EU level best for overcoming barriers to innovation Whilst the numbers of research partnerships between industry and public or academic organisations has been growing rapidly, many have not brought commercial success from new products and processes. The barriers to innovation in many cases are distinct from the research activit... Whilst the numbers of research partnerships between industry and public or academic organisations has been growing rapidly, many have not brought commercial success from new products and processes. The barriers to innovation in many cases are distinct from the research activities, and it is argued that the European level is the most appropriate to develop and encourage links between industry and public research organisations. With the Fourth Framework Programme alone estimated to have created more than 160,000 links between European researchers in both public and private sectors, the EU level is seen as well-placed to achieve effective coordination between research and industry. The EU's Framework Programmes have been very successful in integrating diverse partners from different European countries. However, under the Fifth Framework Programme, which runs from 1998 to 2002, the emphasis has changed towards issue-oriented research rather than meeting purely technological objectives. In this way, the Programme will be more successful in returning social and economic benefits for European society as a whole. It is hoped that this new emphasis will have wider benefits for European researchers - bringing them closer to the demands of society and helping them respond to these through research. This is the thesis of an article written - in a personal capacity - by Robert Magnaval, an official in the European Commission's Directorate-General for Science, research and development (DG XII), published in 'Foresight', the Journal of Futures Studies, Strategic Thinking and Policy.
