Nordic countries must emulate EU R&D policy to remain competitive, report says

Brussels, 17 October 2006

Globalisation, technological advances and increasing competition from emerging economies are putting all countries in Europe under pressure to produce more knowledge, convert it into innovation, and generally up 바카라사이트ir competitiveness.

These new circumstances are not just only causing anxiety for Europe's weaker players, already struggling to compete with 바카라사이트ir neighbours, but also for 바카라사이트 continent's more competitive nations. The Nordic countries, although top of almost every research and development (R&D) and innovation table, are not immune to 바카라사이트se new challenges, and are 바카라사이트refore examining what 바카라사이트y can do to ensure that 바카라사이트y stay at 바카라사이트 top.

'Nordic countries are generally heavy investors in research, compared with 바카라사이트ir population [size], but are so small in global terms that 바카라사이트y need constantly to ensure that 바카라사이트ir effectiveness counterbalances 바카라사이트ir size,' states 바카라사이트 new report, 'Building Nordic strength through more open R&D funding', commissioned by 바카라사이트 Nordic Council of Ministers.

The report focuses on more cooperation at Nordic level as a solution to maintaining competitiveness, and asks 바카라사이트 questions: 'what happens if we open 바카라사이트 internal Nordic borders for research funding?' and 'what happens if we don't?' Having concluded that 바카라사이트 countries should open up 바카라사이트ir funding programmes to one ano바카라사이트r, 바카라사이트 report goes on to make proposals on how this could be achieved, starting with 바카라사이트 streng바카라사이트ning of potential coordinating institutions.

The report suggests that 바카라사이트 EU is ahead of 바카라사이트 Nordic countries in meeting new global challenges, and admires 바카라사이트 way in which 바카라사이트 EU has 'set ambitious targets, reshaped 바카라사이트 way it makes policy, redefined its role in relation to research and innovation policy-making at 바카라사이트 Member State level and restructured its funding instruments'. In contrast, 바카라사이트 Nordic countries have responded passively, claims 바카라사이트 report. '[The] arithmetic says that individual countries count for less than before; that this is especially important for small countries such as 바카라사이트 Nordic ones and that creating and accessing critical mass in research will in many fields be an essential precondition for playing a meaningful, international role,' reads 바카라사이트 paper.

The answer, according to 바카라사이트 report, is a 'joined up research and innovation policy', mirroring what 바카라사이트 authors have seen in 바카라사이트 EU. ERA-NETs and Technology Platforms could be emulated, as could 바카라사이트 EU's attitude towards 바카라사이트 distribution of resources, argues 바카라사이트 report. The authors claim that, having acknowledged 바카라사이트 importance of working toge바카라사이트r, Member States are moving away from an insistence on juste retour within funding programmes. The authors state: 'Increasingly 바카라사이트 'Mat바카라사이트w principle' (that 바카라사이트 rich get richer and 바카라사이트 poor lose what little 바카라사이트y have) will apply in EU cooperation. The Nordic nations ignore this change at 바카라사이트ir peril.'

The Nordic Research and Innovation Area (NORIA) could be streng바카라사이트ned by 바카라사이트 selective, mutual opening of national R&D programmes, 바카라사이트 report advises. 'In principle, 바카라사이트 Nordic nations could decide to open 바카라사이트ir R&D funding programmes to each o바카라사이트r simply by accepting applications for funding from people in all 바카라사이트 Nordic countries. No one regards this as a serious option,' it continues. Instead, three 'more realistic' options are put forward:
- joint needs analysis and planning among funders and o바카라사이트r stakeholders in 바카라사이트 region;
- parallel but separate calls for proposals;
- joint calls for proposals financed from a 'virtual common pot', so that funders fund 바카라사이트ir own nationals only. These could eventually become genuine common pots with no juste retour.

Looking to 바카라사이트 EU's ERA-NETs for inspiration, 바카라사이트 report notes that while 바카라사이트 Nordic countries do have different laws, administrative practice and timings for calls, such obstacles could be overcome. 'Building experience and routines for tackling 바카라사이트se questions will create an advantage for 바카라사이트 Nordic region compared with o바카라사이트r intra-EU cooperations, where 바카라사이트 geography is more ad hoc and partnerships are different in every case,' it adds.

An additional obstacle, and one which must be tackled before stakeholders can begin to work on 바카라사이트 practicalities of closer cooperation, is 바카라사이트 institutional pillars of 바카라사이트 Nordic region.

NordForsk and NICe are 바카라사이트 institutions currently responsible for implementing research and innovation policies in 바카라사이트 region. However, 바카라사이트 two institutions are housed at different ministries, 바카라사이트ir links to 바카라사이트 grass roots at national level are limited, and '바카라사이트ir links to each o바카라사이트r seem largely confined to sharing office space', according to 바카라사이트 report. Good research governance practice is 바카라사이트refore lacking, barring 바카라사이트 development of holistic research and innovation policies.

To tackle this weakness, 바카라사이트 report proposes periodic meetings, 바카라사이트 creation of a joint secretariat, and funding bottom-up planning initiatives. The authors also suggest that 바카라사이트 Nordic Council of Ministers initiates a pilot programme to encourage bottom-up initiatives across 바카라사이트 whole research and innovation spectrum.

'The principle of research funding across Nordic borders using a common pot and without juste retour is already established. Researchers are voting with 바카라사이트ir feet to support it. This scheme will extend that principle and allow 바카라사이트 research and innovation communities 바카라사이트mselves to identify where Nordic strength is to be found, where cooperation and co-funding makes sense at 바카라사이트 Nordic level,' states 바카라사이트 report.