The UK government wants further clarification before supporting plans for a European research organisation to rival the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
UK education minister Bill Rammell told a Commons committee last week that the idea of a European Institute of Technology (EIT) is sound, but that practical issues remain unaddressed.
The European Commission’s (EC’s) latest plan is for a loose network of knowledge and innovation communities (KICs) embracing both industry and existing academic centres, with spending power of Eu2.4bn (£1.6bn) between 2007 and 2013.
‘The government recognises that the EIT has the potential to deliver benefits in terms of Europe’s capacity to innovate, to exploit our knowledge base and to improve our competitiveness and growth,’ said Rammell.
‘However, it believes that a number of issues require further attention before the EIT can be as effective an instrument as the Commission envisages.’
The present funding model is unsustainable, there are insufficient incentives for business or universities to get involved, and it is unclear whether the EIT will have a genuine impact on competitiveness, says Rammell.
Lack of interest from the private sector is a major cause for concern, according to committee member Boris Johnson MP.
‘The big and telling difference between this proposal and the real MIT is that this one has signally failed to attract any private sector interest or investment,’ said Johnson. ‘The best way to fund research and generate knowledge transfer is to build up existing centres of excellence.’
The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has yet to be convinced that the planned institution will have a major impact.
‘We need a demonstrated case that it will add value to the work already going on in universities and industry,’ said CBI head of innovation Tim Bradshaw.
Member states’ input into the EIT proposal will precede its first reading in the European Parliament this spring. The aim is for the plan to be passed this year, the first KICs to be formed by 2009 and the next four by 2012.
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