Aho report
Encyclopedia
The Aho report on Creating an Innovative Europe was published in 2006. The report was written by a four-member group chaired by Esko Aho
, former Finnish
Prime Minister. The committee was created at the Hampton Court
summit in the United Kingdom
(UK) in October 2005. The report focuses on the creation of innovation friendly markets, strengthening of R&D resources, increasing the structural mobility in Europe and to foster a culture which celebrates innovation.
are unsustainable in the face of global competition
and calls for a European pact for research
and innovation
. The report urges for rapid, collective action
on a European scale and a new vision to address Europe’s productivity
and social
challenges.
The creation of an internal market for innovative products and services, in a harmonised regulatory environment, would provide incentives to companies to increase their investments in research and development on a broader range of modern technologies. The strategic areas for the European economy are eHealth
, pharmaceuticals, transport
and logistics
, energy
, security
, the environment
and the digital content
industry
. The report puts forward improved financing of science
and to increase investments and to provide fiscal incentives in high-tech domains such as biotechnology
, nanotechnology
and neuroscience
s. The report also makes a plea for the mobility of the European workforce, ideas and financial assets.
Esko Aho
Esko Tapani Aho is a statesman and former Prime Minister of Finland.-Early life and career:Aho was born in Veteli, Finland. Prior to attending university, he began a career in politics. From 1974 to 1979, he was Chairman of the Finnish Centre Youth, which had before him grown many of his...
, former Finnish
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
Prime Minister. The committee was created at the Hampton Court
Hampton Court Palace
Hampton Court Palace is a royal palace in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, Greater London; it has not been inhabited by the British royal family since the 18th century. The palace is located south west of Charing Cross and upstream of Central London on the River Thames...
summit in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
(UK) in October 2005. The report focuses on the creation of innovation friendly markets, strengthening of R&D resources, increasing the structural mobility in Europe and to foster a culture which celebrates innovation.
Members
- Mr. Esko AhoEsko AhoEsko Tapani Aho is a statesman and former Prime Minister of Finland.-Early life and career:Aho was born in Veteli, Finland. Prior to attending university, he began a career in politics. From 1974 to 1979, he was Chairman of the Finnish Centre Youth, which had before him grown many of his...
(Chairman) - Former Prime Minister of FinlandFinlandFinland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside... - Dr. Jozef CornuJo CornuJozef "Jo" Cornu is a Belgian engineer businessman. He is at present CEO of Agfa-Gevaert.-Education:Jo Cornu graduated as Master of Science in electrical engineering and mechanics at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven and he obtained a PhD in electronics at the Carlton University in Ottawa...
- former President and COO of AlcatelAlcatelAlcatel Mobile Phones is a brand of mobile handsets. It was established in 2004 as a joint venture between Alcatel-Lucent of France and TCL Communication of China....
Telecom - Prof. Luke GeorghiouLuke GeorghiouLuke Georghiou is Vice-President for Research and Innovation at the University of Manchester. He is also Professor of Science and Technology Policy and Management at the Manchester Institute of Innovation Research, Manchester Business School, University of Manchester...
(Rapporteur) - Manchester Business SchoolManchester Business SchoolManchester Business School is the largest department of the University of Manchester in Manchester, England. According to Bloomberg Business Week's ranking of the world's best business schools the MBS MBA is ranked third in the world...
of the University of ManchesterUniversity of ManchesterThe University of Manchester is a public research university located in Manchester, United Kingdom. It is a "red brick" university and a member of the Russell Group of research-intensive British universities and the N8 Group... - Prof. Antoni Subirà - IESE Business School (BarcelonaBarcelonaBarcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
)
Summary
The report states that current trends in the European UnionEuropean Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
are unsustainable in the face of global competition
Globalization
Globalization refers to the increasingly global relationships of culture, people and economic activity. Most often, it refers to economics: the global distribution of the production of goods and services, through reduction of barriers to international trade such as tariffs, export fees, and import...
and calls for a European pact for research
Research
Research can be defined as the scientific search for knowledge, or as any systematic investigation, to establish novel facts, solve new or existing problems, prove new ideas, or develop new theories, usually using a scientific method...
and innovation
Innovation
Innovation is the creation of better or more effective products, processes, technologies, or ideas that are accepted by markets, governments, and society...
