Orientations for Chemistry research in the 7th Framework Programme
Andrea Tilche
Head of Unit “Environmental Technologies” European Commission – DG RTD
From FP6 to FP7
• The Sixth Framework Programme was characterised as an instrument for developing the European Research Area
– It was accompanied by a relevant number of political initiatives, having the foundation in the Lisbon strategy, that recognises the fundamental role of research for growth and job creation:
• The Communication 'More research for Europe: towards 3% of GDP' - 11.09.02 • The Communication 'Investing in research: an action plan for Europe' - 30.04.2003 • The launch of Technology Platforms
R&D – European weaknesses
EU25
R&D intensity (% of GDP)
(3)
US
2.59 63.1 9.0 31.1 809 34.3 53.1 28.5 20.0
Japan
1.97 55.9 5.5 38.3 639 31.5 30.5 19.7 16.7
(3)
3.12 73.9 9.7 9.6 569 26.9 92.6 26.5 10.6
Share of R&D financed by industry (%) (2) Researchers per thousand labour force (FTE) (3) Share of world scientific publications (%) (3) Scientific publications per million population (3) Share of world triadic patents (%) (1) Triadic patents per million population (1) High-tech exports as a share of total manufacturing exports (%) (3) Share of world high-tech exports (%) (2)
Note:
(1)
2000 data
(2)
2002 data
2003 data
Source OECD
Long term gains : by 2010 and by 2030
‘3%’ Objective What is at stake?
EU-US R&D Gap € 130 bn every year & growing
– Public funding gap € 25 bn – Business funding gap € 105 bn
Growth
Jobs
Estimated gains if EU reaches 3% in 2010
– Until 2010 : +0.25% GDP every year +2 million jobs over 2004-10 – After 2010 : +0.5% GDP every year +400,000 net jobs every year
Productivity
Product quality
0%
5% 10% 15% Gains from reaching 3% R&D by 2010 compared to statu quo 2010 2030
Knowledge at the centre of the European competitiveness
• The Lisbon strategy puts knowledge at the centre of the competitiveness for the European societies and companies • We can’t compete on the world market for lower labour costs or cheap resources: knowledge is our only asset • We cannot compete by lowering our environmental and social standards: knowledge should be a “production factor” for building a Sustainable Knowledge Society • We have to act however on the whole “Triangle of Knowledge”: Education, Research and Innovation
FP7 (2007-13) - What’s new ?
Main new elements compared to FP6: • 7 years duration, instead of 4 • Annual budget increased (from EUR 5 billion ? 10 billion in 2013) • Basic research (~ EUR 1.0 billion per year) • Simplification of procedures • No more cost models but 75% of real costs for public bodies and SMEs, 50% to private entities and for demonstration • Other candidate States associated • Technology Platforms: research for European Competitiveness
Communication on FP7
The 7th Framework Programme is tailored to better meet industry’s needs
Where industrially relevant, the definition of work programmes will draw on the strategic research agendas developed by industry-led technology platforms. These strategic research agendas, presenting the European dimension of research challenges, also influence national research programmes. Furthermore, by always looking at the market potential of new inventions, they help to overcome Europe’s weakness in commercialising the results of research.
Technology platforms: a key instrument for a new competitiveness policy
• They build strategic partnerships between the public and private sector, the academia, the civil society • Through this, they should reduce the risk in investing on research, creating a better environment for the increase of private investments • They provide roadmaps for planning “incremental” innovation • They act as fora for strategic thinking towards “radical” innovation • And improve the diffusion of sustainable technologies also suggesting how to overcome regulatory barriers, to define new procurement rules, economic instruments, etc.
How Technology Platforms may contribute to FP7
• Technology Platforms are generating the political momentum for a stronger industrial participation in the Framework Programme • Several TPs, among which the SusChem, are cited in the FP and in the SP text as one of the sources of the FP7 research agenda • Major contributions were given in the phase of preparation of the work programmes • Some (few) TPs have put forward a proposal for a Joint Technological Initiative (Art. 171)
FP7 Specific Programmes
Cooperation – Collaborative research Ideas – Frontier Research People – Human Potential Capacities – Research Capacity
+
JRC (non-nuclear) JRC (nuclear) Euratom
Cooperation – Collaborative research
9 themes
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Health Food, Agriculture and Biotechnology Information and Communication Technologies Nanosciences, Nanotechnologies, Materials and new Production Technologies Energy Environment (including Climate Change) Transport (including Aeronautics) Socio-Economic Sciences and the Humanities Security and Space
Chemistry/Biotech in FP7
• Priority 1: Health
– Diagnostics, new drugs, biocompatible materials, alternatives to animal testing, etc.
