European Commission has set up Task Force to help maximise the potential of the European Research Council

The European Commission has set up a Task Force to explore options for the future of the European Research Council (ERC). The Task Force is chaired by the Director General of DG Research, Robert-Jan Smits. This follows nearly four years of successful work by the ERC since it was established by the Commission in 2007.

Research, Innovation and Science Commissioner Máire Geoghegan-Quinn said: "The ERC has been a great success already and we need to learn from experience and build on the excellent work already done. The Task Force will help us take some final decisions on how best to equip the ERC to play the key role it will have in the Innovation Union and in the Eighth Framework Programme."The Task Force was set up at the request of the ERC Scientific Council, as announced in its statement in November (see link below), and is the follow-up of last year's thorough Review of the ERC's Structures and Mechanisms, carried out by an expert panel (see link below). The Task Force includes participants from the relevant Commission departments and representatives from the ERC Scientific Council, including its President Prof. Helga Nowotny. There will also be two external members, Prof. Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga, former President of the Latvian Republic and former chair of the Review panel of the ERC, and Prof. Ernst-Ludwig Winnacker, former ERC Secretary General.

Building on last year's review recommendations, the Task Force will examine the remaining unresolved issues and explore possible governance options to guarantee the long term stability of the ERC structure within the European Research Area and in the context of the new Lisbon Treaty.

Presently, the ERC has a dual structure with a Scientific Council, composed of 22 top scientists, setting the scientific strategy, and an Executive Agency, in charge of implementing the operations. The ERC has a budget of € 7.5 billion from the "IDEAS" programme, part of the Seventh Framework Programme for Research, for the period 2007-2013.

The Task Force has already held an initial meeting and aims to conclude its work within six months, hence well before the decision on the next Framework Programme (FP8) is taken, to allow ample time for the Council and the European Parliament to hold a thorough debate about FP8. The Commission will in the first quarter of 2011 launch an open consultation on all issues connected to FP8, with a formal proposal to the Council and Parliament to follow towards the end of the year. FP8 will begin in January 2014.

News source: EU Press Room link: article

Europeans driving electrical power

Researchers in Germany are developing new electronic components that will help energy infrastructures adapt to the growing use of renewable energy sources and cut energy losses during transmission. As things stand now, power is lost during its journey along the electricity wires to users. The team from the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Systems and Device Technology (IISB) in Germany discovered that a reliable power supply is the critical component behind the infrastructure.

The cable infrastructure consists of various switching points that reduce the voltage, helping equipment tap into the power at low voltage. 'A reliable power supply is the key to all this, and major changes will take place in the coming years to safeguard this reliability,' explains IISB head Professor Lothar Frey.

'The transport and power networks will grow together more strongly as a result of electromobility, because electric vehicles will not only tank up on electricity but will also make their batteries available to the power grid as storage devices. Renewable energy sources will become available on a wider scale, with individual households also contributing electricity they have generated.'

A case in point is the global DESERTEC project, which targets harnessing solar and wind energy in deserts worldwide. Locations that are currently in DESERTEC's spotlight are North Africa and the Middle East. Consumers will receive the generated electricity via long high-voltage power lines or undersea cables.

The researchers added that cables, systems and components already in use will have to be adapted to the future energy mix. Doing so will ensure that consumers receive electricity reliably and with as few losses as possible.

The IISB team is mulling over solutions and developing components to convert electrical energy efficiently. According to the team, more and more direct current is being used to transmit energy for distances that are over 500 kilometres or for cables located under the sea. This system ensures constant voltage and keeps consumption low; 7% maximum of power is lost over long distances compared with a 40% loss for alternating current. The researchers said more converter stations are needed to convert the high voltage of the direct current into the alternating current required by the consumer.

'In cooperation with Siemens Energy [Germany] we are developing high-power switches,' IISB's Markus Billmann pointed out. 'These are necessary for transmitting the direct voltage in the power grid and are crucial for projects like DESERTEC. The switches have to be more reliable, more scalable and more versatile than previous solutions in order to meet the requirements of future energy supply networks.'

