Commission eyes role as ‘EU research ministry’

The Commission plans to gradually outsource the management of research and innovation projects to concentrate more on its role as policymaker for the European Research Area (ERA), said Research Commissioner Janez Potocnik.

“The Commission is currently a funding institution for research and innovation projects. We want to change this so that we can concentrate more on policies and become like an EU research ministry, a true policymaker for the European Research Area (ERA),” said Research Commissioner Janez Potocnik, speaking at a European Policy Centre (EPC) policy dialogue on Cultivating a market for innovation in Europe, on 11 October 2007.

“We want to create a specific agency next to the European Research Council (ERC) to outsource management of research projects so that, in-house, we can be more efficient on policies. We will slowly phase out by 2013 [end of the current framework programme FP7]” added Potocnik. The Commission then hopes to have the time and resources, during FP8, “to get closer to researchers and the market”.

The commissioner also cautioned that the initiatives established under Article 169, (such as Galileo), would be the most difficult to manage if outsourced.  

Dr Gilbert Fayl from the European Academy of Sciences and Arts said that the Commission should, indeed, promote innovation culture at its own services and also ensure that current EU policies do not counteract innovation. However, he declined from giving any possible examples of such policies. 

Dr Fayl also recommended that the EU executive encourage active measures to promote international cooperation between SMEs and launch Europe-wide awareness campaigns to promote entrepreneurship. “Innovation happens at individual level, moves then to groups and finally to society level. Talented, young people need special attention and a framework to flourish” he added.  

Meanwhile, Joachim von Heimburg from Procter & Gamble thinks that a specific call for action that will engage the public is needed to drive innovation. “One could, for example, launch different ‘smart goals’, such as reducing CO2 emissions by x% by 2030.”

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