European Research Discussion, IP input urgently needed
IPEG: 
The European Research Area (ERA) was created at the EU Council, held in Lisbon in 2000 in the context of the Lisbon Strategy, also known as the Lisbon Agenda or Lisbon Process. It’s aim is (or, better, was) to make the EU “the most dynamic and competitive knowledge-based economy in the world capable of sustainable economic growth with more and better jobs and greater social cohesion, and respect for the environment by 2010″. What have become of these ambitions? Europe’s knowledge based economies still lag behind the US and Japan. It is two years left until 2010. EU has not even left the starting point. It is not much of an overstatement to say that the Lisbon Agenda is largely a failure. Still the European Commission is not short on initiatives. Whether it helps?
In 2007 the Commission published a “Green Paper on ERA” to review “progress” and raise questions for debate. The Green Paper set out six “axes”:
- high mobility of researchers between institutions and countries
- world class research infrastructures
- effective public-private co-operation and partnerships
- knowledge-sharing between public research and industry, as well as with the public at large
- coordination of research programs and definition of common priorities
- opening of ERA to the world to address global challenges.
The “debate” on ERA took place between May and August 2007. The result of that debate - written contributions received in response to its Green Paper by European institutions, Member States - are now published.
Time for us to have a look what is being said about intellectual property in general and specifically on patents.
Do the results of the debate last year show a different approach towards IP? Or maybe a more common view on IP? Not quite. After all this is Europe. The result is as disappointing as the results of the Lisbon Agenda…