Agreement for international R&D cooperation on Intelligent Manufacturing Systems The European Commission has published a proposal for a Council Decision relating to the approval of an agreement for international cooperation in research and development in the domain of Intelligent Manufacturing Systems (IMS). The proposal relates to a draft agreement betwe... The European Commission has published a proposal for a Council Decision relating to the approval of an agreement for international cooperation in research and development in the domain of Intelligent Manufacturing Systems (IMS). The proposal relates to a draft agreement between the European Community, Australia, Canada, Japan, the USA, Norway and Switzerland. The agreement would permit cooperation between legal entities from the Community and from these third countries for research and development in the area of IMS. In the case of parties from the Community, funding could be provided by the RTD Framework Programme and, in particular, the specific programmes in the fields of Information Technologies (ESPRIT) and Industrial Materials and Technologies (BRITE/EURAM). Cooperation would be based on the principle of mutual interest and understanding, with each party bearing its own costs of participation. The agreement is based on an international feasibility study on cooperation in IMS, carried out in 1994. The agreement is to be concluded for a period of ten years. Initially, cooperation will cover the following themes: - Total product life cycle issues; - Process issues; - Strategy/planning/design tools; - Human/organizational/social issues; - Virtual/extended enterprise issues. Countries Australia, Canada, Switzerland, Japan, Norway, United States
