The Participation of Austria and Hungary in the Framework Programmes for Research and Technological Development of the European Union. A Comparative Analysis
The significance of the framework programmes for research and technological development of the European Union is constantly increasing. In Horizon 2020, the current framework programme of the EU, 80 billion euro will be distributed among researchers based on scientific excellence. Unlike in the agricultural or structural policy of the Union, where funds are mainly distributed based on previously defined quotas, framework programmes for research and development (R&D) are strictly competitive. As a result of the economic crisis and budgetary restrictions, the competition for such funds is constantly increasing. All the Member States and associated countries of Horizon 20 202 are aiming at the largest possible share of available funds, which is also encouraged on government level. Such EU provided funds can ideally supplement government expenditure on R&D.The first 15 Member States of the European Union, the so called EU15 or old Member States usually perform much better than the "new" member states, which have joined the EU in or after 2004 (EU13) I will compare the performance and participation data of one EU15 country Austria with one EU13 country Hungary. I try to find an answer to the question: why is Austria more successful in the framework programmes of the European Union than Hungary? After a short overview of the history of the framework programmes for research and technological development I will compare the participation data and success rates of Hungarian and Austrian researchers in the framework programmes (number of projects, size of budget) Finally I will mention some reasons why Austria is more successful than its eastern neighbour, Hungary.Historical overview of the framework programmes for research and technological developmentThere is no broad academic literature on the emergence and development of Framework Programmes for Research and Technological Development of the European Union. Guzzetti3 and Krige4 are authors of two general historical overviews about the origins and growth of the European Framework Programmes. In 1957, in the Treaties of Rome, no collaborative mandate was given in the area of science and technology outside nuclear energy. In the mid 1960s even EURATOM had to abandon its original objective of Europe wide cooperation it seemed as if the European countries would cooperate only outside the Community framework if at all.5 From the early 1970s sectorial programmes with the aim of closing the "technology gap" were launched.6 Authors like Sandholtz7 or Papon8 emphasise the importance of such programmes mainly aimed at increasing competitiveness in specific sectors, well in line with international trends of science policy, to focus on innovation and applicability of research efforts. These initiatives still lacked the ambition to maintain or develop a broad research base in Europe. A typical example for such a sectorial programme was ESPRIT, the "flagship" programme for the promotion of R&D in the information technology industry, launched in the early 1980s. In the following years, both the EC budget devoted to R&D and the legal framework were significantly expanded. Nevertheless, Reger and Kuhlmann9 emphasise that this tendency did not mean that the EU would have replaced national policies if we compare the R&D budget of the Member States to the EU budget, the latter is still relatively small. Increased amounts of funding could not overcome the so called "European Paradox" either. As Georghiou10 explains, in spite of a generally high level of investment in science, the technological and commercial performance in Europe has worsened since the mid 1980s.Other authors put the emphasis on analysing the role of the European Commission in setting the agenda of science policy in Europe. Peterson11 sees the emergence of the Framework Programme as the result of the interplay between developing stakeholder networks and senior level Commissioners.