COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL ON THE REVIEUW OF THE MULTIANNUAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME IN THE FIELDS OF BASIC TECHNOLOGICAL RESEARCH AND THE APPLICATIONS OF NEW TECHNOLOGIES (BRITE) (1985 - 1988)

ARCHIVES HISTORIQUES
DE LA COMMISSION



COLLECTION RELIEE DES
DOCUMENTS "COM"




COM (86) 271



Vol. 1986/0132

Disclaimer
Conformément au règlement (CEE, Euratom) n° 354/83 du Conseil du 1er février 1983
concernant l'ouverture au public des archives historiques de la Communauté économique
européenne et de la Communauté européenne de l'énergie atomique (JO L 43 du 15.2.1983,
p. 1), tel que modifié par le règlement (CE, Euratom) n° 1700/2003 du 22 septembre 2003
(JO L 243 du 27.9.2003, p. 1), ce dossier est ouvert au public. Le cas échéant, les documents
classifiés présents dans ce dossier ont été déclassifiés conformément à l'article 5 dudit
règlement.
In accordance with Council Regulation (EEC, Euratom) No 354/83 of 1 February 1983
concerning the opening to the public of the historical archives of the European Economic
Community and the European Atomic Energy Community (OJ L 43, 15.2.1983, p. 1), as
amended by Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1700/2003 of 22 September 2003 (OJ L 243,
27.9.2003, p. 1), this file is open to the public. Where necessary, classified documents in this
file have been declassified in conformity with Article 5 of the aforementioned regulation.
In Übereinstimmung mit der Verordnung (EWG, Euratom) Nr. 354/83 des Rates vom 1.
Februar 1983 über die Freigabe der historischen Archive der Europäischen
Wirtschaftsgemeinschaft und der Europäischen Atomgemeinschaft (ABI. L 43 vom 15.2.1983,
S. 1), geändert durch die Verordnung (EG, Euratom) Nr. 1700/2003 vom 22. September 2003
(ABI. L 243 vom 27.9.2003, S. 1), ist diese Datei der Öffentlichkeit zugänglich. Soweit
erforderlich, wurden die Verschlusssachen in dieser Datei in Übereinstimmung mit Artikel 5
der genannten Verordnung freigegeben.
COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
C0MC86) 271 final
Brussels, 21 May 1986
COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO' T H E COUNCIL
EVIEUW OF THE MULTI ANNUAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME
IN THE FIELDS OF BASIC TECHNOLOGICAL RESEARCH AND
THE APPLICATIONS OF NEW TECHNOLOGIES
( BRITE) (1985 - 1988)
C0MC86) 271 final
COMMUNICATION BY THE COMMISSION TO THi COUNCIL
PREAMBLE
In presenting the Guidelines for the new Community ftâtmiùik Programme
of Research and Technological Development for 1987*4991 (COM (86) 129
final of 17 March 1986) , the Commission ha© stressed tie importance
which it attaches to the themes of ;
industrial competitiveness and, through ft', l*ptovem.e; r in the
employment situation;
the quality of life;
- the realisation of a Researchers* Europe*
Numerous initiatives have already been take# by «*at^ '
research and technological development progresses i® order : i> ? i
industrial competitiveness. It seems essentiel t® put®®® t; rfort-S
without delay; this has resulted in the préparât!®® &t three of the
following four communications enclosed, which Indicate the initiative®
that the Commission intends to take with regard to i
- the launching of the second phase of the ESPRIT programme
- the revision of the BRXTE programme
- the revision of the Biotechnology programme*
The last one is equally relevant to efforts to improve the tjuallfy of
life of citizens of the Community,
The fourth communication enclosed gives more details of ho'·1 ' ' -·
Commission views the revision of the St Imulat ion programme on exc n an gas
of researchers; in this case it demonstrates the intention- to support
wholeheartedly the efforts being made to achieve a tree lesearefcers!,,
Europe.
