EU2020: Innovation Union evaluates RDI in Denmark

Innovation Union (with key documents), which was launched a year ago, is one of the seven flagship initiatives of the Europe 2020 strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth. The web pages are excellent. You can follow @innovationunion on Twitter and like Innovation Union on Facebook.

Through Eur-Lex you can find the communication in 22 official EU languages; the English pdf version:

Europe 2020 Flagship Initiative Innovation Union; Brussels, 6.10.2010 COM(2010) 546 final (43 pages)

The communication was accompanied by the longer Commission staff working document:

A RATIONALE FOR ACTION; Brussels, 6.10.2010 SEC(2010) 1161 final (103 pages)


Innovation Union Competitiveness Report 2011

The Directorate-General for Research and Innovation has just published a hefty report on where the European Union and its member states stand with regard to reseaarch, development and innovation:

Innovation Union Competitiveness Report – 2011 edition


Denmark RDI

The blog post EU2020: Research and development quality in Denmark told us that the country already invested more than 3 per cent of GDP in RDI activities. The then Danish government was more interested in improving the output from the efforts.

There are Country Profile pages for 33 countries, the 27 EU member states plus Croatia, Iceland, Israel, Norway, Switzerland and Turkey.

The country profile for knowledge-intensive Denmark shows that although the target of 3 per cent had already been reached, on current trends the country could attain 3.5 per cent of GDP by 2020.

Besides a general assessment of strengths and weaknesses, much of the information on the eight pages relates to Danish participation in the EU Seventh Framework Programme (FP7), managed by CORDIS – the Community Research and Development Information Service.

However, should we look for outside comparative evaluations in order to get a rounded view of innovation in Denmark?



Ralf Grahn

Europe 2020: Smart growth without intelligent debate?

The Europe 2020 strategy (EU2020) aims at smart, sustainable and inclusive growth. Naturally, the seven flagship initiatives of the European Commission are mutually reinforcing, but especially the Digital Agenda, the Innovation Union and the Youth on the Move initiatives are intended to promote the ideal of smart growth.

Is it sufficient if a few officials from each country are actively engaged?

No, for real progress the political spheres and the administrations from central down to local level, the media, the interest groups and the general public in the EU member states have to start showing more than desultory interest in the findings and recommendations at the European level.

Without intensive and intelligent national debate and efforts, little smart growth will materialise.

Or is Europe senescent beyond caring?

Could and should the EU blogosphere do something to awaken the semi-dead?



Ralf Grahn

Europe 2020 strategy: Innovation Union

The seven flagship initiatives promised by the European Commission under the Europe 2020 (EU2020) strategy are Innovation Union, Youth on the move, A digital agenda for Europe, Resource efficient Europe, An industrial policy for the globalisation era, An agenda for new skills and jobs, and a European platform against poverty. See the blog post: Europe 2020 strategy: Barroso’s reform flotilla (flagship initiatives) (20 June 2010).



An overview of the plans for EU and national level action, as well as different Council configurations was offered in the blog entry: Europe 2020 strategy: Flagship initiative Innovation Union (21 June 2010)



Innovation Union launched



Yesterday, 6 October 2010, the Commission launched the flagship initiative Innovation Union. The press release The “Innovation Union” – turning ideas into jobs, green growth and social progress (IP/10/1288) is available in 23 languages.

Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, Commissioner for research, innovation and science and Vice-President Antonio Tajani, responsible for industry and entrepreneurship, highlight the potential economic growth through research and development (R&D). The press release briefly presents ten key elements of the Innovation Union initiative, and it contains links to other documents.



Turning Europe into a true Innovation Union (MEMO/10/473), available only in English, contains more detailed background information. It offers a link to the Commission’s Innovation Union web page, where you can find links to key documents, including the full text of the communication:



Europe 2020 Flagship Initiative Innovation Union; Brussels, 6.10.2010 COM(2010) 546 final (43 pages)


The communication is accompanied by the Commission staff document SEC(2010) 1161.




It is somewhat ironic that the web page with key Innovation Union documents links to the still un-updated central web page for the Commission’s grand project, the Europe 2020 strategy. So much for the Commission communicating an image as a dynamic actor.



You can look for additional information on the Innovation page of DG Enterprise and Industry.



You can find research findings on the costs of non-innovation on the web page Research – Socio-economic Sciences and Humanities (SSH).


