Commission gives further details of EIT proposal
Following a wide ranging consultation of stakeholders and Member States, the European Commission has released a communication setting out further details for its planned European Institute of Technology (EIT). Originally proposed in 2005, the EIT is envisaged as a flagship project for promoting excellence in higher education, research and innovation in the EU. At their Council Meeting in March, European leaders invited the Commission to continue to flesh out their plans in more detail. Early proposals for the EIT met with criticism from universities, and the latest communication takes on board many of the comments received during the consultation, clarifying the structure and functioning of the Institute. At the heart of the concept will be the EIT Governing Board. Made up of representatives of the scientific and business communities, the board will identify strategic scientific challenges in interdisciplinary areas and, on a competitive basis, will select 'Knowledge Communities' to address them. These Knowledge Communities will be integrated partnerships, made up of teams put together by universities, research organisations and industry with the aim of setting a medium to long term (10-15 years) research, education and innovation agenda. The Knowledge Communities will be able to determine their own organisational structure, to ensure maximum flexibility for the researchers involved. According to the Commission, participating partners will gain from increased visibility, increased research and development (R&D) capacity, better financial incentives, and reduced costs of risk-taking. Commenting on the communication, Commission President José Manuel Barroso said: 'The EIT is part of the Commission's strategy to create a thriving and dynamic environment for research, education and innovation. We need a close connection between all these three areas of the knowledge triangle.' The communication itself echoes the importance of the knowledge triangle, stating: 'the EIT should not be merely a new operator in education, research and innovation, but a reference model, embodying the knowledge triangle at the European level.' The League of European Research Universities (LERU), which in the past has been strongly critical of the EIT concept, welcomed the fact that the Commission had evidently listened to and learned from stakeholders during the consultation process. In particular, the latest communication allows for far greater flexibility in the way that the 'Knowledge Communities' will operate. However, LERU remains sceptical about the plan for the EIT to award its own degrees, and still has the concern that the European Research Council (ERC) will lose funding to the EIT. In the coming months, the Commission will continue to consult widely on issues such as the financial implications of the project, and states clearly in the communication that it 'does not provide final solutions'. An impact assessment for the EIT will be presented later this year, followed by a formal proposal that will cover issues such as the location the Governing Board and the Institute's budget. It is hoped that the legal instrument establishing the EIT will be established by 2008. The Governing Board will then be appointed in early 2009, allowing the first Knowledge Communities to be identified and set up in time for the 2009-10 academic year.