Current plans for a European Institute of Technology face opposition

The Commission’s own adviser group on research policy says that plans to create a US-style high-tech institute are too ambitious.

The European research advisory board (EURAB) has sent a report to the Commission warning that a “world-class research institute cannot be created top down”. The report points out that the excellent reputation of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the current model for the creation of a European Institute of Technology (EIT), has grown over time and that it has close relations with the most advanced industries. 

According to the Financial Times, the report argues that it takes a very long time for such an institution to grow and that a successful EIT can only “grow out of existing research communities, supported by incentives for research and innovation”. 

Science and Research Commissioner Janez Poto?nik supports the idea of building a network of existing universities rather than creating a new institution. 

The idea of EIT was originally proposed by Commission President Barroso as part of the revised Lisbon agenda and the ambitious growth and jobs strategy for the EU to attract the best brains and investors to Europe.

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