                     extension of existing projects to other partners;
               (ii) a structured exchange of information and experience, notably through supporting the Comett
                     information centres created within the Community with a view to promotion the centres'
                     Community exchange actions and diffusion and animation activities within the programme, as
                     well as through the development of a databank and electronic mail facilities between projects;
              (iii) analysis and monitoring of developments in qualifications and training needs given the new
                     technologies and their applications;
              (iv) better mutual comprehension of the obstacles hindering the development of university-
                     enterprise cooperation in training with a view to strengthening this cooperation, including the
                     training of personnel engaged in this cooperation;
               (v) the continuing evaluation of Comett II as it is implemented as well as the technical and
                     logistical support for the execution of the programme.
          (b) The financial contribution by the Commission for the complementary measures may be up to 100 %
              of the actual expenditure committed for these initiatives.
 ---pagebreak--- No C 239/8                           Official Journal of the European Communities                                  14. 9. 88
           By way of indication and subject to possible modifications necessitated by the progressive implemen-
           tation of Comett II, 40 % of the funds allocated to the programme by the budgetary authority will be
           allotted to joint advanced training and multimedia distance training projects. An equivalent percentage
           will be allocated to transnational exchanges, with the remainder being allotted to the european network
           of UETPs and the complementary measures.
           By way of indication, the amount estimated as being necessary for Comett II in Article 4 (2) of the
           Decision should permit 14 000 students and trainees to carry out a transnational traineeship as well as
           the granting of 1 000 fellowships to the personnel of universities and enterprises.