Doc. 7966
9 December 1997

Science and technology parks

Motion for a recommendation

presented by Mrs Guirado and others

This motion has not been discussed in the Assembly and commits only the members who have signed it

1. Science and technology parks have served as an instrument to promote the creation of high-tech companies or for the upgrading of existing enterprises and for the creation of new jobs.

2. The parks are designed to foster contacts between scientists and entrepreneurial environments wanting to use scientific and advanced technological know-how to create new products and processes – or improve existing ones.

3. The parks have in particular been used to foster local and regional (economic) development and employment.

4. The main clients for these parks have been small and medium-sized industry but many larger high-tech companies have also established facilities in these parks.

5. The parks have not only served to give new scientific and technological input to existing and new companies, but they have also helped in improving economic and social management as well as organisational and market performance.

6.       In their contribution to innovation and business development in Europe the parks have drawn on well-qualified human resources of which an impermissible high proportion is idle (unemployed).

7. The operations of science and technology parks are facilitated if they have access to seed and risk capital, in particular when setting up new ventures.

8. Science and technology parks have often included or worked in close cooperation with business innovation centres – thus giving a fairly complete service-offer to entrepreneurs. A first meeting of representatives of European business innovation centres and science and technology parks took place in Malaga (Spain), in October 1997, for an exchange of views on ways of improving performance and cooperation.

9. Many local, regional, national and/or EU initiatives to stimulate industrial competitiveness and job creation in Europe have used science and technology parks as well as business innovation centres and innovation relay centres as vehicles. Most of these centres or parks have a strong local implantation character, often with strong local and/or regional support.

10.       Given the importance of science and technology parks, in cooperation with business innovation and relay centres and other structures of a similar nature, for the creation of competitive enterprises and new employment in Europe, the Assembly recommends to the Committee of Ministers:

i.       to invite the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities to include a discussion on the role and function of science and technology parks for local and regional employment and (economic) development ;

ii.       to ask the Higher Education and Research Committee to study the role of higher education and research institutions in relation to science and technology parks for innovation, enterprise creation and development and job creation ;

iii .       to call on member governments and the European Union 

a. to continue their support for the development of science and technology parks and business innovation centres ;

b. to help and encourage local and regional authorities in their efforts to establish science and technology parks as well as business innovation and relay centres to help job creation and enterprise development ;

c. to make sure that the parks and centres are adequately staffed with professional entrepreneurial leadership – which could be paid by public funds ;

d. to create, in co-operation with private institutions, capital funds available for the lower end of seed and risk capital requirements (15.000 – 250.000 ECUs) and make these available for enterprise creation and upgrading ;

e. to make sure that innovation, enterprise creation and development as well as job creation resulting from the activities of science and technology parks and/or business innovation centres are not hampered by unnecessary bureaucracy ;

f. in general, do more to educate and train entrepreneurs and to stimulate and reward entrepreneurship ;

g. further encourage the networking among European business innovation centres and science and technology parks, in particular with a view to facilitate such creations in the new democracies of central and eastern Europe .

Signed : ¹

Guirado, Spain, SOC

Beaufays, Belgium, EPP/CD

Brunhart, Liechtenstein, EPP/CD

Connolly, United Kingdom, LDR

Etherington, United Kingdom, SOC

Fernandez Aguilar, Spain, EPP/CD

Lorenzi, Italy, NR

Melnikov, Russia, UEL

Olrich, Iceland, EDG

Prokes, Slovakia, EPP/CD

Raskinis, Lithuania, EPP/CD

Roseta, Portugal, EPP/CD

Theis, Luxembourg, EPP/CD

Tiuri, Finland, EDG

¹        SOC: Socialist Group

      PPE/CD: Group of the European People’s Party

      GDE: European Democratic Group

      LDR : Liberal, Democratic and Reformers’ Group

      UEL: Group of the Unified European Left

      NR: not registered in a group