Draft Report of the Expert Group on International STI Cooperation to ...

Annex 2: Dimensions <strong>of</strong> strategic priority
setting
Emerging
fields/global
challenges
(mix <strong>of</strong> top-down
and bottom-up)
Primary research in
emergence <strong>of</strong> new
fields and/or paradigm
shifts in existing fields
and significant impact
on <strong>the</strong> frontiers <strong>of</strong> STI,
and in education.
Short-term
1-2 years
Medium
term
2-5 years
Long-term
5-15 years
• Focus on basic research
• Capacity building and infrastructure
• Investments in multi-user research facilities
• Primary participants:
S&T organisations universities, PROs
• Outputs: publications, patents
• No geographic limitations
Global challenges are
primarily research
intensive in nature.
STI to address global
challenges is largely
embedded in
international research
efforts, which are
mainly driven by
nation states.
Infrastructural
challenges
Capacity building
and retention
(primarily topdown)
Horizontal actions
(primarily topdown)
Challenge driven research is less attractive for firms, especially where
<strong>the</strong> intention is to generate public goods. Key actors from <strong>the</strong> private
sector will only invest resources and take risks <strong>of</strong> project failure if
<strong>the</strong>y can expect a reasonable return in <strong>the</strong> case <strong>of</strong> success. On <strong>the</strong>
o<strong>the</strong>r hand, swift diffusion <strong>of</strong> new products and processes is crucial to
have a significant impact on global challenges. Diffusion may be
hampered if prices for innovations are too high and <strong>the</strong>re are no
funding mechanisms to make <strong>the</strong>m broadly available.
Leadership in <strong>the</strong>se sectors is yet to be determined, because it is still
nascent, and limited to long term basic-research.
Focus is on reducing brain-drain from Europe, <strong>of</strong> scientists, engineers and
entrepreneurs by making available opportunities and conditions for researchers and
scientists and entrepreneurs to return to EU after training abroad
Retention <strong>of</strong> non-EU citizens with advanced degrees from European institutions
ERA and MS policies to be supplemented by EU policies
EU to work with counterpart funding agencies in o<strong>the</strong>r countries to lower barriers to
collaboration for scientists, engineers, and students, and encourage jointly funded, and
multilateral projects, and address IPR issues
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