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EURE
KAN
EWS
www.eureka.be
81The quarterly magazine of the EUREKA Initiative
> Editorial Fixing a real European
perspective on research: Luuk Borg on the place of EUREKA in ERA
> CoUNtrY FoCUS Finland’s strategic centres for
science and technology
> ProJECt SHoWCaSE Using interactive television
to link doctors and patients, bringing health services to your home
> ViEWPoiNt Professor Francesco Jovane
on past and current trends in European research
Working together
Shaping tomorrow’s innovations today
How Europe’s research support models have evolved in the bid to increase competitiveness
2 | EurEka NEws 81
EUREKA is a European
network for market-
oriented R&D. Its aim is
to strengthen European
competitiveness by
promoting market-driven collaborative
research and technological development.
The EUREKA Initiative enables industry,
universities and research institutes from
38 member countries and the EU to
collaborate in a ‘bottom-up’ approach
to developing and exploiting innovative
technologies.
EUrEka News is published four times
a year in English, French, German,
Italian and Spanish. An online version is
available on www.eureka.be
Publisher: Luuk Borg
Contributions from: Vivienne Kendall,
Paul McCallum and Sarah Morris
For EUrEka: Franco Cozzani,
Sally Horspool, Francesco Jovane
designed by Busybee
translations by Berlitz
Printed by Vanden Broele
©2008 EUREKA Secretariat iSSN 1470-7489
Permission to reproduce individual articles
from EUREKA News for non-commercial
purposes is granted, provided that
EUREKA News is credited as the source.
Photography: with thanks to EUREKA
project and Cluster participants for any
assistance and material provided in the
production of this issue.
EUREKA Secretariat, Rue Neerveld 107,
1200 Brussels, Belgium
Subscription enquiries:
Opinions expressed within EUREKA News
do not necessarily reflect those of the
organisation.
www.eureka.be
In this issue of EUREKA news, we review
developments in European research over the
last 60 years and emphasise the importance
of international collaboration. At the same
time we also look at how smaller European
countries such as Finland are increasingly
keen on international cooperation to help
their highly successful niche companies
operate effectively in a globalised economy.
EUREKA itself has played an important role in
inter-governmental cooperation since 1985
and has become a focal point for European
industrial innovation, acting as a powerful
counterpoint to the later EU Framework
Programmes for research, coordinated by the
European Commission. Our flexibility is well
appreciated by industry and complements
ideally the Union of the EU-27 in this epoch of
growing globalisation.
While the Framework Programmes have
focused increasingly on frontier science,
excellence and efficiency with every greater
support for major research infrastructure
and large medium- to long-term projects,
EUREKA has continued to concentrate on
more market-oriented results with increasing
support for shorter, smaller projects with
fewer participants. These EUREKA projects
enable industrial companies – and particularly
small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) –
to get new products to market quickly using
the results of their research.
Nevertheless, at the same time, our Clusters
and Umbrellas have always enabled EUREKA
to offer platforms for strategic longer-term
initiatives that complement the research and
innovation strategy of the EU as well as open
up public-private partnerships with national
research programmes.
Our Clusters have a long history of involve-
ment in areas such as microelectronics,
software and communications that has kept
European industry in the global vanguard
despite ever-growing pressures to displace
manufacturing – and development – to the
Asia Pacific region. The thematic networks in
Umbrellas such as ECONTEC, which brings
together multimedia and electronic learning,
have made impressive advances for Europe
in areas like digital animation. And we are
spearheading new longer-term developments
in biotechnologies and environmental
technologies.
The strength of these Clusters and Umbrellas
has come from their industrial leadership,
with the industries concerned establishing the
research agendas, contributing to the funding
and sharing the results that then allow the
individual companies to develop their own
world-beating products.
Now, with the development of Joint
Technology Initiatives (JTIs) that enable the
European Commission to support Member
State platforms for European research
Fixing a real European perspective on research
www.EurEka.bE | 3
> Editorial
luuk BorgHead of the EUrEka Secretariat
co-investments, there is growing convergence
between the Framework Programmes and
EUREKA within the European Research Area
(ERA). Close cooperation between these
JTIs and our major Clusters are ensuring
the results of this approach support both
the Lisbon European Council objectives to
develop a knowledge-based economy and
the Barcelona Council targets for increased
research funding.
Establishing the EUREKA Eurostars
Programme last year, which brings together
Commission, Member State and private
funding, is speeding up this convergence.
Moreover, it is providing support to the
research-performing SMEs that will provide
our future economic wealth, jobs and social
well being.
If the initial phase of Eurostars is as
successful as we expect it to be, we will
see a request to Member States for extra
funding. Success will be measured in terms
of quality of projects, good outcomes and
value for money. We certainly intend to do a
good job, so we expect to get this additional
funding – not only from Member States but
also from the regional funding agencies,
the European Investment Bank (EIB) and
private partners among others. We also
have a good evaluation scheme for SME
projects and hope to use this to attract and
provide back-office assistance for initiatives
that do not have such an evaluation
infrastructure.