Next step

On Tuesday, 12 October 2010, the Competitiveness Council (Internal Market, Industry and Research) will have an exchange of views on the potential of EU research and innovation in the light of the challenges posed by globalisation ("Innovation Union"). This item will also be discussed in the afternoon by ministers for science and research. In addition, the Council is expected to adopt conclusions on the simplification of EU research programmes and on the launching of joint programming initiatives for research related to "agriculture, food security and climate change", "cultural heritage" and "healthy food for healthy life".




Ralf Grahn



P.S. Nowadays it is increasingly hard to find European enterprises, public authorities or interest groups without an active social media presence or a stake in European Union affairs. Politics, policies, economics and law at a EU level are becoming more important in a globalising world, at least if Europe still wants to weigh in.

EU-related blogs are a significant aspect of the emerging European online public space. There are now 671 Euroblogs, or blogs related to European Union (and Council of Europe) affairs, listed on Bloggingportal.eu, the multilingual aggregator.



You can take a look at the stream of all new posts, or follow the editors’ choices on the front page. You can also subscribe to the streams (all or highlighted) and the newsletters (daily or weekly) without cost.



Bloggingportal.eu needs a few more voluntary editors for the daily tagging of posts according to subjects. Why not increase your understanding of European affairs, improve your language skills and do something useful by joining the team of editors?

An own-initiative report in the European Parliament (Innovation Union)

Officially, it started with the Commission’s communication Reviewing Community innovation policy in a changing world; Brussels, 2.9.2009 COM(2009) 442 final. The paper launched a public consultation on the EU’s future innovation plan in the context of the post-Lisbon strategy for growth and jobs.



Own-initiative report

When the European Commission proposes (and coordinates), the European Council and the Council decide on policy guidelines, and the member states act and interact, without proposing new legislation, there is no legislative procedure for the European Parliament (EP) to take part in.



Rule 48 of the Rules of Procedure (version December 2009) offers the EP the possibility to draw up an own-initiative report, if the Conference of Presidents gives authorisation to the committee in question.



Legislative Observatory Oeil




With the help of the Legislative Observatory of the European Parliament, called Oeil, we can follow a procedure in the EP from the beginning to the end.



Under Procedures (which could add the word search), we can search on a number of different criteria.



Here we happen to know the Commission document, which opens a search page. After typing in the document type, year and number, we get the search result:



The procedure number, the name of the Commission document etc.



By clicking on the link to the procedure number INI/2009/2227, we can see the main steps and even the principal contents on one page, with links to further documents. The summary provides enough information for the general reader.



Useful or not?


We sometimes see views which are critical of the European Parliament “meddling” in affairs where it lacks legislative powers.

Is this view justified?

In my opinion, no.

First of all, the EP has powers over the EU budget as a whole, so it needs to have a view on the substance of union action, even when it takes place between the Commission, the Council and the member states.

Second, the EP is needed for political control (scrutiny) of action by the other institutions.

Third, even where the EP’s powers are weak, such as in foreign and security policy, it is preferable that the representatives of EU citizens use their limited powers actively and build their institutional knowledge base with a view to the day when the EU gets a politically accountable government.

Some of the criticism mentioned above may stem from irritation with silly or populist demands in EP resolutions.

The European Parliament is hardly the only elected body tempted to wish for all kinds of wonderful things, but in the long run it is important for the EP to be seen as a serious player.



Innovation Union



With an own-initiative report, the European Parliament was free to decide the time and the contents. While formally started in response to the Commission’s consultation paper (Green Paper), the EP adopted its resolution P7_TA(2010)0209 on 15 June 2010, just two days before the European Council finalised the guidelines for the Europe 2020 strategy, which includes the flagship initiative Innovation Union.

The EP resolution clearly targets the coming Commission communication on Innovation Union, expected in September.

Worth taking a look, if you are a stakeholder.




Ralf Grahn

Project Europe 2030 and Innovation Union

The future prosperity of EU citizens will be decided by our collective choices between reform or witnessing our decline. During the Lisbon strategy decade, we crawled in the slow lane. The new Europe 2020 strategy is now supposed to bring us jobs and growth, but without renewed resolve it will only become another pompous pipe dream.

The European Commission is preparing the flagship initiative Innovation Union, and the governments in the EU member states are drafting their first National Reform Programmes (NRPs) based on the Europe 2020 strategy.

