COMPETITIVENESS COUNCIL/RESEARCH : EU IN NEED OF MORE ENTREPRENEURIAL SCIENTISTS.

Member states are at different levels when it comes to transforming their predominantly public-financed research and innovation systems to ones where investments are provided by the private sector, research ministers said at a 21 February meeting. More EU efforts are needed for ongoing national programmes to boost innovation, they said. The topics discussed included strengthening demand-side tools to advance economically relevant research and providing the human resources that such a move requires.

The European Commission's annual growth survey for 2012, the basis of the day's discussions, proposed that member states give priority to growth-friendly expenditure, such as education, research, innovation and energy in the coming years.

EU Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science Maire Geoghegan-Quinn set the tone of the meeting by stating that current endeavours will be insufficient to reach the GDP rate to be dedicated to research and innovation, agreed upon in the Lisbon strategy for growth and jobs. "The targets set by some member states are not ambitious enough. Even if they are met, the 3% threshold will still be out of reach. We are taking stock in 2014: by then, member states need to engage in multi-annual programme funding to project the results."

While the richest European countries focussed on technical questions such as the need to simplify and accelerate administrative procedures to access public funding, Portugal was more concerned about having scientists to actually apply for the funds. "It is vital to keep the system...