In order to achieve this goal, the team is using inexpensive semi-conductor cells which with previous switching techniques could not be used for high-voltage direct-current transmission (HVDCT).

'At each end of a HVDCT system there is a converter station,' Mr Billann said. 'For the converters we use interruptible devices which can be operated at higher switching frequencies, resulting in smaller systems that are easier to control.'

The researchers are determined to protect cells from damage. Some 5,000 modules will be contained in each converter station. Normally, failure of these modules, which will be connected in series, would result in a chain reaction and damage the entire station. The IISB has changed this.

'We have now solved this problem. With our cooperation partners we are working on tailor-made materials and components so that in future the equipment will need less energy,' Mr Billmann pointed out.

News source: CORDIS link: article

More spending needed in science, technology and innovation: OECD

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) says in its latest annual report that OECD members and non-members must drive science, technology and innovation (STI) investment in order to contend with intensified global competition and bolster long-term growth. STI offers societies the potential to tackle the myriad challenges they face, such as health issues and demographic change. Maintaining STI investment is key.

The 'Science, Technology and Industry Outlook 2010' highlights that OECD members posted sluggish research and development (R&D) spending figures, with annual growth shrinking from more than 4% in recent years to 3.1% in 2008. Patent numbers rose by more than 2% from 1995 to 2008, but growth has weakened in recent years, and the number of OECD-area patents dropped in 2008. Trademarks also decreased by 20%. The report suggests that a rise in quality triggered the drop in the quantity of patents. Companies may also be opting for other ways to safeguard their knowledge base such as collaborative information science mechanisms.

Businesses were forced to rein in their efforts to maintain innovative activity, and trade and foreign investment have adversely affected the global value chains. This in turn has hampered businesses' technical expertise and market intelligence. However, the OECD found some positive results as well. Despite the crisis that has played havoc on the global economy in the last two years, a number of countries have reported surges in spending. Germany, South Korea, Sweden and the US have in fact given their long-term innovation a boost by increasing spending on public research. Moreover, all OECD members, save for the US, reported increases in their output of scientific articles between 1998 and 2008.

The report also notes how emerging economies continue to increase their R&D spending. Russia, for example, reported that R&D spending in 2008 was equal to 2% of the OECD total, which is nearly equal to the shares of Canada and Italy. 'Investment in science and technology is an investment in the future,' says OECD Secretary General Angel Gurría. 'At a time of fiscal consolidation, countries must carefully consider the long-term impact of spending cuts on science and technology. There is also a need to increase the efficiency of this spending. The right governance structures should be in place if countries are to make the most of the resources devoted to science and technology.'

So how can we give innovation a boost? The OECD report highlights a number of issues that need to be resolved. For instance, governments should establish a new shared system for the governance of international cooperation in science and technology so as to tackle the challenges that affect us all including climate change. Members should also enhance policy support at various stages of the innovation value chain such as entrepreneurship. The report also notes how the information and communication technologies (ICT) infrastructure should be upgraded and greater access to public research data should be offered. Finally, policy at the international, national and regional levels should be coordinated better. 

News source: Cordis link: article

Students tackle tricky topics in 2WAYS project

Youngsters across Europe have been grappling with some of the life sciences' trickiest ethical dilemmas thanks to the EU-funded 2WAYS ('Two ways for communicating European research about life sciences with science festivals and science centres/museums, science parliaments impact survey') project. 2WAYS received almost EUR 1 million from the Science in Society programme of the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7). Over the past two years, the 2WAYS team has organised 29 'science parliaments' in 29 cities in 17 countries. Each event lasted up to 2 days and attracted between 50 and 100 students aged from 17 to 19. So how did these events work?

'All these science parliaments had four committees,' explains project coordinator Peter Rebernik of the European Science Events Association (EUSCEA) in Austria. 'These committees were like in a normal parliament - they invited experts, discussed their issues and voted on resolutions. These resolutions came to the plenary session and the plenary session then finalised these resolutions.' In early December, delegates from these events gathered at the European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium, for the first-ever young European Science Parliament. There, a summary of the resolutions from the earlier events was handed over to European Parliament Vice-President and German Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Silvana Koch-Mehrin, who is also involved in the European Parliament's Science and Technology Options Assessment (STOA).