Read on, if you want our leaders to deliver.



Council supportive



With China just ten years from closing the innovation gap with Europe on present trends, the Programme of the Belgian Presidency of the EU Council takes research, development and innovation seriously, at least verbally.

The research communities, innovation systems and other stakeholders have an opportunity to set Innovation Union and the other Europe 2020 flagship initiatives, as well as the first new generation National Reform Programmes on course for success.



Project Europe 2030



The Reflection Group chaired by Felipe González looked at strategic choices for the European Union in a long term perspective. Project Europe 2030 offers valuable ideas and suggestions to official drafters, research and development (R&D) communities and the wider public:



Report from the Reflection Group on the Future of the European Union "Project Europe 2030 - Challenges and Opportunities" (Council document 10559/1/10 REV 1)



Prosperity


The Reflection Group posed two fundamental questions to politicians and EU citizens (page 4):

Will the EU be able to maintain and increase its level of prosperity in this changing world? Will it be able to promote and defend Europe’s values and interests?

Human capital


The Project Europe 2030 report underlined the crucial importance of human capital and the need to catch up (page 7):

Human capital is the key strategic instrument for ensuring success in the global economy. And yet, Europe has lost considerable ground in the race to a knowledge economy. Catching up will require a coordinated effort. Member States must mobilise the resources they agreed to invest in R&D, with the help of the private sector, and reform all aspects of education, including professional training. The Union must also act through its own revised budgetary instruments, while making better use of the European Investment Bank and the European Investment Fund. Finally, we need to consider the possibility of opening up new sources of revenue, for instance through the imposition of a carbon tax.

European Research Area

In a manner comprehensible for a wider public of informed citizens, under Growth through knowledge, the Reflection Group depicts the challenges for the European Research Area (ERA) and argues for increased R&D spending on the way towards Innovation Union (page 24 to 25):

Despite numerous calls for substantial increases in R&D spending, the last decade saw relatively little change – the EU’s expenditure remains at 1.8 per cent of GDP. A concerted effort is needed in Europe to reach the ‘Europe2020’ target of 3 per cent expenditure on R&D and the creation of an “Innovation Union”. This must include budgetary reallocations and greater private sector funding. EU centres for pre-competitive applied research should be developed (public-private partnerships between states, regions and private industry) together with increased support for investigator-driven free research through the European Research Council.

To this end, it will be crucial to simplify the procedures for accessing public funding, including EU funds. This would above all benefit small dynamic businesses, which are often the driving force for forward-looking innovations. Today, SMEs account for half of the EU's GDP although they benefit from only 15 per cent of R&D programmes. New forms of partnership are needed between researchers at publicly-financed universities and researchers at privately-financed companies to ensure a continuous pooling of knowledge throughout the process of research and innovation. In particular, more funding is needed for applied research that would benefit SMEs.

Excellence must be the main criterion for granting public aid both at national and EU levels. The role of the European Research Council must be expanded and strengthened, with funds allocated strictly on the basis of peer reviewed excellence, actual or potential. Likewise, the EU must encourage the development of “European poles of excellence” while ensuring that this process of concentration would not lead to the creation of “intellectual deserts”.

Last but not least, the European Research Area must become a reality – an area without borders where all scientific potential, wherever it is, can be fully tapped thanks to the free movement of researchers, ideas, technologies and capital. This process of “Europeanization” must itself be part of a more general openness to the world. Transfers of knowledge have now become the indispensable complement to the traditional drivers of globalisation based on material and capital flows.

The views of the Reflection Group are not new, but they are presented in a clear and convincing manner.



Regulatory framework for innovation

The Reflection Group states the need for dynamic Europe-wide markets in services in order to unleash innovation and creativity (page 25):

Europe often finds it difficult to translate scientific research into new products, new patents, new entrepreneurial activities and new jobs. A lack of competition in service markets inhibits innovation, raises costs and limits growth. Financial services, next generation digital services, energy solutions and services to promote health and learning have all huge potential. The EU is well placed to become a leader in the new service industries, but only if service providers are supported by a Europe-wide market and a new regulatory environment where innovation and creativity can actually flourish.

