Cutting edge research is one of the areas that Europe, and obviously the European Union, is banking on as it seeks to become the most competitive economy in the world. And with the German EU Presidency now in full swing, it was instructive, as the only Maltese journalist, to attend the launch of a two-day conference of the EU’s 7th Research Framework Programme in Bonn, the delightful former capital of West Germany, a few weeks ago.
Incidentally, we had launched our own FP7 programme earlier in the week but the feeling one gets in Bonn is that we are very much on the sidelines compared to the big powerhouses in the area of research and the funding that goes with it.
The conference got underway with the usual ceremony and efficiency, which is so typical of the Germans, in the beautiful Internationale Kongresszentrum at the Bundeshaus in Bonn, once the site of the old German Parliament and now the North Rhine Westphalia state legislature.
The first to speak was Dr Annette Schavan, German Minister of Education and Research. She stressed the importance of a common European policy in the area of research and called for a platform of research innovation that goes beyond any country’s borders.
“The 7th Research Framework Programme is considerably ahead of what was mapped out in the Lisbon Agenda agreed to way back in 2001. If we are to have a strong economic area then we obviously need a strong research area. Germany had already agreed in late 2006 to target three per cent of our total Gross Domestic Product for R&I”.
Dr Schavan said RP7 is the largest framework programme ever decided upon by the EU and is also the longest – 54 billion euros over a seven-year period. She said it was also crucial for each country in the EU to establish a research policy, that research should be promoted as much as possible and that it should also become a pre-requisite for promising young people to enter the science field.
Next to speak was EU Commissioner for Research and Innovation, Dr Janez Potocnik, who had some interesting statistics for one’s file. After the usual saccharine introduction with statements like “Bonn is only 234 kilometres from Brussels and it has taken 20 months to get the FP7 programme into shape”, he came up with some hard facts.
He said that there have been diverging opinions on the funding of sensitive issues such as the funding of stem cells research, delays that affected the EU’s budget and, last but not least, disappointment with the amount of the actual increase in the research budget, which was smaller than the Commission’s proposal.
Commissioner Potocnik said that notwithstanding the great trials and tribulations to reach some sort of agreement, the FP7 programme could be seen as an achievement in itself. Mostly this is due to the fact that it is of a longer duration, has a higher budget, there is a willingness to take risks, greater simplification, as well as other benefits. One of the home truths Dr Potocnik slammed home is the fact that Europe must not compete on low wages at the expense of social security or on the back of our environment – this is simply not an option.
He also outlined the stark reality of the EU’s natural resources – less than one per cent of the world’s proven oil reserves, two per cent of the world’s natural gas reserves and only four per cent of the world’s coal reserves.
“Today Europe can – and must – compete on knowledge. Why? Because we have the resources, we have well educated people; we have the facilities and the ability to turn knowledge into services and products. This is the road for Europe. There is no turning back. Now we have to prepare ourselves better to travel this road.”
Strong words indeed but one could not help but warm to Commissioner Potocnik’s disarming simplicity and sense of purpose. He emphasised the importance that FP7 gives to cooperation, its accessibility and simplicity and the groundwork it prepared for the better operation of the European Research Area.
Dr Potocnik also indicated that he would be taking a look at how the European Research Area is operating especially with regard to free movement and the recognition of qualifications in EU member States. He also praised Germany’s contribution to FP7 as it is definitely the largest player in the research arena.
Finally, the Commissioner referred to various cool products such as MP3’s iPods, car navigation systems and similar electronic devices that have made billions for their producers. He even quoted from President John F. Kennedy’s speech in Bonn (which made my hair stand on end) that this great project “may not be finished in the first 100, nor the first 1000, nor in the life of this administration, nor even perhaps in our lifetime on this planet. But let us begin”.
Just after this rousing speech, there was time for a press conference given by Dr Schavan and Dr Potocnik himself. I asked Dr Potocnik that since the FP7 seems more tailor made for the larger countries in the EU, which will obviously get the lion’s share of the funding, would this not risk leaving smaller countries behind? He was pretty blunt in his reply saying that small countries must not view FP7 as a short term exercise and expect to get a return on their money as quickly as possible; they have to look at the long term consequences and the huge benefits the EU will reap in the future.
After an intense day, which ended at around 6pm after endless presentations and discussions, admittedly quite interesting, I spent the second day sightseeing and enjoying this lovely city as much as I could. There was time to view the Munster Cathedral, Beethoven’s statue and his famous house and take a walk in the lovely parks of the Poppelsdorfer Allee’. In a few days, I will be off to Berlin to report on another big German Presidency event, the launch of the EU Research Council so let’s see what will be store by then.