Now, after the June 2008 Ministerial
Conference in Ljubljana marking the
handover of the EUREKA Chairmanship from
Slovenia to Portugal, we are reviewing our
strengths – and weaknesses – to provide a
proactive response to the global challenges in
industrial research.
We want to reaffirm EUREKA’s position as a
major network for industrial innovation in the
ERA, combining our pragmatic and proven
approach to market-oriented results with new
measures to increase some of our members’
political commitment, raise our visibility, build
on the strategic initiatives established by our
more successful Clusters and Umbrellas, and
perhaps strengthen our global position by
promoting R&D partnerships beyond Europe.
luuk Borg
Head of the EUREKA Secretariat
’
‘Establishing the EUREKA Eurostars Programme last year, which brings together Commission, Member State and private funding, is speeding up convergence. It is providing support to the research-performing SMEs that will provide our future economic wealth, jobs and social well being.
EUrEka Secretariat
New offices at the EUREKA Secretariat in Brussels Mojca Kucler Dolinar, Slovenian Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology, officially reopened the EUREKA Secretariat on 12 March 2008. Total refurbishment of the Brussels offices marked an expansion of activities for EUREKA.
Robert-Jan Smits (European Commission), Aleš Mihelic (Slovenian Chair of EUREKA), Mojca Kucler Dolinar (Slovenian Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology) and Luuk Borg (Head of EUREKA Secretariat) attend the re-opening of the Secretariat in Brussels
“EUREKA has been successful in bringing together national funding for collaborative European industrial research projects for 22 years,” said Minister Dolinar. “A major goal of the current Slovenian Chairmanship is to establish EUREKA as one of the important pillars of the ERA so it can contribute to the realisation of the EU Lisbon goals and improve European competitiveness.”
The re-opening of the offices was also an opportunity to communicate the outstanding results of the first Eurostars call in February 2008. More than 200 applications were counted. More than 75% of consortia members were SMEs and around 180 met the criteria to participate in projects.
www.eureka.be
Welcome to EUrEka News 81
Welcome to EUrEka News 81.
this issue sees us travelling in
time. Building a strong market
for research to increase pan-Euro-
pean cooperation and coordinate
national research activities is the
objective for current r&d support
mechanisms. our main feature
looks at how collaborative research
has evolved in Europe (pages 8-11).
to complement this, Francesco
Jovane, EUrEka’s italian High
level representative, talks about
current and past trends in Euro-
pean research and tells us why the
EUrEka approach has proved so
effective (pages 15-16).
Back to today though, EUroGia
CoSMoS 1 and 2 is one energy
project showcased in this issue. it
has developed the technology to
safely store carbon dioxide, mak-
ing coal and gas plants greener
(page 7). E! 3710 itVlHa has also
taken media technology further,
creating a system to provide
health tools and services to people
in their homes through television
(page 14).
in our country focus (pages 12-13),
we find out about Finland’s nation-
al innovation strategy and the new
strategic science, technology and
innovation platforms.
We hope you enjoy this summer
edition. Your questions and com-
ments are welcome at
4 | EurEka NEws 81
Eurostars
Eurostars Programme gets final approval by European ParliamentOn 10 April 2008, MEPs approved the Eurostars Programme for research-performing SMEs. The European Parliament gave its green light to a compromise package, negotiated with the Council beforehand, to co-finance 100 million euro from Community funds. Participating countries will jointly contribute another 300 million euro.
The compromise took on board most of the points raised by the Parliament’s Industry Committee. “The negotiations in the European Parliament together with the Council were handled in the record time of five months,” said rapporteur Paul Rübig (EPP-ED, AT). “We could obtain decisive improvements. Eurostars now has the potential to become a real showcase for the European Union,” he added.
The programme will mainly fund R&D activities in the whole field of science and technology. Independent experts will evaluate the project proposals and establish a binding ranking list to allocate funds from Community to national budgets. The compromise text equally took up the ITRE Committee’s suggestion to use the Community logo in all printed and electronic publications that focus on Eurostars.
The new application submission deadline for Eurostars project proposals is set for Friday 21 November 2008 at 1700 CET.
www.eurostars-eureka.eu
Events
INNOVACT 2008EUREKA’s presence at this year’s edition of INNOVACT emphasised the role it plays in supporting R&D-performing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This two-day event took place at the Congress
> News in brief
www.EurEka.bE | 5
centre in Reims, France on 18 and 19 March 2008. EUREKA showcased project results at an exhibition stand. Head of the EUREKA Secretariat Luuk Borg and French National Project Coordinator Rémy Renaudin participated in conferences, promoting EUREKA’s cutting-edge research and bottom-up approach to innovation.
Borg inaugurated the event and took the opportunity to communicate the latest results of the Eurostars Programme. Afterwards, he also presented prizes to the winners of the European Innovation Hopeful Award.
Unique in Europe, INNOVACT involves 4000 participants, bringing together 220 innovative companies, 255 exhibitors and 110 speakers from 20 countries. Now, in its 12th edition, it continues to find solutions for young innovative European companies including training, partnerships, finance, and technology transfer.
www.innovact.com
Portugal takes over the EUREKA ChairmanshipJune marked the end of the Slovenian Chairmanship year. Portugal took over the helm as of July and follows in the footsteps of what has already been achieved by the Slovenians.
