Science and Technologies

European universities are admired all around the world. Every year countries from Ireland to Bulgaria produce highly qualified scientists, engineers, architects and researchers with the skills needed to make the next scientific breakthrough. But turning that potential into practical results has for a long time been a challenge for the EU.

Member states’ governments have their own strategies to maintain high European standards for science and technology. But fears of a ‘brain drain’ to US and Asian institutes and increasing international competition have made them turn to the EU institutions for help.

EU governments in 1984 agreed the first framework programme for research (FP1) with a budget of €4 billion to share between programmes on science and technology research. This year, the seventh such programme rolled into action, with €50.5bn to spend before the end of 2013. The first call for proposals went out in January.

Young researchers wary of competing with their more experienced colleagues can, under the latest framework programme, also compete for grants from the new European Research Council (ERC) which was launched this week (27 February) with much razzmatazz in Berlin. The ERC opened shop last month with €3bn of FP7 money to share among "the next generation of top research leaders and their most creative ideas".

And more money comes up for grabs this year under another new EU funding programme. The Competitiveness and Innovation Programme (CIP) was designed by the European Commission as a follow-up to the 2000 Lisbon Agenda for growth and jobs. Its €3.6bn budget will be used to develop information and communication technologies and clean energy technologies, as well as to support small- and medium-sized enterprises.

"FP7 is about developing ideas," explained one Commission official. "CIP is about bringing ideas to the market."

The idea of the ERC is that it will be run by scientists and will be driven by the search for quality research rather than political considerations. But the EU’s politicians will be looking to the ERC and the Union’s funding programmes to give a boost to the European economy.

The German Chancellor Angela Merkel said at the launch event: "We know that research and new technologies can be driving motors for a new economic dynamic, they can even provide a basis for growth in Europe, for keeping and increasing our prosperity and competitiveness."

Across a range of fields, the EU has innovative talent: the challenge is to harness its economic potential.

European universities are admired all around the world. Every year countries from Ireland to Bulgaria produce highly qualified scientists, engineers, architects and researchers with the skills needed to make the next scientific breakthrough. But turning that potential into practical results has for a long time been a challenge for the EU.