The Framework programmes have led the world in collaborative, competitive research. Horizon 2020 needs to build on these strengths.
It is often pointed out that the Framework programmes account for only a very small part of the EU’s total public spending on R&D. In terms of competitive project funding for research, however, Framework 7 accounted for more than a quarter of the EU’s budget, a proportion that may rise with Horizon 2020.
And it’s not just a question of budgets. Since Framework 1 began in 1984, the programmes have helped to move research and innovation to centre stage in EU policies. They have also created a European-level research system that leaves the EU well placed to adapt to the changing research landscape—provided national governments and global organisations can build on its achievements and embark on even stronger cooperation.
One positive impact has been on how research is assessed. Framework programmes have led to the development of a comprehensive culture of evaluation that has become internationally recognised as best practice.
Efforts to assess the long-term impact of Framework programmes at EU level have shown that the programmes support excellent research, researchers and research organisations. They involve all member states, and international partners beyond the EU. There is, however, a continuing need to widen participation to involve regions less well integrated into the EU’s R&D activities.
The programmes have also had a huge effect on how, and with whom, Europe’s researchers work. The benefits are felt at every level, from international systems to individual researchers.
EU funding helps to reduce the fragmentation caused by the territorial behaviour of national funding systems and institutions. The resulting long-term experience of collaborative research has given Europe a competitive advantage in coping with the changes in global knowledge production that are seen in increasing international collaboration and co-authorship.
Through the Framework programmes, Europeans have learned to work in the interdisciplinary, intersectoral and intercultural teams that will become an increasingly significant part of research. And the Marie Curie scheme for researcher training and mobility has fostered a truly European spirit among young and advanced researchers. It has exposed them to new methodologies, approaches and perspectives, although more of this is still needed.
The programmes have also led to forms of collaboration such as ERA-Nets, European Technology Platforms and the Joint Technology Initiatives. The European Research Council’s support for excellence at the European level is breaking down the silos created by national research councils, and the European Institute of Innovation and Technology, a new type of hybrid organisation, is aiming to integrate research and entrepreneurship.
These international networks foster innovation, creativity, and ideas and solutions. They integrate partners along new supply chains and bring the potential to build transnational innovation ecosystems.
There is room for improvement, of course. Framework funding has created the research communities that form the backbone of the European Research Area. But the slow progress towards the ERA, and member states’ varying procedures and legal provisions, continue to hinder collaboration and researcher mobility.
Despite some important achievements, 13 years after its launch the ERA is still a vision. The reluctance of states and organisations to engage with the project threatens its timetable for completion by 2014. There needs to be a change in attitudes, and a willingness to look beyond narrow national and institutional interests.
There are other weaknesses. The follow-up of programme and project results has been poor, creating barriers to the exploitation of results and innovation. A balance between continuity and novelty must be sought. There may be a need for specific provisions to support the follow-up and take-up of results.
Many have complained that the administration and management of Framework-funded projects is too complex. For Horizon 2020, the European Commission, largely supported by the Council of Ministers, has proposed a radical simplification. Lobbying by those with vested interests cannot be allowed to endanger this improvement.
The increasingly multipolar nature of research and innovation, and the emergence of new powers, offer challenges and opportunities. Europe must prepare for these changes: the period of Horizon 2020’s lifetime from 2014 to 2020 may be the last window of opportunity for the continent to keep and strengthen its position as a major player in research and innovation.
The Framework programme is the strongest competitive, collaborative research programme in the world. It has created the networks and critical mass necessary to tackle complex problems beyond the scope of national approaches, which require working with the best people and equipment, wherever they are. If member states can view research from a still more European perspective, Europe will be well equipped for the future.
Manfred Horvat is honorary professor of European and International Research and Technology Cooperation at Vienna University of Technology.
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