Presidency highlights upcoming European Plan for Research and Innovation
The Spanish Minister of Science and Innovation, Cristina Garmendia recently highlighted the aspects of innovation that the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the EU believes should be included in the future European Plan for Research and Innovation. In a speech at the 'European challenges for innovation' conference in Bilbao, Spain, Garmendia said that the EU-2020 Strategy, launched in March and based on economic growth and innovation to boost competitiveness and favour job creation is 'a truly strategic matter for Europe...without more science and innovation, but above all, without the necessary interaction between them, Europe will not be able to maintain its current leadership in certain areas and much less aspire to improve its position in the international ranking.' One of the flagship initiatives of the EU-2020 Strategy is the Innovation Union, whose aim is to improve conditions and access to finance for research and innovation. It is within this framework that the aforementioned European Plan for Research and Innovation (EPRI) will be developed. EPRI is expected to be considered at the Competitiveness Council on 25 and 26 May. At that time, European research ministers will adopt a series of conclusions which reflect the essential aspects that, in their opinion, should be included in the European Plan for Research and Innovation. For its part, the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation is working on a national innovation strategy. This strategy will consist of a set of measures based around five key areas: - a financial environment which favours innovation, - boosting leading markets through public purchase and regulations which promote innovation, - the internationalisation of innovation, - the diffusion of innovation at regional and local levels, - people as the driving force for change. Of these areas, Garmendia placed particular emphasis on people, an area in which the Spanish Presidency is making progress, such as removing the barriers to researcher mobility and improving employment conditions.
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