What is the future of technology platforms?
Technology platforms have an important role to play in efforts to boost research and technological development in Europe and to leverage knowledge for economic growth. The First Annual Scoreboard on Investment in R&D shows how much the EU has to do to reach its target of investing 3% of GDP in research and development In its 16 June 2004 Communication on the future of European research, the Commission highlighted the potential of technology platforms. The Commission’s view is that the positive experience acquired up to new should be enhanced through additional resources, including an integral position for technology platforms within the Research Framework Programme. At a conference on 15 December, the industrial leaders of existing technology platforms agreed to work towards a voluntary code of good practice, covering for example, openness, rules of participation for communication with the constituency and dialogue with other parts of society. They also exchanged best practices on how
