EEP Group

Research, Development and Innovation

Published: Fri, 19 April 2013

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My lead committee in the European Parliament is the key Industry, Research and Energy Committee. This committee oversees spending of €80 billion in EU research and innovation funds. It is a key committee from both an Irish and a European perspective.

The future of the European economy rests on our own ingenuity, creativity and how we develop and apply our knowledge base. We must strive to foster innovation in our third level institutions and SMEs as they are the drivers of economic progress and create the greatest co-operation possible between the business world and third level institutions.

The European Union needs to invest more in R&D, according to the latest OECD figures, we are spending 1.7% of GDP compared to the 2.68% in the United States and 3.44% in Japan.

Over the course of my term, I will work to ensure that these vital components of economic recovery and growth are to the fore in policy formation. Ireland must be at the forefront in developing the knowledge economy and creating jobs for our young people.

Renewable energy, particularly wind, wave and tidal power, is an area where Ireland, with its abundance of natural advantages, can truly be a world leader. I am working hard to ensure that the huge opportunities available to Ireland in harnessing wind, wave and tidal energies are taken advantage of with European Union support.

Industry, Research and Energy

Committee responsible for:

  1. the Union’s industrial policy and the application of new technologies, including measures relating to SMEs;
  2. the Union’s research policy, including the dissemination and exploitation of research findings;
  3. space policy;
  4. the activities of the Joint Research Centre and the Central Office for Nuclear Measurements, as well as JET, ITER and other projects in the same area;
  5. Community measures relating to energy policy in general, the security of energy supply and energy efficiency including the establishment and development of trans-European networks in the energy infrastructure sector;
  6. the EUROATOM Treaty and EUROATOM Supply Agency; nuclear safety, decommissioning and waste disposal in the nuclear sector;
  7. the information society and information technology, including the establishment and development of trans-European networks in the telecommunication infrastructure sector.

The website of the European Parliament’s Industry, Research, and Energy Committee can be found here.

Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science: Carlos Moedas

The European Commission’s Directorate-General for Research’s website can be accessed here.

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