§ Keith VazTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what action the EU is taking to improve its policy on encouraging innovation. [186503]
§ Ms HewittThe EU has been encouraging innovation within the framework of the Lisbon strategy. The EU Innovation Scoreboard (published each year www.cordis.lu/scoreboard/) shows progress against this. The European Commission has carried out a public consultation on its draft Innovation Action Plan (http://www.europa.eu.int) and a revised version is due to be published in November 2004. The EU's sixth Framework Programme already provides a mechanism for funding collaborative research and provides substantial financial support to support research activity aimed at improving the EU's innovation performance. The Commission has published a Communication (Corn (2004) 353) on 16 June 2004 (www.cordis.lu) setting out its ideas for the seventh Framework Programme, due to start at the end of 2006 and the UK will endeavour to ensure that this is structured in ways which further reinforce the EU's support for innovation.