Second Semmering Science and Technology Forum
November 13-14, 1997, Semmering, Austria

On the morning of the 13th of November 1997 thirty people gathered at the hotel Panhans in Semmering, Austria, to hold the Second Semmering Science and Technology Forum. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the science and technology co-operation between West and East Europe. These co-operation efforts are about to enter a new phase with the eastern enlargement of the European Union. But the European science and technology co-operation already has come a long way from the post World War II era.

During the decades of direct confrontation of the two Blocs, and at least till the mid-sixties, RTD co-operation was plainly unthinkable, a few singular events, like the US-USSR Pugwash Conferences, excluded. Contacts began gradually to emerge in the late sixties and during the seventies, but only during the eighties and as the structures of control began to loosen up, the opportunities for scientific exchange increased.

The events of 1989 came as a surprise for most people both in the East and in the West, scientists and S&T policy-makers included. As a result, it took time for most countries to appropriately assess the situation and develop policies targeting the scientific and technological systems of the former Eastern Bloc.

Now, eight years after the spectacular opening of the borders between East and West Europe, the co-operation in science and technology between the two parts of the continent is slowly reaching a stage of normalisation. Without doubt this is a success, since the co-operation activities have seen a clear rise in terms of money, exchange of people as well as general interest in the respective scientific communities.

Nevertheless, this also bears a danger, since now for most countries in West Europe the funding of such co-operation activities is getting diminished attention by policy makers. After all, normalisation has occurred, meaning that the science and technology systems in East Europe are mostly on track to a reform of their structures and functions, that no catastrophic events are foreseen in the immediate future, and that funding can be seemingly safely reduced.

Moreover, in East Europe policy makers are busy to turn their national economies around and do what one Slovene scientist turned policy maker once has branded as "they want to shed fat, but they shed brains". In other words, policy makers in East Europe aim at minimising public expenditures by reducing, amongst others, funding of the science sectors, and in the process lose the most qualified part of their work force, the scientists themselves.

As was becoming clear during the Second Science and Technology Forum, in this situation the accession drive of East European countries to the European Union is bearing a large chance for the East European science and technology systems. Since a successful integration into the European Union will require from the new entrants functioning modern science and technology systems, a strong modernisation effort addressing the problems of science and technology in Central and Eastern Europe will be necessary.

During his presentation and further on in the course of discussion Rudolf Meijer from the European Commission's DG XII has made clear that the Commission has every interest to help Central and Eastern European countries in this effort, regardless if they are likely to be accepted in the first round of accession or not. Mister Meijer has pointed to a number of initiatives currently carried out and planned by DGs I and XII, here specifically the PHARE and the Fifth Framework Programmes and elaborated the possibilities for Eastern European countries to take part in this scheme.

Similarly, Kurt König from DG XXIII listed the programmes of interest for Central and Eastern Europe in the small and medium enterprise sector. He also pointed to future changes in these schemes and showed that the possibilities for Central and Eastern European countries to take part in the described and envisioned programmes are growing. Finally, the third speaker from the Commission, Erik Habers from DG III, summed up the Commission's efforts regarding information technologies. Mr. Habers concentrated on the ESPRIT programme, but mentioned also funding possibilities through INCO-COPERNICUS and framework programmes.

Gisela Zieger, Irmela Schwartz and Nicoletta Pallazzo highlighted a number of co-operation efforts of the Austrian, German and Italian ministries of science and research. While on the one hand in all three presentations the general importance of scientific and technological co-operation with Central and Eastern Europe was stressed, it on the other hand became clear that the funds for this co-operation in all three governments are decreasing, albeit from different levels.

Andrej Umek from Slovenia, Bogdan Rokosz and Tadeusz Zoltowski from Poland, Vitezslav Kazimour from the Czech Republic, Vera Balint from Hungary as well Sonja Strakova and Martin Kedro from Slovakia depicted the current trends in their respective countries' science and technology systems. Despite the differences in the situations the countries are facing, a common denominator of the presentations was that while modernisation efforts are ongoing and science and technology still are assets in all countries, on the same token a number of institutions still fights for survival and most research and technology ministries are facing further cuts in funding.

Robert van der Lande from Coopers & Lybrand and Peter Biegelbauer from the ICCR highlighted the trends in scientific and technological co-operation as seen from East and from West Europe, respectively. Both presentations showed developments discernible for the recent years. In the Western countries a focusing of co-operation efforts is ongoing and the realisation that not aid, but co-operation is what is needed. In Eastern Europe co-operation is seen as a way to exchange experiences and learn from the past efforts of Western countries with a longer history in the capitalist mode of production.

The last presentations were given by Klaus-Rüdiger Sprung from Germany, Julius Rajcani and Roman Linczenyi from Slovakia and Tamas Kemeny from Hungary. The speakers were from a variety of organisations and, amongst others, concerned with the development of linkages between academia and industry. In all cases co-operation efforts between East and West Europe were cited and characterised as interesting and important endeavours crucial for the future development of Europe.

On the evening of the Technology Forum's second day a number of proposals were made by participants in preparation of the Third Semmering Science and Technology Forum to be held in 1998. As a first outcome, a virtual discussion forum, which is currently implemented by the ICCR, will be constructed. The virtual Science and Technology Forum shall facilitate discussions between the Forum participants during the year. It will also be possible to download information relating to East-West science and technology co-operation from this Internet site. In addition, links to other topical sites shall be provided.

In their final notes all participants stressed the importance and helpfulness of the Semmering Technology Forum as a meeting place between East and West Europe and a possibility to exchange views on topics relating to scientific and technological co-operation between East and West Europe. Specifically the often quite open and lively exchanges in the discussions have been mentioned as valuable. On the "Eve of the European Union's Eastern Enlargement", also the subtitle of this year's meeting, co-operation has been recognised by the participants, but not only by these, as crucial for the development of a united and prospering Europe.

Venue

Hotel Panhans
Hochstraße 32
2680 Semmering, Austria
Website

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