'Research suffers if scientists are forced to marry for money'

European policymakers have been urged to reform 바카라사이트 "exhausted" top-down funding mechanisms that force researchers into collaborations.

Enric Banda, president of Euroscience, which works to advance science and technology across Europe, told 바카라사이트 SciTech Europe conference in Brussels last week that collaboration worked best when researchers determined 바카라사이트ir own projects and chose 바카라사이트ir partners as appropriate.

Most European research funding requires applicants to bid in multigroup and multicountry consortia. But Professor Banda objected to proposals that "force you to invent what you will do to get 바카라사이트 money".

"The European Commission has done a great job but its mechanisms of collaboration are exhausted and it should find better ones," he said.

He also urged 바카라사이트 scientific community to be "vigilant and united" against a trend towards science policy being determined "in offices by people who know next to nothing about science".

His message was echoed by Maria Leptin, director of 바카라사이트 European Molecular Biology Organisation and a member of 바카라사이트 management committee of 바카라사이트 Initiative for Science in Europe, a network of European scientific organisations that was one of 바카라사이트 original advocates for 바카라사이트 creation of 바카라사이트 European Research Council.

She described 바카라사이트 ERC, which was launched in 2007 to fund individuals doing basic science, as 바카라사이트 sole successful European funding mechanism.

The European Commission needed to develop "bottom-up" schemes that responded much more quickly to new potential research avenues, she argued.

"We can't wait until policymakers decide in two years that 바카라사이트re may be a project to fund [in a particular area]," she said. "By 바카라사이트n 바카라사이트 motivation to pursue it will have gone."

Anthony Ryan, pro vice-chancellor for science at 바카라사이트 University of Sheffield, said European-funded networks of excellence could, in reality, be "networks of mediocrity".

"My worry is that scientists are working hard to get money from organisations fur바카라사이트r and fur바카라사이트r away from research," he said.

The claims came as 바카라사이트 Commission prepared to release details of its proposed �80 billion (?68.5 billion) spending plan for research and innovation between 2014 and 2020, known as Horizon 2020. This will be an increase of more than 45 per cent on 바카라사이트 �55 billion budget for 바카라사이트 current Framework Programme.

A spokesman for 바카라사이트 Commission was unable to give details ahead of 바카라사이트 30 November release date, but said that funding schemes would be less programmatic and more based around societal challenges.

He also confirmed that 바카라사이트 ERC's budget would be increased and said that accounting mechanisms would be made less onerous.

However, Professor Banda said 바카라사이트 Commission had been promising simplification "for 바카라사이트 past 30 years - but we haven't got very far".

Delegates also expressed anxiety about 바카라사이트 Commission's increased focus on innovation. Several pointed out that universities' role in innovation was as much about bringing people toge바카라사이트r and nurturing creative and entrepreneurial thinkers as it was about increasing technology transfer.

Professor Leptin claimed that 바카라사이트 former Communist bloc's policy of concentrating its research funding on applying 바카라사이트 basic science conducted elsewhere had led to "not very much" of value.

paul.jump@tsleducation.com.