G8 ministers pledge to boost low carbon research funding

Participants at the Group of Eight (G8) Science and Technology Ministers' Meeting in Japan have pledged to boost funding for research which will lead to the realisation of a low carbon economy.

'We are committed to increasing investment in both basic and applied environmental and clean energy technology R&D [research and development], and the promotion of commercialisation including through direct government funding and fiscal measures to encourage private sector investment,' the Chair's Summary of the meeting reads.

The meeting, which was held on 15 June in the Japanese city of Okinawa, was attended by the science ministers of the G8 countries (France, Germany, Italy, the UK, Canada, Japan, Russia and the US) and Janez Potocnik, the EU's Science and Research Commissioner, as well as representatives of Brazil, China, India, Mexico, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea and South Africa.

The discussion focused on three areas: how to achieve a low carbon society through international research cooperation; science and technology cooperation with developing countries; and cooperation in research and development resources.

On the first point, the ministers highlighted the important role that research, technology and innovation have to play in addressing climate and energy security challenges. Furthermore, they recognised that simply making existing technologies more efficient will not be enough, but that 'fundamental breakthroughs in science and technology' will be needed.

The ministers note that international cooperation should be encouraged across a wide range of energy technologies, including fusion energy (which is the subject of the ITER project), carbon capture and storage and the development of new technologies which can produce biofuels from non-food plant materials. 'This should be a priority,' the meeting summary states.

On research cooperation with developing countries, the participants reached a consensus that 'the advancement of science and technology in developing countries is essential for their sustainable development'.

The ministers recognise that education and capacity building are key to helping developing countries solve the challenges facing them. They suggest that one way to support capacity building would be to enable developing country researchers to work more closely with G8 research and training institutions. Nevertheless, to avoid brain drain, mechanisms need to be set up to encourage the scientists to return to their home countries.

A workshop to discuss the issue of science and technology cooperation between G8 and developing countries is due to be held in Japan in October 2008.

Finally, the ministers discussed cooperation in the use of research resources. The ministers emphasise the importance of avoiding duplications in the construction of large-scale research facilities.

With this in mind, they agreed to 'exchange information, such as accessibility, on existing large-scale research facilities and basic information, such as the scale, priority and schedule for future facilities in each country'.

Participants at the meeting also discussed the importance of researcher mobility, with a particular focus on the concept of 'brain circulation', in which G8 countries both accept researchers from and send them to developing countries.

The outcomes of the Okinawa meeting will be fed into the main G8 Summit which will take place in Hokkaido, Japan, in July. Meanwhile the forthcoming Italian Presidency of the G8 has announced that it plans to hold a second G8 Science and Technology Ministers' Meeting in 2009.

The G8 Science and Technology Ministers' Meeting summary (pdf)

Source: Community R&D Information Service (CORDIS)