European Union (EU) Research and Experimental Development (R&D) Policy

Abstract

The European Union (EU)’s research and experimental development (R&D) policy pursues a range of objectives stated explicitly in the Treaty. Over time, EU R&D policy has gained in importance compared with other EU policies (as a result of the EU Lisbon, revised Lisbon and Europe 2020 strategies) and compared to Member State policies (as a result of a better recognition of the added value of action at EU level). EU R&D policy has so far consisted mainly of supply side-oriented direct financial support in the form of ever larger and more complex multi-annual ‘Framework Programmes’ supporting cross-border research programme coordination, frontier and cross-border collaborative research projects, international researcher mobility, research infrastructure access etc. Large-scale ‘additional’ impacts have been achieved by these Framework Programmes. In recent years, indirect support in the form of policy advocacy has gained in importance.

Appendix: European Added Value – Why Fund Research at EU Level?

EU support to research is provided only when it can be more effective than national funding. It does this through measures to coordinate national funding, and through implementing collaborative research and mobility actions.

Coordinated Funding and Agenda-Setting

EU initiatives help to coordinate funding across national borders and to restructure the R&D and innovation landscape in Europe:

• The EU has created the European Research Council. Without it, the EU would have a landscape of compartmentalised national research councils, but no mechanism to promote EU-wide competition for funds and to encourage higher scientific quality.

• Thanks to EU leadership, for the first time, a pan-European strategy on research infrastructures is now being implemented.

• The EU helps private companies come together and implement joint strategic research agendas through tailored instruments, such as European Technology Platforms and Joint Technology Initiatives.

• The EU joins up compartmentalised national research funding using instruments such as ERA-NETs and Article 185 initiatives, which set common agendas and achieve the funding scale required for tackling important societal challenges.

• Through its Marie Curie actions, the EU set standards for innovative research training and career development and put in place a framework for the free movement of knowledge.

Coordinated funding reduces duplication and increases efficiency. EU support is vital – none of the above measures would have seen the light of day without an EU initiative.

Collaborative Research Projects and Mobility Actions

When it comes to implementing research and innovation projects, EU actions add value by stimulating transnational collaboration and mobility. These actions generate a series of benefits that could not be achieved by Member States acting alone:

• Support for collaboration helps to achieve the critical mass required for breakthroughs when research activities are of such a scale and complexity that no single Member State can provide the necessary resources.

• The EU supports research which addresses pan-European policy challenges (e.g. environment, health, food safety, climate change, security), and facilitates the establishment of a common scientific base and of harmonized laws in these areas.

• Working in trans-national consortia helps firms to lower research risks, enabling certain research to take place. Involving key EU industry players and end users reduces commercial risks by aiding the development of standards and interoperable solutions, and by defragmenting existing markets.

• Collaborative research projects involving end users enable the rapid and wide dissemination of results leading to better exploitation and a larger impact than would be possible only at Member State level.

• SME involvement in research and innovation at EU level improves their partnerships with other companies and labs across Europe, and enables them to tap into Europe’s creative and innovative skills potential, to develop new products and services, and to enter new national, EU or international markets.

• Companies can collaborate with foreign partners and end users at a scale not possible at national level, in projects tested for excellence and market impact, which induces them to invest more of their own funds than they would under national schemes.

• Cross-border mobility and training actions are of critical importance for providing access to complementary knowledge, attracting young people into research, encouraging top researchers to come to Europe, ensuring excellent skills for future generations of scientists, and improving career prospects for researchers in both public and private sectors.