Interview: Business urges more 'demand' for research[fr][de] 

"It is necessary to create markets, intelligent customers and higher demand for research and innovation that can help European high-tech start-ups reach world class," said Leif Kjaergaard, chairman of BusinessEurope's research and technological innovation working group, on 20 November 2007. 

In a discussion on the European Research Area (ERA), the European business lobby group urged the Commission to give more weight to the 'pull side' activites of research policy. 

The comments come as the Council is due to adopt, on 23 November 2007, conclusions on the future of science and technology in Europe. "Research is very important to business. It is the only thing that leads to growth in the long term," added Kjaergaard. 

He also called on countries and regions to build more on their individual research strengths. "We need to use the resources where we have them - not everybody can do everything. This is what business does. Interdisciplinary collaborations must also be better encouraged, as is the case in private sectors," said Kjaergaard, describing business's vision of an ERA for all. 

"Currently, research policy is running its own show a bit," he said, calling for major research challenges linked to energy, health, environment and climate change to be integrated in all other policies. "Research policy can't stand alone." 

The Commission responded to these concerns by announcing an upcoming communication on joint public research programmes, which will start a process next year to identify both priorities for international co-operation and topics to be left at national level. Member states are expected to be closely involved in this process from the beginning. 

The Commission also underlined that the target of increasing EU investment in R&D to 3% of GDP by 2010 is an example of a mix of 'pull side' measures in the areas of fiscal policy, internal market and IPR that will be followed up with the communication on lead markets in December 2007. 

To read the interview in full, please click here.