Independent expert group urges Europe's leaders to take radical action on research and innovation
Brussels, 20 January 2006: Independent expert group urges Europe's leaders to take radical action on research and innovation "before it is too late". In a final report submitted to the European Commission today, an independent Expert Group has called for a Pact for Research and Innovation to be signed by political, business and social leaders to show their commitment to creating an Innovative Europe. The experts state that current trends are unsustainable in the face of global competition. Therefore a new vision is needed to address a series of productivity and social challenges faced by Europe. The group was set up by the European Commission following the European Council held at Hampton Court in October 2005 and asked to advise on ways of boosting the EU's research and innovation performance.
The 4-person Group, chaired by former Prime Minister of Finland Esko Aho, argues that there is a large gap between the political rhetoric about the knowledge society and the reality of budgetary and other priorities that have shown little shift in engaging with it. They propose a 4-pronged strategy focusing on the creation of innovation friendly markets, on strengthening R&D resources, on increasing structural mobility as well as fostering a culture which celebrates innovation. The reason business is failing to invest enough in R&D and innovation in Europe is the lack of an innovation-friendly market in which to launch new products and services. To create such a market they recommend actions on harmonised regulation, ambitious use of standards, driving demand through public procurement, a competitive intellectual property rights regime and fostering a culture which celebrates innovation. Large scale strategic actions are called for to provide an environment in which supply-side measures for research investment can be combined with the process of creating a demand and a market. The Group identifies several examples: e-Health, Pharmaceuticals, Energy, Environment, Transport and Logistics, Security, and Digital Content. They call for an independent High Level Coordinator to be appointed to orchestrate European action in each area across Member States, different parts of government and the Commission, business, academia and other stakeholders.
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