Source: http://www.meusac.gov.mt – 28th March 2011
Researchers¸ engineers¸ entrepreneurs¸ innovators¸ students and other creative individuals have until 10 May to suggest a relevant¸ appealing and catchy name for the new EU research and innovation programme which will be introduced post-2013. The competition launched by the European Commission today is linked to the ongoing stakeholder consultation on the Commission’s Green Paper on the new programme (see IP/11/138)¸ MEMO/11/76) which will be at the core of the Innovation Union initiative (IP/10/1288¸ MEMO/10/473) and of the Europe 2020 Strategy. The Commission is proposing a smarter way to support researchers and innovators in Europe – so as to further boost excellence and to help ensure that good ideas reach the market and generate sustainable economic growth and new jobs. The new programme will be based around a “Common Strategic Framework” with different types of funding brought together in a coherent and flexible manner. This will make it possible to better align research funding to addressing global challenges and to making a central contribution to the EU’s overall Europe 2020 strategy. Needless red tape will be cut out and participation made simpler. So the Commission is looking for a new name and enlisting the help of distinguished judges to draw up a shortlist of possibilities from the suggestions received. Those will then be put to an online vote.
European Commissioner for Research and Innovation¸ Máire Geoghegan-Quinn¸ said: “The Framework Programmes for Research and Technological Development have served Europe well and are still creating growth and jobs and improving quality of life. But our new programme for research and innovation will be a new departure and a new adventure¸ so we need a new name. We need to connect with stakeholders and the public and to raise the political and media profile of our work¸ which in turn can boost participation and improve results. We want to give the new programme a clear identity reflecting what it actually does and that it won’t be ‘just another Framework Programme’. So I am inviting people to be creative and name it!”
The Commission’s February Green Paper proposes a Common Strategic Framework for research and innovation that breaks with the past and takes a fresh approach towards meeting the challenges we face in Europe over the next decade and beyond. This new approach calls for a new “identity” and so a competition is being launched to find a name¸ which can be easily associated with research and innovation¸ while also being original¸ memorable¸ easy to pronounce and spell and either useable in a wide range of languages or easily translatable.
Proposals for the new name can be submitted until 10 May 2011 via http://ec.europa.eu/research/csfri/index_en.cfm where rules and conditions can also be found.
An international jury will select three proposals to be put to a public vote via the web. Jury members will include:
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