• Priority 2: Food, Agriculture and Biotechnology
– Life sciences and biotechnology for sustainable non-food products and processes
• Priority 3: Information and Communication Technologies
– ICT supporting businesses and industry (intelligent manufacturing)
• Priority 4: Nanosciences, Nanotechnologies, Materials and new Production Technologies
– – – – Nanosciences and nanotechnologies Advanced materials New Production Technologies Integration of technologies for industrial applications
• Process intensification
Chemistry/Biotech in FP7
• Priority 5: Energy
– – – – – Hydrogen and fuel cells Renewable fuel production CO2 capture technologies Clean coal technologies Energy efficiency and savings
• Priority 6: Environment (including Climate Change)
– Environmental Technologies
• Clean processes: substitution of priority pollutants • Technology assessment (risk assessment, intelligent testing strategies, alternatives to animal testing – together with “Health”, Life Cycle Thinking)
• Priority 7: Transport:
– Hydrogen and fuel cells, innovative fuels, materials for transport
• Priority 9: Security and Space:
– Technologies for security – Materials for satellite applications
Chemistry related ERA-NETs
• In the ERA-NET scheme national and regional publicly funded programmes are being coordinated. The themes are proposed by the national funding bodies. The EU contributes to the costs of the coordination while the Member States pay the research. • 4 national and regional chemistry/biotech programmes so far selected:
– ERA-CHEMISTRY (Implementation of joint bottom-up European programmes in chemistry) – Chemistry, pure and applied, coordinated by DE – ACENET ERANET (ERA-NET for applied catalysis in Europe) – Applied catalysis and sustainable chemistry, coordinated by NL – ERA-NET MATERA - Materials science and engineering, coordinated by FIN – ERA-NET EUROTRANS-BIO – Biotechnology, coordinated by FR
• In FP7, they should be able to generate ERA-NET+ on Chemistry research
People – Human Potential
Initial training of researchers Marie Curie Networks Life-long training and career development Individual Fellowships Co-financing of regional/national/international programmes Industry-academia pathways and partnerships Industry-Academia Scheme International dimension Outgoing International Fellowships; Incoming International Fellowships International Cooperation Scheme; Reintegration grants Specific actions Excellence awards
Capacities – Research Capacity
6 parts
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Research Infrastructures Research for the benefit of SMEs Regions of Knowledge Research Potential Science in Society Activities of International Cooperation
1. Research Infrastructures
Support to existing research infrastructures:
Transnational Access Integrating activities Research e-infrastructures
Support to new research infrastructures:
Construction of new research infrastructures and major updates of existing ones Design studies
Research Infrastructures for Chemistry
• A European Centre for Computational Chemistry?
– Design of new molecules and materials – Predict and analyse the toxicological behaviour of substances – Transnational Centre of Excellence linked to a “Chemical Region”
3. Regions of Knowledge
Development of regional “research-driven clusters”
Two objectives for European regions:
Strengthen their capacity for investing in RTD and carrying out research activities
Maximising their potential for a successful involvement of their operators in European research projects
Innovation policies for competitiveness
• In order to close the “triangle of knowledge”, research is not sufficient • A more coherent and coordinated policy for higher education would be necessary (Communication on Universities and the EIT) • EU and national innovation policies with financial instruments that may help putting good research ideas to the marketplace (little budget available from the CIP, but some relevant national initiatives on-going, e.g. in France the Agence de l’Innovation Industrielle)
Conclusions
• The European Commission welcomes the growth of National Technology Platforms – as the Italian SusChem - which support and strengthen the work of TPs • The 3% objective at the basis of the Technology Platforms development has to be reached in all Europe, and countries like Italy, with a lower R&D/GDP ratio, should in particular benefit from the growth of National Platforms • National Platforms should have focussed objectives for making “their” excellence grow • This may favour a growth of success also in the FP competition