18 Basic research in the EU
| (25289)
5598/04
COM(04) 9
| Commission Communication: Europe and basic research
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| Legal base | — |
| Document originated | 14 January 2004
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| Deposited in Parliament | 27 January 2004
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| Department | Trade and Industry
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| Basis of consideration | EM of 9 February 2004
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| Previous Committee Report | None
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| To be discussed in Council | 11 March 2004
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| Committee's assessment | Politically important
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| Committee's decision | Cleared
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Background
18.1 There is no generally accepted definition of "basic
research". The Commission suggests, however, that basic research
can be distinguished from other types of research: it has no direct
link to a given application and its principal aim is to increase
knowledge.
The document
18.2 The Communication:
- summarises the case for basic research and discusses its economic
and social importance;
- compares the state of basic research in the EU
and the USA;
- concludes that there are weaknesses in Europe's
arrangements which require a new EU support mechanism to stimulate
basic research and inject competition for funding.
18.3 The Commission provides illustrations to support
its view that nearly all technologies, products and achievements
which have led to economic or commercial success and improvements
to the quality of life are derived from basic research. Financial
support for basic research has traditionally been regarded as
the responsibility of public authorities. In the Commission's
view, public funding is now more necessary than ever because of
the social and economic impact of basic research, the growing
cost of equipment and instruments, and the value of knowledge
as public property.
18.4 In the USA, most basic research is carried out
at 150 research universities. It is largely funded by the major
federal research support agencies, the National Science Foundation,
the National Institutes of Health and the Defence Advanced Research
Projects Agency. Most of this funding is provided by individual
grants for specific projects. But basic research in the USA also
receives substantial funding from the private sector, including
private philanthropic foundations.
18.5 The Commission comments:
"It is often stressed that one of the strengths
of the US research system is that excellence is stimulated through
the competition for federal funding between university teams across
the country".
18.6 The Commission notes that in Europe most basic
research is conducted by universities and national research councils.
Funding comes from general grants or project-specific support,
mainly from governments. Few private sector companies have strong
basic research capabilities.
18.7 The Commission says that:
"Unlike in the USA where the private sector
has always defended the idea of the need for sizeable public funding
of basic research, European industry has for a long time advocated
giving priority to public funding for applied research, in particular
for research carried out by companies themselves. Today, the importance
of basic research for economic competitiveness is starting to
be recognised more and more in Europe, including by organisations
which represent the business world, such as the European Round
Table of Industrialists".[36]
18.8 The Commission says that Europe has undeniable
strengths in basic research. These include the quality of training,
the very high standard of many university teams, and the existence
of centres of excellence in nearly all fields. But the European
arrangements also have weaknesses. The Commission says:
"the first thing which should be mentioned is
the lack of sufficient competition at European level, since teams
and researchers are largely exposed only to competition within
their own countries. By exposing researchers, teams and institutions
in different countries to the ideas and dynamism of their greatest
counterparts elsewhere in Europe, the establishment of genuine
competition on a continental scale would undoubtedly stimulate
the creativity and excellence of basic research in Europe".[37]
18.9 The Commission also suggests that, in Europe,
cooperation and coordination of activities is lacking because
research is usually organised nationally, and sometimes a critical
mass of projects is lacking.
18.10 In order to tackle these problems, the Commission
intends to propose:
- A new financial mechanism at
the European level to provide support for individual research
projects, modelled on the grants awarded by the US National Science
Foundation. The Commission says that this would stimulate transnational
competition for the financing of basic research projects. Moreover,
the new mechanism should be applied to applied research and development
as well as to basic research.
- A significant increase in the EU's research budget.
18.11 While, according to the Commission, these are
the two main requirements, other EU measures are essential to
provide basic research with the resources it needs. These additional
measures include more support for research infrastructures through
a combination of public and private funding at the national and
EU levels, and improved coordination of national programmes by
the EU.
18.12 The Commission envisages the next steps as
being discussion of the Communication by the Council and the
European Parliament by the end of March. The Commission would
then issue a further Communication making practical proposals
to give effect to the conclusions of the political discussions.
In the second half of this year, the Council and the European
Parliament would discuss the second Communication. The Commission
would take account of the further political discussions in preparing
its proposals for the EU Research and Development programme for
2007-11 (the 7th Framework Programme).
The Government's view
18.13 The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State
for Science and Innovation at the Department of Trade and Industry
(Lord Sainsbury) tells us that the Government recognises the benefits
of collaborative research at a European level and the need for
better coordination of national research activities. However,
the Commission's preliminary proposal for a new grant mechanism
is novel because it proposes centrally-allocated European funding
to individual research teams without the requirement for cross-border
collaboration which has featured in previous EU-funded schemes.
The Government will expect the Council, the Commission and the
European Parliament to consider carefully the correct balance
between national and European efforts before a legislative proposal
is made.
18.14 The Government welcomes the Communication and
agrees with its conclusions about the importance of basic research
for the economy, the quality of life and the sustainability of
the planet. The Government also agrees with the fundamental importance
of competition in fostering excellence in research. The UK would
be well placed to compete for European funding of the kind proposed.
The Government will encourage the Commission to examine further
the evidence on the current standing and possible weaknesses of
European basic research and looks forward to a more detailed and
evidence-based Communication from the Commission.
18.15 The Minister tells us that the Department of
Trade and Industry will shortly start public consultations on
the Community's Research and Development activities. The results
of the consultations will inform the Government's position in
the negotiations on the Commission's proposals for the 7th Framework
Programme.
Conclusion
18.16 There appears to be a growing consensus
on the importance of basic research for the economy and the welfare
of society. We regard this Communication as a useful contribution
to the debate on the future organisation and funding of basic
research in Europe. But as the Minister says, careful thought
is needed about the balance to be struck between national and
European efforts in this field. It is not yet apparent that a
big increase in the EU's Research and Development budget and a
greater role for the Commission would necessarily be the best
way to strengthen Europe's basic research capability. Accordingly,
when considering the further Communication the Commission has
in mind, which is expected to make firmer proposals, we shall
pay particular attention to the consistency of the proposals with
the principle of subsidiarity.
18.17 At this stage, however, we have no questions
to put to the Minister and so we clear the document from scrutiny.
36 Page 9 of the Communication. Back
37
Page 10 of the Communication. Back
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