Toespraak Eurocommissaris Ferrero-Waldner over Zevende Kaderprogramma voor Onderzoek (en)
SPEECH/08/193
European Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy
"The 7th Framework Program - opportunities for researchers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia"
Inauguration of the Seminar on the EU 7th Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development
King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology
Saudi Arabia, 15 April 2008
Your Excellency,
Dear President,
Ministers,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is a real honour for me to welcome you all to the Information Day on the EU’s flagship Research and Technological Development Programme. Less than a year ago, when I was last in Riyadh, I expressed my wish to GCC Foreign Ministers that we could develop wide-ranging cooperation between the EU and the Gulf States in this vitally important field. Today marks the beginning of what I hope will be a long and fruitful process of working together to meet common challenges, and address common concerns.
The current EU Programme, now in its Seventh multi-annual phase (the so-called ‘FP7’), is based on a fund of over 53 billion Euros. Successive generations of this instrument have given it a leading role in multidisciplinary research and cooperative activities in Europe and beyond. I know that my colleague Commissioner Potocnik, responsible for research policy within the European Commission, shares my desire to see our political commitment translated into concrete activity.
Both the European Union and Saudi Arabia share the vision that sustainable development and prosperity for future generations depend on long-term investments in research and education. I can only endorse the words of King Abdullah: “A nation failing to achieve excellence in science and education will be marginalised”. I am very grateful to the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) for hosting and co-sponsoring this event.
Europe and Research
The EU decided at the Summit meeting of European leaders in Lisbon in 2000 to aim at making Europe the most competitive knowledge-based economy in the world. Since then, research has been increasingly high on our political agenda. Europe has no choice but to concentrate on knowledge creation. The reality is that we do not have as many primary resources as our trading partners, nor are we competitive in terms of labour cost. R&D is, therefore, central to our future competitiveness.
Europe knows that it must increase its research capacity: the EU has committed to investing at least 3% of GDP in research by 2010 - two thirds coming from the private sector, one third from the public sector. But we have gone further. Research is most successful not in isolation, but when linked to areas such as education, industry, finance and public procurement. The greatest challenge is, without a doubt, to modernise the education system, including universities. Young people must be encouraged to devote themselves to scientific training, and to see the many new and exciting career options that such training will offer.
In addition, we try to facilitate active exchanges between universities, research institutes and the private sector. We have established science and technology parks to facilitate the transformation of pure research into innovative products and services. All of this contributes to what we call an integrated research policy.
Saudi Arabia and Research
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am fully aware that Saudi Arabia has also embarked on an ambitions research policy programme. Since the adoption of the National Policy for Science and Technology prepared by the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, Saudi Arabia has made unprecedented efforts to adopt specific plans to turn that policy into actions, like the most recent ones in nano-technologies and nano-sciences.
Saudi Arabia has managed, in record time, to mobilise the combine resources of its research institutes, its universities, institutions like the Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC), the private sector with the leading enterprises like ARAMCO and the scientific parks.
Your commitment to research is really impressive. Your planned budget represents 2.5% of GDP. You are serious about your determination to establish technology incubators and IT cities in different parts of your country. Not to mention the creation of the new King Abdullah University devoted to research and innovation.
The European Union also highly appreciated the commitment made by King Abdullah during the last OPEC meeting to invest 300 million dollars into research on environmentally friendly technologies. Thisa generous gesture, coming from the world’s largest oil producer.
Our cooperation in R&D
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Given the complexity of current scientific challenges and the rapid changes in the global economy, international cooperation has become a key pillar of any strategy for science and technology. We in Europe are convinced that scientific excellence can only be achieved with an open door to the world. This is precisely why I am here today.
The EU’s seventh Framework Programme encompasses a new approach to international cooperation: it is open to cooperation with actors from all regions of the world. Projects proposed can include research teams from around the world, whose engagement with European researchers can lead to mutual learning, as well as ensuring that our actions benefit from the widest possible pool of expertise.
Only through this open approach can we genuinely increase our competitiveness, improve our scientific excellence, and – very importantly - respond to shared, global challenges.
I have no doubt that there is an immense potential for scientific cooperation between us, in many fields. We just have to look at the subjects of today’s workshops: climate change, nano-technologies, energy and ICT. Through enhanced participation of Saudi Arabia in joint projects, through the constitution of networks, our combined potential can be better harnessed, leading us both to better outcomes.
We are currently looking at how to enhance our dialogue on higher education. It is clearly one of the concrete areas where the EU and the Gulf region could cooperate more closely.
It is on that note that I would like to end. I am sure that this will be a fruitful day of exchange and debate on technological research. But the purpose of science, after all, is to advance human knowledge. Therefore I also hope that by working together on leading-edge research, we shall uncover new areas for cooperation which extend beyond our scientific communities, and spread their benefits to our societies as a whole.