the future of science and technology in europe

The Future of Science and Technology in Europe

José Mariano GagoMIT

Charles L. Miller Annual LectureApril 2008

JMGagoPortugalMITMillerLecture7APR2008

Portugal and MIT

• The MIT-Portugal Programme: a long-term strategic relationship for

• Promoting university-industry collaboration• Joint R&D and new economic drivers• Advanced academic and professional training• Knowledge networking: US-EU and at a global scale


• A collective book by European Research ministers

• A Resolution of the EU Council (2007)


The future of science and technology in Europe

• Setting a vision for the future of science&technology in Europe in order to defining common objectives and goals (national policies but common objectives)

• Vision: S&T is key for the development of knowledge based economies Lisbon Strategy for the EU (2000): to become the most advanced knowledge-based economy in the world + social cohesion + sustainable environmental development



- Ambitious goals for the future of human resources for S&T in Europe: international competition for human resources for S&T will be increasingly difficultbalanced brain circulation with the US (reverse brain drain!)

positive growth rates of new graduates and PhD in Sc&Eng + increase the share of women

balanced flow of qualified human resources from the rest of the world ( attract and facilitate immigration!)

- Increase public funding for R&D (->1% GDP)- Promote private investment in R&D (>2% GDP)- Reform and Internationalise Universities+R&D systems- Develop world-class R&D network infrastructure: GEANT, GRID



The shape of things now

versus

the shape of things to come

The “European Research Area”: a complex landscape and a moving target for science policy controversy

ERA= 7th EU Framework Programme for R&D (collaborative R&D +JTI!+ERC!) +

+ Eureka! + COST + EraNets + (Why not a transatlantic, global Eureka!+?)

+ International Research Organisations (CERN, ESA, ESO, EMBL, ESRF, …+ INL!) + ITER +… (A renewal for intergovernmental new ventures?)

+ National Research Programmes, Funding agencies and R&D performing organisations (Opening up national funding programmes?)



• EU S&T policy debate sets the future of EU at world level • Input and output US data tend to be used as a gauge for

Europe S&THowever:

European S&T = { EU + EU member states + EFTA countries}And

EC R&D budget =~ 5% of {Sum of R&D National Budgets}



• Government Appropriations for R&D: 0.74%GDP (EU) , 1%GDP (US) including military

• R&D intensity (2005): 201 b€ or 1.9%GDP (EU) vs 250 b€ or 2.6%GDP (US); industrial R&D 64% (EU), 70% (US)

• Researchers: 6/1000 workers (EU) vs 9.5/1000 (US). • New PhD/yr: EU=2xUS• Expenditure per researcher in the public sector, corrected ppp: US= 2xEU• Investment in “knowledge” (R&D + Software + Higher Education): 4%GDP(EU) vs

7%GDP (US) but compare Sweden or Finland (Nordic) with US:

Nordic R&D = 1.3x USNordic Sftw =~ USNordic HE = 1/3 US

Data and all Figures quoted from OECD STI Scoreboard 2005


The Future of Science and Technology in Europe and in the US

Is there room for a common vision of the future of S&T in Europe and the US?Such a future would require to

Multiply transatlantic, global R&D and HE networks Develop international R&D organisations and programmesInvent jointly new economic drivers Diversify and combine funding sourcesPromote the transatlantic debate for new research agendas

However, new shaping factors (political, economic) and very new shaping actors shall be needed in order to change

The shape of things to come (HGWells) ...

Why not – us?

the future of science and technology in europe

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