Free global markets that respect intellectual property rights are the essential breeding ground for innovation. It is therefore important that Europe remains committed to improving market access both inside and outside Europe, most effectively through the completion of the Single Market, both in regard to services and new technologies. At the same time, the EU must reform the rules on intellectual property, for instance through the creation of a straightforward European patent system that is affordable, quick and reasonable, and offers effective protection on a European scale.

In this context, it will equally be important to put in place the measures needed to reinforce risk capital markets and the availability of seed capital. In particular, SMEs – which are very often at the forefront of innovation – need more adequate support mechanisms, including access to risk capital, to help them compete in the global marketplace.

The creative economy will continue to evolve faster than the political processes intended to support or regulate it. Every day it reveals new horizons and revolutionary prospects. Flexibility and responsiveness must therefore be the backbone of any regulatory framework in this field. Facilitating a culture of risk-taking and entrepreneurship is even more important. Only this will allow the EU to fully reap the rewards of research and experimentation, and with it to create new jobs.

From words to action?

Half a century from the launch of the Common Market, the European Union is still struggling to achieve a functioning internal market (or Single Market) in services.

Just a few examples:



The general Services Directive is a complex and ill digested compromise between European ambitions and tribalist instincts. Many member states have been slow in putting the Services Directive 2006/123 into practice. (See information note 18 May 2010, document 9475/10.)



Businesses and consumers pay the price of fragmented digital markets, as shown by the 15th progress report. Splintered markets do not give birth to world class services at affordable prices.



The “straightforward” European patent system has resisted the efforts of several EU Council presidencies keen to act as midwives.


Project Europe 2030, by the Reflection Group, highlights important challenges and opportunities facing politicians, public officials, business leaders, unions and citizens. Innovation Union needs energetic support, decisive action and high quality communication.




Ralf Grahn

Europe 2020 strategy: Belgian EU Council presidency and Innovation Union

Yesterday we looked at the visible preparation and communication by the Commission services of the flagship initiative Innovation Union, in the framework of the Europe 2020 strategy for jobs and growth.



The central Europe 2020 website was (and still is) like an abandoned child rather than the promising heir to Europe’s ambitions. DG Enterprise and Industry may have done a lot of preparatory work last year, but has not taken care to inform stakeholders or the general public about ongoing preparation, if any.



On the other hand, DG Research has shown the way for other Commission services, EU institutions, Council presidencies and member states, by reaching out to stakeholders through interactive means.



If DG Research continues in the same spirit, it can foster informed debate with the research community and the wider public, as Linda Margaret noted in a comment.



Belgian presidency of the EU Council

It is time to turn to how the Council of the European Union prepares for and communicates the coming flagship initiative Innovation Union. Our natural starting point is the work programme for the second half of 2010.



The Programme of the Belgian Presidency of the EU Council presents the wider context (strategic framework) for the work during the coming six months. Here the programme states (page 5):

The EU 2020 strategy for employment and growth aspires to establish an intelligent, sustainable and inclusive economy. This assumes growth in employment, a greater mobilisation in support of innovation and education, as well as making ambitious commitments on climate issues and, lastly, a strengthening of social cohesion. The fulfilment of the major objectives defined by the European Council will underpin the socio-economic priorities of the Belgian Presidency's programme.

December European Council


On page 6, the Belgian presidency adds a note on industrial policy, as well as research and development:

The Belgian Presidency will also seek to lend momentum to a sustainable industrial policy, with the main aim of developing a green European economy, competitive at the global level. It will maintain an integrated approach, covering all facets of innovation and targeting the needs of businesses, in the main, and those of SMEs in particular.

Research, development and innovation will be the subject of in-depth discussions at the European Council in December 2010. As a priority, it must define guidelines for better coordination of Member States' policy in this area. The Belgian Presidency will focus on defining indicators to measure both the extent to which the crucial objective of 3% is being met, as well as the progress achieved through the creation of a European Research Area. Particular attention will be devoted to the free flow of knowledge within this European Research Area and to the simplification of Community programmes.

October European Council

In the operational part of the presidency programme, Belgium turns to the upcoming European Council meeting in October 2010 (page 12):

In accordance with the European Council’s decision of March 2010, the October European Council will focus its attention on research and development and specifically examine the resources required to increase Europe’s innovation potential and competitive capacity in light of the challenges it faces. The Belgian Presidency will ensure that the debate is properly prepared and monitored by all sittings of the Council concerned.