The presentation of these four coirmtinications aims at -■·'-·
provide the necessary impetus for the actions already urtrrrt '·-
these priority themes; these four future programmes· provide a g o o d
example of the priorities set by the Commission *
It is further self-evident that, in the spirit of the "Single European
Act", these four communications prejudge neither the result of the
debate going on in the Council and the Parliament on the orientations of
the Framework Programme nor the formal corresponding proposal which the
Commission will present in July 1986*
Furthermore, these four documents do not prejudge the corresponding
draft decisions which will be presented later on to the Council and to
the Parliament,
COMMUNICATION from the COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL
ON THE REVIEW OF THE MULTIANNUAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME
IN THE FIELDS OF BASIC TECHNOLOGICAL RESEARCH AND
THE APPLICATIONS OF NEW TECHNOLOGIES
(BRITE) (1985 - 1988)
BACKGROUND
1. The Council of Ministers agreed in principle to the BRITE programme on
19 December 1984. The Council Decision was taken on 12 March 1985
(O.J. L 83 of 25 March 1985). The funds estimated necessary were 125
Mio ECU over 4 years. The decision stated that "during the second year
the programme shall be reviewed" and that this may lead ■ to the
submission of a proposal for a revision of the programme. The Council
also undertook to re-examine and, where appropriate, revise the
programme, bearing in mind its previous undertaking progressively to
increase expenditure on Community R&D activities.
2. In January 1985 an, advance call for proposals was published followed by
a call for proposals published in the Official Journal of 14 March
1985. The closing date for the submission of proposals was
15 May 1985.
3. A total of 559 proposals, involving 1977 participants or on average 3,5
partners per project, were received by the Commission. Of the total
number of participants 58 % were industrial firms, 22 % research
institutes, and 20 % universities. The average cost of each project was
about 1,6 Mio ECU. The vast majority of projects conformed fully to
the eligibility réqui rements of the programme.
Almost all industrial sectors including the aircraft industry, the
construction industry, the machine tool industry, the motor vehicle
industry, the textile industry, etc... applied to the BRITE programme.
A high percentage of proposals showed intersectoral co-operation, with
in many cases, an industrial impact extending beyond the sector of
origin.
4. The proposals were evaluated by a panel of 65 independent experts from
industry and university. These experts worked under conditions of
strict confidentiality within Commission offices during the evaluation
period from 3 - 1 4 June 1985.
- 2 -
Officials from other Community R & D programmes (in particular ESPRIT,
Steel Research, Materials and Non-nuclear energy) also examined those
proposals that potentially would better fit within their programmes.
In a number of cases projects were transferred from BRITE to other
programmes and vice-versa.
The total value of proposals received amounted to nearly 900 Mio ECU
representing a Community contribution of 450 Mio ECU. This had to be
set against the 65 Mio ECU Community contribution available for the
first round. In view of these financial constraints, the evaluation
teams were instructed to be very selective in their judgement. Many
good proposals had to be rejected, not because they were not worthy of
support, but because of lack of funds. The evaluation was considered
to have been objective by both IROAC (1) and the CGC "Industrial
Technologies".
The total cost of proposals - all of good, innovative quality -
selected by the evaluation teams was approximately 345 Mio ECU,
requiring 175 Mio ECU as Community support.
5. After consulting the CGC, the Commission decided at the end of July
1985 to support 100 projects. This clearly represented a very high
disappointment rate in relation to the 559 proposals received.
Moreover, it was only possible to fund this number of projects by :
- funding a number of proposals only as feasibility studies;
- placing contracts - where practical - initially for only a first
phase.
In view of this high disappointment rate, it was later decided in
consultation with the CGC to finance a further 9 projects.
103 projects are now being supported in the first round of BRITE : 60 %
of the participants are from industry (of which 30 % are SHEs), 21 %
from research institutes and 19 % from universities. 5 projects have
been withdrawn and 2 projects merged into a single project. The total
number of participants is 465 or an average of 4,5 per project.