The Portuguese team has devised a programme that continues to focus on maximising the promotion of EUREKA project results. “During our Chairmanship year, we also plan to implement the EUREKA strategy. We will start by taking up the action plans drafted during the Slovenian Chairmanship,” says Jorge Liz,
NPC for Portugal. “Better synchronisation and harmonisation of EUREKA funding is also a strong priority on our agenda,” he adds.
Other priorities set by the Chairmanship include organising more brokerage events, developing the concept of technology missions outside Europe to promote the EUREKA approach, and increasing partnerships within the Mediterranean region.
www.eureka.be/inaction/chair.do
Ministerial Conference 2008: EUREKA expands its horizons for innovationThe outcome of this year’s Ministerial Conference (MC) emphasised more than ever that EUREKA holds an important
position in generating innovative, industry-led, cross-border projects. Organised every two years, the MC lays down political guidelines and officially announces the new EUREKA projects endorsed during the Chairmanship year.
“The powerful leverage effect of EUREKA has greatly stimulated private-sector investment in R&D projects. It has also built an effective link between industry and academia,” concluded Luuk Borg, Head of the EUREKA Secretariat. Strong collaboration between member countries is key to a successful future.
The EUREKA family also officially welcomed the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) as a full member of the network. Previously holding the 3rd country status, FYROM can now lead and make proposals for projects. “EUREKA membership gives FYROM’s research a much stronger market orientation,” said Professor Jovan Lazarev, the country’s Deputy Minister for Education and Science.
In parallel to conference discussions, the interactive exhibition showcased success story project results. From energy, and agriculture to ICT, visitors could literally get a taste for EUREKA projects past and present. Tasting products and testing technology that would not have been developed without EUREKA’s support.
Janez Janša, Slovenian Prime Minister, Mojca Kucler Dolinar, Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology and Janez Potocnik, Commissioner for Science and Research are taken on a guided tour of the project exhibition by Catherine Simmons of the EUREKA Secretariat
6 | EurEka NEws 81
Clusters
Smart talkEUREKA and its smart systems Cluster EURIPIDES headed to the Palau de Congressos de Catalunya in Barcelona for this year’s edition of Smart Systems Integration, which took place on 9 and 10 April 2008. An international communication platform for research institutes and manufacturers, it allows them to exchange know-how and build contacts for successful European research in this sector.
EURIPIDES projects promote smart systems and their relevant technologies, bringing high volume technologies that have a wide-ranging impact on the electronics market to a broad market base. Projects, generally lasting three years and leading to pre-industrial prototypes, involve around 40% of SMEs. Representatives from the Clusters were onsite at the exhibition to answer questions and communicate their results.
“It was an opportunity to communicate the diverse areas in which smart systems are used to improve the daily lives of European citizens, implicating the transport, medical, security and industry sectors,” said Jean-Luc Maté, Chairman of the Cluster.
www.euripides-eureka.eu
Umbrellas
PROFACTORY and brokerage event in SwedenPRO-FACTORY, the EUREKA Umbrella focusing on manufacturing technologies, held a brokerage event in Gothenburg, Sweden on 5 and 6 May 2008. Organised by the Swedish EUREKA Office at VINNOVA, the Swedish Governmental Agency for Innovation Systems, participants actively took part in workshops and in bilateral meetings to improve collaboration in this section of industry.
The conference theme focused on manufacturing in the automotive industry with workshops on laser processing in automotive manufacturing, surfaces for automotive applications, sheet metal forming in automotive manufacturing and virtual tools for manufacturing. A technical visit to Volvo Car Corporation was also planned.
www.vinnova se
Business and science talk aquaculture in the NetherlandsThe Zuiderzee Museum in Enkhuizen, the Netherlands, was the location for the second COST/EUREKA twin event on aquaculture, which took place on 20-22 April 2008. Following the success of the first meeting in Patras, Greece, this event was organised with the cooperation of the Municipality of Enkhuizen, a province of Northern Holland.
“In contrast with the alarming decline in wild fish species there is a need to develop new and sustainable fish-breeding methods that safeguard our environment, animal health, biodiversity and food,” says Pol van den Bergen, Office Manager INNOFISK.
INNOFISK aims to create a Europe-wide platform to combine research and development capabilities and expertise in order to generate projects in the area of fish breeding throughout the entire fish production chain.
http://www.aquaculture-event.eu/
EUrEka awards
Lynx and Lillehammer Awards 2008
Every year, EUREKA recognises the contribution made by a project to improving Europe’s environment. This
year’s winner was EUREKA project E! 3379 CPS. Annelene Svingen, Norwegian State Secretary for the Ministry of Trade and Industry, handed over the award to the delighted participants who developed an innovative Cylinder Pressure Sensor (Cps) to reduce nitrogen oxide and particle emissions from car diesel engines.
