EU, states clash on Europe's answer to MIT

Wuerzburg, Germany, Apr 27: Launching the planned European Institute of Technology only on a trial basis would put off sponsors and kill the project, European Union ministers and officials said yesterday.

The EIT was the brainchild of European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, and initially touted as the bloc's answer to the renowned Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

But the ''flagship'' idea has already been watered down by EU countries that did not want to fund a campus-style institution.

Instead it will be a network of universities and businesses to turn research into products and services, aimed at boosting growth and helping catch up with US competitiveness.

The European Parliament and EU countries have joint say on the final shape of the EIT, but there is no consensus so far.

Finnish socialist Reino Paasilinna proposed in the EU assembly earlier this month that the EIT be legally established for only six years ending in 2013 and then reviewed.

Germany, holder of the rotating EU presidency, dismissed that move yesterday.

''I don't think we should be discussing a deadline by which such an institute or network would be effective. We need to prepare for the first step and be open to future developments,'' Annette Schavan, German federal minister of education and research, told reporters.

''This is seeking to jump the gun. It's not such a good idea,'' she said on the sidelines of a meeting of EU research and industry ministers.

EU Education and Culture Commissioner Jan Figel said nobody would bother sponsoring research if there was a time limit.

''With a sunset clause we would never achieve a real, credible construction. This conditionality would kill the idea right from the beginning. Nobody would invest. It must have an open-ended existence,'' Figel said.

No Consensus Yet

Germany wants the EIT to focus initially on climate change and energy-related topics when it starts operating in 2008, but some countries also want other areas covered.

There is also a wrangle over how independent the EIT's 19-member board should be from political influence and how it should be funded.

A budget of 2.4 billion euros (3.3 billion dollars) was anticipated for 2007 to 2013, with most of that coming from EU countries and businesses.

This is now being scaled back significantly, with 400-600 million euros anticipated for the EIT's first few years due to reluctance among states to dig deep into their pockets.

There is also a tussle among states wanting to host the 60-person secretariat, with Vienna, Budapest, Bratislava and the Polish city of Wroclaw having thrown their hats into the ring.

Companies such as Philips Electronics of the Netherlands say the EIT simply reinvents the wheel, a view dismissed by Figel.

British oil company BP was giving 500 million dollars to the University of California, Berkeley for environment-related research, Figel noted.

''Why not to Europe or some associations here? We are losing our European money,'' Figel said.

Due to lack of agreement so far on funding, location and research topics, no consensus was expected at the meeting.

Further attempts to reach agreement will be made next month.

The EIT was backed this week by the European Association of Research and Technology Organisations, whose 300 members oversee 10 billion euros of research.

Reuters>