IRDAC opinion on proposed rules for participation and dissemination of results under the Fifth Framework Programme
The European Commission's Industrial Research and Development Advisory Committee (IRDAC) has established a working group to advise the Commission on the revision of the model contract for the Fifth RTD Framework Programme. The new model contract will largely be determined by the content of the Decision on the rules for participation and dissemination of results under the Fifth Framework Programme, currently being discussed in the Council and parliament. IRDAC has recently adopted an opinion on the Commission's proposal for these rules. These rules are designed to provide a complete, coherent and transparent framework so that all the specific programmes may be carried out in a harmonized manner. IRDAC is of the opinion that the Commission's proposal contains a number of improvements with respect to the current rules under the Fourth Framework Programme, including: - The fact that the rules for participation and on dissemination are integrated into a single draft Council Decision (currently two separate Decisions under the Fourth Framework Programme); - The fact that greater emphasis is placed on exploitation of RTD results rather than just their dissemination; - The insertion of the "exclusive rights" possibility in the exploitation of results; - Potential users will also be entitled, in specific and consented cases, to receive Community funding. There are, however, certain aspects of the Commission's proposal that have been highlighted by IRDAC as causing concern. These include: - The introduction of new and unclear terminology and definitions, which are often not consistent with current practice in industry; - Too many criteria have been set out for the elaboration and assessment of proposals; - There are problems with integrated projects (research and demonstration), both in relation to the "modulation", or mixing, of funding levels for both parts together, and for the rules on intellectual property rights for the research part of projects; - Arrangements concerning third country participation are still unclear and need to be adapted to suit the needs of European industry better, particularly in regard to intellectual property protection; - The scope of the Technology Implementation Plan also needs to be adapted for European industry.