Annexes to COM(2014)549 - Annual Report on Research and Technological Development Activities of the EU in 2013 - Main contents
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This page contains a limited version of this dossier in the EU Monitor.
| dossier | COM(2014)549 - Annual Report on Research and Technological Development Activities of the EU in 2013. |
|---|---|
| document | COM(2014)549  |
| date | September 4, 2014 |
The Strategic Forum for International S&T Cooperation reviewed and streamlined its Rules of Procedures to improve coordination of and with the Member States' international cooperation activities. The Eastern Partnership Panel on research and innovation agreed to work jointly towards the elaboration of a Joint Strategy for cooperation. At the November 2013 meeting of the EU-Africa High-Level Policy Dialogue on Science, Technology and Innovation, the parties agreed to start working towards a long-term jointly funded and co-owned research and innovation partnership with a first focus on food and nutrition security and sustainable agriculture.
The high-level meeting 'The Atlantic: A Shared Resource' was organized in Galway in May, leading to the signature of the Galway Declaration by the EU, Canada and the USA and the launch of the Transatlantic Ocean Research Alliance.
Three Destination Europe conferences were organised in the USA together with the Member States and the Associated Countries to raise awareness of the excellence of European research and the career and funding opportunities available in Europe for researchers worldwide.
In line with the goal of promoting a level playing field for cooperation and addressing framework conditions inhibiting cooperation, the first high-level meeting of the Innovation Cooperation Dialogue with China took place in November 2013 in Beijing. There was a shared interest in promoting predictable, transparent and effective framework conditions related to innovation and an Expert Task Force on Innovation Cooperation was created to identify and promote successful practices in the EU and China.
The EU-Russia Year of Science was successfully launched in November. This high-level event provided both sides to reiterate their commitment to EU-Russian cooperation in Science and Technology.
7. Joint Research Centre (JRC)
The JRC is the European Commission's in-house science service and the only Commission service in charge of direct research. The JRC's mission is to provide EU policies with independent, evidence-based scientific and technical support throughout the whole policy cycle. Working in close cooperation with policy Directorates-General, the JRC addresses key societal challenges while stimulating innovation through developing new methods, tools and standards, and sharing its know-how with the Member States, the scientific community and international partners.
In 2013 the JRC responded to a growing number of requests for scientific support to policy from the Commission policy services related to the EU’s priorities, especially in the framework of the EU’s blueprint for smart growth - Europe 2020. The JRC provided direct scientific support to thematic policy areas such as: financial stability and the Economic and Monetary Union; single market, growth, jobs and innovation; low-carbon economy, resource efficiency environment and climate change; energy and transport; agriculture and food security; health and consumer protection; information society and digital agenda; public health and safety, nuclear safety and security.
In order to manage efficiently its increasing responsibilities, the JRC has taken a more multidisciplinary and cross-sectorial approach by elaborating the first JRC Work Programme (2014-2015) within Horizon 2020, which is based on a newly designed rolling plan, and a project structure of finer granularity. Stronger innovation, combined with new international partnerships, help to address pressing global issues such as climate change, health, food security and poverty. The JRC’s strengthened relations and networks with EU and international partners are crucial for global scientific excellence.
Underpinning policies with solid scientific evidence and sound analysis requires state-of-the- art infrastructure for science activities, quality data and appropriate analytical tools. As an example, a new eco-friendly and energy efficient science building was opened at the JRC’s Ispra site (Italy).
8. Implementing The Seventh Framework Programme
In 2012, the Commission launched the biggest ever set of calls for proposals under the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7). To ease the transition to Horizon 2020, there was a strong focus on actions integrating a breadth of activities, with the potential for creating a high impact. Approximately 45 calls for proposals were concluded in 2013 for a total indicative budget of EUR 4.9 billion. A total of around 20 000 eligible proposals were received, of which nearly 3 000 were retained for funding, resulting in a success rate of nearly 15 % on a proposal basis.
A total of 67 630 applicants were involved in all eligible proposals, for total project costs of over EUR 34 billion and a total requested EU contribution of nearly EUR 28 billion. A total of 12 702 applicants were involved in the retained proposals, for total project costs of nearly EUR 6 billion and a total requested EU contribution of over EUR 4 billion. The overall success rate was 18.78 % in terms of applicants and 15.96 % in terms of EU contribution requested.
9. Outlook for 2014
The Commission remains committed to delivering on the objectives of the Europe 2020 strategy. It is currently working on the implementation of the Communication to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions on assessing research and innovation as sources of future growth entitled "Research and innovation as sources of renewed growth".[10]
For the development of the Horizon 2020 work programme 2016-2017, a wider consultation and discussion with Member States will be among the Commission priorities. It will also take into account new intelligence on scientific, technological, economic, market, and social trends and foresight, as well as current and emerging policy needs to build on its competitive advantages and seize new opportunities.
In 2014, the Commission will also continue to deliver on the Innovation Union actions. It will present the '2010-2014 State of the Innovation Union' report, showing results and key findings. However, in the light of the on-going crisis, Europe needs to continue its efforts to make the Innovation Union a reality.
The 2013 ERA Progress Report was discussed during the Competitiveness Council in September 2013, and will pave the way for the adoption of Council Conclusions on ERA in 2014. The Commission will organise a conference following the publication of the 2014 Progress Report to be issued in September. A full assessment of progress in implementing ERA will be made through the 2014 ERA Survey, which aims at identifying implementation actions required to complete a single market for researchers, knowledge and technology. The 2014 ERA Survey will be crucial for identifying areas where progress has been made and where further efforts are required.
The Commission has furthermore launched an EU-wide consultation of all stakeholders on the lessons to be learned and on the main factors that should help it in shaping the next stages of the EU's post-crisis growth strategy for the 2015-2020 period. It will present concrete proposals in early 2015.
[1] http://ec.europa.eu/programmes/horizon2020/en/news/horizon-2020-brief-eu-framework-programme-research-innovation.
[2] Adopted by the European Parliament on 15 April 2014 and the Council of the European Union on 6 May 2014.
[3] http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/portal/desktop/en/home.html.
[4] http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/policies/innovation/policy/innovation-scoreboard/index_en.htm
[5] The 2013 ERA Progress Report was accompanied by the Facts and Figures which showed the different levels of progress towards the completion of ERA, reflecting national priorities. See: http://ec.europa.eu/research/era/era-progress-2013.htm
[6] COM(2013)800 final.
[7] The Conference of European Schools for Advanced Engineering Education and Research (CESAER) joined the Stakeholder Platform on 17 July 2013 as the sixth stakeholder organisation and handed over a Unilateral Statement to the Commission.
[8] These are: European Association of Research and Technological Organisations (EARTO), the European University Association (EUA), the League of European Research Universities (LERU), NordForsk, Science Europe and CESAER.
[9] COM(2012)497
[10] COM(2014)339.