I'd say that the actual policy challenges in Europe are completely different. The biggest challenges, aside of the three you mention, are the demographic development, the environmental challenge, the low level of people with secondary education and the low level of spending on research.
Another issue is how you fund universities. I would be a fan of a voucher scheme to pay for the education part because I think that it will give universities more independence and students more power. The problem there is that it could be used as a step towards privatising universities, and that the level of funding will still be subject to political bargaining. The devil is in the details. I don't think the issue of funding creationist/antiscientific institutions is as big a threat in Europe, though in some parts it might be.
On the research gap: the problem in Europe is mainly that the private sector does not spend enough on research, and the problem is especially pronounced amongst small and medium-sized enterprises, IIRC. Sometimes people will compare the number of patents registed in Europe and the USA/Japan, but that is not a good measure as the US allows the patenting of business methods and software patents. A lot of the research done in the US can be because of the incentives offered by greater protection of IP, which don't have a beneficial effect for the overall economy. This needs to be kept in mind. More IP is the wrong solution. However, I don't really know what the right one would be.
Now, I'm off to call for more government subsidies for research and development of the type the market would like. I have a lobby group that knows precisely what the economy needs.
To put it another way, graduates should be starting up their own businesses.
I was going to suggest that microcredit or venture capital would be the solution, but the private sector seems to have little appetite for it. And, of course, there's the issue of the entrepreneurial/risk-taking culture (or lack thereof) among the graduates. "It's the statue, man, The Statue."
And, of course, the suggestion is not that everyone starts a company by themselves, but as a partnership with others they know so that the group has the necessary mix of skills and attitudes.
But access to capital is the essential ingredient, and it is jealously guarded. "It's the statue, man, The Statue."
But even beyond fundamental research, I'm not too friendly to the idea of exposing university research to even the possibility of dependence on private companies. *Lunatic*, n. One whose delusions are out of fashion.
In the US you can get a better basic science education at a 4-year college than at a research university. Not only are the resources more focused on teaching, but at a 4-year college, as there are no graduate students, professors use undergraduates to run research projects. There is hardly any undergraduate research at research universities. "It's the statue, man, The Statue."
Except of course, if the money came from Shell. Then it'd be alright. (!!)
So I would not be surprised if some of that particular culture is more pervasive within Europe - but this is a question I have which I've not researched and is extremely hard to research sitting behind a computer in South Africa.
So, yes, maybe private businesses will find it in their hearts to put money into an independent research trust, but I don't think it's likely.
If a researcher wants to consult or be employed with a private business, fine, but university funding shouldn't depend on that. "It's the statue, man, The Statue."
I agree that a university funding for research should not depend solely on private business funding. Which is why it should remain third stream money.
Migeru:
The problem with accepting non-charity money from a for-profit organisation is that it generally comes with intellectual strings attached.
Let me answer that one over three years...
But it doesn't happen often. "It's the statue, man, The Statue."
I think that spending in Europe also tends to be skewed towards large undertakings (at least this is the case in Germany where the automobile sector accounts for over half of all private sector R&D), whereas the largest potential for wealth creation lies in R&D by SMEs.
Maybe it's silly to speak of a 'gap'. In terms the economy at large, it is probably better to spend quite a lot on fundamental research, applied research and the development of technology as it is one of the most potent sources for the creation of wealth.
Caveats with regard to creating wealth apply, though I think that changes in technology is a potent force for the betterment of just about anything. If used wisely...
I have no idea what would be behind the Japanese figure, but I'd be interested in the structure of it.
Problem solved.
The difference in private sector spending points at something real. Of course, the figures need to be broken down, as you indicate. It may be that in the case of the US it is merely spending on military development and patent trolling. That's an interesting topic for further research.
I think that there is a fairly continuous line from fundamental research to applied research to new product development, and therefore it makes sense to group them together when doing an analysis in an economic context.
Because this:
nanne:
but especially the issue of private sector funding is very sensitive
is certainly debilitating capacities of the EU universities.
Can I also cajole you to this recent comment of mine regarding the same subject(s)?
Even while there is a lot to be done in education, the EU is getting there - and is in absolute numbers still ahead of Japan and the USA.
Research is the different beast - and for Europe I think currently the most urgent one.
I agree with you that research funding should be a separate stream. I think this should be done through direct transfers from the central government/EU. Private sector participation should be encouraged, possibly through a central fund, possibly through agreements between individual companies and universities and possibly through hybrids. Depending upon sensitivities...
addendum: chemical farming need to end YESTERDAY.
grid decentralisation is a huge issue too.
oh, and can the eurovision song contest, pronto, and san remo while you're at it. ~"When an inner situation is not made conscious, it appears outside as fate." Karl Jung~
