Brussels, 12/10/2005 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday, the Commission adopted a communication which proposes to bring together 19 measures in an integrated action plan for research and innovation. This action plan, which is the brainchild of the services of Commissioners Günter Verheugen (Industry) and Janez Potocnik (Research), attempts to create a certain impetus, by bringing together the instruments which may be used to support innovation and thus growth. It includes actions already provided for in terms of competitiveness or as part of the framework programme for research, work on the re-definition of guidelines on State aid, actions to improve the mobility of researchers, the involvement of the structural funds and the EIB, universities and national research programmes.
The action plan includes 19 actions under four different planks: (1) Research and innovation within EU policies: -better regulation in favour of new technologies; - reallocating State aid to research and innovation; - improving the effectiveness and protection of intellectual property; -a single market which is attractive to researchers; - use of public procurement contracts to encourage research and innovation; - better and more widely used tax incentives; (2) Research and innovation within EU funding: - mobilisation of resources for the benefit of high technologies; - European structural funds as a driving force behind research and innovation; - improved access to funding for SMEs; - mobilisation of national programmes for funding of European research and innovation; (3) Research and innovation within enterprise: -development of university/industry partnerships; - centres of innovation and industrial groupings based around research; - "pro-active" support services to business to stimulate research and innovation; - management of innovation and social change; - potential of innovative services; - European monitoring system for industrial research and innovation; (4) Improved research and innovation policies: -research and innovation as a priority of national programmes for growth and employment; - improved policy analysis instruments;- promoting awareness of policies and cooperation.
Presenting this plan to the press, Janez Potocnik pointed out that it had been drafted with an eye to offering concrete solutions to entrepreneurs, and that it was based on a "cross-cutting approach", to fight obstacles to innovation, which are present in all sectors of the economy. The Commission appointed out that the EU is " still a long way from its objective of 3% of GDP invested in research by 2010" and, with the "full support" of Günter Verheugen, he pleaded in favour of massive investment in knowledge. He also stressed the major impact of the doubling of the research budget, as proposed by the Commission for the period 2007-2013.