Are both the October and December European Council meetings going to be dedicated to the same subjects?



Intellectual property


Under Competitiveness, the Belgian presidency programme deals with the related area of intellectual property, where the tenor seems to be more supportive of the interests of rights holders and the US administration than of user industries, ordinary users and “digital natives” (page 21 to 22):

Intellectual property

Adequate protection of intellectual property has been identified in the Europe 2020 Strategy as one of the most significant obstacles to successful operation of the internal market. Appropriate innovation and protection of innovative ideas form a whole at a European level. Under the Belgian Presidency, the Council will continue its work on the resolution of questions which remain open, both for the EU patent and for the unified patent litigation system.

Regarding copyright, under the Belgian Presidency, the Commission’s legislative initiative on orphan works will be the subject of an initial policy debate at the Council. Taking into account the digital development of libraries such as Europeana and other private initiatives, the Council will seek to make the most of an opportunity for European legislation on the matter.

Among the various initiatives in progress concerning the respect of intellectual property rights, at both a European and an international level, the Belgian Presidency will give special priority to negotiations on the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) with a view to their conclusion before the end of 2010.

Industrial policy

Also related to innovation is the coming Europe 2020 flagship initiative for industrial policy (page 22):

The Belgian Presidency will promote the launch of “Industrial policy in the era of globalization” as a flagship initiative of the Europe 2020 Strategy, while ensuring the articulation of the horizontal approach and the dimensions associated with these sectors. In particular, this new industrial strategy seeks to ensure the development of a proactive consultation process concerning the transition of the European economy to a green economy which is competitive on the world stage, and to provide a response to the challenges and opportunities which this poses to European industry.

Innovation Union


The flagship initiative Innovation Union, including various aspects of research, development and innovation are dealt with at length in the Belgian presidency programme (from page 22 to 24):

Research, development and innovation will be highlighted as priorities during the second half of 2010 within the context of the Europe 2020 Strategy through the "Innovation Union" flagship initiative. In compliance with conclusions adopted by the European Council in March 2010, the Council must make a contribution on this subject in preparation for the European Council in December. The Belgian Presidency will focus on formulating guidelines, defining policy objectives and developing indicators which allow progress on the creation of a European Research Area (ERA) to be measured.

On the basis of the Commission communication concerning the plan for research and innovation, the Belgian Presidency will favour an integrated approach covering multiple facets of innovation – technological, non-technological, and social – which promote its distribution throughout the economic fabric and which respond to the current challenges and the needs of businesses, particularly SMEs. In the context of the knowledge triangle, the role of clusters and the relationship between research centres, training and business will be examined.

In light of the development of the 8th Framework Programme, under the Belgian Presidency, the Council will conduct work relating to the simplification of administrative procedures and financial controls from the 7th Framework Programme for Research and Development.

Throughout the Belgian Presidency, particular attention will be given to the development of the following three initiatives relating to free circulation of knowledge within the European Research Area:

• definition of framework conditions for the “joint-programming” initiative with social challenges as the priority;

• continuation of the execution of the European partnership for researchers, in particular to increase their mobility and improve their status;

• promotion of improved integration in universities and research institutes within the knowledge triangle.

Under the Belgian Presidency, the Council will work to develop the role of the regions in the development, implementation and monitoring of research and European Scientific Policy.

Under the Belgian Presidency, the Council will examine the contribution of R&D to a sustainable society through strategic bio-economy initiatives, the plan for the development of low carbon technologies, (SET Plan) and marine and maritime research.

The Council will continue the discussion on the ITER project and examine the possibility of extending the 7th Euratom Framework Programme (scheduled to end in 2011) so that it comes to an end at the same time as the 7th Research Framework Programme due to end in 2013.

In the space sector, the Presidency will seek to ensure progress is made in the definition of a European vision for space exploration in order to allow the European Union's flagship programmes for the space sector to operate sustainably as soon as possible. Finally, the implementation of competence in the space sector, accorded to the EU by the Treaty of Lisbon, will receive the undivided attention of the Belgian Presidency which will seek to bring together existing European expertise and infrastructures in the space sector, in particular those of the European Space Agency.

Innovation is mentioned in other contexts as well, such as health, transport and education.

Verbally, at least, the EU Council takes research, development and innovation seriously, as it should with China just ten years from closing the innovation gap.




