Red tape hampers Union bid to gain ground in global R&D race

Date: 22/06/2000

By Peter Chapman

NEEDLESS bureaucracy and red tape are hampering EU efforts to catch up with the US and Japan in the research and development race, Research Commissioner Philippe Busquin will admit next month.

The failings in the Union's R&D policy will be revealed in a European Commission report on the operation of the fifth 'framework' programme - which is pumping €15 billion of EU taxpayers' money into pan-European projects in areas from biotechnology to telecoms. The study will play a key part in the Commission's preparations for its successor - the sixth framework - which will run from 2002 to 2006.

Officials admit that the report, drawn up by Commission officials on the basis of studies on individual parts of the programme by independent experts, will severely criticise the archaic procedures used by the EU executive to select projects.

However, Busquin's aides say the Commissioner will use it to point to failures in the system which he inherited and highlight the need for reform. "One of the key problems is the fact that the Commission is forced to follow a lengthy procedure with so many control steps," said one.

Typical of the red tape facing those applying for grants are the 17-page forms which companies, universities and researchers must fill in, regardless of the type and size of project they are bidding for. The need for all the partners in selected projects to thrash out an agreement in advance on how they will share out the intellectual property rights to the results of the research is another major headache. "That can take a long time," said an official. "Sometimes it is not the Commission that causes the delay."

Officials add that the report will not focus on specific project successes and failures as the current programme has only been running for a year and concrete results have yet to filter through. But it will point to severe failings in one of the sub-programmes dealing with international cooperation in R&D. "These projects operate across the world and control is very difficult," said one. "The money is likely to disappear."

Another key cause for concern is the rigidity in the system which leads to vital new scientific topics being denied the funding they deserve. One glaring example of this was the relatively low priority given to research on emerging issues such as genetically modified organisms and the human genome in the €2.4-billion 'quality of life and management of living resources' section of the fifth framework.

"The problem is that you have to decide four years in advance what the major areas of interest are x, y and z. When you have developments such as GMOs and genomes, then you tend to miss them, " said an official. "Flexibility is a problem. There is a lot more demand for money - but the pot is too small. There are no easy means to give them more money."

As a short-term solution, Busquin will announce plans soon to make up for the shortfall in research into the human genome by redirecting funds from other lower priority areas in the life sciences field. In the long run, his chances of drawing up a more flexible sixth framework are boosted by the loosening of EU rules governing approval of the contents of the programme.

Next time around, this will ultimately be decided by a qualified majority vote in the Council of Ministers, in conjunction with MEPs. This will increase the chances of thrashing out a compromise deal which is less likely to be vetoed if individual member states' pet projects are ignored. "These programmes always end up like a shopping list of what each member state wants," said one official.

Needless bureaucracy and red tape are hampering EU efforts to catch up with the US and Japan in the research and development race, Research Commissioner Philippe Busquin will admit in a forthcoming report. The failings in the Union's R&D policy will be revealed in a European Commission report on the operation of the fifth framework programme, which is pumping €15 billion of EU taxpayers' money into pan-European projects in areas from biotechnology to telecoms. The study will play a key part in the Commission's preparations for its successor - the sixth framework - which will run from 2002 to 2006.