European Union News - Research & Innovation

The Commission presented on the 27th May 2008, its Communication on "Better Careers and More Mobility: A European Partnership for Researchers". This Communication aims at establishing a partnership between the Member States and the Commission to ensure that the necessary human resources in research are available to sustain and enhance the contribution of science and technology to a dynamic, knowledge based European society.

Supported by the seventh Framework Programme, a seminar to explore the challenges and requirements to create a European Biobanking and Biomolecular Resources Research Infrastructure (BBMRI) and the development of new cures for complex diseases will take place at the EU Parliament (Salon des Membres, Brussels) on 28th May 2008.

Developing countries can achieve fast, sustained, equitable growth if they take advantage of opportunities in the global economy and have committed leaders. Those are among the messages in a report that Danuta Hübner, Commissioner for Regional Policy, and Nobel Laureate Michael Spence present today in Brussels. The 'Growth Report: Strategies for Sustained Growth and Inclusive Development' concludes two years of work by the Commission on Growth and Development. Commissioner Hübner was a member of this group, created under the auspices of the World Bank, and chaired by Professor Spence. The report identifies distinctive characteristics of successful growth, using 13 high-growth economies since 1950 as examples, and explores how developing countries can emulate them.

Latest news from the  Enterprise & Industry DG is to Simplification of metrology directives. Measuring instruments are essential to ensure accuracy of measurement, notably for transactions by consumers and industry in every day life: examples include water meters, taximeters, electricity meters and weighing machines. Concerns have been expressed about eight  technical rules used for regulating measuring instruments used for tasks requiring legal metrological control, are not easily adaptable to technological progress and therefore risk hindering innovation.

A scientist of the JRC Institute for Environment and Sustainability (IES) has co-authored a study published in Science Magazine on the consequences of man-made nitrogen input into the world's oceans.

In adopting a report on the under-representation of women in the world of science, Parliament calls for gender balance on decision-making bodies, mainstreaming of the male-female dimension in research programmes and support for scientific careers for women to increase the number of women scientists in the EU. MEPs criticise the unambitious and insufficient EU target of 25 % and remind the Commission and the Member States that gender parity implies at least 40 % female representation.

Along with the new Resaerch programme for for the research fund for coal and steel, the European Commission has created an open and continuous call for proposals. Unless otherwise specified, the deadline for submission of proposals will be the 15th September of each year.

On the 20th May 2008 the European Commission publsihed official notification of the Council decision from the 29th April 2008 for the adoption of The Research Programme for the Research Fund for Coal and Steel.

The Dragon Programme, a collaborative venture between the People's Republic of China and the European Space Agency (ESA), has generated significant results in the area of earth observation (EO) satellite data.