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Sunday 5 July 2009
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|NewsletterDevice R&D
Lords criticise Europe technology initiative
Thursday 26 April 2007
The proposed European Institute of Technology (EIT) “would cost a great deal of money and would be largely ineffective”, according to the House of Lords European Union Committee.
The EIT is intended to address the European Union’s weakness, when compared to its global competitors, in converting research results into commercial opportunities.
“We are yet to be convinced that there is a need for a new European institution, in the EIT form currently proposed, in order to address this problem,” said the Committee.
One of the Committee’s concerns surrounds incentives for business to become involved: “Our view is that the approach they suggest does not provide European businesses with the incentives they will need to become heavily involved, and hence to make the EIT a success,” said Baroness Thomas of Walliswood, chairman of the Committee.
Under current proposals, the EIT will comprise six Knowledge and Innovation Communities, to be established by 2013. These would be partnerships of private businesses, research organisations and higher education institutions which would be networked together.
The overall budget for this is estimated at around €2.4bn and the Committee said the EC has “so far provided only limited information on funding of the EIT”.
The Committee’s concerns echo the opinions of industry regarding the funding of the EIT.
Professor Drummond Bone, president of Universities UK, told EW last year he was worried the EIT would take resources away from the Framework R&D Programme, which the EC has indeed identified as a potential source of EIT funding.
The EIT is intended to address the European Union’s weakness, when compared to its global competitors, in converting research results into commercial opportunities.
“We are yet to be convinced that there is a need for a new European institution, in the EIT form currently proposed, in order to address this problem,” said the Committee.
One of the Committee’s concerns surrounds incentives for business to become involved: “Our view is that the approach they suggest does not provide European businesses with the incentives they will need to become heavily involved, and hence to make the EIT a success,” said Baroness Thomas of Walliswood, chairman of the Committee.
Under current proposals, the EIT will comprise six Knowledge and Innovation Communities, to be established by 2013. These would be partnerships of private businesses, research organisations and higher education institutions which would be networked together.
The overall budget for this is estimated at around €2.4bn and the Committee said the EC has “so far provided only limited information on funding of the EIT”.
The Committee’s concerns echo the opinions of industry regarding the funding of the EIT.
Professor Drummond Bone, president of Universities UK, told EW last year he was worried the EIT would take resources away from the Framework R&D Programme, which the EC has indeed identified as a potential source of EIT funding.
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