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EUROPEAN
GERONTECHNOLOGY
PROGRAMS
Jan Graafmans
Secretary General CESAER
First ISG Master Class
Eindhoven, May 22-23, 2006
SUNSHINE BEHIND THE
CLOUDS?
 Introduction
 EC policy statements regarding universities
 ERC: European Research Council
 EIT: European Institute of Technology
 Other possibilities
 FP7
INTRODUCTION
 Gerontechnology Programs do not yet or anymore
exist at EU level
 The EC, European Council and European
Parliament are very active at the moment
 Developments regarding the 7th Framework
Program, the role of the ERC and the
establishment of an EIT
 The so-called Lisbon agenda: From Lisbon->
Copenhagen-> London to create a competitive
Europe (growth and jobs agenda)
EC ON UNIVERSITIES(1)
 Europe needs modernised universities
 Millions are trained in old-fashioned ways(Figel)
 Power-houses of knowledge generation but need
to adapt to the demands of a global, knowledgebased economy (Potocnik)
 9 areas of change proposed by the EC
EC ON UNIVERSITIES(2)
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More graduates to spend a semester abroad
Allow students to take their grants abroad
Bring recognition procedures of academic qualifications in line
with professional qualifications
Training in IPR management for researchers
Offer courses to allow for LLL (ageing population)
Review national student fee schemes
Review systems for funding universities
Allow greater autonomy and accountability->quick response to
change->enhance interdisciplinarity
Autonomy for individual institutes to choose teaching and
research staff (salary!)
www.europa.eu.int/education/policies/
http://europa.eu.int/comm/dgs/research
http://europa.eu.int/eracareers
EUROPEAN RESEARCH COUNCIL
 Part of 7th Framework Programme
 Scientifically free and politically independent
 Ground-braking, investigator driven basic research
 Tackle problems with emerging research fields such as
biotech, nanotech and maybe gerontechnology
 Replace existing (national) funding mechanisms that
tend to favor established disciplines
 ERC Starting Independent Research Grant Scheme for
early stage research (teams or individuals)
 Advanced investigator research grant scheme for
projects lead by researchers at all career stages
http://europa.eu.int/erc/index_en.cfm
EUROPEAN INSTITUTE OF
TECHNOLOGY (1)
EIT CONCEPT
 An autonomous institution with an innovative
structural and operational model and a strong
European identity.
 Will perform education, research and innovation
activities on the basis of resources partially
provided by partner organisations and organised
within the framework of Knowledge Communities
EUROPEAN INSTITUTE OF
TECHNOLOGY (2)
Knowledge communities (KC)
 Federations of excellent teams and departments that will perform
a medium/long term education, research and innovation agenda in
a range of strategic interdisciplinary fields.
 Teams and departments from both academic and business
sectors will federate and create partnerships seeking to become
the KC (bottom up).
 The Governing Board will define the interdisciplinary areas in
which the EIT will operate and in which KCs need to be
established. It will set the criteria and procedures for selection,
and organise it as a competitive process (top down).
 The areas selected should represent key challenges faced by the
EU in a long term perspective (areas with “business relevance”,
between fundamental and downstream applied research).
EUROPEAN INSTITUTE OF
TECHNOLOGY(3)
Human resources
 Challenge: to attract the best people, provide a shared and
innovative working model, and draw an effective team to fulfil the
objectives of excellence.
 Academics working in KCs need to be in touch with their
academic base; it is important to ensure enough commitment to
the EIT itself.
 KCs have the freedom to organise their human resources within
the general EIT framework defined by the Governing Board.
 Various options available in the Legal instrument: from direct
employment, detachment (with varying degrees of “right to return”
to the home institution) to dual affiliation.
EUROPEAN INSTITUTE OF
TECHNOLOGY (4)
Finance
 An in depth financial analysis will be provided in the
framework of the impact assessment next autumn.
 The EIT will need considerable public core funding at
the beginning, nevertheless as it develops, it can be
expected that more private funding will come in.
 The EIT will grow progressively: funding requirements
will be concentrated at the end of the 2007-2013
period and beyond.
 The EIT will be encouraged to set up a private
Foundation to manage its endowment.
OTHER POSSIBILITIES
Hidden everywhere in the EU: some examples
 FP6: eHealth (last call closes 12-06-2006)
 STRATA-ETAN (policy studies)
 Human Potential (Summer Schools)
 TSER (Targeted Socio-Economic Research)
 JRC (Joint Research Centre
 ESF (European Social Fund)
 ERDF (European Regional Development Fund)
 COST (We had a very successful COST-A5)
 CRAFT-SME
 DG#X, DG#Y, DG#Z might address aging society
European Commission: http://ec.europa.eu
WHAT ABOUT FP7?
FP7: Four specific programs, first calls expected end
2006 begin 2007
 Cooperation (collaborative research, 32,2 B€)
 Ideas (frontier research, 7,4 B€)
 People (human potential, 4,6 B€)
 Capacities (research capacity, 4,2 B€)
Total budget 48,4 B€ (indicative)(40% increase)
The Eropean Council and the European Parliament
still have to approve the Program and the Budget
FP7: THEMATIC AREAS
Nine thematic areas
 Health
 Food, agriculture and biotechnology
 Information and communication technologies (ICT)
 Nanosciences, nanotechnologies, materials and new production
technologies
 Energy
 Environment
 Transport
 Socio-economic sciences and the humanities
 Security and space
Debate on FP7
http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/home.html
Why can’t I make this x,&!@çx?
thing work?
THANK YOU
We have a long way to go! After Gerontechnology
was born as a healthy baby in a fertile
environment, the field became adolescent. And as
every puber runs into problems with the
establishment, this was not different for
Gerontechnology.
Now the field has a chance to become mature but
this will require joint efforts from many. Yes, the
sun (money) shines behind the dense clouds of
burocracy and politics but with patience and
endurance we –meaning Gerontechnology- will
survive and prosper to the benefit of society