The resolutions summarise the youngsters' thinking on four major issues in the life sciences: the use of embryonic stem cells, the use of the results of genetic tests, the implications of the discovery of a gene for aggressiveness, and the threats and opportunities of DNA analysis. On stem cells, most parliaments came out in favour of using stem cells derived from in vitro fertilisation (IVF), albeit with certain restrictions. Meanwhile, youngsters also want more research on adult stem cells to replace embryonic stem cells and do away with the need to destroy embryos. The discussions, which forced the students to debate when human life begins, were often lively.

'There was a nice discussion in the European Parliament when one committee said, "these 50 cells in the beginning, it's not really a human life, you can do anything with them",' recalls Dr Rebernik. 'Then somebody else stood up and said: "Hey, this is human life already, you can't do anything".'
Today, genetic tests exist to determine an individual's risk of developing over 500 diseases. Most youngsters recognised that these tests could ultimately prove useful as part of efforts to prevent and treat diseases, but expressed concern that if the results are not fully confidential, they could be abused by insurance companies and employers. The resolutions also express concern regarding the psychological impacts of knowing that one faces a greater risk of a potentially deadly disease.

The discussions on the so-called 'aggressiveness gene', which lowers an individual's threshold for violence, were also interesting. Most resolutions recognise that an individual's personality is a combination of both genes and the environment. Many note that individuals with this gene could face discrimination. Others fear that the gene could be used as an excuse by criminals seeking a lower sentence. However, others suggest that it could be used not to reduce the level of punishment but to tailor rehabilitation efforts. An impact study of the parliaments revealed that the youngsters learnt a lot from their experience and that they felt more encouraged to ask questions and engage in discussions.

The 2WAYS project is now drawing to a close. However, many of the cities involved plan to organise further science parliaments themselves. Furthermore, Dr Rebernik reports that he hopes to have a young European science parliament at the European Parliament every two years. 'It looks like we can do this,' he tells CORDIS News. 

News source: CORDIS link: article

Europe in the right MODE for future internet

We live in a fast-paced world, where information hits us from left and right. The transmission of data is made possible via diverse channels, including wireless communication, optical fibres and storage media. But as changes emerge, so do the needs in this field. The MODE-GAP ('Multi-mode capacity enhancement with PBG [photonic band gap] fibre multi-mode capacity enhancement with PBG fibre') project is developing the next generation internet infrastructure to improve the capacity of broadband core networks, making bandwidth 100 times larger than the current capacity. MODE-GAP is funded under the 'Information and communication technologies' (ICT) Theme of the EU's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) to the tune of EUR 8.33 million.

Under the plan, MODE-GAP is working on transmission technologies based on specialist long-haul transmission fibres and associated enabling technologies. Some of these technologies include transmitter and receiver components, rare-earth doped optical amplifiers and data processing tools. The four-year project will effectively enable 'future proof networks and systems of increasing information throughput', according to the project members. Failure to do so will significantly impact the future of the Internet, they say.

'We are close to realising the fundamental data carrying capacity limits of current fibre technology in the laboratory and although there is plenty of headroom for capacity scaling of commercial systems for the next 10 to 15 years, we need to be looking now at developing a new generation of transmission techniques, based on novel fibres and amplifiers, if we are to keep pace with society's ever increasing data transport demands in the longer term,' explains Professor David Richardson from the Optoelectronics Research Centre (ORC) at the University of Southampton, the MODE-GAP coordinator. 'The MODE-GAP project has the potential to revolutionise the way we build and operate future generations of optical network. Success will require substantial innovation and major technological developments in a number of fields. The consortium partners believe that they are ideally equipped to undertake the work and are looking forward to the many challenges ahead.'

