Venturing into the European Research Area – some far-reaching speculations Wolfgang Polt Institute of Technology and Regional Policy - Joanneum Research / Vienna [email protected]6CP Conference ‚Crossing Borders‘, 30.- 31.10.2003, Kismarton/Ödenburg
34
Embed
Venturing into the European Research Area – some far-reaching speculations Wolfgang Polt Institute of Technology and Regional Policy - Joanneum Research.
This document is posted to help you gain knowledge. Please leave a comment to let me know what you think about it! Share it to your friends and learn new things together.
Transcript
Venturing into the European Research Area –
some far-reaching speculations
Wolfgang PoltInstitute of Technology and Regional Policy - Joanneum Research / Vienna
• Increased volume and scope of FPs• New instuments to achieve closer
integration of RTD efforts• Open Method of Coordination (OMC) to
better co-ordinate national policies• Definition of common goals on the
European levelEU becoming an increasingly important
actor (...or so one might think...)
Growing role of European RTD policies? (II)
• FPs still only a small fraction of overall EU RTD expenditure
• EU RTD policies not figuring prominently – in the policy agendas of most larger
countries – and probably the most developed
small countries as well (SF !)
The rationale behind the concept:
• „Brussels, we have a problem....“: percieved relative weakness in technological development and innovation (despite scientifc excellence, hence the ‚European Paradox‘)
• ‚15+1‘-situation led to fragmentation, isolated policies, ‚governance gap‘ and reduced efficiency in policy implementation
• „our main message is [...] that the FP alone is not enough to implement European RTD policy. It needs to be complemented by other tools“ (FP assessment panel, 2000)
What is ERA ... and what could it probably be?
• ERA as a goal• ERA as a political concept• ERA as a an instrument• When will we know when we are
there?
The main pillars of the current approach:
• FP• IPs, NoEs• Art 169
Effects of the FP: converging EU RTD systems?
• The FPs have had – a ‚europeanisation effect‘ in terms of
sustained networking, increased collabortation in publishing etc.
– a ‚convergence effect‘ on the participating countries in terms of participation patterns
– probably for the smaller/less R&D intensive countries a ‚guidance effect‘
– a ‚distributional effect‘ among member countries
What else can we say about the FPs?
• The FPs have had – a ‚europeanisation effect‘ in terms
of sustained networking – a ‚convergence effect‘ on the
participating countries in terms of participation patterns
ERA for a ‚growing Europe‘ (I)
• ‚Sapir-Report‘: „An agenda for a growing Europe“. July 2003
• Among the main findings: – Europe is underinvesting in R&D and
education in comparison to US and Asian countries („growing inadequancy of public support for R&D“)
– Europe as a whole is not growing on the „Growth/Technology Frontier“ (indication: trade-off between productivity and employment)
– ...while growth in the recent decades was closely linked to innovation and skills
ERA for a ‚growing Europe‘ (II)
• Recommendations of the ‚Sapir-Report‘:– „Boosting investment in knowledge“:
increased spending on R&D and education/HC
• Tax credits• IPRs• Centers of excellence
– Increased mobility and immigration• ‚Green cards‘• Portability of social security benefits /
compatibility of regulation
ERA for a ‚growing Europe‘ (III)
• Increasing policy coherence and changing policy governance: – COM should extend its capabilities for
strategic decisions, implementation should be devolved to independent bodies: • European Agency for Science and
Research (modelled after the NSF)• Fund for economic growth (R&D and
innovation, education and training, infrastructure)
• ....Funds for convergence, re-structuring....
European patterns of RTDI policy: a ‚governance gap‘
• Growth of FPs in scope and volume• ...but RTDI policies – especially in
the larger countries´- are still formulated with a pre-dominantly national focus (even those vis-a-vis the EU!)
• ... Still a ‚15+1‘ situation: European RTD policy being just an additional layer
Governance Regimes in EU policies
Outlook for a new ERA
• Increasing policy coherence and changing policy governance: – COM should extend its capabilities for
strategic decisions, implementation should be devolved to independent bodies: • European Agency for Science and
Research (modelled after the NSF)• Fund for economic growth (R&D and
innovation, education and training, infrastructure)
• ....Funds for convergence, re-structuring....
New Member States‘Participation in the 5th
Framework Programme
Sources:
OECD; EUROSTAT; PROVISO latest data Dec. 2002; own calculations