Intra-European scientific co-operation: measuring policy impact

European Union (EU) funded co-operation within the Community programme and the other public S&T co-operation taking place outside the specific remit of the EU, has grown from 4% (of governmental R&D expenditure) in 1985 to 16% in 1995. An attempt is made here to gain insight into how different public research programmes influence the structure of S&T co-operation. It is found that Community programmes have a strong cohesive effect, although they remain mainly focused on strengthening existing technological competencies. This dual effect results in a star network which is also found in the co-authorship network. In contrast, Eureka networks are much more geographically bound, resembling the network of technological alliances between companies. We can thus conclude that, while the pre-competitive research networks have become quite international, market-driven networks remain culturally anchored.