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| Visiting The Royal Society of Edinburgh, European Commissioner for Science and Research, Dr Janez Potočnik called for adequate EU Knowledge for Growth Budget |
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| First published in The Scotsman, Saturday 4 June 2005 |
| "We look to Scotland for all our ideas of civilisation". |
| Scotland has a proud heritage of science, research, invention and innovation, and can lay claim to some of the greatest minds and greatest discoveries since Voltaire wrote those words 250 years ago. Fleming and penicillin, Lister and antiseptic, Brownian motion, Dunlop’s pneumatic tyres and Logie Baird’s television can all be chalked up to the Scots. This is a tradition that continues today: for example, Eastern Scotland ranks among the 15 top regions in the European Union in terms of employment in knowledge-intensive industries. Scotland has a particularly strong biotechnology sector with many successful biotechnology companies set up as spin-offs from research carried out here. |
| But not all the signs are good. Investment in research and development in Scotland is around 1.75% of GDP. The UK figure is 1.87% and even taking all 25 EU Member States, research spending is just under 2% of GDP. This compares with more than 3% in Japan and just slightly less than that in the United States. There are many economic studies that show the positive effect on economic growth and productivity played by investing in research and development. The EU doesn’t have many natural resources. We can’t – and don’t want to – compete with low wages and low social standards. We are aware of the importance of protecting our environment. Instead of producing cheaper, we need to produce better. Our future global position as an economic power depends on the investment we make now in our major resource – knowledge. |
| This is why the Commission’s suggestions to Heads of State and Government on how to improve Europe’s global competitiveness, endorsed by them in March, put knowledge - research, development, education, training and innovation – right at the heart of our strategy. It is why all the countries that make up the European Union have committed themselves to increasing research spending overall to reach the target of 3% of GDP. And why the Commission’s proposal for the EU budget from 2007 to 2013 included a doubling in spending in research and development. After all, what is a commitment worth if it is not backed up with actions? |
Current indications are that when a deal finally emerges on the future of EU spending, the biggest cuts to the Commission’s proposal will be precisely in that heading of the budget where investment in research and development represents more than half of the spending. This would be a grave mistake. The budget of the EU should respond to the needs of Europe’s future, not simply echo its past. And the Commission proposal has this ambition. Even with the proposed doubling, European research spending would increase to less than 10% of publicly financed spending on research and even that only if the Member States would not follow our example and increase their investment in research accordingly. Without a doubt this latter scenario would be the preferred solution.
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| But we know that at European level, a little can go a long way. Co-operation at the European level avoids duplication of research, and allows better transfer of results so that research can be carried out more efficiently. By putting together the best researchers in a particular area, we can have a real presence in the world. An example of European co-operation creating world leadership is of course the Airbus A380, the world’s largest passenger aircraft, which drew on Scottish excellence in its manufacture. Pooling resources can allow us to build large-scale research projects or infrastructures that would be too much for one Member State alone, but can make the EU a magnet for top-level researchers from around the world. Bringing all those involved in a sector from across Europe and from industry, small and medium-sized companies, higher education and research institutes, local and regional government, financial institutions, we can help build strategic agendas that ensure that the research carried out responds to the needs of European industry and carries it forward into the future. |
| European research is not something that happens somewhere else. It is about Scottish companies, Scottish universities, Scottish institutes working together with partners across Europe and even beyond. The Royal Society of Edinburgh has recognised this, which is why they invited me to come to Scotland, to see how important the European dimension is for them. |
| Europe has an impressive historical tradition of leading the way in science and research, and Scotland has always played an important part in that. If Voltaire’s words are to hold true for another 250 years, we must not let this opportunity pass us by. We must all seize the moment and invest in our future. And our future lies in knowledge : the way we produce it, diffuse it and use it. |
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