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Report of the Group D "Research
and Development" appended to the recommendation of 8 March
2002
8 March 2002
Stated Goal
The goal is to make France the leader of a strategy
that will turn Europe into a top, international competitive contender
in Information and Communication Services and Technologies (ICST).
Actions Proposals
- Increase the share dedicated to the ICST in the overall funding
of growing research and development on the national and European
scale. This input of public funds should be allocated as immediately
available grants.
- Launch three major multiyear projects (for instance, household
technologies, environment and safety, informative campaigns on
ICST), whose overall drive should marshal efforts while providing
full visibility of the French State's action. However, the actual
definition of said projects and the analysis of their relevance
to public action should be the object of more detailed studies
before any decision-making. The preparation, follow-up, and assessment
of these major programs could be assigned to the structure detailed
in the next proposal.
- Set up a single structure buttressing the success of current
provisions, thanks to the widespread practice of networked research.
It would be based on delegating policy choices and action proposal
assessments to the prime movers. Among other things, it would
promote the set up of large, shared technological platforms that
would advance technology and uses. The why and wherefore of this
structure will be to ensure the convergence of ICST research and
development actions rolled out within a national or international
framework. It will also assess these actions and provide support
to R&D that should be adapted to the nature of said R&D in a highly
competitive, multi-player (big groups, the SME, and public labs)
world environment.
Its missions would be to:
- Integrate international, European and national scopes:
a national outlook likely to make the budget choices between different
networks clearer (choices determined in relation with the networks),
and defence of the French position in European negotiations, a
strategy promoting French presence in relevant international standardisation
and frequency allocation organisations
- Support the operations of national networks: administrative
support to the operating networks and logistic support to missions
and network co-ordination, especially within the framework of
major multi-year projects; broaden synergy (the public with the
private sector, groups with the SME, innovation with uses, and
so on)
- Manage the aids meeting recipient needs: contracts awarded
within a few weeks after the decision of the Science Committee
of the National Network, identical procedure for requests for
aid; redirecting requests to the relevant network when necessary
The organisation of the structure should rely on public service
specifications. It should have greater autonomy in relation to
State structures. Prime movers in research and development working
with ministerial department should be represented in the organisation.
The nomination procedures of the officials to the structure should
be based on their personal qualifications in information and communication
science and technologies, and their ability to manage public funds.
Point n°1
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FINANCING R&D IN ICT
SCALED TO ITS CONTRIBUTION TO THE GDP
The 'Technologies for the Information Society' priority
stated in the European Union's Research and Development
Framework Programme should set a priority goal of honing
the competitive advantage of the industries and services
in this field. This includes providing them with aid scaled
to their contribution to the GDP.
France should adopt the same approach. However, public
support to R&D in information and communication technologies
has been slashed after the disappearance of the grants for
studies whereby the General Directorate for Telecommunications
provided substantial backing to the industries in this field.
In concrete terms, this means that:
The share dedicated to ICT in the overall funding of
the growing BCRD (Budget civil de recherche et développement,
civil budget for research and development) should be increased
The public funds for this purpose should be immediately
available grants
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Point n°2
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FRAGILITY OF THE CURRENT CONSULTATION AND MANAGEMENT
SYSTEM
OF ICT RESEARCH IN FRANCE
Today's Gaps
The Centre National d'Etudes des Télécommunications
(CNET, French national telecommunications research centre)
no longer exists. It has been replaced by France Télécom
Research et Development, a move confirming a change in purpose
related to change of France Télécom's mission.
The disappearance of the CNET was concurrent with the widespread
arrival of digital technologies in telecommunications, now
called information and communication technologies. The French
authorities were not caught napping when these major upheavals
occurred and many constructive measures were taken. Nevertheless,
several problems remain. A structure could be set up to
tackle these issues.
The Limited Efficiency of Public Support Methods:
Slow response time in relation to the constraints of
the prime movers and practices of the other Member States
of the European Union
The working methods of the different networks and their
prompt decisions following the remittal of applications
are to be commended. However, it should be pointed out that
the Ministries are still responsible for allocating subsidies
to the accepted proposals. Each Ministry naturally tends
to standardise its own aid allocation procedures, a move
that can cause delays that are totally incompatible with
the current pace required to go from ICT theoretical studies
to actual commissioning. A case in point is the fact that,
for budget reasons, many projects that have been approved
by a network during the semester of one year do not get
the corresponding funds until the next.
