EUROPE 2020 : R&D AND EDUCATION AT FOREFRONT OF ALL PRIORITIES.

Research and education appear to stand out as priorities of priorities'. At least on paper, R&D and education appear central to the EU's 2020 agenda. In the document, presented on 3 March by European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, education and research not only get serious and lengthy mentions, but also repeated calls for increasing levels of investment.

Alongside other weakness, notably in business structures, the Commission's paper clearly points the finger at the lower levels of investment in R&D and innovation. Together with education, they are at the heart of the Europe 2020' strategy when it comes to smart' and green' growth. Here, the Commission calls for promotion of an economy based on knowledge and innovation as well as sustainability and competitiveness.

For R&D, investment should then go up from today's 1.9% of EU GDP to a full 3%. The Commission is also suggesting an alternative target combining R&D and innovation performance. The share of the population aged 30-34 having completed tertiary education should increase from 31% to at least 40% in 2020, notes the executive.

Barroso's document also calls for strengthening the role of EU instruments, such as Structural Funds, the R&D framework programme, the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP) or the Strategic Energy Technology (SET) plan. This would include closer work with the European Investment Bank (EIB) and streamlining administrative procedures so as to facilitate access to funding, particularly for SMEs.

The new strategy further requires, at national level, that member states reform national and regional R&D and innovation systems so as to foster excellence and smart specialisation. Member states are called upon to reinforce cooperation between universities, research and business, to implement joint programming and enhance cross-border cooperation in areas with EU value added' as well as to adjust national funding procedures accordingly.

The Commission is additionally calling on member states to ensure a sufficient supply of science and engineering graduates. Member states should prioritise knowledge expenditure, including by using tax incentives and other financial instruments to promote greater private R&D investments.

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