A new European plan to boost high-tech research has been unveiled by the European Commission (EC).
The proposal would see Europe's research investment into future technologies doubled at a national and European level by 2015.
Along those lines, the EC will raise its spending on research into information technologies from €100m (£87m) to €170m by 2013.
It also aims to launch at least two flagship research initiatives by 2013 that will bring together researchers from different European countries and scientific disciplines to achieve research breakthroughs - citing the development of biocomputers as one example.
'Combining the efforts of the 27 EU countries and stepping up co-operation with global partners is essential for Europe to take the lead in future information technologies,' said Viviane Reding, Commissioner for Information Society and Media.
The EC said that Europe's investment in information and communication technologies (ICT) research is lagging behind other regions.
Although the EU produces almost one-third of the world's scientific knowledge, research in the ICT sector accounts for only a quarter of its overall research effort.
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