Eurocommissaris Potocnik (wetenschap en onderzoek): meer samenwerking onderzoek in EU en Bosnië-Herzegovina (en)

Commissioner Janez POTOCNIK i

European Commissioner i for Science and Research

"Bosnia and Herzegovina: Making the Most of Research Cooperation under FP7 and ERA"

FP7 Information Event

Sarajevo, 23 April 2009

Dear Minister Novic,

Ladies and gentlemen,

I am very pleased to be here today in Sarajevo at the Information event on the Seventh Research framework programme, or FP7.

Since I began my job as European Commissioner for Science and Research I have made it one of my missions to bring all the countries of the Western Balkan region into the European Research Area with full participation in the Seventh Framework Programme.

I was therefore very happy when in November last year, together with Minister Novic, I had the pleasure of signing the Memorandum of Understanding which associated Bosnia and Herzegovina to FP7.

Of course, probably not quite as happy as your football team after its two wins against Belgium which put it second in its Group only to Spain – most likely the best team in the world right now.

But I was more than pleased that, with your association to FP7, all the Western Balkan Countries are fully part of the European research family. This not only offers increased research opportunities to your research entities but also opportunities at regional level. And as I will also discuss with Science and Research Ministers from the Region at the Ministerial conference here in Sarajevo tomorrow, I believe that the regional dimension of research cooperation is an added value for the region, which will facilitate your integration into the European Research Area.

I am also pleased to learn that the Research strategy for the Western Balkan Countries, launched in Vienna in June 2006 together with the Austrian Presidency, is progressing. 2 and a half years ago it was honestly beyond my expectations that today all Western Balkan Countries would be associated to FP7.

This is a real success.

But the association to FP7 is only a first step. Now we have to work on your full integration into the European Research Area. Of course, the best way to integrate is to engage together in research cooperation.

I hope that today's event offered good opportunities to get more information on areas of interest and to network and prepare research proposals together. Doing research together will allow you to share knowledge and ideas, develop better and more innovative products, create new opportunities for accessing markets and, above all, help to improve the quality of life of your citizens. In doing research together, this Region will become more competitive and build sustainable prosperity.

This applies not only to your region; it applies to the European continent as a whole. Our future also depends on whether we can build a knowledge society; a society that derives value from producing, diffusing and applying knowledge. That's why we are working hard to develop the European Research Area and improve the excellence of European Research.

How to picture this European Research Area?

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  It is an area in which researchers, technology and knowledge can circulate freely (fifth freedom);
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  An area in which Member States coordinate their efforts and pool national research programmes to increase their leverage and impact;
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  An area in which we do mapping and benchmarking together to measure the progress we are making...

The ERA is also an area in which incentives are created and barriers are removed:

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  So that networks of scientists have access to world-class infrastructures and facilities. Such infrastructures should be used by the best scientists irrespective of nationality and regardless of where they come from in the world. Science should have no borders!
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  So that structured partnerships are formed between academia and industry, to meet the needs for new products, processes and services, as well as for skilled employees; and
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  So that qualifications, experience, and social security rights of researchers will be portable across borders.

In fact, alongside the freedom of movement for persons/scientists, goods, services and capital, we are creating a new fifth freedom in Europe – the freedom of knowledge.

But this requires efforts at all levels: local, national, regional and European.

It requires more investment in research both from the public and private sector.

It requires that we make research attractive for our scientists by offering them a good and fair career.

It requires that students are attracted by science; that we introduce science as early as possible in the education process because if we want to become more competitive and meet the targets set at European level we need more scientists.

This obviously goes beyond the remit of research, but it requires research to be high on the political agenda so that other policies reinforce research policy objectives such as incentives for Small and Medium Sized Enterprises through fiscal policy, education policy to promote science and technology in school curricula, government procurement policy to promote innovation, protection of intellectual property rights to allow for a fair valorisation of the research results.

This is the broad direction of policy in which the Europe of 27 is going. It is the direction which we are promoting through the European Research Area and the Framework Programme we are implementing.

As an associated country to the FP7, you now have the same opportunities, rights and obligations as any of the EU Member States.

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  You can cooperate and compete on an equal footing, in all calls for proposals;

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  You will be part of the network of scientists, industrialists and policy-makers that are shaping the face of European research and innovation;

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  You are entitled to intra community fellowships under the People programme and with the JRC; and

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  You have the possibility to nominate representatives to attend our Programme Committees and other governing bodies which will help you to shape European research policy and to be informed early on about the upcoming Work Programmes.

