Report: Technology platforms failing on R&D commercialisation

More regulatory and standardisation efforts are needed to help translate research results into new products and services, concludes an independent evaluation of the European technology platforms (ETPs).

It is clear that the 30-odd ETPs launched by the EU since 2003 have contributed to more R&D investment and helped to overcome EU research fragmentation, said Research Commissioner Janez Poto?nik at a meeting of the platforms’ industrial leaders on 30 September. However, he noted that a recent evaluation of the platform had “identified some areas where we might consider changing the way in which ETPs work”. 

Technology platforms are large industry-lead stakeholder groups aiming to define a common long-term vision and a ‘Strategic Research Agenda’ in a specific research sector. Their primary objective is to influence industrial and research policy at the EU, national and regional levels, so as to encourage public and private investment in R&D and innovation in key technological areas, as well as to help overcome barriers to quick commercialisation of research results. 

But the evaluation shows that industry has not made as much progress as expected. But “in spite of the huge amount of work carried out to build the SRA [Strategic Research Agenda] and to animate the deployment [of key technologies], the practical results are still very low-level and disappointing,” one stakeholder involved in the evaluation says. 

The evaluation also highlights the failure of the ETPs to make research results more easily translatable into new products and services. To remedy the situation, the evaluation recommends that ETPs “move beyond scientific and technological challenges” and instead start focusing on the application of research results. Those platforms which are more advanced and have already developed their SRAs should focus on “the regulations and standards that affect the commercialisation of research”. 

In addition, the evaluation concludes that the platforms have “underachieved” regarding the identification of future education and training needs and recommends the introduction of more initiatives in this field in the near future.

Finally, the report notes that there have been some “differences in expectations between the Commission, the ETPs and the various stakeholders” and that industry is disappointed that SRAs have not had more influence on the strategic priorities and funding allocation of the EU’s Seventh Reserch Framework Programme (FP7). Therefore, the report recommends clarifying the concept and the ambitions behind ETPs. 

ETPs should also increase civil society and SME representation in the platforms and make their communication more transparent, said Commissioner Poto?nik.

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