UNICE warns that FP7 budget cuts would put ERC in doubt

UNICE, the grouping of EU industries, has warned that failure to secure a doubling of the EU research budget would necessitate a reassessment of the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) proposals, perhaps placing initiatives such as the European Research Council (ERC) in doubt. ...

UNICE, the grouping of EU industries, has warned that failure to secure a doubling of the EU research budget would necessitate a reassessment of the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) proposals, perhaps placing initiatives such as the European Research Council (ERC) in doubt.

In its comments on the FP7 proposals, UNICE gives its full support to the Commission's budgetary allocation, and says that it views the plans as an important step towards making research and development a 'responsible contributor' to the competitiveness of Europe'.

However, the document continues: 'We are very aware that at the end of the day the final decision on this lies in the hands of Europe's Finance Ministers rather than those with responsibility for research, development and innovation matters. We hope that narrow national interest will not harmfully effect what has been proposed for the framework programme budget.'

In particular, UNICE would see it as 'an abhorrence' if funding earmarked to improve the competitiveness of Europe (including its research and innovation capabilities) were cut while the allocation to agriculture remains relatively untouched.

'Should the proposed doubling of the budget not come to pass, then it is our view that a reassessment of the FP7 proposals currently on the table will be necessary because some of its proposals and in particular those for the ERC are dependent on new funds being allocated (and not on existing allocated funds being reallocated),' continues the document.

Even if a sufficient budget is agreed to enable the FP7 proposals to be launched in their current form, UNICE argues that the programme will only be a success if it stimulates the transfer of research to commercial products and services. 'This can only be achieved if synergies between 'frontier' and 'applied' research are forthcoming. Promoting such synergy must be a key objective of the proposed ERC,' the paper adds.

Summing up its position, UNICE states that it has high hopes that the proposed new framework programme will be able to reverse the decline in industrial participation observed during FP6. However, the organisation recalls that it has similar hopes when the plans for FP6 were first outlined, but that the reality proved to be quite different. 'Given the inconsistency between what was proposed for FP6 and what eventually came into being, we hope that our (and others) expectations for FP7 will, unlike with FP6, match the reality.'

The paper concludes: 'European business believes that while the FP7/CIP [competitiveness and innovation framework programme] proposals are an important step forward, what will in the long run count for more [...] is how the proposals are implemented. The European institutions and Member State governments have a responsibility to make sure that what is decided upon and written down at the highest level is what is implemented at the lowest work level.'