EU urged to look to Cambridgeshire as model for the future

Whilst debating the future of European development in Strasbourg today, local Conservative MEP Vicky Ford urged the Commission President José Manuel Barroso to look to Cambridge as an example of successful research and innovation.

The president took part in a question and answer session on the vision for the future of Europe, dubbed 'EU 2020'. This includes a suggestion of investing in 'European Research Areas'. Vicky stressed that there are already excellent examples of world-leading, innovative R&D in Cambridgeshire and that other countries could benefit for learning from our own experiences. She said that otherwise the EU risks saying one thing and doing another.

Mr. Barroso passed on his congratulations to all those involved in creating the Cambridge phenomenon and emphasised the need to follow suit across Europe.

Vicky said:

"The aims of the 'EU2020' are laudable but in many ways they describe a utopia. We need to think about how to practically implement them. One of the key lessons that can be learned from Cambridge's world-renowned scientific cluster is the importance of financing for research and to help start-up companies establish and grow.

Unfortunately, some legislation in other parts of Mr. Barroso's Commission risks stifling these sources of funds, completely contradicting the aims he claims to be pursuing. Just last week a group of MEPs were told by the UK's Wellcome Trust that
new regulations for investments could reduce the amounts they have available for research by up to 2/3 - given that Wellcome Trust gave over £600 million to medical research last year alone we should treat their concerns very seriously. I am worried that Mr Barroso did not appear to have made the link between new regulations on financial services and the impact on funds available for innovative companies and research.

I welcome Mr. Barroso's praise for our region and sincerely hope he uses our experiences to better implement his strategy for Europe."

ENDS

For further information please contact Vicky on +44 777 181 2976

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