Prologue
For a country which has set itself the goal of obtaining full access to the knowledge society, research, development and innovation are fundamental. For this reason it is a priority of the Government of Catalonia to furnish the instruments that guarantee maximum quality in this area.
In Catalonia, the Interministerial Council for Research and Technological Innovation (CIRIT) is the collegiate body which is responsible for planning, coordinating and evaluating research and innovation policies and for defining the major strategic lines of action in this field.
It is against this background that this Research and Innovation Plan 2005-2008 was drawn up. The Plan is, above all, a political instrument that will provide the basis for a solid research, development and innovation system, capable of fostering forward-looking initiatives and of positioning Catalonia, in the medium term, in the scientific and technological vanguard of Europe.
This Plan, approved by CIRIT on 28th December 2004 and by the Executive Council of the Catalan Government on 25th January 2005, describes an integrated approach that follows on from three previous four-year research plans and one four-year innovation plan.
This Plan is the Government’s response to the challenges of ensuring a coordinated approach to developing different aspects of the information society and guaranteeing genuine inter-ministerial cooperation. In this way, all policies and investment relating research and innovation will be implemented in line with the needs of the country.
It was precisely the evaluation of these needs that gave rise to the three major features of the Plan. First of all, the Plan is a ‘road map’ that will achieve one of the fundamental commitments undertaken by this Government, namely to eventually achieve a level of investment in R&D representing 2% of GNP, building on the 2003 level of 1.38%. Secondly, the Government ministries themselves will become actively involved in promoting knowledge transfer and in improving links within the research and innovation system, by providing for measures to encourage closer ties between universities, private sector enterprises and the public sector. Finally, evaluation and monitoring mechanisms have been a feature of the Plan since its very inception, with a view to making it a dynamic policy instrument that will achieve the objectives set for research and innovation development in Catalonia.
I would like to express my gratitude to all those who made this Plan possible. All that remains is for our society, working together, to make it a reality.
Pasqual Maragall
President of the Government of Catalonia
President of CIRIT