The MODE-GAP consortium consists of academic and industry experts from Phoenix Photonics Ltd (UK), ESPCI ParisTech (France), the Brondy-based OFS Fitel Denmark APS, the COBRA Institute at Technische Universiteit Eindhoven (Netherlands), Eblana Photonics Ltd (Ireland), Nokia Siemens Networks GMBH & Co. KG (Germany), and the Tyndall National Institute of University College Cork (Ireland). Commenting on the project, Bart Van Caenegem, Project Officer at the European Commission, said: 'A European consortium of highly qualified and talented researchers has teamed up and has adopted a groundbreaking approach in R&D [research and development] to advance the transmission technologies that will enable the networks of the future. This EU-funded project contributes to the Digital Agenda objectives, namely it aims to improve the competitiveness of the European industry and it aims to enable Europe to master and shape future developments in information communication technology (ICT) so that it can meet the demands of its society and economy.' Ultimately, the Digital Agenda will deliver sustainable economic and social benefits from a digital single market based on accelerated interoperable applications. 

News source: CORDIS link: article

Borisov to shut down Bulgarian Academy of Science

Bulgarian Prime Minister Boiko Borisov has outraged the academic community by his latest cost-cutting move to close the state's oldest scientific body, the Bulgarian Academy of Science. Under the plan, which has been presented as a "restructuring" of the 141-year-old institution, the government would only continue to fund departments that directly serve the state, such as the meteorological and the seismological institutes. "The rest will join the universities," Mr Borisov said. The academy, which was set up as the Bulgarian Literary Society in September 1869 by a group of leading scholars and intellectuals, is older than the modern Bulgarian state; Ottoman rule ended in 1878. The society was renamed the Academy of Science in 1911. Bulgarian rulers have often been enraged by academics but no-one – not even Communist strongman Todor Zhivkov, who Mr Borisov served as a bodyguard – has ever dared shut down the institution. Many have seen the issue as symbolic of today's Bulgaria; Mr Borisov, a burly former policeman who speaks no foreign languages and is often ridiculed about his general level of knowledge, suppressing the intellectual side of the country.

"The black belt crushes the intellect," said Sergei Stanishev, leader of the main opposition Socialist Party, referring to Mr Borisov's karate skills. On Tuesday evening (16 November), around 1,000 scientists and employees of the academy protested at a vigil with lit candles in front of their main building in central Sofia. They demanded that the government restore their truncated 2010 budget so they can receive their full salaries and have heating in their studies and laboratories. The same day, around 3,000 Sofia University students rallied in front of parliament to protest what they believe to be an insufficient education budget. The protesters booed parliamentary speaker Tsetska Tsacheva, a close Borisov loyalist.

Finance minister Simeon Djankov, previously a World Bank economist, is widely seen as the inspiration behind the controversial academy reform. He has criticised the institution's inefficiency and has enraged its members by calling them "feudal old men." Mr Djankov argued that science in Bulgaria needs to be re-shaped the American way by moving its centres to the universities. However, many in the academic community disagree that raising efficiency necessarily requires dismantling a traditional institution. The academy ranks 374th among 4,050 scientific bodies across the world, the Sofia daily Trud reported, and Bulgaria is bottom of the EU in terms of research and innovation. The EU Commission recently described it as the least productive and least energy-efficient economy of all 27 member states.

News source: waz.euobserver.com link: article

A consortium of eight Slovenian car companies form consortium for development

A consortium of eight Slovenian car companies was formed in Ljubljana to reduce R&D investment risks and follow the trends in the global car industry. The SiEVA consortium includes companies Hidria, Cimos, Kolektor, Iskra Avtoelektrika, Iskra Mehanizmi, MLM, Polycom and TPV. The name is an abbreviation for 'synergetic, environmentally friendly, safe car'. The company will strive for development of internal combustion engines, hybrids and electric engines, passenger safety and comfort, and production excellence.

The companies invested some EUR 20m in the project and are hoping to get the same amount from the state through a public call for applications for development centres. They also committed to investing over EUR 250m in industrialisation in the next three to five years.

The companies' contribution to SiEVA was determined based on investment potential of each individual company. Kolektor, Cimos, Iskra Avtoelektrika and Hidria thus contributed 80% of the capital (20% each), mostly in own funds but also in equipment.

SiEVA is expected to create some 1,500 jobs and 20 new patent solutions for state-of-the-art environmentally friendly vehicles. The new company will employ 50 top development experts. As part of the project, the eight companies will also propose the opening of new study programmes to meet their needs for staff. The CEO of the new company, which will be based in Sempeter pri Gorici, will be Milos Sturm of Hidria. Ludvik Kumar of Kolektor and Robert Zerjal of Iskra Avtoelektrika will also be in the management.

