How strategic is Common Strategic Framework for EGI?
Many people are asking what will happen after the current EU research, innovation programmes and related funding schemes end in 2013? The EC plans to combine the current Framework Programme for research with the Competitiveness and Innovation Programme and the European Institute of Innovation and Technology into single Common Strategic Framework for EU research and innovation funding (CSF). The Common Strategic Framework is a temporary name for the next EU Research and Innovation Programme, a competition for the new name was held during the last few months and the winning name will be announced at a conference on 10th June 2011 in Brussels.
Through a recently published Green Paper, the EC introduces the proposed changes to the CSF in order to ease participation and increase the research and innovation impact on Europe. The paper also provides a set of questions to collect different views from all interested stakeholders (organisations and individuals).
EGI.eu submitted a position paper along with a set of suggestions on what EC support should focus on to accelerate the move towards an e-Infrastructure that is able to flexibly and responsively meet the needs of diverse user communities. Some of recommendations include:
- Support to the closer integration of different e-Infrastructure providers in order to provide a coherent technical and policy structure, and integrated services to end-users.
- Support for the direct engagement between end-users and e-Infrastructure providers to develop new innovative services within an integrated project, the development of new innovative applications that use e-Infrastructure services to support e-Science, and the provision of a user-driven e-Infrastructure through service charging.
- Reinforce the existence and importance of the top-level legal entities governing European e-Infrastructures by using them as a flexible vehicle to support innovation taking place within the community; embracing flexibility which would encourage partners/countries to commit to these structures and see the benefits that could be derived from them.
- Affirm a clear commitment by the EC at both a policy and a technical level for the long-term development of open standards for e-Infrastructures in Europe within a global context so that the seamless service landscape that is foreseen within Europe extends worldwide.
Overall, the formulation and implementation of the upcoming Common Strategic Framework will be of crucial importance in defining the future funding environment of EGI and ensuring its sustainability, therefore it is considered to be very important.
The EGI position paper on CSF will be, along with the other formal written responses, carefully analysed by the Commission. These responses will be included in final Commission proposal that will be submitted to the Council and Parliament for legislative action.
