Project Objectives

The Era Pilot MiNa TSI will network national and European entities supporting systems integration related to micro and nanotechnologies. The partners therefore are organisations and initiatives designing policies and/or running programmes in this sector including the EUREKA initiatives EURIMUS and PIDEA. The national ministries represent the member states’ interests in the Board of the project. The European Commission as one of the main policy actors in this area will also be involved. The project will be based on and assist the attempts of industry to establish an initiative for defining research priorities and policy options for FP VII and beyond.

There is the necessity to transform an unsteady and irregular dialogue between the national and European programmes into a solid platform – including industry - on which those responsible for research management can establish mechanisms for co-ordination and explore formulas to be more efficient in the way research is carried out and specially to improve the transformation of technological excellence into economic and social achievements. Bridges have to be build to industry in order to insure their input. The project will therefore help industry to define their research priorities and based hereon establish a formal dialogue between those institutional entities involved in promoting micro and nano systems and integration aspects in Europe. The project will include the following aspects:

• Research priorities will be defined and a research agenda will be set up in close co-operation with industry
• A process of exchange and communication on funding and policy approaches of European initiatives and at member state level will be established.
• Common actions will be defined as interims and final results of the process (e.g. an output could consist of creating a basis for an Industry driven Policy Initiative)
• Along technology roadmaps future R&D and innovation policy requirements will be defined
• Policy/funding concepts will be developed
• A commitment will be reached on the "division of labour" among national programmes, EUREKA initiatives and FP activities.

Strategic Objectives Addressed:

The Era Pilot will contribute to the creation of the ERA in realising a co-ordinated and concerted, better structured and more coherent policy related to MNT Systems Integration in Europe. It is the project’s objective to optimise the allocation of resources, creating synergies and complementarities among the various entities funding/financing RTD and avoiding incongruities of policy efforts in Europe. The envisaged results will contribute to consolidate the leading position and competitiveness of European industry in that area.