Research and innovation (Extract from Presidency Conclusions Brussels European Council 16/17 October 2003)
Brussels, 17 Oct 2003
- Developing the competitiveness of the European economy in line with the Lisbon agenda requires a renewed commitment of the public and private sectors to the objective of investing 3% of GDP in research, with a particular emphasis on technological innovation including environmental technology, on developing human capital through higher investment in education and research, along the lines recommended by the Council on 22 September 2003. The European Council accordingly calls for:
- strong involvement of Member States in benchmarking, sharing of experience and the preparation of mutually consistent measures to boost public and private investment in research and innovation;
- strengthened coordination between public and private-funded research and the use to a greater extent of the Structural Funds for Research and Development projects bearing in mind the role of these funds to promote cohesion and taking into account the specific needs and potential of different regions, including those of acceding States. Public-private partnerships in the research area are a key factor in developing new technologies and enabling the European high-tech industry to compete at the global level;
- rapid progress on implementing the e-Europe Action Plan; this requires considerable efforts to ensure the Community-wide implementation of the new regulatory framework for electronic communications and the stepping-up of actions and investments, especially in the e-Government, e-Health and e-Learning sectors and as regards the development of broadband infrastructure and contents.