The global car industry is undergoing a small transition with the introduction of hybrids and electric cars, "which creates room for new players and we want to take advantage of this", Kolektor CEO Radovan Bolko commented on the setting up of SiEVA. The partnership is bringing tremendous potential to Slovenia's car industry, Edvin Sever of Iskra Avtoelektrika said. The companies united in SiEVA generate EUR 1.5bn in revenues a year and employ 16,000 people, 900 of which are researchers and developers.

"We want to create a leading development core of the Slovenian car industry. Without development, we'd have nothing to produce in five years," Sever said. The consortium will also decrease the risks related to investments in R&D, Cimos head Franc Krasovec added. These risks "take" around 9% of the sales revenues per product, which means that if a product is on sale for eight to ten years, the company loses a year's revenues.

News source: Slovenian Times link: article

Research and development: USA, Europe and Japan increasingly challenged by emerging countries, says a UNESCO report

While the USA, Europe and Japan may still be leading the global research and development (R&D) effort, they are increasingly being challenged by emerging countries, especially China. This is one of the findings of the 2010 UNESCO Science Report, launched at the Organization’s headquarters on 10 November, World Science Day.

The UNESCO Science Report depicts a rapidly changing landscape. While investment in R&D is growing globally (in volume)*, emerging countries are clearly gaining strength in science and technology. This can be seen especially in terms of Asia’s share of gross domestic expenditure on research and development (GERD).

Led mainly by China, India and the Republic of Korea, Asia’s share increased from 27 to 32% between 2002 and 2007. Over the same period, the three heavyweights, the European Union, USA and Japan, have registered a decrease. In 2002, almost 83% of research and development was carried out in developed countries; by 2007 this share had dropped to 76%. This trend is even clearer when industry’s contribution to GERD is considered. Between 2000 and 2007, the private sector share of R&D spending, as a proportion of GDP, saw a sharp increase in Japan, China, Singapore and especially the Republic of Korea, while it remained stable in Germany, France, and the United Kingdom and even saw a slight decrease in the Russian Federation and the USA.

“The distribution of research and development (R&D) efforts between North and South has changed with the emergence of new players in the global economy,” says UNESCO Director General, Irina Bokova, in her foreword to the Report. “The bipolar world in which science and technology (S&T) were dominated by the Triad made up of the European Union, Japan and the USA is gradually giving way to a multi-polar world, with an increasing number of public and private research hubs spreading across North and South.”

News source: UNESCO link: publication

EU-funded team in quantum success story

Quantum communication networks are high on Europe's agenda, with particular focus being given to quantum memory or information storage. Meeting the challenge head on to make such information accessible to users is a team of scientists from Denmark who used two 'entangled' light beams to store quantum information. The research study, supported by the EU with a combined funding of almost EUR 16 million, is presented in the journal Nature Physics.

Experts believe quantum networks will offer users improved information security compared to what is currently available. One of the important components of quantum communication is entanglement between quantum systems including two light beams. In a nutshell, entanglement is the connection of two light beams. These light beams have well-defined common characteristics like common knowledge. Under the laws of quantum mechanics, a quantum state can be used to transfer information securely and copy-free.

Led by Professor Eugene Polzik, the scientists from the Niels Bohr Institute at the University of Copenhagen successfully stored two entangled light beams in two quantum memories. They used a forest of mirrors and optical elements like beam splitters and wave plates on a large table, resulting in light being sent on a labyrinth journey over 10 metres long. Using the optical elements helped the researchers, who are part of the institute's Quantop group, to control the light and regulate the size and intensity, effectively ensuring that the light's wavelength and polarisation meet the experiment's needs.

News source: Cordis link: article

Solutions for faster internet

All internet users have at some time or another complained about slow surfing speeds or a tiresome wait for a video to load. A group of European engineers from Spain, Hungary and Sweden decided to try to counter such problems by monitoring traffic and tailoring services to meet demand. A number of leading communication companies have already taken up the newly developed methodology used for traffic measurements. EUREKA, the European platform for research and development (R&D) funding, supported the research study.

