Scientists’ appeal for basic research in Europe

Forty-four European organisations representing several hundred thousand researchers in all scientific disciplines are calling on research ministers to establish a European Research Council (ERC) with a budget that corresponds to socio-economic expectations. 

As an increase in the EU’s research budget seems increasingly unlikely, the Initiative for Science in Europe (ISE), a European platform of scientific organisations promoting support for basic research at European level has signed an appeal calling on the Council and the Parliament to guarantee a yearly budget of 1.5-2 billion euros to the European Research Council (ERC) to ensure its expected impact as per the Lisbon Agenda. 

The scientists’ appeal states that “Europe has suffered from creating a contradiction between funding the science base and financing targeted research, and left the first to national prerogatives. We need both frontier research and targeted research, as there is no application without a discovery. A euro spent on frontier research will trigger multiple euros spent by industry.”

The informal Competitiveness Council of 11 July 2005 discussed the recommendations of the ‘identification committee for the ERC governing body‘. 

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