The EUREKA Lynx Award, established in 2001 during the Spanish Chairmanship, highlights SMEs which offer good prospects for private investors. RS Dynamics, the company involved in project EULASNET EXPLOSIVE ANALYSER, received their award from Slovenian Minister Mojca Kucler Dolinar. A Czech-led EUREKA Umbrella project, it has created a portable system to detect explosive agents in areas susceptible to bomb attacks. Partners say the system is fast and reliable and can detect and analyse picogram-level traces of standard explosives with an extremely low false alarm rate.
www.eureka.be/inaction/awards.do
Publications
EUREKA Annual Review 2007EUREKA has just published its annual review for 2007. This first edition looks back at last year’s developments including project results, network meetings and events.
To order a copy, simply send an email to [email protected] and include Annual Review 2007 as the subject.
> News in brief
2o 8
2o 8
Yet, energy analysts warn we will depend on fossil fuels for several more decades at least. Sir Nicholas Stern, advising British Prime Minister Gordon Brown on the economics of climate change, forecast carbon-dioxide emitting fuels like gas and coal would still make up half the world’s energy supply by 2050.
So, saving our planet also means developing ways to stop fossil fuels from releasing high levels of planet-warming carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. One of the most promising solutions is CO2 storage, also called carbon sequestration. This involves capturing CO2 before it is released into the atmosphere, turning it into a liquid and storing it in layers of porous rock.
“The technology is already there,” says Laurent Jammes, marketing and technique manager for Schlumberger Carbon Services. “What we need to do is to win confidence in it. It’s very important to show that CO2 can be stored with total security.” It must be demonstrated that carbon storage will not lead to problematic acidity levels in soil or drinking water which could affect the environment and human health.
Jammes is part of a EUREKA partnership which has been developing both materials to ensure CO2 does not escape once it is stored in rock and computer models to monitor storage areas for any leakage. Thanks to EUREKA, they gathered an impressive collection of professionals from both the public and the private sector, including the backing of French oil company TOTAL and Italian energy company ENI. Their work was funded in two separate projects COSMOS 1 and COSMOS 2.
“When you store CO2, you drill a well – a hole – deep underground,” explains Jammes. “The rock can collapse if you don’t shape it in a certain way. You put tubes into the well and between the tubes and the well there is steel casing.” For COSMOS 1, the team designed steel casings and a specific type of cement to prevent stored carbon from leaking while it is being stored or afterwards. “These materials resist CO2. It can’t attack them,” says Jammes.
For COSMOS 2, the team trialled computer models to measure the carbon storage process and monitor CO2 degradation over time. Scientists believe within decades or centuries the CO2 dissolves and within centuries or millennia it reacts with elements in the rock to form new minerals. “We’ve been monitoring the amount of leakage and the moment when it is close to zero which is where you cannot really detect it,” says Jammes. “When you can predict leakage then you can identify action which will allow you to prevent it.”
There are examples of carbon storage in action, such as Sleipner T, a North Sea gas rig run by Norway’s state-owned oil company Statoil, which has been storing CO2 since 1997. But, in general, the use of carbon storage in the world energy industry continues to be limited. Jammes is hoping the COSMOS work will help increase the use of the technology. “The goal is to deploy it widely in order to reduce the emission of green house gases and prevent global warming,” he says. “This could probably cut total CO2 emissions by a quarter.”
Carbon storage is increasingly on the agenda as governments look to
substantially cut CO2 emissions. “All the work done in COSMOS will be at the cornerstone of discussions,” says Jammes. He thinks the materials developed in COSMOS will become a global standard in the future. “COSMOS 2 (due to be completed in April 2010) will demonstrate that we have ways to ensure the security of a site.”
The presence of European companies and researchers in the development of carbon storage is important as consumers across the 27 member countries demand solutions to the problem of global warming. Europe must position itself at the forefront of what will also become a highly profitable business. “This will be one of the big new industries in the world, worth close to $1,000 bn,” said Lord Oxburgh, a former chairman of Shell at an energy debate at the end of last year. “This is going to be an industry of the same magnitude as the oil industry is today.”
www.EurEka.bE | 7
> Read about the many EUREKA success stories on www.eureka.be
> Project showcase
Cleaner powerEuropean countries have ambitious aims to increase their use of renewable power. Wind-mills are rolling out on hills and mountains. Solar panels are being added to homes and architects are incorporating them into their designs for state-of-the-art public and private buildings. a EUrEka project partnering Germans, French and italians is at the forefront of finding ways to make coal and gas plants greener.
8 | EurEka NEws 81
From national t an outloo
Europe has a long tradition of excellence in research and innovation, but this
excellence is often scattered across the EU, with most
of public sector research in Europe being conducted at
national level, mainly under national or regional research
programmes. things are changing, however, with the arrival of European research
programmes that strive to support trans-national
collaboration. Franco Cozzani, head of EUrEka’s Strategy and
Evaluation department, reports on the story so far.
Something oldAn international dimension to the careers of thinkers and innovators is hardly a new phenomenon. In the past, barring specific periods of tension and conflict, the mobility of scientists was the norm rather than the exception. Science unified people across state boundaries and between different ethno-cultures.
