Europe to Triple Funding for Energy Research Oct 17, 2009

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A technology race with Japan and the United States has spurred Europe to launch a campaign to triple funding for energy research to €8 billion (approx. US$11.7 billion) annually, said a EurActiv report.

In November 2007, the European Commission proposed a Strategic Energy Technology Plan (SET Plan) to help the EU reach targets for renewable energy uptake and CO2 emission reductions. It hopes that a coherent strategy will foster more cooperation and reinvigorate Europe's drive to invest in energy research.

The SET Plan calls for greater cooperation at European level to boost innovation, and proposes:

* European Industrial Initiatives for wind, solar and bio-energy but also for nuclear fission, CCS and electricity grids. The initiatives will be funded "in different ways," such as public-private partnerships, pooling resources between member states and other measures proposed in the SET Plan communication (see EurActiv 20/11/07);

* A European Research Alliance featuring research coordination between universities and specialized institutes;

* The establishment of a high-level Steering Group on Strategic Energy Technologies;

* A new Energy Technology Information System, and;

* The organization in 2009 of a European Energy Technology Summit.

(EurActiv with Reuters)

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