Ralf Grahn

Europe 2020 strategy: Innovation Union - preparation and communication

There is a link to the European Council’s conclusions [to be adopted] 17 June 2010, but otherwise the European Commission’s central website for the Europe 2020 strategy for jobs and growth is still as dead as the dodo.



While waiting for the Commission, the Council, the European Parliament and the member states to start communicating the Europe 2020 strategy in earnest, we continue looking for elements of the flagship initiative Innovation Union.



We already looked at Innovation Union in the light of the Commission’s communication on the Europe 2020 strategy: COM(2010) 2020 final.



With China about to close the innovation performance gap in ten years, one would expect the European leaders to be shaken as well as stirred into action. The Commission’s Work Programme (CWP) for 2010, and especially the so called Roadmap published by the Impact Assessment Board (IAB) on the initiative Research and Innovation Plan added useful elements to our knowledge.



DG Enterprise and Industry



The home page of the European Commission’s Directorate-General Enterprise and Industry offers two links to the Europe 2020 strategy.



The text link takes us to a page with a general description, which mentions the European Council 26 March 2010. It offers a further link to the central Europe 2020 web page we already gave a preliminary death certificate.



The graphic link of DG Enterprise takes us directly to the central Europe 2020 web page, but naturally the contents remain the same.



Do we fare any better if we look under Innovation policies? Future EU innovation policies catches our eye.

Yes, we do find materials on preceding public consultations held in 2009, but nothing really new or concrete about the European plan for innovation (Innovation Union) being prepared for presentation in the autumn 2010.



The website of commissioner Antonio Tajani does not add anything on EU2020.

DG Enterprise and Industry should start communicating comprehensively on the preparation of the flagship initiative Innovation Union.



DG Research




The home page of DG Research tells us that commissioner Máire Geoghegan-Quinn arranged a webcast for EU citizens about Innovation Union 17 June 2010. She discussed with participants in an open and convincing manner, and she has promised to post answers to frequently asked questions she was unable to reply to during the webcast.



There is also a frequently updated Innovation Union Facebook page and a group with 318 members.

This is a good start, and the use of interactive communication and social media is promising.



Still, the Press centre and the Facebook group offer mainly disparate news “shrapnel”. The next step could be to create well structured thematic pages for Innovation Union and to contribute to turning the central Europe 2020 web page into a constantly updated website.




Ralf Grahn

China closes the innovation gap in ten years (Innovation Union in Europe 2020 strategy)

With regard to innovation performance, China is showing a rapid rate of relative improvement, which points to a possible closing of the performance gap with the EU in the near future (10 years under a business-as-usual simple linear extrapolation), says an assessment by European Commission experts.



For an inspired tour of antiquated European mindsets versus real world challenges, you can read the blog post by Jason O’Mahony: As Europeans slowly shuffle off history’s pages...


Time for Europeans to wake up?



Innovation Union



The blog post Europe 2020 strategy: Flagship initiative Innovation Union presented the outline of coming action promised by the European Commission in the Europe 2020 communication COM(2010) 2020 final.



We find no updated information on the Commission’s central Europe 2020 web page yet, in general or with regard to the flagship initiative Innovation Union.



Commission Work Programme


Under the headline Advancing the Europe 2020 flagship initiatives, the Commission’s Work Programme (CWP) for 2010 promises (page 5):

Concrete steps will be taken in the coming months to flesh out the Europe 2020 flagship initiatives, in close cooperation with relevant Council formations and stakeholders. The Commission will set out its proposals by way of the following communications:

-----

– “A European plan for research and innovation” (strategic initiative 11): This "Innovation Union" flagship will set out priorities to improve framework conditions for Europe's research and its capacities for creativity and innovation, including eco-innovation. This will contribute to the planned autumn discussion of the European Council.

-----

Source:



Commission Work Programme 2010: Time to act Brussels, Volume I; 31.3.2010 COM(2010) 135 final (13 pages)


In Annex I (Volume II) a Communication on a European Plan for Research and Innovation is promised during the third quarter of 2010 (page 3), in:




Commission Work Programme 2010 Time to act, Volume II Annexes; Brussels, 31.3.2010 COM(2010) 135 final (44 pages)



European plan for research and innovation assessed



The Impact Assessment Board (IAB) has published a so called Roadmap, a preliminary assessment of the Commission Work Programme initiative Research and Innovation Plan (10 pages). The Commission is expected to adopt the Communication on 7 September 2010.