From ancient Greece to World War II, however, most scientists worked alone. Making contacts and exchanging ideas was not part of their daily investigations. Their equipment varied from pencil and paper to fairly inexpensive laboratory apparatuses that a single person could acquire. A possible exception was astronomy research, with major telescopes already quite expensive and only within the
to community to European: ok for r&d in Europe today
financial range of major universities since the 1920s and 1930s. Also, the increasing climate of confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union called for face-to-face competition rather than hand-in-hand cooperation.
The situation changed dramatically in the aftermath of World War II, with the advent of ‘Big Science’, spearheaded by the physical sciences. With experimental apparatuses becoming increasingly large and more expensive, research became intertwined with technology, economics, policy and politics.
The world was ready for a fresher approach, where science and technology were to become the sinews of peaceful cooperation between countries, rather than the fields of national confrontation between opposing geo-strategic blocks.
Something newFollowing the first proposal for creating a European laboratory for particle physics in 1949, effective diplomatic-scientific machinery was set in motion,
culminating in 1954 with the creation of CERN, the European Organisation for Nuclear Research. This model of cooperation among European Countries was successfully replicated and further expanded by other ‘thematic’ organisations, such as the European Southern Observatory (ESO), created in 1962; the European Molecular Laboratory (EMBL) and the European Space Agency (ESA), both established in 1974.
1985 saw the birth of EUREKA, another form of European cooperation in the field of technology and innovation. Rather than targeting advancing science, its objective was to foster European industrial excellence in innovation and stimulate its competitiveness. Different from previous thematic organisations, it addresses all fields of technology, with prospective project participants deciding on the project scope and agenda. The largest share of projects is in Information and Communication Technology (ICT), from micro- and nano-electronics to software
for embedded applications in cars, planes and washing machines.
EUREKA projects are behind a number of technological industrial successes in many areas, from ICT, farming and agriculture to the movie industry. It has supported projects that focus on improving piglet weaning and fish breeding, medical applications, environmental technology, digitally preserving classic masterpieces and creating special effects for a Harry Potter film and the BBC series Walking with dinosaurs. Over the years, EUREKA has provided a successful framework for R&D cooperation between European countries, with a flexible arrangement, where essentially every participant gets its share of public funding financed by its own national authorities. There is no central funding and projects are initiated in every field of technology provided that project proposals show a high degree of innovation and potential for market impact.
www.EurEka.bE | 9
➔
‘
’
From ancient Greece up to World War II, most scientists worked alone. Making contacts and exchanging ideas was not part of their daily investigations. Their equipment varied from pencil and paper to fairly inexpensive laboratory apparatuses that a single person could acquire.
Inside the CERN LHC tunnel.
EUREKA has also played an important political role over the years, welcoming as members the new EU Member States well before they joined the European Union. It also counts both candidate countries and key partners of the EU.
Something blueThe birth of the European Economic Community (EEC), together with the European Atomic Community (Euratom), in 1957 went a long way in achieving the ideal of mapping a road towards a more united Europe, pioneered by the creation of the Carbon and Steel Community (CECA) in 1952. In the beginning, the scope of Community cooperation in the field of science and technology was focused on the peaceful use and development of nuclear energy. This fit in well with the social and political atmosphere of the late 50s, as represented by the Atomium, the huge oxygen atom structure built in Brussels, symbol of the world exposition there in 1958 and hallmark of the Belgian capital ever since.
The popular enthusiasm for everything nuclear was to wane pretty soon in Europe,
while appreciation for the role of R&D in fostering industrial competitiveness grew. Specific provisions in the Treaties that formed the European Economic Community opened up the legal framework for Europe to play a more significant role in publicly funding non-nuclear R&D. In 1984, the first Community Framework Programme was launched, with a budget of about 3.3 billion euro. This was followed by new Framework Programmes with ever increasing budgets, up to FP6 which provided some 20 billion euro1 of Community funding to finance pre-competitive research involving partners from at least three Member States or Associated States. Focused on addressing concrete issues facing Europe and the world, and developing those technologies which would prove key to European industrial competitiveness, the successive Community Framework Programmes positioned themselves somewhere in between the fundamental research2 carried out by the ESO and CERN and the closer-to-the market, innovation-driven R&D typical of EUREKA.
The Community Framework Programme has been extremely successful over the
years, growing in budget to over 53 billion euro for the present seventh programme. The Framework Programme has become a household name in most scientific and technological circles, both in Europe and beyond. It has also been quite flexible. It could ‘act big’ where needed, bringing home to Europe the site for ITER, the International Experimental Test Reactor, the next step in the quest for controlled nuclear fusion. And it could ‘think small first’, financing activities for thousands of European SMEs, providing them with the opportunity to ‘contract out’ much of their innovation-oriented R&D. But, despite the success of the Community Framework Programme, the main challenge for European R&D is still how to get the most for European citizens out of the over 80% share of the volume of public R&D funding in Europe financed on a national basis.
