EURAB Working Group 4“RTOs and ERA”

Christopher John HullAdvisor, Deputy Secretary General

EARTO

EURAB• High-level advisory group to European Research

Commissioner Janez Potočnik on European RTD issues

• 45 distinguished members– 4 nominated by EARTO

• Wide-ranging agenda, freedom to raise issues– SMEs– Raising regional innovation potential– Role of universities– Boosting private R&D investment– Assessment FP6– Recommendations FP7– RTOs

• Objectives– Raise the profile of RTOs among high-level policy makers– Ensure ERA and FP policy instruments better adapated to the needs of

RTOs

• Members– Jean-François Minster (former CEO, IFREMER – Director of Science

Strategy, CNRS) - Chairman– Catherine Cesarsky (Director General, ESO)– Jan Dekker (former President, EARTO – President, KIVI)– Helena Illnerova (President, Academy of Science, Czech Republic)– Tomasz Kosmider (President, TPC)– Norbert Kroo (Secretary General, Hungarian Academy of Science)– Pedro Matias (Director International Relations, INETI)– Renato Ugo (President, AIRI)

WG4: “RTOs and ERA”

WG4: “RTOs and ERA”• Arguments

– Effective research and innovation systems need a mix of complementary actors

• Enterprises, universities, RTOs– RTOs are distinctive, mission-oriented, key functions– RTOs address actual or potential market and systemic failures– RTOs perform

• 40% plus of publicly funded R&D in the EU• 14% plus of all R&D

– RTOs could contribute more to ERA if European policy better adapted

– RTOs lack visibility

WG4: “RTOs and ERA”• Recommendations

– Raise profile of RTOs through two policy conferences• Distinctive role of RTOs in ERA (EU Presidency event)• RTOs and universities (“open innovation”)

– ERA and FP instruments should better address RTOs as holistic mission-oriented organisations, e.g. ERA-NET, Infrastructures

– “RTO Observatory” in DG Research– Improved governance of public-mission RTOs

• “arms-length” governance, management autonomy• Financial stability, medium-term rolling budgets

WG4: “RTOs and ERA”• Publication

– December, 2005• Results so far

– Invitation from DG Research to EARTO for regular exchange of views (cf proposal for an “RTO Observatory”)

• High level• Six-monthly• Current and strategic matters

– Discussions underway to organise 2007 EARTO Annual Conference, under patronage of German EU Presidency, on “Research and Technology Organisations in a Rapidly Changing World: ERA, Globalisation, Open Innovation”(cf proposed policy conferences)

http://europa.eu.int/comm/research/eurab/index_en.html