The Roadmap describes the context, including the long term vision for the European Research Area (ERA).

The main problems are laid out in a matter-of-fact way, including the introductory quote of this blog post, which is found on page 2 of the Roadmap.

The Roadmap then presents the objectives of the Innovation Union initiative, the expected impacts of the European plan for research and innovation, evaluations of previous policies and accomplished impact assessment work, as well as plans for further impact assessment work.

The Roadmap is detailed and full of references to sources, in short, an excellent introduction to the state of research and innovation in Europe, and the need for energetic action.




Ralf Grahn

Europe 2020 strategy: Flagship initiative Innovation Union

This blog post presents the European Commission’s proposed flagship initiative Innovation Union.



Background



In the blog entry Europe 2020 strategy: Barroso’s reform flotilla (flagship initiatives), we saw the seven thematic reform programmes proposed by the Commission to promote the strategic aims of the Europe 2020 strategy: jobs and growth.

The European Council 17 June 2010 welcomed the Digital Agenda for Europe and called for the rest of the planned flagship initiatives before the end of 2010:



Conclusions of the European Council 17 June 2010 (document 4 EUCO 13/10; points 7 and 8, page 4).


The main description of the future flagship initiatives is the proposal from the Commission:



Commission: EUROPE 2020 - A strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth; Brussels, 3.3.2010 COM(2010) 2020 final (35 pages)



Innovation Union


The first flagship initiative mentioned in the Commission’s Europe 2020 communication is:

"Innovation Union" to improve framework conditions and access to finance for research and innovation so as to ensure that innovative ideas can be turned into products and services that create growth and jobs.

Innovation Union is sorted under the priority Smart growth. The relevant headline target is reiterated in short form in Annex 1 (page 32):

Achieve the target of investing 3% of GDP in R&D in particular by improving the conditions for R&D investment by the private sector, and develop a new indicator to track innovation.

The Commission described the aim of the flagship initiative Innovation Union like this (page 12):

The aim of this is to re-focus R&D and innovation policy on the challenges facing our society, such as climate change, energy and resource efficiency, health and demographic change. Every link should be strengthened in the innovation chain, from 'blue sky' research to commercialisation.

EU level action


At EU level, the Commission promised to work on multiple fronts (page 12 to 13):

– To complete the European Research Area, to develop a strategic research agenda focused on challenges such as energy security, transport, climate change and resource efficiency, health and ageing, environmentally-friendly production methods and land management, and to enhance joint programming with Member States and regions;

– To improve framework conditions for business to innovate (i.e. create the single EU Patent and a specialised Patent Court, modernise the framework of copyright and trademarks, improve access of SMEs to Intellectual Property Protection, speed up setting of interoperable standards; improve access to capital and make full use of demand side policies, e.g. through public procurement and smart regulation);

– To launch 'European Innovation Partnerships' between the EU and national levels to speed up the development and deployment of the technologies needed to meet the challenges identified. The first will include: 'building the bio-economy by 2020', 'the key enabling technologies to shape Europe's industrial future' and 'technologies to allow older people to live independently and be active in society';

– To strengthen and further develop the role of EU instruments to support innovation (e.g. structural funds, rural development funds, R&D framework programme, CIP, SET plan), including through closer work with the EIB and streamline administrative procedures to facilitate access to funding, particularly for SMEs and to bring in innovative incentive mechanisms linked to the carbon market, namely for fast-movers;

– To promote knowledge partnerships and strengthen links between education, business, research and innovation, including through the EIT, and to promote entrepreneurship by supporting Young Innovative Companies.

National level action


At national level, the Commission saw the need for action by the member states (page 13):

– To reform national (and regional) R&D and innovation systems to foster excellence and smart specialisation, reinforce cooperation between universities, research and business, implement joint programming and enhance cross-border co-operation in areas with EU value added and adjust national funding procedures accordingly, to ensure the diffusion of technology across the EU territory;

– To ensure a sufficient supply of science, maths and engineering graduates and to focus school curricula on creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship;

– To prioritise knowledge expenditure, including by using tax incentives and other financial instruments to promote greater private R&D investments.

As we see, a plethora of actions is proposed under the flagship initiative Innovation Union. They concern different Commission services and Council configurations.




Ralf Grahn