18/11/2004

"The future of the European research policy" was the topic of the information day organised in Athens, on 2 November 2004, by the General Secretariat for Research and Technology. The main speaker, Dr Achilleas Mitsos, Director General for Research at the European Commission, presented the initiatives for the 7th Framework Programme, as well as a short but comprehensive overview of FP6 specially focused on the problems encountered during its implementation.

Other speakers were Prof. I. Tsoukalas, General Secretary for Research and Technology, and Dr Christos Vasilakos, responsible for research at the Greek Permanent Representation of the EU. The information day was attended by the national representatives for the 6th Framework Programme, and participants from research centres, universities, etc.

The Minister for Development, D. Sioufas, underlined that research and innovation can significantly boost the Greek economy. He also repeated the goal to increase the national spending for research to 1,5% of the GDP by 2010.

Regarding the Greek participation in FP6, he noted that "The Greek research teams have managed to get involved in wide scale research activities and to claim efficiently EU funding. He also stressed that "We support the need to restore the balance between new and old instruments, in the sense that the funding for traditional instruments should be increased in both the current and the forthcoming Framework Programme. This increase will enhance the participation of the research community, the industry and the SMEs".

As far as the 7th Framework Programme is concerned, the Minister noted that Greece supports the continuity of the Framework Prgramme and the reinforcement of both cooperative research, which produces high added value, and basic research. Moreover, Greece aims to create infrastructure that will put the country in the lead of European politics in SE Europe, the Balkans and near East.

In his opening speech, Dr A. Mitsos made some general remarks on the European research policy, stressing that the research budget is, for the first time, at the centre of decisions on the future of the European budget. However, the public domain in the EU countries should establish the appropriate environment to maximize the participation of the private sector in research.

Moreover, he noted that the research and innovation policies, although connected, constitute two different issues. "Only the knowledge constitutes a product of research. The way this knowledge is disseminated and converted into a product is another issue. Generally, the policy for the transfer and dissemination of knowledge includes various domains, from education to innovation and industrial policy, and there is still a lot to be done in these areas".

New thematic priorities and intervention means in the FP7

Referring to the thematic priorities of FP7, Dr A. Mitsos stressed that "It is the priorities that should be important. They have to constitute a public good, in the sense that there should be a reason to place public spending in the promotion of a particular area, as well as a reason for the public spending to come from the Community budget. The European intervention through FP7 is related to the European added value, meaning the need for cooperation between the countries in the framework of the external economies, as well as the link of the EU research policy with the European policies in other areas".

The most important novelties in the Commission's proposal for the new Framework Programme are: the establishment of the European Research Council (a new institution that will fund basic research on a competitive basis), the research platforms (an initiative to promote the cooperation between companies, research centres, funding bodies and the pubic sector for the identification of common research priorities in specific areas) and the funding of new research infrastructures.

Dr A. Mitsos made particular reference to the "guides" that should determine the research priorities: a) the European Council, the Parliament and the Commission, that have no intention to radically revise the priorities, b) the industry, that will contribute to the initiative for the technology platforms, and c) the scientific community, reflected in the views of the European Research Council.

In general, the current instruments (new and traditional) will be maintained, with a trend of balance. There will also be some new types of instruments, like the joint technological initiatives related to wide scale projects.

Regarding the European Research Council, Dr A. Mitsos claimed that it should operate autonomously, using scientific excellence as the unique criterion for the evaluation and funding of projects. It should not, however, replace the national funding.

Concerning the European research potential, he underlined that the Marie Curie programme is particularly successful, and that a budget increase will be requested. The link between national and the European scholarship systems should also be strengthened, given that although the researchers' mobility and career issues are at the centre of EU discussions, they are mainly subject of national policies.

Another priority of the new Framework Programme is the funding of new large research infrastructures, with the widest possible definition, the 6th Framework Programme having provided funding only for studies about infrastructure, as well as for networking and accessibility issues.

Emphasis will be placed on the utilization of the existing research capital, a problem affecting not only the new EU member states, but also some of the old ones. A new programme is being prepared in order to identify research institutes and areas that a country can develop. This programme aims at countries and regions characterized as "Target 1" in the European regional policy, and therefore a significant part of Greece can profit from it. Another key objective is to attract researchers from third countries.

Prof. I. Tsoukalas stated that the government intends to provide all the necessary horizontal instruments for research management to allow, at national level, the best possible coordination of all activities realized by diverse ministries and bodies. Dr Ch. Vasilakos referred to the conclusions of the last European Council on the future of research. He also underlined the need for collectivity and coordinated actions for the promotion of the Greek interests.

Facing the problems of the 6th Framework Programme

Regarding the 6th Framework Programme, Dr A. Mitsos presented the main problems that have aroused till today and have to be tackled in the forthcoming Programme.

The participation of SMEs in FP6 with a percentage of 15% is one of them, since this specific goal has not been achieved yet. Moreover, there has been an "over-submission" in certain areas, such as the Marie Curie programme, in the sense that many high quality proposals had been submitted but only few of them could be funded. To avoid time and effort consuming proposal preparation, a two-step evaluation process will be implemented in certain areas of the Programme. Another problem encountered in FP6 is the limited utilization of certain possibilities offered, such as the funding of cooperation with third countries, an action that Greek bodies could exploit.

For the new instruments, Dr A. Mitsos stressed that they have been introduced quite abruptly, with the emphasis placed on the size rather than the target. "This has led to a need to support big projects. However, nothing prohibits Networks of Excellence from having smaller size than the Specific Targeted Research Projects. Another misconception is that the Networks of Excellence concern big projects, big countries and big organizations".

Dr A. Mitsos supported the creation of autonomous research councils in all countries. He also mentioned that Greek researchers have an excellent presence, at European level, in all actions of the Framework Programme.

Finally, all speakers stressed the need for Greek researchers to actively participate in the determination of various targets in the calls for proposals in FP6, as well as in the thematic priorities of FP7. With efficient and prompt interventions by the national representatives, at European level, the Greek participation can be significantly increased.