Work in Parliament Conference on the Common Strategic Framework for EU Research and Innovation funding
Yesterday, Maria da Graça Carvalho, as rapporteur for simplifying the implementation of the Research Framework Programme and EPP Budget Standing Rapporteur for Research, participated in the Conference on the Common Strategic Framework for EU Research and Innovation funding, which was organized by the DG Research and Innovation of the European Commission.
Maria da Graça Carvalho moderated one of the three sessions of the conference, namely the panel entitled "Strengthening Europe's science base and European research area" which counted with the interventions from Andreu Mas-Colell, Minister of Economy and Knowledge, Government of Catalonia; Helga Nowotny, President of the ERC Scientific Council; Dieter Imboden, President of Eurohorcs; Rolf Heuer, Director General of CERN; and Maria Elzbieta Orlowska, Secretary of State, Ministry of Sciencie and Higher Education of Poland.
Maria da Graça Carvalho, whose report was adopted with a significant majority on November 2010, focused her intervention on the three key blocks of Common Strategic Framework.
Ms Carvalho declared that "the first block involves excellence in the science base. This is the ground on which everything else relies. Europe's competiveness and well being depends on this as does our ability to attract leading researchers to Europe. Education is an integral part of such a programme as this supposes the deep links between education, research and innovation".
Concerning "the second key aspect of the future CSF, which is the budget"; Ms Carvalho and a group of MEPs from the EPP group called for the doubling of the FP8 budget by comparison with the FP7 budget. This was included in the FP7 mid-term review report and was voted on and adopted in Plenary last Tuesday. This proposal has been included in the EU Parliament draft report for the CSF.
The Commission adopted the Green Paper on a Common Strategic Framework for EU Research and Innovation funding on 9 February, 2011 with the aim to change conditions to facilitate participation of researchers and enterprises, enhance scientific and economic impact and get better value for the use of EU funds. On this basis, a broad stakeholder consultation was launched. This consultation ended on 20 May, 2011. An overall analysis providing the main messages and key statistics resulting from this consultation was used as support for discussions at the conference.
The Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science, Marie Geoghegan-Quinn opened this event concerning the European Research and Innovation policy.