Parliamentary report on the exploitation of RTD results
A report made by the Energy Committee of the European Parliament (18.11.1993) on the dissemination and exploitation of research results from Community RTD programmes emphasized the need for wider distribution and application of information. The report, which was supported by a Resolution of the European Parliament, considers that greater effort should be made to inform companies that could make practical use of research results, in particular small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). At present, these companies hear little about Community research. Many enterprises, especially SMEs, have a need for technology which is already in existence, but which, in some cases, they have no knowledge of. It is therefore important to establish mechanisms to understand the requirements of such companies and to find solutions for their technological problems. In order to do this, use should be made of the results of Community and national research, and also of already-established and applied knowledge, which must be transferred to the companies having the greatest need. In addition, the report considers that the Commission's present use of the results of RTD is unsatisfactory, even though the research itself is often of a high quality. Innovation and technology transfer (ITT) is the weakest point of the Community's scientific and technological policy. For these reasons, an ambitious and well financed ITT programme is proposed. The objective of such a programme must be to bring research to the service of production and to increase the competitivity of European enterprises.