How is Europe boosting its innovation economy?
Made in Europe: i-conomy, bio-economy, lower-carbon, add some salty stimulus and steer…
Europe has always been trying to increase it power and influence over the international stage, competing against the US and the increasing dominance of China. How can we make Europe attractive to scientists and entrepreneurs so that they develop valuable innovations in our shores? How do we create opportunities in Europe to make sure that our young geniuses won’t flee their home countries to work in the US or Asia? Can we make the life of private companies and small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) easier to invest in research and development (R&D) in Europe? Those are some of the questions and challenges that the EU Commission has answered through its Europe 2020 strategy.
The budget for the Seventh Framework Programme calls for proposals in 2011 is EUR6.4 billion, up 12% in comparison to 2010 (EUR5.7 billion) and 30% in comparison to 2009 (EUR4.9 billion). The calls for proposals will feed in to Europe’s “Innovation Union” flagship, which Commissioner Geoghegan-Quinn will launch in autumn 2010. This initiative is central to the Europe 2020 strategy, and aims to boost the whole innovation chain “from research to retail”, by marrying world-class science with an innovation economy – baptised “i-conomy”. It will remove bottlenecks which hamper a single market in innovation and which prevent Europe competing as well as it should with the US and others.
In the words of Commissioner Máire Geoghegan-Quinn:
We are offering researchers and innovators EUR6.4 billion for cutting-edge projects focusing on big economic and societal challenges: climate change, energy and food security, health and an ageing population. This is a huge and efficient economic stimulus and an investment in our future.
Top priority is given to SME, the backbone of the European innovation system, representing 99% of all European businesses. SMEs, will receive close to EUR800 million and for the first time, there will be ring-fenced budgets in several areas. For example, in health, knowledge-based bio-economy, environment and nanotechnologies, SME participation must reach 35 % of the total budget for a number of topics.
There is a EUR1.2 billion boost to Information and Communication Technology (ICT) research, which will help deliver the Commission’s commitment in the Digital Agenda for Europe to maintain the pace of yearly increases in ICT funding. Around EUR600 million of ICT funding is earmarked for next generation network and service infrastructures, robotic systems, electronic and photonic components, and digital content technologies. More than EUR400 million will support research into how ICTs can address challenges such as a lower-carbon economy, an ageing society, and adaptable and sustainable factories. EUR90 million is also earmarked in 2011 for the Future Internet Public Private Partnership to make key European infrastructures “smart”.
More than EUR1.3 billion are reserved for the best creative scientists selected by the European Research Council. Mobility grants for 7,000 highly qualified researchers will be provided through “Marie Curie Actions”, worth EUR772 million. In nanotechnologies (EUR270 million), the focus will be on research that could lead to patenting and commercialisation opportunities.
Health gets over EUR600 million. In health research alone, around EUR206 million – one-third of the overall budget for 2011 – will be spent on investigator-driven clinical trials to get new medicines on the market quicker.
At a EU level, the Commission will work towards improving the framework so that businesses can innovate. It starts by creating the Single EU Patent and a specialised Patent Court; by modernising the framework of copyrights and trademarks; by improving SMEs’ access to Intellectual Property Protection; by speeding up setting of interoperable standards and by improving access to capital – among other actions.
At a national level, Member States will have to foster scientists by making sure that school curricula focus on innovation, science and entrepreneurship. They will also have to ensure that those newly born experts stay and work in the EU through tax incentives and by providing great R&D private investments – among other reforms that will have to be implemented.
That’s a lot of promises, let’s keep a record. Made in Europe.