And something beyondNational funding schemes do show limitations of their own. Seen from a supranational perspective, R&D efforts conducted on a purely national basis can result in duplication of effort across countries or in patchy and insufficient coverage of key technology areas. When international cooperation is sought through intergovernmental initiatives, it becomes clear that a result of this purely national approach is a lack of funding synchronisation between different national administrations.
10 | EurEka NEws 81
➔ ‘’
Specific provisions in the Treaties that formed the European Economic Community opened up the legal framework for Europe to play a more significant role in publicly funding non-nuclear R&D.
1 Including the contribution of the 10 new Member States, which joined the EU during FP6.
2 The scope of the Framework Programme is now larger, with the new European Research Council, which aims at financing frontier research in all disciplines.
3 http://www.eurostars-eureka.eu
4 The formal approval of the Council after the vote of the European Parliament on 10 April 2008 was secured at its meeting on 29 and 30 May 2008.
www.EurEka.bE | 11
> an outlook for r&d in Europe today
The key issue, therefore, is clearly how to synchronise national approaches with regards to quality and efficiency, while recognising the natural tendency of national governments to want to manage their spending within home boundaries. Europe should perhaps not fight this tendency, but rather channel it in a more productive direction for its own competitiveness.
The idea of effective joint programmes between Member States and the Community Framework Programme is likely to be the solution. This innovative approach is best exemplified by the new Eurostars Programme3, which actually goes beyond the boundaries of the EU. Launched on 2 October 2007, Eurostars is the first European funding and support programme to be specifically dedicated to research and innovation-performing SMEs. Eurostars will stimulate them to lead international collaborative research and innovation projects by easing access to support and funding.
Eurostars combines a centralised evaluation system, solely based on quality, with co-funding from the Seventh Framework Programme4 and national funding of national participants, according to national funding rules. A large share of EUREKA Member States are members of Eurostars and have earmarked budgets for this programme within their own national systems.
The first call closure for Eurostars, on 8 February 2008, achieved an important milestone for the programme with over 200 applications received and more than 90% of the proposals eligible for the new scheme. A second call closure is set for 21 November 2008. A first evaluation of Eurostars should provide useful indications, not only regarding future calls under the Eurostars programme, but also on the method of cooperation between EUREKA and the European Programmes.
The Community Framework Programme is a success story for Europe. So is
EUREKA. Joint programmes of the EU Member States and the Commission could combine the best of both worlds in specific frameworks. The dynamic interaction of National vs. Community funding will have then built the basis for a true European dimension of collaboration in the R&D field, achieving more than national programmes can on their own and going beyond the traditional Community model. Europe cannot afford to settle for anything less.
about the author:Franco Cozzani is temporarily seconded by the
European Commission to the EUREKA Secretariat, where he is the Head of the Strategy and
Evaluation department.
Cutaway of ITER, the International Experimental Test Reactor.
12 | EurEka NEws 81
“We have of course been participating in Europe and globally since the 1980s but we are now emphasising international cooperation more and more,” explains Dr Kari Tilli, Director Telecommunications and Electronics Industries at Tekes – the Finnish Funding Agency for Technology and Innovation. Tekes is the main government financing and expert organisation for research and technological development in Finland.
“Finland is a small country and, when looking not only at science but also at industrial matters, we can’t cover all elements of the industrial value chain. We need new scientific, industrial and technological partners to support our specialised and focused players.”
Information and Communications Technology (ICT) is one of the leading
restructuring research for international successa review of the research support structure in Finland is leading to much larger industry-led projects with increasing cooperation at European and global level involving the whole value chain in the areas concerned. a series of strategic centres for science and technology is providing a new dimension in Finnish innovation policy. the first centres opened in spring 2008, with iCt as a key initial area.
sectors in these types of international matters. “Finland is particularly specialised in ICT and telecommunications but even there we cannot cover the whole value chain at a national level and so we need international partners – both technological providers and customers. ICT is leading in such cooperation but other sectors are following.”
“Looking at ICT, the USA, Europe, Asia and Japan have different strengths and from our viewpoint it is obvious, particularly in the telecommunications sector, that many important players are European and Europe is also strong in semiconductors and software. It is therefore natural to cooperate with European players.”
Strategic research centresThe ministry-level Science and Technology Policy Council is the key player in defining
national research objectives in Finland. To increase the quality and relevance of public research in an era of increased globalisation, the Council realised that it was essential to prioritise science, technology and innovation activities, increase specialisation in fields of strength and encourage the internationalisation of education and research.
Therefore, in June 2006, the Council decided to create a series of internationally visible, top-level research units, research, technology and innovation (RT&I) centres and programmes in Finland. The RT&I centres are intended to strengthen those research and technology areas that are important for the future of the Finnish economy and society, create national skills and respond better to new challenges of the national economy and for businesses. The new centres were also expected to foster economic growth, renewal and employment.
Five strategic centres were envisaged as part of the first phase. They cover forestry, metal products and mechanical engineering, energy and environment, health and well being and ICT industry and services. These centres are non-profit companies with the key players in the relevant industrial and innovation clusters – large companies, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and research units – as shareholders. Centres are business/industry-led activities with private companies owning the majority of shares. Public funding agencies are not shareholders but are committed to providing long-term funding for the centres.
