Looking beyond tomorrow. Scientific research in the European Union

Research is an investment in our future well-being. The fruits of efforts made today may not be visible for several years. But equally, failure to invest now will cost future generations dearly. The European Union is aware of the stakes involved as it strives to become the world’s most dynamic knowledge-based economy by 2010. The competition is tough: at present, the United States and Japan each spend more on R&D than the EU and its member states. To meet this challenge, the EU has a strategy. It aims to get the best out of national research efforts and to combine resources where research efforts would otherwise be too small and fragmented. It is creating a frontier-free European research area, enabling scientists across the EU to join forces in pursuit of excellence.