The Internet is a complex 'beast', made up of different networks that are managed by various service providers, who manage the data being sent and monitor the amount of traffic being used. When the data traffic on a network is too dense bottlenecks can occur, slowing the delivery of information to a computer and resulting in a slower internet experience.

The TRAMMS ('Traffic measurements and models in multi-service networks') project tried to solve this problem using experiences gained after monitoring internet networks in Spain and Sweden over a three-year period. This gave them an excellent insight into user behaviour, enabling them to accurately measure network traffic so that in the future service providers will know how much capacity is needed and can avoid any jams.

The research team pointed out that the project was successful because, contrary to the norm, they were allowed access to very sensitive data on internet traffic measurements. 'Internet traffic measurements are very difficult to find if you are not an operator,' said Andreas Aurelius, coordinator of the project and senior scientist at Swedish R&D company Acreo, one of the project partners.

News source: CORDIS link: article

Serbia towards improved science and education infrastructure and housing for young researchers

The Republic of Serbia, represented by Mr. Božidar Djelić, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and Technological Development, and Ms. Diana Dragutinović, Minister of Finance, and the CEB, represented by Mr. Raphaël Alomar, Governor, have signed a loan contract worth 35 million euros.

The CEB will co-finance with the European Investment Bank (EIB) the first phase of the “Serbian R&D Infrastructure Investment Initiative” aimed at revitalising public research and development activity in Serbia. The project is intended to improve living conditions for researchers by upgrading science and education equipment and infrastructure. Since the Republic of Serbia joined the CEB in 2004, five projects have been approved in favour of the country for an accumulated amount of 85 million euros.

News source: CEB link: article

UNECE organizes international conference to promote innovation-driven start-ups and academic Spin-offs

Many UNECE countries with emerging market economies have a well-established tradition in academic and applied research. However, the commercialization of the results of research and development (R&D), which is pivotal for the competitiveness of the modern economy, often faces difficulties linked to inadequate business climate, lack of entrepreneurial experience by academics as well as problems in commercializing R&D outputs. Poor linkages between the academia and the business sector and insufficient sources of financing also create obstacles to the establishment of new innovation-based enterprises and spin-off companies.

The international experience suggests that effective commercialization of R&D results requires a regulatory and institutional setup which fosters collaboration between the academia and the business sector. In particular, clear legal definition and protection of intellectual property rights, targeted financial support to patenting, consultative services to would-be entrepreneurs and the development of innovation support institutions could contribute to removing the existing bottlenecks at various stages of commercialization.

These and other issues relating to the transformation of intellectual property of academic institutions into marketable products and services will be discussed at the International Conference “From Applied Research to Entrepreneurship: Promoting Innovation-driven Start-ups and Academic Spin-offs” and a Capacity-building Seminar “Intellectual Property Management at Public Research Organizations”, which will take place on 9 to 11 November 2010 in Kiev, Ukraine.  The two events are co-organized by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, the Ministry of Education and Science and the National Technical University (Kyiv Polytechnic Institute) of Ukraine.
The International Conference and Capacity-building Seminar seek to facilitate knowledge sharing and a broad exchange of experiences and good practices among policy-makers and practitioners with a view to drawing up of relevant recommendations to government bodies and other stakeholders in charge of innovation and enterprise development.

News source: UNECE link: article

RTOs boost EU annual economic growth by EUR 50 billion

European Research and Technology Organisations (RTOs) contribute EUR 50 billion to the EU economy, according to a new study published on October 27. The report, put together by European research organisation the Technopolis Group, reveals that in addition to boosting economic growth, RTOs help tackle key challenges facing Europe, such as the need to develop innovative renewable energy supplies. However, the study said the organisations remain poorly understood and warned that national governments are failing to fully exploit their potential. RTOs received 32% of the Sixth Framework Programme (FP6)'s funding, noted the report.

There are around 350 RTOs in Europe, including the Fraunhofer Gesellschaft in Germany, the CEA (France's Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission ), VTT (the Technical Research Centre of Finland), TNO (the Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research), and SINTEF (the Foundation for Scientific and Industrial Research) in Norway.

