Report on the CSTI plenary working
meeting on 27 March 2003
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The members of the CSTI and their representatives
met in plenary session on 27 March 2003 at Hôtel Matignon
(Prime Minister's offices).
Jean-Michel Hubert, the new Secretary-General,
led a discussion between the members and representatives, who
made various comments about the objectives and methods of the
Board, created for three years on 7 November 2000; renewal would
require a positive choice.
Several options were mentioned.
GROUP
D : Increase in research grants and allocation of assistance to
R&D
A draft CSTI recommendation on the establishment
of an ad hoc sectoral mechanism for allocating assistance to R&D
in the information technology sphere was presented. It followed
the opinion of 3 October 2002, which pointed out, inter alia,
that France did not devote sufficient resources to R&D in
ICT. The mechanism put forward consisted of an economic interest
grouping whose board would comprise prominent figures from research,
government and the private sector. It would have its own resources,
which it would make available to networks (RNRT, RNTL, RIAM, etc.).
Several speakers emphasised that the CSTI recommendation
of 3 October 2002 concerning the public funding of R&D in
ICT was still very much a live issue.
- The principle of rationalising government
support was not in question.
- As regards the legal form of the mechanism, it was seen as important
to define the approach by proposing a practical example so that
decision-takers could visualise how the recommended solution would
work. As the previous opinion of 8 March 2002 on R&D had not
borne fruit, it had seemed natural to put it forward in a new
and more specific form which, exemplifying willingness, was capable
of being immediately implemented by manufacturers.
- Concerning the introduction of a new structure, certain members
expressed their fear of changing the system of research networks,
which everyone agreed was exemplary. It was therefore specified,
as the draft opinion clearly states, that there was no intention
whatsoever of limiting their power; on the contrary, the idea
was to give them a prescriptive rather than advisory role. The
"superstructure" would be a logistical and financial
support to sectoral networks.
Another subject on which the CSTI had not yet
expressed itself was that of critical technologies benefiting
from the supplementary funds allocated. For example, it was important
in the current recessionary climate that the telecommunications
sector should be fully represented and that the funds allocated
should not benefit IT alone.
On the question of the allocation of funds,
it was crucial to identify the forces that would leverage the
funds and put Europe in pole position in certain technologies.
GROUP
A : Support for access via satellite as a means of extending high
speed access
The opinion on support for bidirectional access
to high-speed services via satellite addressed :
- the concern to bridge the digital divide and
the possibility of job losses in rural areas because of difficulties
in gaining high-speed access;
- the crisis in the telecommunications sector and the need to
launch a vast support initiative;
- the crisis in the satellite industry because of the decline
in defence and broadcasting needs.
The objective is to reduce terminal costs by
supporting R&D. This opinion takes the same line as other
initiatives in favour of high-speed access, like the opinion of
3 October 2002 on Broadband Over Powerline, thereby continuing
the review that began with the more general opinion of 8 March
2002. There is not the slightest intention of singling out any
particular technology, but rather of supporting the spread of
all access technologies.
On this subject, a map had been made of high-speed
access technologies in rural areas and certain manufacturers were
proposing to draft a technical and economic guide for the use
of local authorities.
