First Step Taken towards European MIT

A European counterpart to MIT in the United States, to be a hub for networks and collaboration between the best brains in Europe. This is the vision for a new European Technology Institute initially discussed today by EU research ministers in Brussels.

– Network collaboration between the very best of Europe's researcher groups is a prior condition for strengthening the European region in its competition with the United States and the Far East. And this collaboration is a field in which I am sure that we Danes can make a difference. This is why I have given my consent today that Denmark will make an active and constructive contribution to further realisation of the idea, says Science Minister Helge Sander.

In late February the Commission put forward the proposal about EIT, which is the working title of the new institute. And the Council has now decided that the development work should continue.

– Later this year we will presumably see more concrete results of the work, and we will then be able to decide whether these interesting ideas should be realised, says Helge Sander.

Also debated by the Council of Ministers today was a more ethical dimension of the seventh EU framework programme for supporting European research: Whether the EU should finance research involving stem cells. This is particularly interesting because such use will open up new prospects for combating diseases such as Alzheimers and Parkinsons.

– The debate today showed that the EU countries do not agree on this issue. For Denmark's part, we would like to see a solution close to the Danish rules – but several countries have a far more restrictive approach to the use of stem cells. There is a risk that the rules of the most restrictive countries will come to set the standard for European cooperation. We must avoid this, says Helge Sander.

At a coming meeting, the Presidency will propose a compromise which will respect ethical limits without the EU precluding itself from developments that may lead to better treatment options being offered in the future.

For further information, please contact the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, Holger Rasmussen, chief consultant, phone: +45 33 92 97 16.