The Consortium
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The TARGET project is a proposal for coordination action: to develop structured and valorized guidelines & recommendations (a “toolkit”) for targeted R&D policies focused on the life science/biomed sector. In order to be able to analyze the various aspects of targeted R&D policy, it is necessary to build a consortium with experts in the various fields that are related to this topic. In order to meet the objectives, the consortium has brought together two sets of partners:
1. Five public bodies (NCRD, TIA, XUNTA, DGE, CHF) that are directly involved in and carry institutional responsibility for the preparation and formulation of research policies.
2. Three research institutes (UEDIN, JIIS, USC) , whose research will provide a sound base for decision-making in science, industry, policy and public arenas and will improve the understanding of each of these groups and their interactions.
In other words, the public bodies are the research objects for the research institutes. The public bodies will provide the input and best practice for the research and act as a sounding board and, at the end of the project, as a test bed. Such a multidisciplinary consortium will enable the interdisciplinary discussion that this projects aims to initiate.
The consortium therefore consists of 8 partners from 6 different Member States & Associated Countries (Israel, France, Spain, Lithuania, Slovenia & UK) with very clearly defined roles in the project. The geographic distribution is quite balanced with representatives from both established and new member states. The distribution between smaller and larger countries (for whom the regional aspect may be more important) is balanced as well. Within the framework of the OMC-NET, it is important to point out that the six participating countries span the entire range of R&D investment (as a percentage of GPD), and balance between sources of R&D spending and classification.
| Country | R&D Investment in % of GDP | Business Spending out of R&D Investments | Government Spending out of R&D Investment | Classification |
| Israel | 4.71% | 64.5% | 22.9% | Pulling Ahead |
| France | 2.13% | 51.7% | 37.6% | Losing Momentum |
| Spain | 1.12% | 48.0% | 41.0% | Catching Up |
| UK | 1.78% | 44.2% | 32.8% | Losing Momentum |
| Slovenia | 1.22% | 65.2% | 27.2% | Falling Behind |
| Lithuania | 0.76% | 20.8% | 62.7% | Catching Up |
Source: Towards a European Research Area: Science, Technology and Innovation – Key Figures 2007 (DG Research)
It is important to point out that the coordinator, NCRD, is from Israel: by all indications, Israel is considered a leading nation when it comes to R&D investment and policy and the insides of the Israeli policy will be made available to the other members of the consortium. Furthermore, XUNTA is a regional public body, unlike the other four national public bodies. Hence the consortium is able to include regional dimensions of targeted R&D policy that are critical in larger economies, especially with a federal structure, such as Spain.
