Research and Development is covered by Protocol 31 to the EEA Agreement and falls under Subcommittee IV.

The main issue followed by the Working Group in 2007 was the start up of the Seventh Research Framework programme (FP7) and the publication of the Commission's Green Paper on a European Research Area (ERA), to which the Working Group prepared an EFTA Comment.

Research and Development has become a key objective for the EU over the last decade, and knowledge lies at the very heart of the European Union’s Lisbon Strategy. The "knowledge triangle" linking research, education and innovation is a core factor in European efforts to meet the Lisbon goals. FP7 aims to strengthen and develop the ERA.

The two main strategic objectives of FP7 are to strengthen the scientific and technological base of European industry and to encourage its international competitiveness. These broad objectives have been grouped into four main categories:

• Cooperation
• Ideas
• People
• Capacities

For each type of objective, there is a specific programme that corresponds to a main area of EU research policy. All of these programmes work towards promoting and encouraging the creation of European poles of scientific excellence.

The EEA EFTA States joined the research framework programmes with the EEA Agreement. Switzerland joined in 2004. Since June 2007, all four EFTA States have been participating in FP7. In addition, Switzerland participates in the Euratom Research Framework Programme.

See also:

European Commission - Research

Seventh Research Framework Programme - FP7