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Defining specific research agendas“These centres define specific strategic research agendas (SRAs) and decide in which sectors they want to cooperate,” explains Dr Tilli. “They will implement their SRAs through long-term research programmes that gather together all key players in a certain area. In ICT, the main idea is to create a new global ecosystem, where research activities are defined by the companies involved, rather than only project-level cooperation.
“Our intention is for industry to be fully involved in planning research activities and implementing the project industrially in a real joint approach. Current research programmes are somewhat separate. Researchers carry out their work and then report their results to the companies. Now the intention is to do the research together.”
The centres have only just been set up and are now establishing their first large projects. “Our plan is to start the real joint research this spring,” says Dr Tilli. “Our existing biggest programmes involve about 100 projects with average budgets of 1 million euro each. We now want to create activities with a large number of players cooperating. The annual budgets for each of four planned big projects could be in the region of 10 million euro.”
> Prioritising strengths
Contacting EUrEka in FinlandThe Finnish national EUREKA Office is part of Tekes, which is also the main funding body for Finnish EUREKA participants.
National Project Coordinator (NPC): Kirsi Vähä-Pietilä - email: [email protected]
More information: http://www.tekes.fi/eng/opportunities/international/europe/eureka.html
key role for EUrEka in Finland
There is no specific budget for EUREKA projects in Finland and there is always tough competition for funding. However EUREKA projects have good possibilities of obtaining finance as they fulfil key Tekes goals. They support growing companies, particularly growing SMEs. The emphasis is on international cooperation between different companies, and with researchers and companies.
“Today our participation in EUREKA is very much focused on the Clusters,” says Dr Kari Tilli of Tekes. “For ICT this means ITEA 2, CELTIC, MEDEA+ and EURIPIDES, which have been rather good for our purposes. We want to reinforce this cooperation and of course use all types of possibilities that are available.”
“Our participation in ITEA 2 is very high – 10% of the total co-operation. It is very close to our needs at present. But our main emphasis now is to increase and widen our cooperation. There are certain players that have been very active, but we want to broaden this base. I’m thinking of SMEs, some of which have been very active in EUREKA – but there is much potential to broaden this participation.”
Tekes deals with many companies active in innovation matters. “When we discuss with these companies, we see they need international partners. We are emphasising to SMEs that EUREKA is a very good instrument for cooperation when they need connection with clients and not only for technological but also for business purposes.
“For many of our SME’s, their clients are not Finnish companies but rather European companies. This is a good way to work together. Then of course we also have connections between EUREKA Clusters and our national programmes. There are six or seven large national technological programmes in ICT involving companies and researchers. These also support international participation in EUREKA Clusters.”
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Finland is particularly specialised in ICT and telecommunications but even there we cannot cover the whole value chain at a national level and so we need international partners – both technological providers and customers.Dr Kari Tilli, Tekes
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a EUrEka project bringing together three different technologies has developed a new interactive system to enable people to use medi-cal equipment in their own homes, transmit the results to their healthcare providers and receive advice in return. this will complement exist-ing medical services and will be particularly helpful for those with chronic health conditions like heart prob-lems, asthma and diabetes.The idea behind the project, which ran from 2005 to 2007, was to offer health services to people in their own homes through their television. The system it developed has the potential to offer true telemedicine. The person at home can use the medical equipment provided for them to monitor whatever indicators are appropriate for their condition – such as blood pressure, heart activity or body mass index. They can send the results by email to their doctor or health centre for
analysis. The doctor can then interact with the patient through the videoconferencing facility; giving medical advice through the interactive television.
Bluetooth The ITVLHA project brings together partners from Israel and Sweden. The lead partner, Card-Guard Scientific Survival from Israel, has wide experience in wireless medical devices and had already developed systems which enabled people to take medical measurements on themselves and send the results via mobile computer platforms. “The revolutionary part of the ITVLHA project,” says Card-Guard’s Project Manager, Amnon Shur, “is that our partner Kreatel Communications AB from Sweden (today a Motorola company) developed the Bluetooth capability of the set top box. Card-Guard’s Bluetooth-enabled medical devices could then communicate directly with Kreatel’s set top box.”
The set top box works through internet protocol television (IPTV), so the data sent to it from the medical equipment can be transmitted via the internet. Card-Guard has written a visual application for the set top box, which enables the patient to communicate with it easily using a remote control. Another Israeli company, Goome Interactive, developed the interactive GUI1 application of the whole system, and Card-Guard developed the protocol layer and the web backend system which enables
a doctor to view patient details from anywhere and at any time. The Cardiology Department of Linköping University hospital, Sweden also contributed to the project by defining requirements and running trials of the system.
The final link in the chain is the videoconferencing, where the system known as live content streaming enables doctor and patient to communicate directly in real time through the medium of the television. The set top box enables live streaming and also gives the patient access to a very large resource of video information appropriate to his own condition. In this way the doctor can readily provide information and guidance that will help the patient to manage his condition in the optimum way.
