Breaking the regional divide
Europe is divided between East and West when considering investment in research and innovation. Eastern Europe experiences a significant lack of funding, a weak infrastructure and an emigration problem to the west where researcher salaries are significantly higher.
Although the majority of innovation leaders are concentrated in Western Europe, the region also suffers with a research brain drain as it seeks to compete with North America and the emerging economies of India and China.
Addressing these regional differences, Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, European Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science, outlined to delegates at the fourth annual ‘Week of Innovative Regions in Europe’ (WIRE IV) conference in Cork, Ireland, on how Horizon 2020 will attempt to close the innovation divide and widen participation.
“There are big national and regional disparities in terms of research and innovation performance and this is immediately reflected in terms of the competitiveness of our countries and regions,” Geoghegan-Quinn began by stating. “Data from the 2012 Regional Innovation Scoreboard show that ‘moderate’ and ‘modest’ innovators are mainly found in eastern and southern Europe, indicating that some countries and regions are not yet exploiting their full potential.
“There are several reasons for these disparities, mostly related to structural deficits such as lack of research investment, insufficient capacity-building, the structure of a country’s industries and the profile of its companies, as well as lack of access to international networks.”
Horizon 2020 will only be part of the solution, the Commissioner says. European initiatives, for example the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) and the development of smart specialisation strategies, will be a key attempt to resolve these problems at regional and national levels.
Smart specialisation
“The existence of a smart specialisation strategy is a precondition for receiving future support for research and innovation under the ESIF. Smart specialisation strategies should ensure that there is both the appropriate capacity in the research system and compatibility between European, national and regional structures in order to improve the chances of successfully obtaining competitive EU funding,” Geoghegan-Quinn told delegates.
“The Smart Specialisation Platform, as well as experts funded by the Commission, is helping member states and regions to prepare their strategies. The ‘Cohesion DGs’, led by the Directorate General for Regional and Urban Policy, are already in discussion with the member states on the preparation of their Partnership Agreements and Operational Programmes.”
Encouraging participation
Many European regions and member states fail to reach their full potential in their participation in EU research programmes, a trend the Commissioner wants to change during Horizon 2020. The framework programme contains key proposals to close the innovation divide and widen participation.
“The European Research Area Chairs (ERA Chairs) initiative aims to attract outstanding academics to institutions with a clear potential for research excellence, in order to help these institutions fully unlock this potential. Ultimately, this can help create a more level playing field for research and innovation in Europe. We are already testing the ERA Chairs concept…[and] I’m very pleased to report that we have had an excellent response, with 111 proposals, coming from all the eligible member states,” the Commissioner said.
Horizon 2020 will also see the introduction of ‘Twinning’ and ‘Teaming’ to help integrate the continent’s European institutions.
“Twinning aims to significantly strengthen a specific field of research in an emerging institution by linking it to at least two leading international institutions. Teaming aims to create new centres of excellence, or significantly upgrade existing ones, in regions that are performing poorly in terms of R&D and innovation. The idea is to team-up with a leading counterpart institution elsewhere in Europe.”
Research infrastructures
The Excellence Science pillar of Horizon 2020 will allocate €2.4bn to the development of Europe’s research infrastructures and e-infrastructures and are vital to undertaking ground-breaking research. The European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI) aims to “support a coherent and strategy-led approach to policy-making on research infrastructures in Europe,” according to its website. The ESFRI will also “facilitate multilateral initiatives leading to the better use and development of research infrastructures, at EU and international level.”
“Turning the 48 initiatives highlighted by the ESFRI roadmap into reality is high on the political agenda thanks to Innovation Union, which set us the target of making 60% of the ESFRI projects a reality by 2015,” Geoghegan-Quinn stated. “By using the ESFRI Roadmap as a blueprint, most European countries, including Ireland, have completed their national roadmap exercises and have allocated funding for them. With the support of the Commission, more than forty ESFRI projects have already started preparing their implementation phase. Our analysis shows that the more innovative and the more competitive a region is, the more likely it is to host an ESFRI initiative. We also found that hosting a research infrastructure of pan-European relevance has a very positive impact on a region.
“It’s clear that there is a mutually beneficial relationship between a competitive and innovative region and the scientific installations to be found there. The Commission has been encouraging the regions to make the most of these opportunities and to proactively address research infrastructures in their smart specialisation strategies. We have also been careful to suggest practical links between the research and cohesion programmes, with greater harmonisation of financial rules and it will be possible to combine funding from Horizon 2020 and the cohesion funds for the same project.”
It’s hoped that by taking each of these proposals and placing them in a collective RDI strategy, the European innovation divide can be firmly closed.
Máire Geoghegan-Quinn
