Italian opinion on Fifth Framework Programme
The Italian government submitted its opinion on the Community's Fifth RTD Framework Programme to the Commission in 1996, as part of the preliminary consultation exercise undertaken by the Commission in its preparation of the new Framework Programme. According to the Italian paper, European Community research has performed a very important function in furthering the integration of Europe's scientific community and raising the competitiveness of European industry through research and innovation. Moreover, EU intervention in this area has made it possible to lay the foundations for a research system that is better integrated, both geographically and as regards the phases in the innovation chain: research, design, production and services. The Italian government calls for a review of the guidelines that will form the basis of the Fifth Framework Programme, the aims being to: - Achieve a significant technological improvement in project design (challenge-led projects); - Make research activities consistent with the other overall objectives of EU policy (in the areas of health, energy, environment, agriculture, etc.); - Target research activities to meet social demand; - Ensure that investments are effective, also through better linkage between EU actions and national actions; - Make EU action more flexible; - Improve project management. The two factors that should characterize the approach embodied in the Fifth Framework Programme are emerging social demand and industrial competitiveness. Although these are often thought to imply conflicting objectives, the Italian Government believes that research should respond to the emerging needs of society and that, in doing so, it can stimulate European industry to become more competitive. The Fifth Framework Programme should focus on research to meet these objectives, with the aim of increasing employment across the EU. The Programme should also be flexible, with the ability to respond to, currently unknown, future needs. Greater coordination is required, in particular between the research activities of Member States. The objectives of the Fifth Framework Programme, answering the needs of society and improving industrial competitiveness, call for a change from curiosity-driven research to problem-solving research, according to the Italian paper. This shift would also require a change in the mechanisms for project selection and programme management. Because of this, the Italian government supports the Commission's experiments with task forces, although it stresses the need to formalize criteria for selecting their strategic objectives. The Italian opinion calls for the Fifth Framework Programme to address weaknesses identified in the Fourth Framework Programme. In particular, it should improve coordination between public research institutions, lessening the fragmentation of the European research infrastructure. Secondly, it should improve Europe's ability to transform scientific excellence into excellence in application. The Italian government also makes a number of suggestions relating to the project selection procedures and the programme management. The Italian paper suggests a number of research areas for European research efforts. These fall under three themes: environment and quality of life; wide use of information technologies; and promotion of sustainable production. These themes broadly coincide with the three identified by the Commission in its communication of July 1996 "Inventing Tomorrow".
Countries
Italy