The Water Supply and Sanitation Technology Platform and the process of definition of the FP7 Environ

1
The Water Supply and Sanitation Technology
Platform and the process of definition of the FP7
Environment Programme

• Andrea Tilche
• European Commission Directorate General
  Research
• Head of Unit Environmental Technologies and
  Pollution Prevention
• andrea.tilche_at_cec.eu.int

WSSTP Stakeholder Event Budapest, 17th October
2005
2
Message from Commissioner Potocnik
3
Cont.
4
From FP6 to FP7

• The Sixth Framework Programme was characterised
  as an instrument for developing the European
  Research Area
• It was accompanied by a relevant number of
  political initiatives, having the foundation in
  the Lisbon strategy, that recognises the
  fundamental role of research for growth and job
  creation
• The Communication 'More research for Europe
  towards 3 of GDP' - 11.09.02
• The Communication 'Investing in research an
  action plan for Europe' - 30.04.2003
• The launch of Technology Platforms
• New Action Plan on research and innovation
• The proposal for the Seventh Framework Programme
  marks a fundamental step forward, putting
  research at the heart of the renewed Lisbon agenda

5
RD European weaknesses
Note (1) 2000 data (2) 2002 data (3) 2003 data
6
(No Transcript)
7
Source OECD
8
3 ObjectiveWhat is at stake?
Long term gains by 2010 and by 2030

• EU-US RD Gap 130 bn every year growing
• Public funding gap 25 bn
• Business funding gap 105 bn
• Estimated gainsif EU reaches 3 in 2010
• Until 2010
• 0.25 GDP every year
• 2 million jobs over 2004-10
• After 2010
• 0.5 GDP every year
• 400,000 net jobs every year

Gains from reaching 3 RD by 2010 compared to
statu quo
9
Knowledge at the centre of the European
competitiveness

• The Lisbon strategy puts knowledge at the centre
  of the competitiveness for the European societies
  and companies
• We cant compete on the world market for lower
  labour costs or cheap resources knowledge is our
  only asset
• We cannot compete by lowering our environmental
  and social standards knowledge should be a
  factor of production for building a Sustainable
  Knowledge Society
• We have to act however on the whole Triangle of
  Knowledge Education, Research and Innovation

10
Technology platforms a key instrument for a new
competitiveness policy

• They build strategic partnerships between the
  public and private sector, the academia, the
  civil society
• Through this, they should reduce the risk in
  investing on research, creating a better
  environment for the increase of private
  investments
• They should provide roadmaps for planning
  incremental innovation
• They should act as fora for strategic thinking
  towards radical innovation
• And improve the diffusion of sustainable
  technologies also suggesting how to overcome
  regulatory barriers, to define new procurement
  rules, economic instruments, etc.

11
Technology PlatformsMain features

• The Technology Platform process is stimulated and
  supported by the Commission, but it is not led by
  it
• Four main steps were foreseen
• Putting stakeholders together
• Developing a medium-long term vision
• Developing a Strategic Research Agenda
• Setting an Implementation Plan for the SRA and
  for achieving the Vision

12
Risk in research and the TPs
blue sky research
- 100
Risk
private funds
public funds

applied research
Technology Platforms
ETAP
to the marketplace
grey area
- 0
Costs (time)
13
The status of preparation of FP7

• Framework Programme adopted on April 6th 2005
• Specific Programmes adopted on September 21st
  2005
• Rules of Participation to be adopted in November
• Preparation of the work programmes to start soon
• however
• No decisions have been taken yet in the
  negotiations on the financial perspectives for
  the years 2007-2013
• The proposed doubling of research budget at risk

14
Water Technologies in FP7

• From the FP text
• Environmental Technologies
• Environmental technologies for observation,
  prevention, mitigation, adaptation, remediation
  and restoration of the natural and man-made
  environment related to water, climate, air,
  marine, urban and rural environment, soil, waste
  treatment, recycling, clean production processes,
  chemicals safety, protection of cultural heritage
  and of the built environment.

