english french german greek italian lithuanian russian serbian spanish
Home arrow newsitems arrow Strasbourg's European Science Foundation a key for EU Research "Joint" Programs ?

Strasbourg's European Science Foundation a key for EU Research "Joint" Programs ?

Автор ACM
Thursday, 12 March 2009
ejp_esf_400

A new role by Strasbourg-based "European Science Foundation" (ESF)'s can become key for Research funding in the EU in future, sooner than expected, revealed a Hearing on "Joint Research Programming" organized at EU Parliament by the Chairwoman of the EP Committee on Industry, Telecom, Research and Energy, German MEP Angelika Niebler.

aniebler

Despite the growing importance of Innovation in Global competition, RST funding in the EU rather "decreased" during the last 6 Years, except in a few Memer Countries, such as Esthonia (No 1 among the 27 in RST funds' growth). Added to the fact that EU already used to spend comparatively less than its main competitors in RST, is new US President Obama's Economic Stimulus Plan which reserves, out of 700 Billions $ in total, more than 10 Billions $ in RST.

Europe can only meet today's challenges if it succeeds to mobilize and coordinate together its National Research Programs, since 85 % of RST Public Funding in the EU is made through National channels.

"Joint programming (by grouped EU Member States) could become at least as important as the (EU's) Framework programme", stressed EU Commissioner for Research, Jan Potocnik, who launched since the 2nd half of 2008 a call "towards Joint Programming in Research" (JPR) as a New European method of "working together to tackle common challenges more effectively", echoeing several appeals from EU Council and Parliament.

As Institutional tool, EU Treaty's Article 169 allows EU Commission to participate in Research programms jointly decided y many EU Memer States, if EU Parliament approves it. Coordination is obviously needed to establish a coherent approach with cross-border results.

But the right instruments have yet to be developed in Europe, as indicated the presence of representatives from EU Commission's, the Economic and Social Committee,  and of a "High Level Group" on Joint Programming, etc. in Strasourg's EU Parliament's hearing.
 
esf_strategic_plan_400 

In this relation, Strasbourg-based "European Science Foundation' (ESF)'s recent Strategy, after some 35 Years of Experience, to shift the focus from EU Research (closely followed in the Past, f.ex. via EU Parliament's Rapporteur Linkohr, etc), towards fostering a common overall view and Networking among EU Member States' National Research Programms, to advance RST and explore New directions at European level, fits well the new trend. But today, this is currently accentuated and accelerated by the urgent need to find efficient replies to the Economic Crisis, able to guarantee also the Future, mainly through Innovation.

Significantly, the key-Expert who introduced at EU Parliament's Hearing was a Professor of Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic (the 2009 EU Chair), who is, at the same time, a long-time member of Strasbourg's ESF...

Original features of JRP is that funding sources are always Public, between EU Member States, without being obligatory, and that it doesn't necessarily need participation of all 27 EU Member States, while remaining "open" to all those willing to join.

Identifying jointly agreed Priorities among a wide spectrum of RST areas, is obviously a key issue, as already indicated the presence, at EU Parliament's Hearing, f.ex.  of an "Alzheimer JP pilot", and of the "Advisory Council for Aeronautics research in Europe" (ACARE), etc.

ESF's latest "Strategic Plan", a precious overall view on all RST projects' areas in Europe, regroups most of them inside large Bio-Science and Earth-Science poles (including International Law, Aero-Space, etc). 

Indicating the currently growing importance of the latter, ESF has just chosen as its new Director of Science and Strategy Development, Dr. Marc Heppener (Dutch) from the European Space Agency (ESA).

esg_heppener

Heppener's most urgent tasks include the preparation of ESF's New overall Strategic Plan for 2011-1015, to update the current tool which ends in one year (2010).

Experienced at the "interplay between Science and Politics" at an European/International level,  ESF's new Strategy Development Director wants to stimulate "joint use of the Financial and Political clout" of ESF's 80 Member Organizations from 30 Countries, in order to "contribute strongly to the overall European research potential".

However, a current Geo-Political Problem for ESF is that, curiously, while it includes not only EU and EFTA Countries, (Norway, Switzerland, Iceland), but even Turkey, on the contrary, it doesn't yet include European Countries such as Latvia and Malta (EU Members), Serbia and Ukraine (important for several Technologies), nor Georgia, Moldova, Armenia, etc. Furthermore, opposite to earlier trends, it also doesn't include Russia.

This obviously unbalanced situation might either incite the ESF to review its structure's core, or give the focus to EU's European Research Council (ERC) and various other EU satellite bodies to activate  and boost Joint Programming in the European Research Area (ERA).



european sme week (since 2009)

Statistics

Посетителей: 55536394

Archive

Login Form





Запомнить меня

Забыли пароль?
Ещё не зарегистрированы? Регистрация

Syndicate

RSS 0.91
RSS 1.0
RSS 2.0
ATOM 0.3
OPML

Other Menu

Sarkozy stimulated by Irish "No" challenge : - "It's a call to change and build Europe otherwise. Not later, but now. It won't be easy, but it's fascinating !"

-------------------

* Paris, Elysee, June 14, 2008.

Forthcoming EU Chairman, French President Nikolas Sarkozy, created a surprise by declaring that the challenge of the Irish "No" to the EU Treaty, stimulates his belief that we must immediately change the way Europe is built.

A difficult but fascinating task, that he intends to accomplish in the next 6 Months, during which he will analyse developments 3 times to EU Parliament in Strasbourg, on July, October and December 2008.

But Agenda obliged to give a first reply to Questions raised by the Irish Referendum, on the sidelines of a Press Conference with USA President GWBush, in Paris' Elysee palace, Saturday :

dsc00883._400

Sarkozy's reply was twofold :

First, the Franco-German position is that EU must make sure "that the Irish Incident does not become a Crisis". Ratification must continue, after 18 EU Member States, also to the rest, as UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown promised.

But, pointing at deeper causes, Sarkozy also criticized bureaucratic "sabotage" of Europe's "founding fathers" original dream. The move reminded his Historic February and July 2007 speaches in Strasbourg on Europe's future, joining criticism to a call for EU's Renaissance, which now became urgent :

(../..)

Polls

2009 EU Elections were won by Parties against Technocracy and Turkey's controversial EU bid, while the 1999-2004 Majority Abstention trend decelerated. What should be done in 2009-2014 ?

Результаты

SMF Recent Topics SA

Copyright (c) 2007-2009 EIW/SENAS - EuroFora.net. All rights reserved. ISSN 1969-6361.
Powered by Elxis - Open Source CMS.