These organisations resemble universities in many senses, but distinguish themselves by focussing on applied research, and exploiting any resulting knowledge in industrial innovation and development projects. They are generally funded via a mixture of public subsidies - that let them develop their capabilities - and industrial income, which allows them to exploit these capabilities for the benefit of industry.

The new report, published on behalf of the European Trade Association of the Research and Technology Organisations (EARTO), found that the combined annual turnover for European RTOs was around EUR 23 billion, noting that if they were a European multinational, this impressive figure would place them in the top 100 of the FT-500 Europe, the list of Europe's top 500 companies. The study estimated the total annual economic impact of RTOs at between EUR 40 billion and EUR 50 billion, and said that the organisations benefited more than 100,000 customers annually, including national and regional governments, SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises) and large companies. Moreover, the organisations are an important European employer with a combined workforce of more than 150,000 scientists, technicians and engineers.

News source: Cordis link: article

Businesses post 2.6% drop in R&D spending

EU companies cut their research and development (R&D) investments by 2.6% in 2009, the new Industrial R&D Investments Scoreboard reveals. It is the first time that business R&D investments have fallen in a number of years. It should be noted, however, that sales and profits fell by 10% and 21% respectively, and that R&D investment decisions for 2009 were taken in late 2008, at the height of the financial crisis. Under these circumstances, the fact that R&D investments fell so little demonstrates the importance of R&D to businesses.

Published annually by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre, the Industrial R&D Investment Scoreboard brings together information on the R&D investments of the world's top 1,400 companies.

According to the 2010 edition of the report, companies worldwide cut their R&D investments by an average of 1.9%, less than the EU figure. Analysing the figures by region reveals that US companies reduced their R&D spending by over 5%, while Asian businesses boosted their R&D investments.

The report also highlights large differences between sectors. For example, the pharmaceuticals sector cemented its position as the leading R&D investor, increasing R&D by 5.3%. Another sector boasting an increase in R&D spending is the alternative energy sector, which posted a 28.7% increase in R&D investments. One sector which was particularly hard hit by the financial crisis was the automobile and parts sector, and its R&D investments dropped by 11.6%. Also reporting a fall in R&D spending was the technology, hardware and equipment sector (down 6.4%).

News source: Cordis link: article

Communication for innovation

In a communication presented on 6 October 2010, the European Commission maps out the road towards the Innovation Union, marking a new milestone for this flagship initiative launched as part of the Europe 2020 strategy. The communication details comprehensive and decisive action to achieve Innovation Union and underlines the need for political determination. Designed to boost green growth and social progress, the Innovation Union would concentrate Europe's combined efforts on key challenges such as climate change, energy and food security, health and the demographic change linked to an ageing population. The strategy to bring it about calls for public sector intervention to stimulate the private sector and eliminate the factors that complicate entrepreneurial efforts to bring innovative ideas to market.

Improved access to finance, encouragement for innovation through public procurement, rapid standard setting and measures to overcome the fragmentation of research systems and markets are examples of actions that can help transform bright ideas into cutting-edge products and services.

Actions such as these are designed to support the emergence of a knowledge-based economy, and would go a long way towards meeting the Europe 2020 target of boosting R&D (research and development) expenditure to 3% of GDP (gross domestic product). According to recent research into the cost of a non-innovative Europe, this level of investment could create up to 3.7 million jobs and increase annual GDP by as much as EUR 795 million by 2025. To unleash the full potential of the Innovation Union, 1 million more researchers will be needed.

News source: Cordis link: article

Croatia: Increasing Innovation Potential

Drawing upon International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) funding since 2006, Croatia has increased the magnitude of commercialization of public research and private sector innovation and concluded research contracts in the value of 8.5 million euros, with more than 60 patent applications filed by Rudjer Boskovic Institute only. The access to Research and Development (R&D) funding (35 million euros) was expanded to about 80 small and medium-sized companies, which was important in the context of illiquid financial markets and as mitigation measures to the global economic crisis.



 News source: Worldbank link: publication