Launch Conference for FP5 Launch Conference for FP5 Essen February 1999 The international role of Community research The international role of Community research Challenges and Expectations Manfred Horvat BIT, Austria

FP5: The International Dimension fully participating countries –the 15 EU Member States –Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein; Israel; Switzerland (by 2001) –the 11 accession countries all programmes will be open for international co-operation on a project-by-project basis Science & Technology Agreements with USA, Canada, South Africa, Australia, etc.

FP5: Opportunities & Threats equal partners from 30 (31) countries => new partners, new opportunities, new competitors => from exchange of information to co-operation and to co-ordination => management challenges for the European Commission and all participating countries RTD networking for the benefit of Europe => an enlarged knowledge generating system => interaction between different innovation systems => the information and assistance challenge

FP5: INCO II INCO covers operational programmes as well as activities for EU RTD policy & strategy support INCO is the RTD interface between the European Union and the rest of the world INCO complements Activities 1, 3 and 4 in regional and topical terms

Central and Eastern Europe from PECO 1992 to COPERNICUS I in FP4 –from an emergency effort to a well established programme complementary to Activity 1 FP5: the candidate countries to be associated –INCO had an important preparatory role –now, RTD co-operation gains a pioneering role - as the "avantgarde" of European integration => participation has to become a success!

The Candidate Countries getting associated to FP5getting associated to FP5 –from the training ground to full fledged competition –to create awareness & to bridge the experience gap –to stimulate university/industry co-operation and to re-consider basic versus applied research –to get involved in the EU RTD system and in the learning processes at all levels (pol/admin/info/res) –to establish appropriate systems for information & assistance - from FEMIRCs to NCPSs –to overcome structural, organisational, administrative and cultural barriers

NIS and the non-accession CEECs strengthening the linksstrengthening the links –to utilise well established contacts of CEECs –to create nodes for information, assistance and finding partners –to stimulate east-west science/industry co-operation –to plant the seed of co-operative EU RTD and to train and integrate researchers in EU RTD evaluations –to help stabilising and developing the RTD system –to utilise synergies between INCO and INTAS

Mediterranean Partner Countries developing partnerships to the Southdeveloping partnerships to the South –to integrate RTD co-operation into the Euro-Med partnership - policy integration –to bridge the cultural differences and to foster RTD working relations in selected areas of regional importance –to support the development of National Innovation Systems and of active interfaces to the EU RTD system(s)

Research for Development building on long-term experiencebuilding on long-term experience –to tighten the links EU/DC and help solving major problems: e.g. malaria, draught –to enhance knowledge & understanding on and multi-lateral co-operation for development in EU –to improve co-ordination between EU MS –to create awareness on RTD in DC –to improve information on EU RTD and to integrate RTD and development co-operation

Emerging Economies and Industrialised Countries realising a new paradigm of global collaborationrealising a new paradigm of global collaboration –to tap into foreign expertise & create mutual benefit building on "regional" strenghts –to utilise the added value of S&T agreements promotion, monitoring, strategy development reciprocity –to strengthen mobility of researchers –to proceed in policy integration e.g. RTD in Transatlantic Agenda

Summary International RTD Co-operation as an active interface between EU and the world FP5 as a strategic instrument for internationalisation of RTD in the EU the importance of collaborative learning at policy, operational and research level the challenges of managing active interfaces => building human networks world wide!