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The wider industrial impact of energy R&D programmes is generally misunderstood, with the result that their strategic importance is nowadays seriously underestimated. This paper indicates the important positive effects that energy R&D can have for more general aspects of industrial productivity and competitivity, and illustrates this using examples drawn from the European Community Energy R&D Programmes.

The energy research and development programmes of the European Community are reviewed. The mechanisms for financing R&D projects are discussed and emphasis is placed on the role of the Commission. The results of the programmes to date are analysed both in relation to their original objectives and in terms of the R&D and Energy strategies recently developed by the Commission.

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