SwissCore (Synopsis 2010/8) informs that the EC Directorate General "Research and innovation" is planning important changes to its structure.

The Director General of DG Research Robert-Jan Smits announced that from 27 October onwards the Directorate General’s official name changed to “DG Research and Innovation”. This reflects the strong focus on innovation that the EC is putting on its policies as part of the implementation of the Innovation Union.

Besides the new name, several staff changes and a broader reorganization of the Directorates are apparently planned for January 2011. Among the likely changes there has been talk of merging former Directorates B and C, which are in charge of issues relating to the European Research Area (ERA) into a new Directorate.

In one possible scenario, the current Directorate L “Science, Economy and Society” would also be incorporated into this new Directorate.

Another possibility would be to strengthen the activities in the field of innovation by regrouping several units under a single Directorate giving innovation a more coherent structure within the DG. In addition, the creation of a new special sector charged with the harmonized interpretation of rules and procedures has been announced. This new sector would be part of the simplification measures announced by the EC and should help coordinate the flow of information about rules and ensure a more coherent application of those rules.