Two Cheers for EIT

摘要

A key European Parliament committee gave its qualified blessing this week to the European Institute of Technology (EIT) proposed by the European Commission (EC). The EIT has met with little enthusiasm from scientists and industry (Science, 20 October 2006, p. 399), but some politicians are fans. Last month, relevant European ministers approved the idea, and now the parliament's Industry, Research and Energy panel has endorsed it, too. But the committee rejected the EC's plan to take the E.U.'s €308 million contribution to the EIT's €2.4 billion budget from existing innovation funds, calling also for an EIT pilot phase. The European Parliament will debate the plan in September.