Peers cautious on EU research plan

A Lords committee has criticised plans to create a European Institute of Technology.

In a report published on Tuesday, the European Union committee expressed scepticism about the plans being put forward by the European Commission.

The new body is designed to help convert European research results into commercial opportunities by creating a network of six 'knowledge and innovation communities'.

These communities would promote innovation and knowledge-transfer between the private sector, research organisations and higher education institutions.

The peers concluded that while the proposal addresses a serious problem, more needs to be done to establish how incentives could be introduced for the business community to become involved.

"The Commission has identified a real problem in Europe's inability to take full commercial advantage of its strengths in education and research; and we accept that a European Institute of Technology could make a positive contribution to solving the problem," said committee chairman Baroness Thomas of Walliswood.

"However we are concerned about the way in which the Commission is proposing to set up the EIT.

"Our view is that the approach they suggest does not provide European businesses with the incentives they will need to become heavily involved, and hence to make the EIT a success."