6. The sum of the contingent liabilities .(arising from feasibility studies
and contracts placed for only parts of contracts) to be carried forward
to the second phase amounts to 20 Mio ECU. This leaves approximately
40 Mio ECU for new projects in the second phase of BRITE.
(1) Industrial Research and Development Advisory Committee
T H E R E V IE W
The technical content
7. In the months of November and December 1985 9 panels of independent
experts including those who performed the evaluation of the first round
undertook a review of the technical content of BRITE. The review
confirmed that the nine areas of basic technological research, as
defined in the Technical Annex of the Council Decision, were well
chosen with regard to their importance for European industry. The
panels concluded - in common with IRDAC and the CGC - that, from an
industrial, scientific and technical point of view, no changes to the
Technical Annex of the Council Decision are desirable.
In the first round of BRITE - within the terms of the Technical Annex
of the Council Decision - a list of indicative priority themes were
formulated by experts. These priority themes - which are not exclusive
- were also reviewed by the nine panels. Some modifications were made
to these themes for the following reasons :
- changes in the state-of-the-art required modifications;
- some clarification of the nature of projects was needed to help
proposers and to draw clearer lines of demarcation with other
Community programmes (such as ESPRIT and EURAM) and to concentrate
priorities where they are most required in the view of industry;
- to reduce the possibility that proposals would be introduced on
subjects already covered adequately in the first round.
For example, in the area of membrane science and technology, two major
projects in the field of gas separation are currently under way. For
that reason the corresponding priority theme in the new list now
concentrates on innovative industrial applications for membranes for
the separation of liquid mixtures and gas streams and priority will now
be given to proposals which involve the use of new membrane
technologies, e.g. membrane distillation, pervaporation, bipolar
membrane and facilitated transport. All these areas were considered a
priority by industry. The budget constraints made it impossible to
fund proposals in these areas within the projects submitted following
the first call for proposals.
All the 125 priority themes now restated with greater clarity and
definition, represent distinct and important technical areas of
interest to one or more industrial sectors. In some areas of BRITE the
priority themes are more narrowly defined than in others but, on
average, the number of projects for an adequate technical coverage is
in the order of three projects per priority theme. The results of the
review and the selection of the themes have been endorsed by IRDAC and
by the CGC who have fully supported the conclusions of the review
panels.
- 4 -
8. Coordination with other actions.
Through the evaluation panels, the CGC and IRDAC, the coordination with
activities at national level will continue to be ensured.
Coordination, in appropriate cases, will also be established with
EUREKA projects taking into account the complementarity between the
Community R and D programmes and EUREKA. Whilst the Community will
continue to develop R&D programmes on the basis of objectives, criteria
and priorities which have been defined in conjunction with the
governments and industry of the Member States, EUREKA projects will
essentially be implemented on the initiative of individual companies
seeking to cooperate. These projects will mainly relate to the joint
development of advanced technologies close to the market or of
infrastructures of transnational interest.
Coordination between projects in Community programmes like BRITE and
EUREKA will therefore contribute to the achievement of common
objectives - i.e. the competitivity of European industry in particular
- and avoid duplication of effort.
9. Participation of organisations established in non-Member States
The Commission, aware of the strong interest expressed in particular by
industry in the EFTA countries for broadening the cooperation in
technological research and development, intends to extend the criteria
for participation in the second phase of BRITE to accommodate them.
Since it is of overall strategic interest with respect to the
competitivity of European industry as a whole and in the spirit of the
Framework Agreements on R&D Cooperation currently being concluded with
a number of EFTA countries, it is suggested that industrial firms,
universities and research institutes from those countries should be
admitted as partners in BRITE projects.
Organisations selected will have to cover all their costs and, in
addition, where appropriate, a contribution towards operational
expenses.
Projects with participation by above-mentioned organisations from the
EFTA countries will of course have to comply with normal BRITE
programme criteria, i.e. at least two organisations from two different
Member States will also be required to participate and at least 50% of
the costs of every project should normally be covered by industry.