A diversity of procedures that impedes the legibility
and visibility of public action
Each Ministry has its own procedure and each network
launches its own call for tenders. Accordingly, potential
beneficiaries have to engage in multiple procedures, something
that is much more penalising to smaller companies. The risk
of a request going through the wrong channels is corrected
only by person-to-person relations from one network to the
next.
The type of aids
Whether the company is big, medium or small, they all
consider that the - increasingly widespread - refundable
advance is of practically no use, and does not help at all
in getting the private funding crucial for their development.
Only cash subsidies granted rapidly at a one-stop window
could help companies tackle the competition with their counterparts
in neighbouring countries, who benefit from these advantages.
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Point n°3
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BUTTRESS THE SYNERGY OF FRENCH R&D
WITH EUROPEAN AND MULTILATERAL PROGRAMMES
Reinforce the Co-ordination between European and National
Programmes
Although some research only requires limited investments,
other research can only be conducted on a European scale,
and by working with other partners.
There is no organisation in charge of dealing with the
strategic issue of hinging national, bilateral and EU programmes.
The networks playing a major part in national policy
are not involved in the decision-making concerning the RDFP
or EUREKA initiative. Their officials have no subsidies
for their missions. Decision-making in Brussels caters more
to lobbies representing different interests than to the
position of any given country.
French Representation in International Organisations Should
be Put to Work for Public ICT R&D Policy
Several international organisations have a major influence,
especially on standards or frequency allocations. These
organisations operate mostly through personal relations
based on affinities beyond national interests. It is hard
to be elected to a senior position if one has not been known
to the members of the inner circle for several years.
A policy of long-term Committee attendance of a limited
number of people (attendance that is usually compatible
with a national activity) has to be defined and implemented.
This should include mitigating any career backlash through
discussions with employers. This work is guided by the country's
interest; it was once done by the CNET; it is now in limbo.
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Point n°4
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THE MAIN MISSIONS OF A STRUCTURE DEDICATED TO R&D
ON ICT
A single structure would correct all the defects listed
in points 1 to 3.
Without prejudice to its legal status, its main ICT
missions would be:
The defence of national interests in the negotiations
with European partners on joint programmes, within the framework
of bilateral agreements or the EUREKA initiative; and in
the definition and implementation of the European Union
Framework Programme. The example of the political influence
France wields in international negotiations in area of expertise
of the CEA (French Atomic Energy Commission) and the CNES
(French space agency) is an enlightening example.
The follow-up of French representation in international
organisations
The administrative secretariat of the networks and
the set-up of a one-stop, easy-to-use window that would
handle any required (file) re-routing
The development of all potential synergy (private/public
partnerships, speed-up of the passage over to the pre-competitive
stage, reinforcement of the co-ordination for dual and cross-functional
technologies such as space technologies and their derivatives)
The management of civil public research subsidies that
would be paid out globally to the structure by the relevant
ministries, which would later allocate the funds to the
proposals retained by the network within a deadline of several
weeks
The yearly processing of budget requests from the different
networks with proposals for arbitration between the networks
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Point n°5
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LEGITIMACY OF A DEDICATED STRUCTURE
The public service specifications of the structure would
be issued in a decree detailing its missions and legitimising
its co-ordinating actions serving the public interest. This
provision makes it possible to choose between a public or
private law type of structure.
The organisation would have a collegial decision-making
structure, similar to what existing networks have, bringing
together the public and private players. They would be appointed
following a procedure guaranteeing their proficiency and
aptitude to manage public funds. This would prefigure the
appointment of an elected President, with an official chosen
for his or her 'qualities' (as opposed to the automatic
appointment of a representative of a body corporate). The
organisation would have a policy structure based on the
recognition of high-level expertise working within a structure
such as a Science Council.
The stated goal is to alleviate procedures and let the
prime movers in the field free to choose and evaluate. The
structure would handle all the operations pertaining to
ICT programming, assessment, administrative support, and
R&D monitoring.
It would be advisable to delegate to the structure several
tasks now handled by Ministries and sometimes repeatedly
so by different offices and networks.
The relevant ministries would exercise their authority
through the budget and appointment of officials and would
have representation in the decision-making bodies of the
structure.
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