Benchmarking national research policies Conference, Athens, 17-18 January 2003

The European Commission and the Greek Presidency are jointly organising a conference on "Benchmarking national RTD policies", which will take place in Athens, on 17-18 January 2003.

In September 2000 the Commission and the Member States undertook the first ever exercise of benchmarking national research policies, as an essential component of the European Research Area project. Benchmarking is about learning through comparison. In this context, it is intended to help Member States to improve their research policies by making them more consistent through a process of comparison, exchange and mutual learning.
A first cycle of benchmarking has been concluded. It examined five themes which have been agreed upon in a meeting of the Council of Ministers: Human Resources in Research and Technological Development, Public and Private Investment in RTD, Impact of RTD on Competitiveness and Employment, S&T Productivity, Promotion of RTD Culture and Public Understanding of Science.
The final reports of this first cycle, which was a pilot experiment, have now been published and are available online. The policy recommendations have already served as input for action at European level and are currently discussed at national level.
The future of benchmarking will be debated in the light of the recent Commission Communication "The European Research Area - Providing new momentum" and the subsequent conclusions of the Council on the possible application of the open method of co-ordination
The Conference is timed to serve a double objective: the diffusion of results from the first cycle and the design of the next. The next cycle must take full account of the power of benchmarking as a tool for supporting the open co-ordination of research policy-making in Europe. The conference is aimed at policy makers and its conclusions will be used in setting up the next benchmarking exercise.
,Press conference:
A Press Conference is foreseen during the first day of the event, just after the opening session (Friday 17/1/2003 at 11.00). Speakers will include: Dimitris Deniozos, Secretary General for Research on behalf of the Greek Presidency, Achilleas Mitsos, Director General for Research of the European Commission, Eryl Mc Nally on behalf of the European Parliament and Gonzalo Leon, Secretary General of Scientific Policy of Spain.
Conference speakers and other experts who have been involved in the benchmarking exercise will be available for interviews during the Press conference.
Background information on the EU benchmarking is available on the following site:,http://cordis.europa.eu/rtd2002/era-developments/benchmarking.htm#results,The full programme of the conference will be available online after the,6/1/2003.
For further information on media participation in the conference, please,contact:,Klimentini Diakomanoli, Press Officer, DG Research, European Commission,Tel: [phone] - E-mail: [e-mail]