Brussels, 16/07/2010 (Agence Europe) - European research and industry ministers agreed, on Thursday 15 July, to better coordinate research and innovation policies in future in order to give a boost to European competitiveness while streamlining budgets. Given the current crisis, “if we want to meet the major challenges of society, we should do more and do it better, together, without necessarily stepping up the budgets but by being more effective and better coordinated in the use of funding”, the Wallonian minister for the economy, Jean-Claude Marcourt, said after an informal joint meeting between European ministers for research and industry, in Brussels. Commissioner for Research and Innovation Máire Geoghegan-Quinn confirmed the presentation, this September, of a plan for research and innovation, which above all aims to speed up and simplify the funding of research programmes in Europe, especially to the benefit of SMEs. “As long as funding for fundamental research is kept at its current level, or increased, the principle of more selective funding for research and innovation can be envisaged”, the Brussels minister for research, Benoît Cerexhe, said. In his view, this selection could be organised on the basis of the current major challenges facing society (climate change, the efficient use of energy and natural resources, demographic mutation, health challenges and social exclusion). Ministers also underlined it was necessary to remove obstacles to the single market for innovation, mainly through breaking the deadlock on the European patent, the development of European standardisation (electric cars) and simplification, at the cost of doing away with existing instruments. They also welcomed the principle of partnerships to close the gap between supply and demand. According to the ministers, such partnerships should respect excellence and simplicity and promote closer links between universities and businesses. Also, the Belgian EU Presidency supported the creation of a standing European programme for heightening awareness of innovation in order to develop the culture of innovation, change and risk-taking. In order to support creativity and the entrepreneurial spirit, especially in education, the presidency finally defended the proposal for the creation of an association of “Innovation and European towns”, and the holding of a European innovation convention. (B.C./transl.jl)