Normal Community contract conditions, in particular regarding property
rights, will also apply. As for access to and exploitation of
foreground and background information in the same or related projects,
organisations from non-Member States will be treated in the same way as
other organisations participating in BRITE.
10 Number of industrial organisations per project.
The conditions for participation (i.e. transfrontier co-operation, 50 %
industrial financing, at least one industrial firm per project) have
ensured the industrial nature of the programme. 90 % of all successful
projects in the first round had at least two ’ndustrial partners from
two different Member States. In order to reinforce further the
industrial nature of the programme, it is therefore intended to propose
(without changing the present legal conditions) that a clear preference
for projects involving at least two indu..*rial , artners from two Member
States should be introduced.
- 5 -
11 Small and medium-sized enterprises
Of the 60 % of participants in the first round which were industrial
firms, 30 % were SMEs. In reality, this percentage is higher as many
SMEs participate indirectly through research institutes (21 /» all
participants). Research institutes which are funded entirely or mainly
by industrial organisations are considered as industrial firms.
In the second phase of BRITE, it should be possible to increase the
participation of SMEs as the Commission is organizing together with the
Member States an intensive information and assistance campaign. In
addition there w i 11. be almost 9 months available to prepare proposals
which should also facilitate the participation of SMEs. Particular
efforts will be made to help SMEs to find suitable partners in other
member countries. % The "expressions of interest" procedure (see 12)
will also be usefulffor this purpose.
With the needs of SMEs particularly in mind, attempts are being made to
simplify procedures?. As a first step, the application form for the
second phase of BRITE has already been simplified.
Special consideration will be given to projects involving SMEs with the
aim of substantia Illy increasing their participation compared with the
first round but t h # technical and economic quality of the projects as
evaluated by independent experts will remain the overriding
consideration. It j|hould, nevertheless, be emphasized that SMEs cannot
be expected to put forward proposals unless they see that the budget
available provides a reasonable chance of success.
12 Preparation for Phase II
It was underlined by IRDAC and the CGC that a number of factors make
it likely that in the second round there will be a considerable
increase in the number of proposals.
These factors are :
- The greater awareness of BRITE in manufacturing industry based on the
success of the -first round and reinforced by a more extensive
information campaign for the second round.
Despite intensive efforts to provide information on BRITE, many
firms did not hear about the programme at all or certainly not
in time to prepare for the first round. Although there is now
greater awareness of BRITE, information and assistance is still
essential.
For the first round an infrastructure to inform and assist
potential participants was set up in the various Member States
and co-ordinated by the Commission. This system is being
improved for the second round. Experience has shown there is a
direct relationship between the number of successful proposals
and the efforts undertaken at national Level.
- 6 -
More time will be avaitable for the preparation of proposals.
There were many complaints that, for the first round, there was
insufficient time to prepare good proposals. For the second
phase, it is therefore imperative that early warning should be
given to enable sufficient time for the preparation of proposals
including the search for partners in other countries. The CGC
agreed with the Commission that this early warning should be
given even though this could lead to an increased number of
proposals.
An information package will accordingly be issued shortly, even
though it is planned that the closing date for proposals should
be March 1987. The package will make clear the Legal status of
the programme, its revision, and the minimum funds currently
av a i l a b l e .
The information package will provide details on the "expressions
of interest" procedure, where a short description of the project
in preparation may be sent to the Commission. In this way,
prospective applicants can get advice in advance on whether
their projects fall within the limits of the 8RITE programme.
This will avoid unnecessary effort being put into preparing a
full proposal.
More than 3000 expressions of interest were received in the
first round. The expressions of interest exercise in the first
round has shown that it is a very helpful procedure for
applicants in the search for partners from other countries.
- A number of good proposals not funded in the first round will be
re-introduced.
It will be recalled that a large number of good innovative
proposals had to be rejected in the first round because of lack
of funds.
- The adhesion of Spain and Portugal will increase the number of
potential participants.
