REORGANISATION
of DG RTD
Robert-Jan SMITS
3 December 2013
"This reorganisation is the most profound
change in the history of DG Research and
Innovation. It will mark the start of a new
era in which the Directorate-General will
become a full and recognised player in the
economic policy formulation of the EU. This
enormous achievement is the result of the
first class work done by the staff of DG
Research and Innovation, which has been
able to put science and innovation high on
the political agenda."
Maire Geoghegan-Quinn
5 main reasons for reorganisation
1. Move to become a Policy DG
2. Deployment of New Management
Modes
3. Staff cuts
4. Efficiency gains
5. Staff mobility – 5 years
1. Move to become a policy DG (1)
• Separating policy making from
programme implementation
• DG RTD: to focus on policy related
tasks
• Executive Agencies: to focus on
programme implementation
1. Move to become a policy DG (2)
• DG RTD will focus on policy related
tasks
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European Semester
Innovation Union
ERA
Science policy
Strategy development
Forward looking activities
Definition of Work Programmes
Ex-ante and ex-post evaluation
Feeding results from research projects into Policy
1. Move to become a policy DG (3)
• Executive Agencies will focus on
programme implementation
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Managing calls for proposals
Handling proposal evaluations
Preparing grant agreements
Making payments
Monitoring projects
1. Move to become a policy DG (4)
 Strategic role of Directorate A for defining
and programming priorities
 Creation of two new policy units:
 A4: Analysis and monitoring of national research policies
 A6: Science policy, foresight and data
 Strategic role of Directorate C
International Cooperation for defining
and programming priorities
 Regrouping ERA and Innovation Union in
one single Directorate
1. Move to become a policy DG (5)
• Strengthening of Units 1 of KET and
Grand Societal Changes Directorates
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Development of strategy
Forward looking activities
Work programme definition
International cooperation
• Better coordination and cooperation
with Directorates A and C
2. Deployment of new management
modes (1)
• 75% of the budget under Horizon 2020 will be externalised:
55% through JTIs and Art. 185s and 8% through the EIB
and the EIT.
• This entails first and foremost a reinforcement of the
Executive Agencies with some 1000 staff by 2020.
• FP7 Legacy management vs. Policy
• Still a significant FP7 legacy until 2016
• Objective to actively manage the legacy
• Optimising the management of the legacy
• Liberating resources gradually for future core activities → policy
tasks
• Creation of a Task Force to accompany this process
• Reinforced central support by R2 to steer and monitor
management of FP7 legacy
3. Staff cuts (1)
• Due to build-up of Executive Agencies:
substantial off-setting
• Between 2014 and 2020: 271 officials and
108 contract agents
• Off-setting takes a gradual pace
• On top of this: annual taxation and
redeployment
But:
• Between 2014 and 2020: approx. 300
retirements
4. Efficiency Gains (1)
• Merging units to obtain scale and scope
• Creation of the Common Support Centre
for the whole Research Family
• Identification of further efficiency gains
(centralisation of country desks, sharing
functions between units, eg. IT and
communication correspondents)
4. Efficiency Gains (2)
• Merging units to obtain scale and scope
• Units 'Strategic Planning and Programming' and
'Interinstitutional Relations' into 'Programming and
Interinstitutional Relations
• Units 'Debt management and guarantee Funds' and
'Budget' into 'Budget'
• Units 'ERA Policy', 'Skills' and 'Joint Programming' into
'ERA Policy'
• Units 'Financial Instruments' and 'SMEs' into 'SMEs,
Financial Instruments and State Aid'
• Units 'Food, Health, Well-being' and 'Agriculture, Forestry,
Fisheries' into 'Agri-Food Chain'
• Units 'Materials' and 'Nanoscience and Nanotechnologies'
into 'Advanced Materials and Nanotechnologies'
4. Efficiency Gains (3)
• Creation of the Common Support Centre
for the whole Research Family
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Common
Common
Common
Common
Common
Legal Support Service
Audit Service
Service for Business Processes
IT Services
Service for H2020 Information and Data
5. Staff mobility – 5 years (1)
• 13 Heads of Unit concerned in 2014
• Approximately 42 Heads of Unit concerned
during the period 2014 - 2020
Next steps:
• Series of meetings will be organised
by Dir R on implementation of new
organisation chart, notably on:
• IT
• Moves
• Directors will be requested to make
new mission statement for Directorate
and units and formulate objectives
(short, medium and long term)
Conclusions:
• Big challenges ahead
• Enormous impact on DG RTD and its
functioning
I need your full support in
helping to implement these changes!