Information Society and Media Directorate-General

Five Year Assessment of IST-RTD (1999-2003)

"EU Research in Information Society Technologies vital for competitiveness, but needs more investment and less bureaucracy", says Assessment Panel

Background and Legal Basis

The Assessment exercise was required by Article 21 of the Implementing rules for the Financial Regulation and Article 6 of the Decisions on the Sixth Framework Programmes. According to these rules, all programmes shall be periodically evaluated before any decisions on the renewal, modification or suspension of the programmes is taken.

Method of working

A panel of 5 independent highly qualified experts has been appointed by the Director General of DG-Information Society. They carry out the Five-Year Assessment as a strategic peer review. The panel worked by consensus, and was supported by professional evaluators (EPEC Consortium), who compiled input, planned the evaluation and helped prepare the Panel’s reports.

The Panel evaluated the implementation, effectiveness, achievements and impacts of IST-RTD programmes during the years 1999-2003 - including results and impacts arising from IST Predecessors Programmes in FP4 & FP5, and progress in implementation of IST in FP6. The Panel also assessed the evolution, future perspectives, options and requirements for future Information Society research and technology development. In performing the independent evaluation, the Panel consulted the following relevant stakeholders in the domain of IST-RTD:

  • ISTAG Members
  • ISTC Members
  • Key Scientific and Industrial personalities
  • Commission Services (Directors, Heads of Units, Project Officers)
  • Users (Project Coordinators and Proposers)

A public consultation of stakeholders and project coordinators on the Interim Report was also held in Brussels on 9th September 2004.

The panel started its work in January 2004 and issued an interim report in July 2004, including preliminary findings and a first set of conclusions and recommendations. After a consultation phase which ended with a public consultation workshop on 9 September 2004, the Panel re-convened to take account of the consultation's feedback and the emerging findings from the general RTD Framework Programme 5-Year assessment. The Panel released its final report on 18th January 2005.

Key emerging recommendations of the panel are:

(1) Increase funding for IST RTD, as a unique driver for collaboration between firms and academia and a vital source of innovation in Europe.

(2) Reduce bureaucracy, which aims for greater accountability, tighter controls on funding procedures and reduced risk, but now threatens to kill research.

(3) Step up the involvement of small and medium-sized enterprises, and new Member States, to bring them more into innovation networks.

(4) Improve communications, and target them by audience to broaden take-up of research results.

(5) Assess the need for additional human resources in IST research in Europe

Report

Composition of the Panel

  • Prof. José Mariano Gago
  • Ms Gabriella Cattaneo
  • Ms Terttu Luukkonen
  • Mr Grégoire Postel-Vinay
  • Mr Philip Hargrave
  • Short CVs pdf - 105 KB [105 KB]

Background Documents

Additional information

For more information on this matter, please contact:

Frank Cunningham
Directorate General Information Society and Media
Lisbon Strategy and Policies for the Information Society
Evaluation and Monitoring
Tel no.: +32 2 296 81 19
Fax no.: +32 2 296 66 13
Infso-c3@ec.europa.eu

Last update: 07/05/2012 | Top