Taking part in EU sponsored research is an opportunity not to be missed

Earlier this year, EC vice president Neelie Croes floated the idea of a €100billion strategy to get Europe back on top of the semiconductor industry heap. Now, Commissioner Maire Geoghegan-Quinn has announced a new Joint Technology Initiative to explore electronic components and systems. Called ECSEL, the project will have €4.8bn available, much of which will be provided by industry. According to the EC statement, 'ECSEL will secure for Europe the supply of key technologies underpinning innovation in all sectors of the economy and ensure the best use of these technologies to spur economic growth. It will underpin the implementation of other EU policies particularly on environment and industrial competitiveness'. ECSEL will see two existing programmes rolled together – ENIAC, addressing nanoelectronic, and the embedded systems focused ARTEMIS. The EC is, it's fair to say, pleased with the results of both. However, the UK has, in general and for a number of reasons, not played a full part in European research programmes. It's something the recently published ESCO Report – Electronic Systems; Challenges and Opportunities – addressed. Here's one extract from the report: 'The economies of countries such as South Korea, Taiwan, Japan and the US all benefit from a strong electronic systems capability. These outcomes have not been a happy accident, but the result of strong and long term partnerships between government and industry. We must build those partnerships both here in the UK and within Europe if we are to capitalise on the vertical and sector strengths here in the UK'. Here's another: 'We believe that the UK needs to not only play a leading role within Europe, it must also develop a strong strategy at a national level to maintain and enhance our position'. And here's a comment from Professor Steve Beaumont of the University of Glasgow: "It is vital that the Electronic Systems sector fully engages with EPSRC, TSB and European funding to provide clear input to their decision making processes and seek to align stakeholder interests on funding priorities which are strongly aligned with high innovation potential." It seems we all acknowledge the opportunities for the UK's electronic systems sector and the need to get involved in European programmes. All that remains is for words to be put into action.