Europe seeks greater creativity in basic research.

Despite tough talks over money and structure, the European Commission is pushing ahead with its plans to create a European Research Council (ERC) modeled on the National Science Foundation in the United States. The Brussels governmental body has selected five high-profile figures from the European

The Commission, the executive arm of the European Union, is proposing, among other measures, a major shake-up of science funding that would grant money for basic research on the basis of excellence without any obligations to transnational collaboration--a hallmark of previous research framework programs. The recommendations, which include more than doubling the budget of the new five-year framework program--from 75 billion [euro] a year to 10 billion [euro] a year--and cutting red tape, echo demands being made by many scientists themselves.

For years, Europe's scientific community has warned that unless the E.U. streamlines its funding process, it risks losing top scientists to other countries, notably the U.S. where the investment process is seen as being more efficient. Scientists have complained that the current 6th Framework Program (FP6) and previous framework programs have largely ignored basic research and focused instead on product-oriented research and cooperation across Europe--often with social, political or economic strings attached. Many maintain that if Europe is to increase the competitiveness of its research base, the E.U. should fund individual researchers and groups based only on the quality of their research.

The 7th Framework Program (FP7)--to run from 2007 to 2013--aims to address scientists' concerns about basic research with the creation of the ERC. Key objectives of the new framework program--in addition to setting up the ERC--include creating European centers of excellence and launching technology initiatives in industrial fields of growth.

How ERC will Differ

Under the Commission's plan, ERC will be an independent body run by a group of appointed scientists who will decide which projects to fund, instead of having civil servants at the Commission make these decisions. "We want to be clear that it's not the Commission that is deciding but the scientific community itself," said newly appointed Science and Research Commissioner Janez Potocnik, in a statement.

The overarching goal, according to a Commission spokeswoman, is to foster "creativity in basic research" and not stifle it by imposing a predetermined set of priorities as is the case today. Under the current system, the E.U. predefines a set of fixed priorities and then funds projects that fit within them. Researchers who want E.U. funding are expected to create consortia of European or international research centers.

By contrast, the ERC aims to support research conducted by individual researchers or teams competing for funding at a European level. It is a completely different approach: Researchers propose projects on their own initiative, without thematic constraints, in areas of their choice. Projects are selected, without any obligation for transnational collaboration, on the basis of their scientific excellence, as assessed through a process of peer review.

Among the main principles of the scientific council: Supported research should be truly "investigator-driven" and "bottom-up"; individual grants should be large enough to attract the best scientists and teams from around Europe; lean management procedures should be the rule, with minimal administrative requirements.

Science and Soccer

As Commissioner Potocnik views the situation, individual research teams often come up with good ideas and should be given the opportunity to explore them. "That's why we believe funding should be based on excellence and not other considerations," he said.

Potocnik compared the ERC's competitive approach to the "Champions League" in European professional soccer, which brings together the Continent's best clubs. "In science, we also should have the best scientists compete with each other," he said.

But scientists warn that the administrative bureaucracy involved in applying for E.U. research funding would handicap even the best teams. Bart de Strooper, a professor at the University of Leuven, said the current funding process "is like asking the players in a top soccer team to spend time organizing the Champions League while all other teams train and prepare for real matches."

Convincing Every Stakeholder

Even though the ERC has the support of France, Germany and the U.K.--three of the EU's largest and most influential members--the Commission has yet to win over every stakeholder. The plan has so far failed to win an endorsement from the E.U. Competitiveness Council. Established in 2002, the Competitive Council is composed of industry ministers, research ministers and European affairs ministers from the member states. It reviews competitive issues and also legislative proposals, such as the framework programs, but has no executive power.

Others, such as Italy, another large and influential E.U. member, argue that distributing research funding solely on the basis of excellence would reduce the proportion of E.U. funds spent on collaborative E.U.-wide projects.

Moreover, the new E.U. members, including Poland and the Czech Republic, have voiced concerns that the pursuit of excellence might leave some of them sidelined. They argue that the biggest members--Germany, France, Italy, and the U.K.--can tap into the biggest pools of talent. Some members also worry that if individuals and small teams can be funded, the ERC could be swamped with applications.

Industry Reaction

While Europe's big technology companies see a need to strengthen basic research on the Continent, they want funding to keep flowing for their applied research and ideally at higher levels. "Pure, basic science is essential for Europe," said an official with French conglomerate Alcatel SA. "But we really need to ensure that FP7 has a larger budget, especially for research in the area of telecommunications."

"This new scheme must in no way be funded at the expense of the budget for the Framework Program and its thematic priorities that support innovation and applied industrial research in Europe," said Dietmar Theis, director of corporate technology at Siemens.

Some see greater collaboration between the two areas of science as the way forward. "The ERC could target those areas of basic research that complement initiatives in the demand-driven field of applied research," said Magnus Madfors, director of external research relations at Swedish telecommunications manufacturer Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson. "To strengthen Europe's competitive position, we need to further promote the exchange of scientific information and technological know-how between all active players in the field."

Despite these critical voices, the Commission planned to present its concrete proposals in April for FP7, which include setting up the ERC. The European Parliament will add its input in the course of 2005, with representatives of the member states to make a final decision in 2006.

Emulating CERN

Meanwhile, momentum within Europe's scientific community continues to grow. The Initiative for Science in Europe (ISE), a new lobbying group of European science organizations launched last year, has thrown its support behind the ERC. ISE chairman Jose Mariano Gago has pointed to CERN (European Center for Nuclear Research) as the best example of a worldwide leader created in Europe, citing its successful model of competition working alongside cooperation, scientific excellence and international peer review of all projects.

And directors from 52 European research groups have signed a letter calling on the enlarged E.U. and a newly elected European Parliament and Commission to "grasp the historic opportunity" to create the ERC. A scientific council supported by the scientific community, the directors wrote, "is needed to ensure the best research is funded to combat the prevailing fragmentation of research efforts and to provide long-term commitment of science policy in Europe toward the development of its science base at the highest level."

John Blau, contributing editor

in Dusseldorf

john@johnblau.com