15
Water Technologies in FP7

• From the SP text
• Environmental technologies for the sustainable
  management and conservation of the natural and
  man-made environment
• New or improved environmental technologies are
  needed to reduce the environmental impact of
  human activities, protect the environment and
  manage resources more efficiently and to develop
  new products, processes and services more
  beneficial for the environment than existing
  alternatives. Research will target in particular
  technologies preventing or reducing environmental
  risks, mitigating hazards and disasters,
  mitigating climate change and the loss of
  biodiversity technologies promoting sustainable
  production and consumption technologies for
  managing resources or treating pollution more
  efficiently, in relation to water, soil, air, sea
  and other natural resources, or waste
  technologies for the environmentally sound and
  sustainable management of the human environment
  including the built environment, urban areas,
  landscape, as well as for the conservation and
  restoration of cultural heritage.

16
How Technology Platforms may contribute to FP7

• They have already done a lot, generating the
  political momentum for a stronger industrial
  participation in the Framework Programme
• Several TPs, among which the WSSTP, are cited in
  the FP and in the SP text as one of the sources
  of the FP7 research agenda
• Major contributions are expected in the phase of
  preparation of the work programmes
• Some (few) TPs have put forward a proposal for a
  Joint Technological Initiative (Art. 171)

17
Joint Technology Initiatives
Global Monitoring for Environment and Security
Hydrogen and Fuel Cells for a Sustainable
Energy Future
Aeronautics and Air Transport
Towards new Nanoelectronics Approaches
Innovative Medicines for the Citizens of Europe
Embedded systems
Other possible themes to be identified later
18
What do we expect from the WSSTPthe SRA

• The draft merged document presented for this
  event is a good starting point
• It is the result of a broad working group process
• Most relevant headings are present
• However
• Higher detail is needed
• The various steps leading to a final goal should
  be identified and defined on a time line
• It needs the contribution of the highest number
  and type of stakeholders
• It needs a strong industrial support and
  commitment

19
The process ahead

• The Vision document needs to be consolidated and
  finalised
• This Stakeholders Meeting should represent the
  start of a very broad stakeholder consultation
  around Europe, leading to a visionary, agreed,
  strategic and ambitious research agenda based on
  the todays draft, that still needs to go in more
  specific definition of the future research
  subjects
• An Implementation Plan needs to be developed

20
What do we expect from the WSSTPImplementation
Plan

• A consolidation of the partnership around the
  Platform, on the broad scope of the Lisbon
  objectives, with a commitment of all stakeholders
  and in particular of the private sector
  towards a more dynamic research and innovation
  framework
• The deployment of a Plan to implement the SRA,
  not only for FP7, but for exploiting at best
  various sources of public funds (EU, national
  regional, structural funds, etc.), for mobilising
  a growing amount of private funds, for
  engineering additional resources through
  EIB/bank/VC loans, towards innovation-related
  activities

21
Cont.

• A plan looking at the barriers that impeach or
  slow down today the spreading of innovative
  solutions
• A plan that might envisage large demonstration
  platforms for testing in large scale innovative
  solutions
• A plan that looks beyond Europe, seeking for
  matching the Millennium Development Goals for
  water, attracting international scientific
  co-operation, designing capacity building and
  technology transfer through new partnership modes

22
Conclusions

• The Water Supply and Sanitation Technology
  Platform is an instrument of the European Water
  Sector that has the potential for promoting
  innovation at all levels, thus contributing to
  the Lisbon goals of increasing European
  competitiveness
• Competitiveness that can only be based on
  knowledge, its production through research, its
  dissemination and consolidation through education
  and its full exploitation through innovation
• The European Commission is supporting and will
  support the WSSTP process, and looks forward
  receiving a strong, visionary and agreed SRA and
  Implementation Plan to be used for the
  development of the FP7 work programme

23
On behalf of the European Commissioner Janez
Potocnik

• I wish you the most successful meeting