. The report urges for rapid, collective action
Collective action
Collective action is the pursuit of a goal or set of goals by more than one person. It is a term which has formulations and theories in many areas of the social sciences.-In sociology:...
on a European scale and a new vision to address Europe’s productivity
Productivity
Productivity is a measure of the efficiency of production. Productivity is a ratio of what is produced to what is required to produce it. Usually this ratio is in the form of an average, expressing the total output divided by the total input...
and social
Social
The term social refers to a characteristic of living organisms...
challenges.
The creation of an internal market for innovative products and services, in a harmonised regulatory environment, would provide incentives to companies to increase their investments in research and development on a broader range of modern technologies. The strategic areas for the European economy are eHealth
EHealth
eHealth is a relatively recent term for healthcare practice supported by electronic processes and communication, dating back to at least 1999...
, pharmaceuticals, transport
Transport
Transport or transportation is the movement of people, cattle, animals and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, rail, road, water, cable, pipeline, and space. The field can be divided into infrastructure, vehicles, and operations...
and logistics
Logistics
Logistics is the management of the flow of goods between the point of origin and the point of destination in order to meet the requirements of customers or corporations. Logistics involves the integration of information, transportation, inventory, warehousing, material handling, and packaging, and...
, energy
Energy
In physics, energy is an indirectly observed quantity. It is often understood as the ability a physical system has to do work on other physical systems...
, security
Security
Security is the degree of protection against danger, damage, loss, and crime. Security as a form of protection are structures and processes that provide or improve security as a condition. The Institute for Security and Open Methodologies in the OSSTMM 3 defines security as "a form of protection...
, the environment
Natural environment
The natural environment encompasses all living and non-living things occurring naturally on Earth or some region thereof. It is an environment that encompasses the interaction of all living species....
and the digital content
Digital
A digital system is a data technology that uses discrete values. By contrast, non-digital systems use a continuous range of values to represent information...
industry
Industry
Industry refers to the production of an economic good or service within an economy.-Industrial sectors:There are four key industrial economic sectors: the primary sector, largely raw material extraction industries such as mining and farming; the secondary sector, involving refining, construction,...
. The report puts forward improved financing of science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
and to increase investments and to provide fiscal incentives in high-tech domains such as biotechnology
Biotechnology
Biotechnology is a field of applied biology that involves the use of living organisms and bioprocesses in engineering, technology, medicine and other fields requiring bioproducts. Biotechnology also utilizes these products for manufacturing purpose...
, nanotechnology
Nanotechnology
Nanotechnology is the study of manipulating matter on an atomic and molecular scale. Generally, nanotechnology deals with developing materials, devices, or other structures possessing at least one dimension sized from 1 to 100 nanometres...
and neuroscience
Neuroscience
Neuroscience is the scientific study of the nervous system. Traditionally, neuroscience has been seen as a branch of biology. However, it is currently an interdisciplinary science that collaborates with other fields such as chemistry, computer science, engineering, linguistics, mathematics,...
s. The report also makes a plea for the mobility of the European workforce, ideas and financial assets.
See also
- Directorate-General for Enterprise and IndustryDirectorate-General for Enterprise and Industry (European Commission)The Directorate-General for Enterprise and Industry is a Directorate-General of the European Commission. The Enterprise Directorate-General works on creating an environment in which European firms can thrive...
(EU) - Lisbon StrategyLisbon StrategyThe Lisbon Strategy, also known as the Lisbon Agenda or Lisbon Process, was an action and development plan devised in 2000, for the economy of the European Union between 2000 and 2010....
- Sapir ReportSapir ReportAn Agenda for a Growing Europe, also called The Sapir Report, is a report on the economy of the European Union edited by a panel of experts under the direction of André Sapir and published in July 2003...