SASAR POSITION PAPER ON: GREEN PAPER ON A COMMON STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK FOR FUTURE EU RESEARCH AND INNOVATION FUNDING

Transcription

1 SASAR POSITION PAPER ON: GREEN PAPER ON A COMMON STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK FOR FUTURE EU RESEARCH AND INNOVATION FUNDING

2 INTRODUCTION This position paper represents the recommendations of the Slovak Association for Science and Applicated Research (SASAR) towards the strategic document of future Common Strategic Framework for future EU Research and Innovation Funding. SASAR welcomes the European Commission initiative to launch public debate concerning the preparation of the future strategic mechanism for the support of research, development and innovation funding. Green Paper on the topic of future conditions for research opportunities during the upcoming financial period represents key document for synergy of best practice and recommendations from both sides EU institutions and relevant stakeholders within the Framework Programme Member and Associated Countries. SASAR position paper presents the key outlines of priorities for the Common Strategic Framework for EU Research and Innovation Funding. Key message of this position paper represents the view of SASAR members and community that have been involved by the public debate on the future of Framework Programmes and organized by SASAR during spring 2011.

3 K E Y O U T L I N E S SYNERGY AND ACCELERATION For the purpose of preparation Common Strategic Framework for future EU Research and Innovation Funding, national, regional and European level of research and innovation support strategies has to be in mutual compliance. Synergistic effect may give added value to avoid duplicity of the research and innovation activities, and furthermore, it may accelerate the dynamics of research with the relevant segments of research and innovation. RESEARCH AND INNOVATION - GETTING MORE ATTRACTIVE Within the approach of making research and innovation funding more attractive, SASAR is convinced that elimination of administrative and technical burdens within the processes of project administration may rise into the more clearly and more intensive engagement of entities involved into research and innovation processes. Involvement of entities with the strong research and innovation potential willing to participate on FP and without any relevant FP experience has to be supported by the special support schemes, when practical guidelines on the active participation of subjects is presented and promoted. INNOVATION CYCLE BEST COVERAGE Precondition for successful and best coverage of the innovation cycle is to ensure evaluation and selection procedure. Evaluation and selection procedure has to involve the market goals evaluation, as well as the analysis of the concrete competitive solutions. Best coverage should be achieved by the guarantee of applicability of research results, so to ensure the excellent exploitation dimension. Evaluation and audit of exploitation has to be strictly preserved. Exploitation results should be translated into all 23 official languages of EU.

4 This process has to be driven pro-actively SASAR recommends that not only the basic research should be domain of the funding within the innovation cycle, vice-versa, apllicated research and solutions with the intellectual property rights and industry driven and demanded designs components has to cover majority of the allocated resources European Innovation Partnership (EIP) initiative should play key role as the instrument providing the modernisation tool, industry and challenge-driven approach, with the focus on societal benefits UNIQUE SET OF SIMPLIFIED RULES VS. FLEXIBILITY AND DIVERSITY Balance within the system of rules inclusive of flexibility, diversity and simplification shall be driven by the assertive support in the field of support advisors and the centres, similar to the national contact points. EUROPEAN, NATIONAL AND REGIONAL FUNDING SASAR is convinced that research and innovation financed from the European resources has to constitute complementary structure with the national and regional schemes, so it may highlight the European added value of excellence. Principle of continuity that picks up the EU priorities and the principle of complementarity to ensure funding strategic research and innovation locus have to be ensured. Not contrary towards the principle of excellence and European added value of research and innovation funding, regions with less developed research infrastructure and research capacities should get more attention to scale down the gap between those regions and countries heading the surveys

5 BOTTOM- UP INITIATIVES Bottom up initiatives represent healthy instrument of activities reflecting the current demand of the market needs, so therefore those initiatives shall play its crucial role. On the other side, more awareness has to be paid on the exploitability of project results driven from the bottom-up side. INDUSTRY PARTICIPATION ON RESEARCH AND INNOVATION Reinforcement of the industry sector, including SMEs participation on the research and innovation activities leads onwards to the increase of competitiveness enhancement within the European Union. Commercial environment represents the demand niveau, so the applicated research possibilities shall accelerate the innovation processes. Interdisciplinarity, cross-cutting issues shall be presented within the strong private-public partnerships. To avoid the reluctance of SMEs and private sector as whole to participate on the RTD activities shall be improved with the shortening of period between submission of proposal till the Grant Agreement completion. To introduce more effectively and place-focused the awareness of private sector on the European RTD sources, mainly within the EU12 MS. SMES PARTICULAR ROLE SASAR is convinced that the crucial role played by the SMEs in the drive of development of new technologies shall to be encouraged to obtain the sustainability of innovation growth. Therefore, small grant schemes, such as STREPS schemes should remain in further concentration of the funding sources.

6 By the SMEs special support absolutely inevitable element of funding is to declare innovative approach within the research and innovation projects. Methods of the measurement and audit of these merits shall be envisaged. We recommend to decrease the relevance of the previous experience of participation within the FP projects, as far as this condition minimize even the potential number of applicants, who may dispose with the excellent idea project proposals. RESEARCH CENTRES & UNIVERSITIES As for the better support of research centres and universities, the attention has to be put on the enduring support of the researchers mobilities, full-grant funding, stronger public-private partnership building with the transfer of knowledge basis, prevailing support of cluster and spin-off entities. Research centres and universities shall their activities oriented more on the competitiveness building outcomes, not only projects for projects. RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURE SUPPORT Infrastructure facilities shall be the precondition for further successful research and innovation potential therefore its reasonable provisions has to be ensured. The support shall depend on 3 fundamental criterions - firstly, successful outputs from the already implemented Research Infrastructure projects, secondly, interconnection of the research on the industry demand, thirdly relation of the research towards the defined political goals.

7 INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION As the fundamental element of the framework programs leads towards the Innovative Union goals, sustainability of the research and innovation potential and results has to be guaranteed. Competitive approach has to include the cooperation with the 3 rd countries associated members or the ICPC, especially to go beyond the state of the art in the areas which are key to overcome global challenges and threats. AUDIT AND TRANSPARENCY To preserve the transparent systems within the EU research and innovation funding as well as during the upcoming period, three level audits shall be present: research outcomes audit towards the project and work programmes objectives; interim project implementation audit and evaluation process of proposals audit that may give also to evaluators increased sense of responsibility. Lobbyist groups and technology platforms shall be the consultative body for the further research and innovation funding only till the extend of transparent enforcement of FP priorities. EVALUATION Balance between the old member states evaluators and EU12 countries evaluators should be provided as for the equalisation of chance.

8 About us The idea of the Slovak Association for Science and Applicated Research establishment resulted from the need to identify a platform aiming at supporting activities to improve conditions in the field of science, research and innovation in research centers, universities and private sector in Slovakia, as well as throughout the European research area. The Association for Educated Society transformed itself to the Slovak Association for Science and Applicated Research in Its primary objective is to intensify constructive debate in the area of science and research, as well as implementation of activities aiming at supporting primarily Slovak subjects in this area. Efforts of its members should lead to scientific and technological progress as a prerequisite necessary for building knowledge-based society in the context of sustainable growth. Slovak Association for Science and Applicated Research Slovenská asociácia pre vedu a aplikovaný výskum Landererova 1 (areál Tower 115) Bratislava Slovenská republika sasar@sasar.eu tel: fax: