52. Remains concerned that previous innovation and competitiveness programmes have failed to deliver the necessary link between fundamental and applied research and industrial innovation partly due to the fact that the financial resources were rather limited; believes that the support of the European public is indispensable for realising the Lisbon goals; considers that the Commission should propose a simplification of its financial procedures with a view to facilitating the implementation of research policy; considers that financial instruments need to be rethought in a more fine-tuned, targeted way and that the establishment of an a ...[+++]mbitious programme for competitiveness and innovation endowed with adequate financial resources is vital for supporting a "prosperity" oriented industrial policy, notably for SMEs, that would successfully capitalise on research through industrial applications, such as technology transfer from universities and research centres into industrial application; considers that further steps should be taken to foster development of the information society as proposed by the Commission, developing and promoting international standards for ICT and mobile telecommunication technology, monitoring the implementation of the electronic communications legislative framework, supporting EU benchmarking activities in the field of eEurope action plan initiatives and further enhancing EU security research; regards such a programme as essential in order to achieve the objectives of the Lisbon Strategy in the sphere of new technologies and ecotechnologies; considers that adequate funding must be secured through the 7th EU Research Programme (FP7) and the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP) for the EU Action Plan for Environmental Technologies (ETAP); calls for adequate funding for the support of innovative SMEs and initiatives aimed at helping the commercialisation of research and the transfer of technology, notably through the Euro ...

20. Encourages the improvement of framework conditions for RD in Europe such as more research and innovation-friendly state aid and public procurement rules, the setting-up of a legal framework for public - private partnerships, adequate intellectual property rights systems and highly qualified, adaptable and mobile human resources; calls for a strong public research base with links with industry in the context of EU regional and cohesion policies and of the financial instruments targeted particularly at the accession countries; cal ...[+++]ls for the realisation of a European research area; encourages the opening-up of national RD systems and programmes to transnational collaboration;

20. Encourages the improvement of framework conditions for RD in Europe such as more research and innovation-friendly state aid and public procurement rules, the setting up of a legal framework for public - private partnerships, adequate intellectual property rights systems and highly qualified, adaptable and mobile human resources; calls for a strong public research base with links with industry in the context of EU regional and cohesion policies and of the financial instruments targeted particularly at the accession countries; cal ...[+++]ls for the realisation of a European research area; encourages the opening of national RD systems and programmes to transnational collaboration;

Industrial and commercial successes of the kind that Europe has achieved in mobile communications as a result of the Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) standard will not be repeated unless a concerted effort is made to invest a critical mass of research resources in this area, by integrating public and private sector efforts on a European scale.

"There is no evidence of any health risk emerging from mobile phones, but the results of present research are inadequate to draw firm conclusions on this issue. Further research is therefore required". This is the main conclusion of a report drafted by an expert group which was asked by the Commission to prepare an action plan for comprehensive research into the effects of radio frequency radiation on health.

On 3 October 1995 the Commission asked a group of ten experts (see Annex) in biology, neurophysiology, epidemiology, physics, radiation protection and telecommunications engineering to prepare an action plan for research into the possible health effects related to the use of mobile telephony.