Annexes to COM(2009)512 - "Preparing for our future: Developing a common strategy for key enabling technologies in the EU" - Main contents
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This page contains a limited version of this dossier in the EU Monitor.
| dossier | COM(2009)512 - "Preparing for our future: Developing a common strategy for key enabling technologies in the EU". |
|---|---|
| document | COM(2009)512  |
| date | September 23, 2009 |
Lead markets and public procurement
The EU needs a favourable environment for effective capitalisation of research results in products. It also needs to promote demand which requires a more targeted approach such as the one followed in innovation policy with the Lead Market Initiative. Public procurement may also play a role in stimulating enabling high technologies and innovative leading edge applications. Member States could use pre-commercial procurement and procurement for large-scale, close-to-market innovations to stimulate emerging enabling technology markets.
International comparison of high-tech policies and enhanced international cooperation
The exchange of experiences and best practices between Member States and with other regions should be intensified. The International space station symbolise not only a scientific achievement, but also reflects the industrial gains by joining forces. The Commission will therefore conduct an international comparison of high technology policies in other leading and emerging countries, such as the US, Japan, Russia, China and India and explore the scope for closer cooperation.
Trade Policy
Within the Commission’s ‘Global Europe strategy’ particular attention should be paid to ensure favourable trade conditions for KETs through bilateral and multilateral means, i.e. avoid international market distortions, facilitate market access and investment opportunities, improve IPR protection, and reduce the use of subsidies and tariff and non-tariff barriers at global level.
Trade policy must ensure that potential trade distortions triggered by direct or indirect subsidies in third countries are effectively screened and tackled, for instance through trade defence instruments or through the WTO dispute settlement procedure where violations to existing rules such as the WTO Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures occur. Therefore, the Commission will actively monitor subsidies and other trade distortions by third countries.
The Commission will also assess how to best ensure that future bilateral and multilateral agreements effectively prohibit such subsidy practices and that bilateral dispute settlement clauses are enforced if necessary. Existing international fora, such as the "Governments/Authorities Meeting on Semiconductors (GAMS)", should be used to address the problems that have been identified.
EIB financing instrument and venture capital financing
The Commission will further stimulate increased financial investment in high technology industries for research, development, manufacturing and infrastructure and encourage the EIB to further develop its loan policy to give priority to high technology industry using appropriate instruments like risk sharing finance facility and the loan guarantee instrument or designing new instruments in order to facilitate investments, taking account of the current financial and economic crisis.
The financing of the commercialisation of technological innovation also needs a strengthening of venture capital funds specialised in early-stage investment. Such funds are supported under the financial instruments of the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP)[20]. Sufficient availability of venture capital can be assured through public-private partnerships which play a critical role in the creation and expansion of R&D-intensive companies.[21]
Skills, higher education and training
Attention must be paid to the upgrading of skills and to developing adequate skills strategies to provide appropriate vocational training in response to labour market needs.[22] This can ensure that the full potential of new technologies is exploited. Natural sciences and engineering must achieve their deserved place in the education systems. The percentage of graduates in this area should be increased, also by attracting international talents.[23] Multidisciplinary experience and skills need to be improved. Additional efforts should also be spent in improving green and environmental skills and in introducing environmental studies into engineering and business curricula in line with the EU e-skills strategy.[24]
THE WAY FORWARD
The design of an industrial policy framework for enabling high technologies needs to be founded upon a widely shared and broadly-based EU-wide strategic vision about the technologies that the EU wishes to master in research and production. This will be one important element for developing the EU into a breeding space of innovation. It will also be required to match the European ambition to become a key international player when it comes to facing global societal challenges and to translate its engagement in welfare gains at home and abroad.
To that end a shared long term vision and a strong partnership will be required between the EU, its Member States, businesses and key stakeholders. Therefore the Commission invites Member States to agree on the importance of deploying KETs in the EU and support the orientations set out in the present Communication.
In the short term the Community will foster the deployment of key enabling technologies within its current policy framework: (i) state aid rules (such as the temporary State aid framework) (ii) trade aspects (iii) access to finance notably within the forthcoming innovation act[25] and (iv) reinforcing existing initiatives and/or proposing direct actions in the field of specific enabling high technologies.
