ERC must ditch m¨¦nage ¨¤ trois for new 'friends'

The European Research Council should be reorganised and given more autonomy to end 바카라사이트 sense of a "m¨¦nage ¨¤ trois" involving its governing and executive branches and 바카라사이트 European Commission.

That is 바카라사이트 conclusion of a report, published this week, on how 바카라사이트 council should be structured in 바카라사이트 next European Union funding period, beginning in 2014.

The ERC was set up at 바카라사이트 beginning of 바카라사이트 EU's Seventh Framework Programme in 2007 with a remit to fund basic research.

According to 바카라사이트 ERC task force report, it has "fulfilled and perhaps surpassed 바카라사이트 very high expectations placed upon it by 바카라사이트 research community and political actors".

It also provides a "powerful dynamic for driving up 바카라사이트 quality of 바카라사이트 European research system" by offering a "gold standard" in peer review and by stimulating universities to compete to host an ERC-funded principal investigator.

But 바카라사이트 task force, consisting of representatives from 바카라사이트 council and 바카라사이트 Commission, admits that "sub-optimalities" have resulted from 바카라사이트 overlapping responsibilities of 바카라사이트 Commission and 바카라사이트 ERC's governing and executive branches.

It says that more responsibility for deciding on scientific programmes should be passed from 바카라사이트 Commission to 바카라사이트 ERC's governing science council. It also says that 바카라사이트 council's president should be based in Brussels and spend at least 80 per cent of his or her time on ERC business. The current ERC president, Helga Nowotny, is based in Vienna.

The report suggests that 바카라사이트 Commission relax its "prescriptive approach" to overseeing 바카라사이트 ERC executive agency and minimise bureaucratic demands on researchers, such as timesheets and institutional audits. It also recommends 바카라사이트 creation of a "friends of 바카라사이트 ERC" foundation that could accept philanthropic donations without 바카라사이트 money becoming subject to standard restrictions on EU spending. This would allow donations to be earmarked for specific projects.

Maire Geoghegan-Quinn, commissioner for research, innovation and science, said action would be taken to "get 바카라사이트 ERC on 바카라사이트 best possible footing for 바카라사이트 future".

paul.jump@tsleducation.com.