EU Framework Programmes for Research and Innovation

The Commission has continued to invest, through FP7, in cooperation between researchers in Europe and developing countries, contributing to the achievement of the MDGs and other international commitments such as the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation and more recently the follow-up of Rio+20. Since 2007, almost € 330 million has been granted to around 2500 researchers in developing countries from Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Southern Mediterranean region to participate in around 1500 collaborative research projects with European researchers. International cooperation is an integral part of the Framework Programme and following the last FP7 Calls for Proposals, new projects have been launched to support policy dialogue on research and innovation in the Southern and Eastern Neighbourhood as well as in South East Asia and Latin America, while the ERA-NET Africa published a joint call in January 2013 that received more than 100 proposals mobilising hundreds of teams in Africa and Europe.

In addition to the five global challenges highlighted in this report, EU-funded research in the areas of health and the environment has contributed to the implementation of the MDGs and sustainable development.

The EU proposal to renew the funding for the European & Developing Countries Clinical trials Partnership (EDCTP) in 2014-2023, aims to provide better medicines to improve not just health but also the economic well-being of Sub-Saharan Africa through an extended mandate for all poverty-related diseases and the improvement of related diagnostics and health services. € 1.4 billion has been proposed to support clinical trials for poverty-related infectious disease including neglected infectious diseases. The focus of FP7 EU research relating to international public health and health systems has direct relevance for the international dimension of the public health policy of the EU and progress to achieve the MDGs by contributing to health protection, prevention and promotion, while at the same time generating new knowledge relevant to health, social, environmental and economic issues. The EU is the biggest donor to support health policies in developing countries, which cover a wide range of activities relating to public health, and is one of the largest donors for global health research. For example, in the period 2002-2013 the EU spent around € 700m on financial and structural support, training and capacity building, in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The FP7 food, agriculture and biotechnologies theme supported in 2013 an EU-Latin America Partnering Initiative on sustainable biodiversity in agriculture. The impact of this initiative is expected to result in improved global efforts for biodiversity protection in agriculture and the sustainable use of the natural plant resources, especially for the benefit of the local communities and family farmers in Latin America. In 2012 the EU joined the forces with the Indian Department of Science and Technology to co-finance research cooperation projects in water technologies as part of a joint EU-India collaboration to respond to water-related challenges. The last FP7 call placed an emphasis on global efforts and international cooperation in support of the Rio+20 outcomes, focusing on green economy and sustainable development-related knowledge. In Horizon 2020, the next framework programme for research and innovation, it is proposed to set a target of spending at least 60 % of the budget for sustainable development and 35 % for climate change objectives.

The Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) is an example of how the EU has actively followed-up on the outcomes of the Johannesburg Summit, where the need for a global Earth observation capability was recognised. GEOSS combines national, regional and global earth observation systems to build global datasets that are necessary to understand and predict the functioning of the earth systems, including the water cycle. The European Commission, as one of the four co-chairs of the Group on Earth Observation, has supported a

number of GEOSS-related activities, focusing on the development of GEOSS research capabilities at European and global level. The contribution of GEOSS to global observation efforts was recognized in the Rio+20 conclusions.

In addition to funding capacity building, research infrastructure development, technology transfer and social innovation, research collaboration efforts with developing countries also aimed at fostering policy dialogue. In October 2012, the European Parliament approved a Pilot Project “Recovering critical raw materials through recycling: an opportunity for the European Union and African Union” that is being implemented by DG Research and Innovation. By raising awareness among policy makers on challenges and opportunities related to waste management and raw material recovery, and encouraging the transfer of knowledge and innovation in environmental technologies, this initiative aims at establishing the basis for a solid cooperation between Europe and Africa on research and innovation in the field of waste management and recovery of raw materials. The expected output of this collaboration is a joint roadmap of potential European-African research and innovation actions to tackle some of the most urgent issues in these fields.

In line with the 2012 Communication on the international cooperation strategy for research and innovation, DG Research and Innovation, together with other Commission services, will continue supporting the engagement of the EU in relevant international fora and initiatives, such as the IPCC, the IPBES, as well as to contribute to implementing the MDGs and support the development and implementation of Sustainable Development Goals.

III. LESSONS LEARNED AND OUTSTANDING ISSUES