The strategic research agenda on EMC in the next (7th) European research framework program 2007-2013

The European Commission has published the research policy and the proposal for the next (7th) Framework Programme [1]. It is stated that, to be a genuinely competitive, knowledge-based economy, Europe must become better at producing knowledge through research, at diffusing it through education and at applying it through innovation, i.e. the “knowledge triangle��?. Today the European Union (EU) devotes only 1.96 % of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to research and development, compared to 2.59% for United States, 3.12 % for Japan and 2.9% for Korea. In March 2002 the Barcelona European Council set the target of raising the European research effort to 3 % of EU GDP, two thirds of which should come from private investment. European Technology Platforms (ETP) play an important role in the 7th Research Framework Programme (FP7) [2]. ETPs focus on strategic issues, bring together stakeholders, led by industry, to define medium to long-term research and technological development objectives and lay down markers for achieving them. ETPs thus play a key role in better aligning EU research priorities to industry’s needs. A key objective of ETPs is the establishment of a strategic research agenda (SRA). Through the definition of a SRA technology platforms can influence policy in the FP7 programme and hence, in due course, lead to the development of specific projects which will be submitted through normal channels for EU funding. The SRA reflects the needs as seen by industry, taking (emerging) social, economical and technological trends into account. A yearly workplan is generated from the SRA and submitted to the European Commission. The European Commission decides which part of the Work Plan will be converted into open Calls. Any (European) entity, including industry, universities or institutes, can then submit a research proposal which will be evaluated in an independent commission, before the research project is awarded (or not)