What will EIT do for Europe?

Date: 15/06/06

The European Commission last week fleshed out its plan for a European Institute of Technology (EIT) intended as a flagship for excellence in education, research and innovation that will support the aim of making the EU more competitive.

Ideas on the institution, first mooted in the Commission's 2005 spring report, were unveiled in February this year. Proposals adopted on 8 June, which are contained in a communication from the Commission to the European Council, cover issues such as the role of the governing board, the status of EIT workers, funding and links with the private sector, although details on these are somewhat sketchy - broad statements of intent rather than firm proposals. The document signals the need to kick-start a period of "more focused consultation with member states and stakeholders in the months ahead", clearly stating that it does not provide "final solutions".

But, at this early stage, there are strong indications that early criticisms of the plan will be overlooked in the Commission's enthusiasm to create a direct rival to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

These concerns were raised in a paper distributed to key Commission officials in March, with the support of a significant number of member states.

The UK, Austria, Germany, Finland and Sweden worry that the version of EIT the Commission has in mind could present serious technical and legal challenges without providing obvious added value. Excessive concern with academic credibility, which has led to proposals on integrating the best faculties of European universities into a degree-awarding institution, could lead the Commission to miss valuable opportunities for harnessing the full potential of existing technology platforms, such as CARS 21, an initiative bringing together the public and private sector to improve the competitiveness of the EU's automobile industry.

The communication to the European Council omits to mention existing networks in a description of the proposed working of EIT: "It [EIT] should have a Governing Board...which will identify strategic societal and economic challenges and select Knowledge Communities to address them. A Knowledge Community would be an integrated partnership which has agreed to achieve strategic goals identified by the Governing Board of the EIT," the report says.

As one sceptical member state representative, commenting on the Commission's paper, asks: "Why start with crushing something that works well?" Sceptical member states and universities say there is a need to improve relations between universities and business, they [suggest] a creative alternative that aims towards improving relations - they say let's make EIT as a network focusing on innovation," he adds.

Fr�ric Vincent, the European Commission's spokesman in charge of education, says: "People tend to think EIT will be a new institution built from scratch - it's not the case."

He says that the institute could, in theory, accept proposals from existing technology networks. But, he adds: "EIT staff will publish calls for proposals and decide what the project should consist of. It's a bit too early to decide what they will be inviting."

German Liberal MEP Jorgo Chatzimarkakis, a member of the European Parliament's industry, research and energy committee, who has been engaged in discussions with the Commission on the structure of EIT, stresses that "the EU does not have a knowledge gap. It has an information gap".

"We should be concentrating on technology building and innovation, using the 33 existing technology platforms," Chatzimarkakis says.

"[Education Commissioner Jan] Figel' accepts the technology platforms as knowledge communities. But it's not enough. We need a platform where interdisciplinary committees can meet," Chatzimarkakis adds.

In the 8 June communication from the Commission, no location for the EIT has been mentioned and plans for the practical and legal functioning of knowledge communities are still hazy.

The institute will initially be funded with public money, but strong emphasis will be laid on attracting endowments and private income through contracts for research and education activities thereafter.

"Businesses will be core partners at the institute's strategic and operational levels," says Figel'. "Companies will be directly involved in research and education activities, thereby helping to nurture an entrepreneurial mind set among graduates and researchers. This is vital if Europe is to achieve its goal of being a dynamic knowledge-based economy."

The Lisbon Agenda, currently in its sixth year of implementation, is in dire need of a project that will attract the brightest minds to Europe and help to lift the EU economy out of its sluggish state.

At a cost expected to run into hundreds of millions of euros, the EU cannot afford to allow the EIT to turn into a white elephant that fails to deliver concrete results.

EIT - the next steps

• The Commission's communication is being presented to the European Council on 15-16 June;
• The Commission will then present an impact assessment, followed by a formal proposal outlining criteria for the location of the Governing Board and the institute's budget;
• The target is to adopt the law establishing the EIT in 2008, at the latest;
• The Governing Board and first staff of the central governing body could be appointed in early 2009;
• The identification of the first knowledge communities should be done by 2009, so they start their activities in time for the 2009-10 academic year.

Article reports on plans for the European Institute of Technology.

European Commission: Press Release: The Commission details its plan for a European Institute of Technology, 8.6.06 http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/06/751&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

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