...And so does business and academia...

At the same time, the Commission has published an overview of the replies to a questionnaire sent by Commissioner Busquin to business, industry and academic European R&D communities, soliciting their opinions on the ERA. Their contributions appear to confirm the Commission's a...

At the same time, the Commission has published an overview of the replies to a questionnaire sent by Commissioner Busquin to business, industry and academic European R&D communities, soliciting their opinions on the ERA. Their contributions appear to confirm the Commission's analysis of the state of R&D in Europe. 'Moreover the contributions allow the Commission to go beyond its preliminary analysis' says the Research DG. 'They provide more detailed appraisals of the situation - as perceived by the contributors, they highlight strengths, and most importantly, the contributors express the most pressing concerns of the correspondents,.'

In essence, these appear to be:

- Europe's unfavourable legislative and economic environment;

- mobility in Europe;

- the absence of science and technology references for policy;

- the lack of entrepreneurship in Europe;

- the 'brain drain';

- training and research in Europe;

- shortages of trained Europeans;

- the negative attitude of the European public towards innovation.

An overview and summary of the notes received by the Commission before 31 July 2000 and elaborating these points are now available on-line at the web address below.

'Most contributions reflect the perception of the business environment as rapidly changing. Some find it difficult to predict,' says the Commission. 'Some replies qualify as self focused, while most of them look at the broader picture. Some deal almost exclusively with the traditional bottom-line, while others include in a measure of success of human and environmental considerations, indicating a clear sense of social responsibility with, in some instances, a distinct touch of social activism.'

The overview is divided into five sections with the first four following the structure of the questionnaire. The fifth section presents the most common areas of concern and highlights the principles underlying most of the suggestions that were made.

Several contributors referred to the UNICE report 'stimulating creativity and innovation in Europe? The UNICE benchmarking report 2000' as well as the IRDAC recommendations in a report entitled 'Qualité et Adéquation - Le Défi de l'education en Europe 1994.' The UNICE report is also available from the Research DG's website.