Capitalising on European research and innovation

This European Commission communication on research and innovation as sources of renewed growth looks at ways of boosting the impact of research and innovation (R & I), which play an important role in supporting future economic growth in Europe. It focuses on how EU countries can raise the quality of investments in this field. In addition, it notes that Europe’s growth potential lies in developing new products and services and that Europe is well placed to capitalise on this potential.

ACT

Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions: Research and innovation as sources of renewed growth (COM(2014) 339 final of 10 June 2014 - not published in the Official Journal).

SUMMARY

Pointing to the Europe 2020 strategy and recent annual growth surveys, the communication recommends that governments should prioritise growth-enhancing expenditure, notably on R & I - even as they strive to lower national deficits and debts (fiscal consolidation).

Those investments should go hand in hand with reforms of R & I systems in order to increase the quality, efficiency and impact of public R & I spending. The communication highlights the importance of enhancing the leverage effect of public R & I spending on business investment and recommends tailoring R & I reforms to the characteristics of each country.

EU countries should focus on three main reform areas:

• 1.

  improving the quality of strategy development and the policymaking process: for example, create an overall R & I strategy with guidance at the highest political level, whilst focusing on a limited number of key strengths and opportunities (smart specialisation);

• 2.

  improving the quality of programmes, focusing of resources and funding mechanisms: for example, focus national R & I programmes more on societal challenges and on solving citizens’ concerns; allocate funding on a competitive basis; make R & I programmes more relevant and accessible to businesses;

• 3.

  optimising the quality of public institutions performing R & I: for example, encourage institutions that receive public R & I funding to be more entrepreneurial and seek out new opportunities/partnerships with businesses, including outside Europe, and attract the best possible researchers to work for them.

To help EU countries make successful R & I reforms, the Commission will call on experience gained under the innovation union flagship initiative and the European research area, whilst exploiting facilities available under Horizon 2020.

The communication says that successful innovation depends on the quality of public policies as well as a strong innovative environment. It highlights EU R & I successes such as the launch of the innovation union, but says that more must be done in fields such as deepening the single market, strengthening the innovation capacity of the public sector, improving access to finance, developing people's skills and fostering ‘frontier research’ (i.e. research in new and emerging fields, which may be cross-disciplinary and involve unconventional approaches).

last update 23.09.2014