You are what you EIT

Earlier this week the European Commission's Official Journal published Common Position 2/2008 of 21 January 2008 "adopted by the Council, acting in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 251 of the Treaty establishing the European Community, with a view to the adoption of a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing the European Institute of Innovation and Technology" (EIT).

Right: the spare European Parliament has been nominated as a good location for the EIT by the oneseat.eu campaign

Under Article 2 of the draft Regulation,

"For the purpose of this Regulation, the following definitions shall apply:

1. ‘innovation’ means the process, including its outcome, by which new ideas respond to societal or economic demand and generate new products, services or business and organisational models that are successfully introduced into an existing market or that are able to create new markets [the IPKat says, I'm not sure what this either means or is intended to mean, but I always thought that it was people, not ideas, that respond to demand];

2. ‘Knowledge and Innovation Community’ (KIC) means an autonomous partnership of higher education institutions, research organisations, companies and other stakeholders in the innovation process in the form of a strategic network based on joint mid- to long-term innovation planning to achieve the EIT challenges, regardless of its precise legal form [the IPKat wonders whether the constant emphasis on terms like "Community" and "partnership" is part of a deliberate downplaying of the role of the private and the individual in the innovation process -- a process which ultimately emanates from the individual]; ..."

Article 3 of the same draft states the objective of the EIT. This is

"to contribute to sustainable European economic growth and competitiveness by reinforcing the innovation capacity of the Member States and the Community. It shall do this by promoting and integrating higher education, research and innovation of the highest standards".

Forgive the cynicism, but the IPKat awaits proof that successful innovation is something that can be organised and taught, rather than stimulated and inspired. He hopes he's wrong. Merpel adds, "I did a quick word search through the draft Regulation and couldn't find the words 'patent' or 'invention' anywhere".

More on the proposal here