I encourage you to use these opportunities to become more familiar with EU research policy and the decision-making.

Success in participation will not be automatic. You know better than me that research cooperation under FP7 is very competitive. Even though the EU budget for research has substantially increased over the few last years, average success rate remains around 20%! The message is "please do not give up".

During the preparation of the European research consortia you can already learn and meet scientists with different backgrounds. That in itself can lead to increased research opportunities.

But increasing participation in European programmes also requires efforts at national level.

Your science community is best placed to identify the way to go forward.

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  How to make the most of the opportunities you now have;

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  How to participate in the programme and reap both the scientific and wider benefits; and

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  How you will work to develop and improve your research base in the future.

Your science policy makers, with your support, have to ensure that research is put on the national agenda. I will discuss this in more detail with your Minister of Civil Affairs, Mr Novic, who has already shown that he can convince the government to engage more in research. I would like to take this opportunity to thank him and his Ministry for their efforts in the association decision.

I call on you as the scientific community to support the reform and rebuilding of research, education and innovation in your country. I am very pleased that your authorities have started designing an integrated research policy.

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  You can help to put research and innovation higher on the political agenda at all levels of government;

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  You can help in the promotion of the new national science and technology strategy;

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  You can advise the government on its implementation and contribute with new proposals that meet your needs.

I am fully aware that in order to complete your National Research Strategy you need to find the resources to implement it.

Investing more in research, also in times of global economic and financial crises, remains very important.

Where we can, we will help at European level. In this context I am very pleased that you put support for research capacity by the Pre-Accession Instrument (IPA) as a priority.

It is also important to set priorities and develop knowledge in areas which facilitate the country's integration into the European Union and where research efforts are essential: as a small country, you cannot be excellent in all areas and you need to focus on excellence in some areas of strategic importance. I am thinking of areas such as food safety and security, environmental concerns such as clean air, water or how to address soil erosion. Also areas of interest for the well being of your citizens: like improvement of health care and development of information technologies.

Research cooperation is a good avenue to pre-accession. Engaging in research to meet the EU standards and technical requirements you are expected to comply with as part of your integration into the European Union is a good investment. As the former head of the negotiating team for Slovenia's accession to the EU, I know that very well. This is even more the case now than in the past. For this reason increasing research efforts at national level should be seen as a first but necessary step towards membership the European Union.

The process of integration into the European Union is more or less about the reforms that your country needs to carry out in any case to become a modern society - reforms which will be facilitated if you increase your research capacity.

In this context I would like to highlight the special role of the Joint Research Centre's special programme for enlargement countries. It focuses on the complex scientific and technical issues underpinning EU legislation in a wide range of policy areas important for the citizen, such as: environment, health, food, energy, chemicals, agriculture and nuclear safety.

You have heard today about some of these activities and how to take part in them. Please take advantage of the JRC's offer of specialised workshops and conferences, temporary job positions for national experts and grant holders as well as the possibility to participate in competitive projects and EU-wide networks together with the JRC. It will help your country prepare for eventual adoption of the EU acquis communautaire.

Research and research cooperation brings benefits in its own right. At the same time, it is an important learning experience in a wider sense. Research cooperation breaks down frontiers, both physical and cultural. Because researchers from all backgrounds, from all nationalities, understand and share the same hunger for knowledge and the same desire to improve society through science.

This is why we encourage research cooperation at regional level. Working together on research can lead to overcoming common challenges. And I know this Region well enough to say that in many instances you share the same challenges. I am thinking of improving the public health system, of meeting technical requirements in air and water quality, of contributing to our energy targets and energy efficiency.

I could continue talking about why we need to do research and why more needs to be done. And rest assured this is the case for all Member States as well as for potential candidate countries like yours.

There is a lot to be done and not everything can be achieved at once. It requires a collective effort, consistency and patience. It requires reconstruction of those capacities Bosnia and Herzegovina was renowned for before the tragic outbreak of war in the Region. I have every confidence in you and your intellectual potential. You can count on my help and support and also those of my colleagues in the European Commission. But bear in mind that the ownership and responsibility for success is yours.

Ladies and gentlemen,

I hope that today we have given you ideas and motivation to engage together in more and better research.

I wish you every success with future progress in science and research – and good luck, of course, in the World Cup as well.

Those football fans among you will be familiar with the term "goal difference". Let us make sure that our goals don't differ – because together we are stronger.