Evaluating impacts on reseach

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Scope

Does the option promote or limit academic or industrial research?

Definition

Private firms are interested in generating new knowledge and in designing new goods and processes, as these can ensure an improvement of their economic performances; however they might under-invest in these activities either because the costs of technological developments are too high; and/or the benefits might involuntarily accrue to other enterprises. This is a typical reason why some public support to technological development activity might be necessary. Furthermore, public intervention can be motivated by the need to direct innovative activities in more productive activity (e.g. focussing on capital goods instead of final goods) or in more socially desirable areas (for instance favouring user-friendly technology), to expand the access to alternative knowledge sources, and to encourage the usage and diffusion of new products and processes.

The knowledge society depends for its growth on the production of new knowledge, its transmission through education and training, its dissemination through information and communication technologies, and on its use through new industrial processes or services. Universities play a key role in all these three fields of research and exploitation of its results.

Europe needs a healthy and flourishing university where excellence optimises the processes, which underpin the knowledge society and meet the target set out by the Lisbon European Council, and the need for excellence recognised by the Barcelona European Council in its call for European systems of education to become a "world reference" by 2010.

Two important contributions in achieving the strategic goal set at Lisbon have been the Bologna Declaration, that pledged to reform the structures of higher education systems in a convergent way and launched the process of creating a "European higher education area" by 2010, and, the European Area of Lifelong Learning, representing the response to the mandate from the Feira European Council "to identify coherent strategies and practical measures with a view to fostering lifelong learning for all".

European universities must, with the help of the Member States and in a European context face an imperative need to adapt and adjust to profound changes such as:

• Increased demand for higher education.
• The internationalisation of education and research.
• To develop effective and close co-operation between universities and industry.
• The proliferation of places where knowledge is produced.
• The reorganisation of knowledge.
• The emergence of new expectations.
• Making European Universities a World Reference

European universities can only release their potential by undergoing the radical changes needed to make the European system a genuine world reference. There are three objectives to be pursued simultaneously to achieve this:

• Ensuring that European universities have sufficient and sustainable resources and use them efficiently.
• Consolidating their excellence in research and in teaching, particularly through networking.
• Opening up universities to a greater extent to the outside and increasing their international attractiveness.

Result

Further information

EC related information:

• Community Research & Development Information Service (CORDIS)
• European Research Area ERA
• European Commission Research Activities
• European Innovation Policy
• Activities of the European Union: Research and Innovation
• European Basic Research Policy
• European Research Council
• Activities of the European Union: Intellectual Property

Other information:

Indicators:

The following Eurostat Structural Indicators (Innovation and Research) are relevant to address the key question:

• Spending on Human Resources
• Gross Domestic Expenditure on R&D (% of GDP)
• Gross Domestic Expenditute on R&D by source of funds
• Level of household Internet access
• Science and technology graduates
• EPO patents
• USPTO patents
• Youth education attainment level

The following Eurostat Sustainable Development Indicators (Economic Development) are relevant to address the key question:

• Total R&D expenditure as a % of GDP
• Turnover from Innovation

The OECD database also contains relevant statistics under the heading:

• Science, Technology, R&D and Patents

See also

IA TOOLS

References

This text is for information only and is not designed to interpret or replace any reference documents.