ESC opinion on Fifth RTD Framework Programme
The Economic and Social Committee of the European Communities unanimously adopted its opinion on the Commission's proposal for the Fifth RTD Framework Programme at its plenary session in Brussels on 1 October 1997. The Committee calls for the links between the thematic programmes and the horizontal programmes to be more clearly defined and made tighter. In addition, relations with Community structural programmes and international cooperation programmes need to be strengthened. Coordination between Community research and national research programmes should also be increased, in particular by making use of the existing legal provisions for cooperative activities involving only some Member States, and allowing the Community to participate in national programmes. The Commission is called on to establish "trend charts" to enable participants to compare activities at the different levels more easily. There should not be more than nine or ten key actions, according to the Committee, which sees these in terms of clusters of small and major projects, with precise objectives and a limited timescale. Each key action should have a minimum funding threshold of ECU 1,000 million (both public and private). Furthermore, it suggests that the scope of the generic research activities should be defined in terms of interaction and coordination with the key actions, albeit on a wider scale. This will ensure continuity for the Framework Programmes and ensure the flexibility needed to tackle new goals. As well as improving coordination and links between Community programmes, both within and outside the Framework Programme, the Committee calls on the Commission to develop explicit cooperation mechanisms with other European research bodies, such as EUREKA. Improved circulation and exploitation of results is also vital, according to the Committee, which calls for increased funding for the horizontal actions, in particular that for innovation and SMEs. Other points raised by the Committee call for action in the following areas: - The inclusion of forecasting, innovation and coordination units as key actions in the specific programmes, in order to ensure linkage between different policies and actions; - Visibility and coherence in international cooperation for geographical areas; - Improved circulation and exploitation of results within the thematic programmes and key actions; - Directing researcher training and mobility more towards links between industry and universities and research centres; - Clarifying and strengthening the strategic role of the Joint Research Centre (JRC), as a centre of inter-institutional excellence to provide support and guidance for Community decision-making; - Developing more transparent, simplified and streamlined management procedures to ensure accessibility, and reducing costs, timescales and red tape in keeping with the need to rebuild a relationship of trust with research players and end-users. The adoption of the Committee's opinion marks the latest stage in the process of adoption of the Fifth Framework Programme. The proposal is now being considered by the Parliament and Council of Ministers, with the Parliament planning to complete its first reading - the next stage in the process - before the end of 1997.