Brussels, 30/05/2008 (Agence Europe) - Although the final decision has not yet been made, Budapest seems very well placed to win the headquarters of the new European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), it emerged from a working dinner on Thursday 29 May 2008 on the fringes of the Competitiveness Council meeting in Brussels. At their meeting on Friday, EU research ministers adopted a statement by the upcoming trio of EU Presidency countries aimed to ensure progress in the full introduction of a European research area (ERA). The EU27 also formally adopted a draft regulation establishing a public-private research partnership on hydrogen and fuel cells.
Budapest, the capital of Hungary, is expected to be chosen to house the headquarters of the new European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), but several other cities are vying with Budapest to win the EIT headquarters, namely Wroclaw in Poland, Iena in Germany, San Cugat del Valles in Spain and a joint candidacy from Bratislava in Slovakia and Vienna in Austria. Over dinner, the ministers were unable to make the final decision due to vetoing by Poland. The ministers agreed, however, that only two cities remain in the running - Budapest and Wroclaw. The Slovenian Presidency of the EU managed to introduce common selection criteria that leave little doubt about the final outcome. The EIT headquarters should be sited in a new member state and, in all fairness, priority should be given to member states which do not yet house other EU agencies. The EU agency for the management and operational cooperation at external borders (Frontex) is based in Poland's capital, Warsaw. The ministers again stressed that the decision on the EIT would have to be taken as soon as possible and they agreed to meet again on 18 June 2008. If they make a unanimous decision, they may decide to convene an intergovernmental conference to endorse their decision.
The ministers focussed their debate on the Ljubljana Process that aims, by 2010, to achieve consensus among member states over new governance for the European research area (see EUROPE 9644). During the debate, the next three countries holding the rotating EU Presidency (France, the Czech Republic and Sweden) issued a joint statement confirmed their desire to closely cooperate in ensuring the process is a success. The three Presidencies announced that they are planning to encourage political debate on three broad issues, namely how governance inter-related between higher education, research, innovation and other closely connected political areas; the impact of geographical expansion of the ERA; and the need to associate the main stakeholders, particularly industry and academia, with the new ERA governance structures.
The Council also adopted a regulation on joint technological initiatives to set up a fuel cells and hydrogen joint undertaking. The regulation covers a research programme aiming over the next six yeas at speeding up research in developing fuel cell and hydrogen technologies in Europe, so they can be marketed in the decade from 2010 to 2020. The EU will provide funding of €470 million and the private sector is expected to stump up a similar sum. The EP's opinion on this draft regulation is dated 20 May 2008 (see EUROPE 9669).
The research ministers adopted a non-binding resolution on the management of intellectual property during the transfer of knowledge, and a code of good practice for universities and other public research bodies. The text aims to be a constructive starting point in a process of raising awareness about issues surrounding the management of intellectual property rights at EU level. The Council adopted conclusions on an integrated model of family-friendly scientific careers based on a raft of measures to provide researchers, patricianly women researchers, with an environment compatible with a family life. The Council adopted without debate a conclusions document on improving the assessment procedures for European research programmes and their regional dimension. After the Research Council meeting she had been chairing, Slovenian higher education, science and technology minister Mojca Kucler Dolinar said she was happy with the results achieved in science and research and although some criticise what they see as excess ambition, she said the harvest would be excellent. (B.C.)