Special effort will be made to provide information and give
assistance to Spanish and Portuguese organisations and national
authorities.
The second phase must therefore show that the Community is serious in
wanting to provide the kind of impetus to European co-operation in
industrial research which is at the centre of the 8RITE concept by :
- presenting the possibility of adequate coverage of technological
themes considered as a priority by industry and by
- providing reasonable chance of success for good innovative proposals.
- 7 -
In the view of the CGC this analysis leads to the need for either a
substantial increase in the amount considered necessary for the second
round or for other measures such as a reduction in the number of
technical areas covered.
IRDAC and industry in general consider that all the nine technical
areas of BRITE need to be retained and that adequate coverage of all
the technical areas is of high priority.
IRDAC also felt that the penetration of BRITE in industrial sectors is
still inadequate. A growing number of industrial participants and
greater international inter-penetration within a branch of industry
should be foreseen. Also with regard to the high costs of preparing a
proposal an acceptance rate of at least 50 % of the projects judged
worthwhile by experts should be achieved which should mean an increase
from 60 MECU to at least 300 MECU for the second phase to effectively
support European firms for projects considered industrially sound
(opinion attached).
UNICE also pointed out in an opinion on the BRITE programme that the
high number of projects rejected is discouraging and suggest an overall
amount of 250 MECU for the second phase.
13 ACHIEVEMENTS SO FAR
The BRITE programme was decided in March 1985. The projects were
selected by the end of July 1985. The first contracts were negotiated
and ready for signature before the end of December 1985. Despite this
speed in obtaining proposals, evaluating them and negotiating
contracts, it is clear that the earliest date on which work started on
any BRITE project was 1st January 1986. It is therefore much too early
to consider achievement at the technical level.
What can, nevertheless, be stated with certainty is that BRITE has
already achieved a degree of co-operation in R&D with industrial
objectives across the frontiers of the Community never previously
achieved except in ESPRIT and in very many sectors of industry and
across sectors of industry. Many projects involve co-operation between
companies which traditionally are competitors. Others involve
co-operation between suppliers and users of technology and of processes
and of products across the frontiers helping in a remarkable way to
break down the long-established traditions in Community countries of
tight relationships within a country. Thus the most important
achievement of BRITE to-date is the contribution it is already making
to the development of the Community as a single market.
- 8 -
This can be illustrated by projects Like those involving MAN in Germany
with Babcock Power in the UK, Alfa Romeo in Italy with Renault and
Aérospatiale in France and British Leyland in the UK, the Odense Steel
Shipyard in Denmark with Carl Cloos Schweistechnik in Germany, Krupp in
Germany with FN in Belgium, the Hellenic Aerospace Industry in Greece
with SSG Industrial Systems in the UK, Xycarb in The Netherlands with
Ansaldo in Italy. Moreover, this co-operation involves small firms
like Metravib in France together with Stewart Hughes in the UK and
industries which have never before been involved in Community R&D
programmes like the furniture industry where Scandia Randers, Kokkener
and Denka Mobler in Denmark are co-operating with the TNO in The
Netherlands and the Furniture Industry Research Association in the UK
or the clothing industry where Arts Ltd. and the Apparel Industries
Federation in Ireland are co-operating with TNO in The Netherlands and
XETAL Systems Ltd. in the UK.
The publicity given to these projects, in many cases by the firms and
research institutes themselves, has resulted in an enormous upswing of
interest in BRITE and the Commission services have received very many
letters from companies which show an interest in joining, at this
stage, projects already under way as well as in receiving information
about the second call for proposals.
