News archive - Potočnik claims coordinated RTD investments to combat the economic downturn
As the European Union's spring summit (March 19-20, 2009) is approaching, the Lisbon Agenda is back in the centre of interest. The action plan, adopted at the EU summit in Lisbon in the year 2000, aims at making Europe the world’s most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy by 2010.
Although the economic downturn makes it even harder to reach this ambitious goal, research commissioner Janez Potočnik from pressing the case for science and research: He argues that investment in Europe’s research infrastructure, and continued efforts to forge a European research area (ERA) should be viewed as part of the solution to the short-term economic malaise...
“The current crisis is an even greater argument for better coordinated research investments and for encouraging companies and universities to compete and cooperate across Europe,” Potočnik told national science and industry ministers, who met in Brussels last week to prepare the ground for the summit. Large EU countries such as France and Britain support Potočniks approach.
A debate on the role of energy and climate change research in boosting the EU’s economic prospects is scheduled for the spring summit, traditionally focussing on RTD-related issues.
Further steps in the field of reseach policy are expected to be taken by the Swedish precidency (Juli - December 2009).
Source: Sciencebusiness Bulletin, http://bulletin.sciencebusiness.net/ebulletins/showissue.php3?page=/548/3294/13046&rec_id=4330, as accessed on March 16, 2009.
Entry created by Katarina Rohsmann on March 16, 2009
Modified on March 16, 2009
