Spain looks back over a year of progress at Eureka conference
Spain is more than happy with the progress made since it took over the Eureka chairmanship in June last year, according to Professor Fernando Aldana from the Spanish Technology policy ministry of science and technology, representing the Spanish chair of Eureka at the Eureka interparliamentary conference in Madrid on 17 May. The country has achieved its aim to increase the number of projects within the Eureka initiative and has successfully introduced support for R&D (research and development) in the services and tourism sector into Eureka's priority areas, Professor Aldana said at the event, which attracted over 100 parliamentarians from 29 countries. The high level meeting comes near the end of Spain's chairmanship of the Eureka initiative, which aims to facilitate the take up of new and innovative technologies developed in Europe by highlighting promising projects with its 'label'. Projects that have gained this seal of approval have more chance of receiving funding at national level from the Eureka member states. In addition, there has been significant progress in improving collaborative links with the European Commission's Fifth Framework programme and Eureka is involved in ongoing discussions on Research Commissioner Philippe Busquin's proposed European Research Area. At the beginning of this year, a joint working group was set up specifically to discuss how to improve collaboration between the two organisations. It includes high level representatives of the European Commission, the Eureka secretariat and representatives of the Spanish chair. So far the group has met three times and claims to have made significant progress - particularly in the area of agreement of the need for increased support for small and medium sized enterprises and for funding of integrated projects. Eureka is also mentioned specifically in the Commission's proposal for the next framework programme as a valuable mechanism to encourage integrated projects, which are identified as one of the three instruments to implement its seven priorities. Workshops during the interparliamentary conference will address ways to further improve links between Eureka and the European Commission as well as competitiveness and business challenges, the impetus of the service sector in Eureka, the importance of the science and technology sector in the stock market, and the opportunities and challenges for the technology sector in Spain and Europe. 'To be chairing Eureka is useful because it gives an idea of the needs and desires of private industry and business,' said Luisa Fernanda Rudi, President of the Spanish congress of deputies. 'We need common projects that make us better able to compete under global conditions.'
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