Committee of the Regions opinion on Innovation Action Plan
The Committee of the Regions of the European Union adopted an opinion on the Commission's First Action Plan on Innovation at its meeting, in Brussels, in June 1997. The Committee welcomed the high level of consultation initiated by the Commission's Green Paper on Innovation, and particularly the wide-ranging participation of economic and social interests in that debate. The opinion recognizes the importance of innovation in transforming and exploiting scientific potential, as well as in job creation, and calls for priority to be given to encouraging corporate activity throughout the various stages of the innovation process. The three action areas outlined in the plan are welcomed by the Committee, as they are complementary and cover all aspects of innovation promotion. Furthermore, the broad scope of the measures proposed reflects the complex nature of the innovation process. The opinion calls for priority to be given to streamlining and simplifying existing national and Community support measures, rather than creating new ones. In addition, it also calls for greater emphasis on the dissemination of information on the various types of aid available for innovation at Community and national level. The Committee calls for the development of inter-disciplinary activities, and notes that proposals for such measures are contained in the Commission's proposal for the Fifth RTD Framework Programme. The Committee regrets, however, that despite the conclusions of the Rome conference during the Green Paper consultations, there are no measures of direct interest to regional and local authorities. In addition, the Committee regrets that the decentralized approach of the Green Paper, and its emphasis on SMEs, has not been maintained in the Action Plan. Regarding action area 1, "Fostering a genuine innovation culture", the Committee endorses the Commission initiative to encourage action on education and training, which it sees as the linchpin of an innovation culture. The importance of encouraging exchange of experience and best practice and mobility of researchers is also recognized. Under action area 2, "Establishing a favourable legal, regulatory and financial framework", the Committee emphasizes the need to develop "patient" capital sources, such as pension funds and local funding bodies, which are not seeking immediate returns. The Committee calls, in action area 3, "Gearing research and development more closely to innovation at both national and Community level", for researchers and universities to be made more aware of business requirements, and for priority areas to be determined.