14 CONCLUSIONS
All this leads the Commission to conclude that the industrial view, as
expressed by IRDAC and UNICE and summarized above, is substantially
correct and that the second round of BRITE must further encourage the
growing trend of European firms to work together and with universities
across the frontiers and help create for manufacturing industry a
European cross-frontier co-operation infrastructure which can respond
better to international competition and which is needed to sustain the
recovery that has just started. The Commission is accordingly of the
view that :
- the second call for proposals will result in many more proposals than
the first call ; at least double the number can be anticipated and
four times the number cannot be ruled out ;
- the encouragement we shall give to SME participation will involve
even greater publicity and, consequently, even more proposals ;
- because of extra time for preparation and more information, the
quality of proposals will be even higher than before
- the confidence of industry in the Community will be at stake unless
we can support a reasonable proportion of the good proposals - one in
three or one in four at least ;
9 -
- t h e technical areas and the detailed themes within them were well
chosen and continue to be of great interest to industry particularly
to the major wealth-earning industries which employ 75 % of the
labour in manufacturing industry in the Community ;
- therefore deletion of any of the technical areas will cause grave
problems, in particular considerable resentment in the sectors of
industry which will see themselves as disadvantaged by such
deletions ;
- an early decision on the funds available for the second phase is
necessary to avoid uncertainties about the possible chances of
success for potential applicants.
In the light of the debates in the Council and the Parliament on the
general guidelines of the Framework Programme of Technological Research
and Development (1987 - 1991) and the terms of the formal Framework
Programme proposal which it will have put forward, the Commission will
establish and submit a draft Council decision relative to the revision
of the BR1TE programme.
COMMISSION
OF THE
EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
DIRECTORATE-GENERAL
FOR SCIENCE, RESEARCH
AND DEVELOPMENT R r . . „ - | . ? ox
JOINT RESEARCH CENTRE B I U S S E I S , C I . L· . O O
I R D A C
Industrial Research and
Development Advisory Committee
The Secretariat
IRDAC Opinion
on the BRITE Programme
established at the Plenary Meeting of 21 February 1986
1. The BRITE Programme and its implementation over the past twelve months
can be regarded as satisfactory to European Industry as a whole and to
the firms taking part in particular.
2. Many participants, however, after months of hard and costly work, were
disappointed by the exceptionally high rejection rate of the projects
(80% for the first round of BRITE in 1985).
3. It is not feasible to consider reducing the rate of Community support
(currently 50%) and so increase the number of projects that can be
approved within the same budget. On the contrary, IRDAC considers
that the level of support to projects involving only small and
medium-sized firms might be raised above the current 50% level.
4. European Industry has reacted positively and constructively, and the
number and scale of the projects proposed has surpassed expectations.
All the current efforts of the Commission and the Industrial
Organizations of the countries taking part to make the BRITE Programme
better known to firms, especially small and medium-sized firms, will
mean a substantial growth in the number of projects proposed and,
consequently, a risk of discouragement as a result of the limitations
of the budget.
It is felt that the penetration of BRITE in Industrial sectors is
still clearly inadequate. A growing number of industrial participants
and greater international inter-penetration within a branch of
activity should be foreseen in the various sectors.
Efforts to form partnerships and to penetrate industrial sectors will
both increase the number of projects proposed.
T TWax- Telegraphic address:
P rov is iona l address: COMEU E 21877 COMEUR Brussels
Rue de la Loi 200 Direct Irns. 2- .
B-1049 Brussels Telephone excnange: 23511 11
- 2 -
5. IRDAC feels that it is therefore necessary to increase considerably
the' resources available to the Commission to support industrial R&D
and to reinforce coordination between the various programmes (BRITE,
BIO, EURAM, ESPRIT, etc.).
6. As for the BRITE Programme, it should achieve an acceptance rate of at
least 50% of the projects judged worthwhile by the experts.
It will therefore be necessary, taking account of the growth of the
number of participants per sector and improved international
inter-penetration in these sectors in the various countries, to
quintuple the current resources of the programme. In practical terms,
this means an increase from 60 million ECU to at least 300 million ECU
for the second round of BRITE to effectively support European firms
for projects considered industrially sound with a promising future.
The coordination between the various Commission Programmes will be the
subject of later observations, after further study and once more
detailed information has been obtained.


Full & Egal Universal Law Academy