Moreover it suggests setting up a high-level expert group tasked with developing a shared longer term strategy for key enabling technologies, addressing particularly the areas identified in chapter 4. This high-level group will be composed of Members States' industrial and academic experts. This high level expert group should build on the results of the key technologies expert group findings in 2005. To create synergies this expert group should rely on and closely co-operate with other Commission expert groups on innovation and technology, the EIT, the European Technology Platforms and Joint Technology Initiatives and should:
1. assess the competitive situation of the relevant technologies in the EU with a particular focus on industrial deployment and their contribution to address major societal challenges,
2. analyse in depth the available public and private R&D capacities for KETs in the EU (on all levels) and
3. propose specific policy recommendations for a more effective industrial deployment of KETs in the EU.
The Commission will report back to the Council and the European Parliament by the end of 2010.
[1] The Conclusions of the Competitiveness Council of 28 May 2009 pointed out "that it is of particular importance to maintain strong R&D investments in high-tech industries in Europe. They provide the most important manufacturing sectors with indispensable technologies" and looked forward "to the Commission's initiative to develop a pro-active policy for enabling high-tech industries".
[2] “Life sciences and biotechnology – A Strategy for Europe” COM(2002)27, “Nanosciences and nanotechnologies: An action plan for Europe 2005-2009” COM(2005) 243 and a European strategic energy technology plan (SET Plan) COM(2007) 723
[3] The Conclusions of the European Council of 12 December 2008 calls for “the launching of a European plan for innovation … encompassing all the conditions for sustainable development and the main technologies of the future”.
[4] Synthesis report of the key technologies expert group (2005); Creative system disruption: towards a research strategy beyond Lisbon.
[5] Science, Technology and Competitiveness key figures report 2008/2009.
[6] Other important ICT areas, such as software and communication technologies, including the development of Future Internet or high-speed broadband are supported by separate EU initiatives and are therefore not in the focus of this Communication; see for instance, A Strategy for ICT R&D and Innovation in Europe: Raising the Game COM (2009) 116.
[7] For a more in depth analysis of the various KETs, see the accompanying Staff Working Paper (SEC (2009) 1257)
[8] See the Integrated Product Policy Communication COM (2003) 302; The Strategic Energy Technology Plan COM (2007) 723 has the main objective to accelerate the development of key technologies such as CCS and renewable technologies; The European Energy Research Alliance (EERA) launched within the framework of the SET-Plan will set up joint programmes, including basic energy science, enabling and breakthrough technologies.
[9] http:// ec.europa.eu/research/era/pdf/key-figures-report2008-2009_en.pdf.
[10] See also, Reviewing Community innovation policy in a changing world COM (2009) 442.
[11] EU countries still have a greater share of science and technology graduates (27%) than Japan (24%) or the US (16%), despite smaller share of researchers in the workforce: Source: Eurostat (2006): “Science, technology and innovation in Europe”.
[12] OECD Science, Technology and Industry: Outlook 2008.
[13] Science, Technology and Innovation key figures report 2005 and “The shifting structure of private equity funding in Europe. What role for early stage investment?” ECFIN/L/6(2005)REP/51515.
[14] Examples of technology platforms related to enabling high technologies include the European Technology Platform on Sustainable Chemistry or the Technology Platform on future manufacturing technologies.
[15] Reviewing Community innovation policy in a changing world COM (2009) 442. This Communication does not replicate general innovation instruments that are needed to foster KETs, but focuses on those actions that are specific to deploy KETs.
[16] The Recovery Plan proposed by the Commission in 2008 includes public private partnerships for research and development related to "Factories of the Future", "Energy-efficient Buildings" and "Green Cars".
[17] Efforts already made such as with the Framework Program and the JTIs on nanoelectronics and Embedded Systems should be reinforced.
[18] Commission Recommendation on the management of intellectual property in knowledge transfer activities and Code of Practice for universities and other public research organisations C(2008)1329.
[19] For the research area see COM (2008) 468 "Towards Joint Programming in Research: Working together to tackle common challenges more effectively."
[20] Decision 1639/2006/EC of 24 October 2006; OJ L 310/15.
[21] For alist of current EIB loans to projects with high technology components, see www.eib.org.
[22] New Skills for New Jobs COM (2008) 868.
[23] A possible indicator for biotechnology for instance is the number of PhD Graduates in Life Sciences, see for instance: European Techno-Economic Policy Support Network (2006): “Consequences, opportunities and challenges of Modern Biotechnology for Europe”; Europe’s overall higher education expenditure is 1.3% of GDP, which is lower than in the US (2.9%); see Bruegel (2009) memos to the new Commission: Europe’s economic priorities 2010-2015.
[24] “e-Skills for the 21st Century: Fostering Competitiveness, Growth and Jobs" COM (2007) 496.
[25] COM (2009) 442.