Competitiveness Council calls for decision on EIT by June
Ministers attending an informal meeting of the Competitiveness Council have called for political consensus on the establishment of the European Institute of Technology (EIT) by the end of Germany's tenure of the EU Presidency in late June. They agreed that the EIT should be composed of networks which will develop into partnerships. These networks would include universities, research institutions and companies, as well as other players from the fields of education and innovation. This is very much in line with the European Commission's proposal on the EIT, which comprises Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs), in addition to a governing board that will be the EIT's legal entity. The KICs would ensure the pooling of research forces, bringing about lasting improvements to Europe's innovative capacity, as well as strengthening the knowledge triangle of education, research and innovation. Some ministers underlined the need for these networks to have the greatest possible autonomy in their work. In this context, ministers welcomed the idea of introducing a strategic innovation agenda to manage the long-term influence of the Council, the Parliament and the Commission on the strategic orientation of the EIT. On the mandate of the first KICs, ministers said that these should be set up to promote the quick establishment of the EIT. Making climate and energy research a priority of the first phase of the EIT as proposed by the Commission was also welcomed, while a large number ministers supported the idea that the first KICs would address further topics as defined by the EIT Governing Board. Speaking at a press conference, German Minister for Education and Research Annette Schavan said that rather than the EIT awarding its own degrees as proposed by the Commission, universities participating in the KICs should be able to add an EIT label to their own degrees. The Institute's budget for the period 2008 to 2013 is estimated at €2.4 billion, coming from the full spectrum of sources, while an initial start-up envelope of around €308 million will come from the Community budget. This initial amount is expected to be matched by industry. 'It is now important that the Commission quickly submits a convincing and concrete funding proposal,' said Dr Schavan.
Countries
Germany