European Community

Directorate-General For Research And Innovation European Commission

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Research and cooperation with developing countries
Development policy
Research policy and organisation

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• Publié par: DIRECTORATE-GENERAL-FOR-RESEARCH-AND-INNOVATION-EUROPEAN-COMMISSION
• Nombre de lectures: 19
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 16 Mo

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EUROPEAN
COMMISSION
SCIENCE
RESEARCH
DEVELOPMENT
European Community
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research and cooperation
with developing countries Introduction Innovation in Curope: Re&earch and Re&ultA
Developing countries
Scientific cooperation with
developing countries
cooperation policies, the European Union's
S&T cooperation policy is today based on
three pillars:
- a thematic approach open to all DCs;
- partnership based on Europe-DC dialogue;
- regional differentiation among the DCs.
As a continuously evolving concept, scientific
cooperation for development has contributed
to promoting the role of research in develop­
ment and economic cooperation policies
between Europe and the DCs.
15 years of evolution
The STD1 programme (1982-1987) was the
first programme of international dimension
to offer DCs the opportunity to conduct
research in partnership. The work financed
under this programme differed from the
conventional transfer of know-how and
Since 1983, the European Union has been offering developing countries (DCs) an technology. The STD1 joint research pro­
original scientific and technical cooperation programme based on equitable part­ grammes, selected on the basis of scientific
nership and on scientific excellence. excellence, each included one team from the
North and one from the South.
STD1 concentrated on two themes which are Cooperation among scientists
The specific role of scientific cooperation common to all DCs: agriculture and health.
between the EU and developing countries is The first programme clearly contributed to the
to mobilize European researchers to work advance of scientific knowledge specific to the
together with researchers in the DCs to iden­ developing world, with a primary concen­
tify answers to specific problems which are tration on African countries. Projects had a
common to all DCs. mono-disciplinary dimension and were im­
European scientific cooperation for develop­ plemented under the Member States' various
ment was established in 1983 as a specific bilateral cooperation schemes.
component of the Community's framework STD2 (1987-1991) maintained the two prin­
cipal orientations, agriculture and health, but programme for technological research and de­
emphasized the need for greater involvement velopment in association with the Science and
of scientists from the DCs, in order to Technology for Development programme,
better known by its successive acronyms strengthen local research potential. Above and
STD1,STD2andSTD3. beyond scientific excellence, an additional
Within action II ("international cooperation") criterion in project selection was the potential
impact of this research on local development. of the fourth framework programme, scientific
STD2 improved the European dimension and cooperation is implemented through the
inspired new North-North-South type rela­INCO-DC programme (INternational Cooper­
ation with Developing Countries). tionships. It also saw a greater involvement of
Following the evolution of development Asian and Latin-American teams.
INCO - INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION Introduction
Innovation in Europe: Research and Remits
Developing countries
INFORMATION
Whilst maintaining these major initiatives, the searchers, both in the North and in the South.
STD3 programme (1991-1994) adopted a The programmes have encouraged scientists to
CONTACTS
set up networks, thereby placing their research more integrated approach and favoured inter-
cooperation on a permanent basis. By wi­disciplinarity. In agriculture it afforded a more
GENERAL INFORMATION
prominent position to human, social and eco­ dening European researchers' fields of relation­
Charles-Henri Metzger, DC XII
nomic sciences, whilst in the area of health, it ships, Community technical research and
Fax : [phone]
opened toward public health policy reform. development has become more tight-knit, so
E-mail : charles-henri.metzger
Prominence was given to projects at the inter­ contributing a clear added value to national
@dg12.cec.be
face between these two themes and the sus­ efforts. As a result, European technological re­
search and development is now better known tainable and non-damaging character of the Developing countries
solutions offered became an additional selec­ in the DCs and its value better recognized. Tim Hall, DG XH
Fax : + 32 2 296 62 52 tion criterion. By strengthening the balanced Furthermore a considerable portion of the
E-mail : [e-mail] distribution of researchers from the different scientific results have been applied in devel­
continents, the programme also supported the opment operations or have been taken into
WEB SITES creation of vast thematic research networks account in the outlining of the DCs' develop­
• On the Europa server : ment policies. and stimulated South-South cooperation.
http://europa.eu.int/fr/comm/
The present INCO-DC programme (1994- Numerous scientific publications attest to the
dg12/intco1.html
1998) takes explicit account of the environ­ quality of this scientific work which has been
mental dimension of development and has widely publicized throughout the DCs in spe­
• on the CORDIS server :
opened up to include information and com­ cialized magazines and also through thematic
http://www.cordis.lu/inco/
munications technology on the basis of the workshops and scientific congresses in both home.html
concept of mutual interest. Europe and the DCs. Finally, it is to be noted
INCO-DC favours projects which address that the programmes have strengthened the
global development issues such as desertifi­ DCs' human resource capacities, in particular
cation, world food security, or the effects of through the training of young researchers
agricultural practices on the environment. from the DCs involved in the research projects.
The programme addresses projects present­ The participation of numerous institutions
ing a regional approach while encouraging from the DCs in the different programmes has
partnerships between scientists from neigh­ given them a fresh impulse. At the same time
bouring DC countries. It supports multi-disci­ the projects have enabled certain of the insti­
plinary research projects involving numerous tutions to upgrade their scientific hardware.
teams while addressing issues of concern
ranging from fundamental research to the A programme with a future
identification of the needs of potential bene­ The evolution of the EU's scientific coopera­
ficiaries. The programme complements and tion programmes with the DCs was instru­
enhances the EU's and Member States' in­ mental in defining the Community strategy
vestments in research capacity under their adopted by the Council in 1997. Thisy
cooperation for development policies. aims at involving the various existing in­
struments, both in scientific policy and in
development policy (development funds, A remarkable contribution
By addressing subjects of interest to all DCs, MEDA, LAA and EDF), in order to promote
the hundreds of European scientific cooper­ technical research and development as a
ation projects have yielded a multitude of Community development tool.
In the context of globalization, scientific positive results.
research is henceforth called upon to play an Firstly, by involving thousands of teams, the
increasingly important role as a strategic successive programmes have made possible the
establishment of all kinds of ties among re­ element for development.
© MARCH 98 PERATioN INCO - INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION Agriculture and Food innovation in Europe: Research and Results
Developing countries
Vietnam's agricultural transition
under the microscope
in the Hanoi region in the North of the
country, this basin is mainly devoted to rice
production.
When the project took on a European di­
mension, the Catholic University in Louvain
(Belgium) was entrusted with producing a
satellite map of the hydrologicai system and
certain crops in the Red River basin. The
National Centre for Agronomic Studies in
Hot Regions (France) focused on rice culti­
vation (production techniques, yields, etc.),
whilst the GRET conducted an economic
analysis of changes in family farming in this
part of northern Vietnam. The Vietnamese
partner (the Institute of Agricultural Sciences),
was systematically involved in all the different
aspects of the project.
The de-collectivisation which has Over the past half-century, Vietnam's agricul­ Historical background
taken place in Vietnam over the ture has undergone a radical transformation. One of the most original aspects of this
past 15 years has had a signifi­ Although collectivisation had a deep impact research was its historical approach. In
cant impact on the development on the country between 1960 and the order to gain a better understanding of the
of its agricul