Television is trustedUsing television as a medium for telemedicine has the great advantage that the TV is already the main entertainment equipment in so many households all over the world. It is also a trusted and non-threatening article with which people, particularly older people who may have difficulty coming to terms with more recent technologies like mobile phones or computers, can easily manage. The interactive nature of the system offers the reassurance of readily-available medical support.
Internet protocol television currently accounts for less than 20% of television services compared to conventional cable or satellite TV. But its market is growing steadily (it was estimated to reach 15 million households by the end of 2007), and offers a range of interactive facilities of which healthcare is only one. It is well established that monitoring people with chronic conditions daily can contribute to a higher life expectancy. Using IPTV to offer healthcare monitoring and advice holds the promise of improved medical care and a better quality of life.
1 Graphic user interface
Using interactive television to link doctors and patients!3710 itVlHa - Interactive Television Lifestyle and Health Application
> Read about the many EUREKA success stories on www.eureka.be
> Project showcase
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> Viewpoint
High level representative for italy, Professor Francesco Jovane is a well-known figure at EUrEka and has contributed to supporting market-oriented r&d for many years. in this edition of viewpoint, he talks about current trends in European research and tells us how he is motivating the next generation of researchers to join the field and help build a strong European research area.
Do you see a trend in European R&D as depicted in the main feature?Coordinating and integrating RTDI strategy, policies, programmes and initiatives is an emerging trend within the European Research Area. It is promoted and fostered by its main actors, the European Commission and EUREKA. From EU to national and regional level, this increasing integration involves all stakeholders from public authorities to industry, universities, research institutes and centres. It is an historical progressive process, and it is necessary for European industry to play its role within the current global, technological industrial revolution.
It is essential that industry and the education, R&D and innovation-supporting infrastructure move towards a knowledge-based economy. The research-innovation-market value chain, supported by a well coordinated and integrated ERA, will help to weave a higher added-value, competitive and sustainable European industrial “fabric”, so European industry can become a leader on the global market, generating wealth and jobs, while complying with increasing sustainability requirements.
You have many years of experience in research and innovation. Do we live in interesting times?We are going through an extraordinary transition process that will reshape the geopolitical global scene. Europe is renegotiating its role in the world, seeking a new leadership based, as much as possible, on the Lisbon Strategy. Higher added-value, knowledge-based, Competitive Sustainable Manufacturing
(CSM) is the new industrial ideal, enabling and supporting a world that seeks sustainable development.
As reflected by the ongoing development of a new EUREKA Manufuture Cluster Initiative, European industry is moving towards this ideal, supported by evolving European education, R&D and innovation systems. This system, that involves half a million industrial researchers, is a fundamental resource. It will become a strategic asset for European industry and knowledge-based leadership. Would you not call the times we are living in, not just interesting, but bold?
What do you like most about the EUREKA approach?What I like most is its focus on linking knowledge acquisition to early exploitation in the market place. This approach is particularly necessary now that European industry is looking to play a leading role in the global economy, relying on a “fast”, higher added-value research-innovation-market chain. EUREKA has several mechanisms to achieve this. I appreciate the role it plays in the field, interacting directly with key players.
research today
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If you could improve one thing within EUREKA, what would it be?One possible improvement would be introducing more Strategic Intelligence into the EUREKA organisation, using mechanisms such as strategic research agendas and roadmaps. These are available from various sources, including European and National Technological Platforms. This may become a reality in the near future as the concept is already being proposed in the EUREKA Strategy Document, approved at this year’s Ministerial Conference in Slovenia.
If you could change one thing about the way R&D is carried out in Europe, what would it be?I think that, in keeping with current trends, we should work on building a real industrial R&D market. Figures concerning R&D activities carried out by industry, research institutes and universities do not match the overall effort needed to guarantee Europe’s role in a technological and industrial revolution to a knowledge-based economy. I am talking about competitiveness and sustainability at a global level, requiring this research-innovation-market value chain, where players work together, sharing risks.
You have educated generations of students. Do you still encourage them to pursue a career in science, technology and innovation?I use the dissuasion approach. I first try to convince them to think of a “career” within a profitable activity, such as selling, not producing, cherries. Then, if they insist on their intention of joining our field, I describe how things work, or do not work. I insist on the fact that we have to work for the future and present, even if the recipients of our work are not as appreciative as we would expect. That means working hard. If they still insist, I welcome them into a domain where the main reward is the pleasure of doing things for society at large!
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Higher added-value, knowledge-based, Competitive Sustainable Manufacturing (CSM) is the new industrial ideal, enabling and supporting a world that seeks sustainable development.
Who is Francesco Jovane?
Francesco Jovane is Professor of Integrated Production Systems at the Politecnico di Milano, the Milan University for Engineering, Architecture and Industrial Design, considered to be a leading research institution. He is also a member of the Italian Ministry of Research Committee for the definition of National Research Programmes on Innovative Production Systems. 2004 winner of the SME (Society of Manufacturing Engineers) Albert M. Sargent Progress Award, he has produced over 200 papers in the field of manufacturing and innovation.
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