overall scientific activity that needs to be done before the production or improvement of a product
The phrase research and development (also R and D or, more often, R&D), according to the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development, refers to "creative work undertaken on a systematic basis in order to increase the stock of knowledge, including knowledge of man, culture and society, and the use of this stock of knowledge to devise new applications"
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Development of new products and services by a company in order to obtain a competitive advantage.
discovering new knowledge about products, processes, and services, and then applying that knowledge to create new and improved products, processes, and services that fill market needs.
European research and development policy is based on provisions in the three founding treaties (ECSC, Euratom and Title XVIII of the EC Treaty). The Single European Act introduced the concept of technology into Community law and the EU Treaty then developed the Community's objectives in this field. Supporting the competitiveness of European industry and promoting research to help it face technological challenges are the Community's priorities.
The coordination of initiatives in research and development within the Community is based on various instruments:
•the framework programme for research and technological development. This multi-annual programme, set up in 1984, coordinates more specific programmes dedicated to fields as varied as information and communication technologies, the environment, biology, energy (including nuclear), transport and mobility of researchers. The fifth framework programme (1998-2002) has been allocated more than EUR 14.9 billion to achieve its objectives, including promotion of a user-friendly information society and access to research for small businesses;
•the Joint Research Centre (JRC) and the Euratom Supply Agency. The JRC is made up of eight research institutes set up across the European Community to meet the specific needs of the Commission. It is at the forefront of research in nuclear energy (especially security) and has diversified into sectors such as materials, the environment, and industrial risks.
•COST, which was set up in 1971, covers 25 countries: the fifteen Member States of the European Union plus Iceland, Norway, Switzerland, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia and Turkey. The aim of this European cooperation programme is to coordinate national research priorities in Europe;
•Eureka is an intergovernmental organisation of 26 countries including the Member States of the European Union, Russia, Switzerland and Turkey. It was set up in 1985 and aims to support partnerships between businesses and research institutes, especially in advanced technology sectors.
The multiannual framework programme is adopted under the codecision procedure. Unanimity in the Council is no longer required following the entry into force of the Treaty of Amsterdam. The specific programmes are always adopted by the Council by a qualified majority on a Commission proposal, after consulting the European Parliament and the Economic and Social Committee.
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European Research Area (ERA)
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