According to Dr. Schuurmans, Europe is not in a bad position when it comes to research and innovation.
"If you look at it from the perspective of research and technology in – let's say environment technology and energy – clearly Europe belongs to the leaders in the world. So, we do have a very good starting point."
However, he says Europe is at risk of losing ground in relation to other countries. "Many of our competitors – and you mentioned China and the United Sates – are moving more quickly than we are," Schuurmans warns.
"I am not pessimistic but we need to speed up, speed up, speed up."
According to the Dutchman, who was appointed chairman of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) in July 2008, the EIT's modest budget – €309 million up to 2013 – means it is just one of the many tools that Europe will need to respond to the innovation challenge.
"Will there be other contributions? I am sure there will have to be. But I think we can still pull this off."
Knowledge and innovation communities
The EIT's first major decision, taken in December last year, was to launch a set of three innovation clusters, called Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs), which will bring together academia and private businesses around the following fields of research:
- Climate change mitigation and adaptation
- Sustainable energy
- Future information and communication society
But Schuurmans says a little patience is required before the KICs start to produce their first results, as private partners are still holding discussions with the EIT on finalising the contracts for this year and beyond.
"The KICs are still very much in the planning process," he says. "They are not yet fully up and running."
One of the keys to success, Schuurmans says, is that KICs are sustained over a long period of time. "In principle, the KICs will be moving forward for a period of 13 years. And innovation - as you know - can be a slow process and so there will be money available for a long period of time. So that is the key."
However, he says there should be results throughout the life duration of the KICs. "What we expect is a business plan that will describe goals for the long term but then there will also be intermediate delivery steps on a yearly basis."
But according to the EIT chairman, entrepreneurship represents the key to the KICs' success. "We have always said that for us, a key driver of the knowledge triangle is entrepreneurship. We believe it is not only the glue but also the driving force that will lead to new business creation."
Private funding crucial
Schuurmans believes it is too early to say whether the EIT will manage to attract private funding, which will be a major benchmark for measuring the success of the Budapest-based institute.
But he said the amount must stand up to comparisons with EU funding for the institute, which stands at a modest €309 million for the next four years. "If it is much, much smaller than that, then you cannot speak about private funding," he warned.
The hunt for money has only just begun, he says, with an EIT foundation set to be launched this autumn to attract private funding. "We are looking at every source of funding possible. There are many organisations in Europe: not only businesses, but also foundations."
