Five-year evaluation of Community RTD programmes
Independent evaluations of each of the Community's specific RTD programmes, as well as of the Institutes of the Joint Research Centre, were undertaken during 1996, in order to assess the effectiveness of Community research. An overall assessment of Community research was also undertaken by an independent panel, chaired by Viscount Etienne Davignon (see RTD-News RCN 7841). These evaluations, which assessed the preceding five years' activities, are required by the Council Decisions establishing the programmes. This regular evaluation process was rationalized by the Commission in the first half of 1996, with the result that the present five-year reports incorporate the final evaluations of the specific programmes under the Third Framework Programme. The reports give a generally favourable impression of Community research overall. The evaluation panels were asked to make recommendations for the future development of Community research policy, bearing in mind the preparation of the Fifth RTD Framework Programme. The Commission has been particularly interested in comments made about the management procedures of the programmes and, where appropriate, will incorporate measures into the Fifth Framework Programme. In addition to the individual reports on the specific programmes, an overall report (COM(97) 151) on Community research has been published (the Davignon report). A synthesis of the reports on the JRC Institutes, providing an overall evaluation of the JRC, has also been published. Each report will be published in full, separately, with the Commission's comments in annex. The Commission has also prepared a single report (COM(97) 149), collecting summaries of each evaluation, along with its main comments on each.