European Research Council urgently needed, say 52 scientific organisations

Fifty two European scientific
organisations have signed a mass petition calling for urgent
action on the establishment of a European Research Council
(ERC).

A letter calling for urgent action on the European
Research Council, a pan-European funding organisation for
basic research at European level, was published in the
August edition of Science Magazine. The appeal is drafted
by the 
Initiative for Science in Europe

(ISE) and co-signed by many of the leading European
scientific organisations. The ISE writes in its press
release that “a mass petition of this kind on science
policy is almost unheard of in Europe and indicates the
importance these organisations attach to the ERC
debate”. 

The letter says that an ERC is needed to ensure that
Europe funds the best research and to combat the
fragmentation of research efforts at European level. It
is also needed to urgently regain the ground lost
vis-à-vis the United States in attracting foreign
scientists and in simply just retaining Europe’s own
brains. According to the letter, Europe’s performance in
scientific publishing and Nobel prizes has deteriorated
as well. 

The appeal welcomes the preparatory work done so far
by the Commission on basic research and on setting up an
ERC (See 
EURACTIV 17 June 2004

and 
EURACTIV 16 January 2004

). However, the letter warns that if special attention is
not given to the ERC, the project may be shelved in
favour of other more short-term issues. The focus of the
ERC is on the long-term benefits of basic research for a
knowledge-based society. 

The Member States are very positive about the idea and
the Research Commissioner Philippe Busquin hopes that a
decision on the European Research Council for basic
research would be agreed during the Dutch Presidency
before end of December 2004. 

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