Transcript Prezentacja programu PowerPoint

Polish Physical Society, General Assembly, IPSEC V
Warsaw, 12 Sept 2005
Frontier research
a chance and a must
On the way
to the ERC
Jerzy M. Langer
Ministry of Science and Information Society Technologies
and
Inst. Phys., Polish Academy of Sciences
Students in Poland
a demographic projection
4
3
2,5
2
1,5
1
0,5
19 - 23 YEAR OLD
YEAR
STUDENTS
2019
2017
2015
2013
2011
2009
2007
2005
2003
2001
1999
1997
1995
0
1993
POPULATION (mln)
3,5
Why talented people go to basic
research and stay there?
Curiosity & internal must
(a sense of a mission)
Endless frontier
Joy of discovery
amplified even after a small success
Sense of freedom and uniqueness
(membership to a better part of a society)
Fame and recognition
(less anonymity than on the applied side –
everybody knows who invented transistor, but almost
nobody can list, names of those who made transistors real
purchasable devices)
Specificity of basic research


BR is generally done by small groups of researchers
and very often in a solitude.
The research environment
- a critical mass
- need to exchange and confront views
(dedicated meetings and workshops)
- quality research laboratories
Usefulness of „basic science”
Aaron Klug, 1982
People often ask what is the use of it. In a world
where there are pressing problems, why doesn’t one
devote one’s efforts to the practical benefits of
mankind?
I need only recall the answer of the great Michael Faraday,
when at a public lecture he was demonstrating the
production of electricity.
- “Of what use is your invention, Mr. Faraday?”
demanded an important lady.
-“Madam”, he replied, “of what use is a new born
child?”
Where researchers work (%)
univ.
gov.
80
60
40
20
ze lan
ch d
R
H ep
un
ga
Sl ry
ov
ak
Fr ia
an
ce
Ita
ly
Sp
D ain
en
m
ar
k
U
SA
Ja
pa
n
0
C
Po
% of all res.
100
Source – EC Key Figures 2003-2004
BERD
BR
ze lan
ch d
R
H ep
un
ga
Sl ry
ov
ak
Fr ia
an
ce
Ita
ly
Sp
D ain
en
m
ar
k
U
SA
Ja
pa
n
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
C
Po
% of GERD
Financing basic research (2001)
Source – EC Key Figures 2003-2004
Is there a need for a new
initiative at European level? ?
YES
Support of basic research in EU
opinion of scientists

45 Nobel laureates – an appeal

European Science Foundation

Euroscience

ALLEA

Academia Europea

EMBO, EMBL

EURAB

ERC – Expert Group (a Mayor group)
ESF position paper
ERCEG position paper
The ERC – a cornerstone in ERA
The suggested target of
2 Billion Euros a year
for the funding level will give
the ERC the desired impact.
The total national funding of
national research agencies in
Europe is estimated to be in the
order of € 40 bn per year.
EC Communication on BR
Frontier Research: The European Challenge
High-Level Expert Group Report
February 2005
European Challenges


Reinforcing excellence, especially in new, fastgrowing research areas.
Staying ahead in a world of growing scientific and
technological competition.

Linking science to technological innovation.

Competing for talent.

Encouraging greater investment.
The European added value
High-Level Expert Group Report, February 2005
Encourage and support the finest talent: Open and direct competition will heighten the
aspirations and achievements of European researchers, enabling the best talents and ideas to be
reliably recognised from a larger pool, and thus raising the overall level of excellence in frontier
research.
Speed, agility and focus: ERC will be able to support the best ideas in frontier research,
channel resources, and capitalise on the unique diversity of European research talent with a speed,
agility and focus not always possible within some national funding systems.
Status and visibility for research leaders: The ERC can confer status and visibility on
European frontier research and the best researchers and their teams,.
Dynamic structural effects on European research system: The ERC can catalyse
the adaptation of national research structures to the evolving European Research Area.
Economic benefits: The availability of new knowledge and the expanded, higher-quality pool of
talented researchers funded by ERC can help to attract and retain more R&D-intensive firms in
Europe, and to create a greater impetus for the establishment of research-based spin-offs.
Societal benefits: The ERC can provide the opportunity to invest quickly in the knowledge base
necessary to cope with the new and emerging issues confronting society.
The ERC – general principles






Bring a European context to the support of long-term,
fundamental, curiosity-driven research.
Focus on excellence as the basis for its funding decisions
Competitive decision process with scientific community
involved at all stages, including final decisions.
Significant degree of operational freedom, simplicity of
procedures and transparency.
Financially meaningful budget.
Complementarity, and not competition with other major
financial sources
The ERC – for whom and how?

Address exclusively the top level of researchers in
Europe (groups but also individuals).

Age and origin must not be used as a criterion

All granting procedures must be highly competitive.

It will help create benchmarks.
Support only the best individuals and
groups, so that they can become
even better.
Successful EU actions
FP 6

Marie Curie awards

FET

NEST

Infrastructure support

EURESCO Conferences

Forward looks

EUROCORES

EURYI (EUROHORC initiative)
Why then basic research is great
chance in NMS?

There we are strongest.

It is fairly inexpensive.

Strongest
Physics, Mathematics, Chemistry,
Astrophysics
It is a landmark
of Polish „ivy league” of higher education
and thus helps to train open minds.
Medium

Biology, Earth Sciences, Medicine,
some
Engineering
Sciences.
A distance from
science-driven
research
to applied is
much smaller if a first step is at the highest level.
Lagging
most Engineering Sciences, Ecology.

There will be a lot of resources in Europe, so we must
get prepared
to compete,
and quickly.
Strong
nationally
Archaeology,
Literature studies
Sociology, History
CITATION INTENSITY
Science performance
vs. country economy
GDP PER PERSON IN THOUSANDS US DOLLARS
King D.A. (2004) Nature 430, 311-316
Polish position regarding FP7
15125/04 RECH
Poland strongly supports the proposed inclusion of
basic research in FP7 and the earmarking of
separate financial means for that purpose.
Recognising a fundamental role of basic research
for any progress of science, Poland fully endorses
the proposed establishment of the European
Research Council.
BR in FP7 - beyond the ERC
Research programmes – GRANTS NOT CONTRACTS !

Individual researcher support – grants, mobility schemes
(no age restriction)

Research networking – when justified

Meeting and workshops

Research infrastructure – directly or via cohesion or
structural funds (in less developed regions)

Dissemination of science information – link to the public

Research policy, benchmarking, foresight
ERC – the hope

Great expectations

Great challenge

However the ERC will not solve all problems

But ERC will contribute to the solution of
many problems and issues

We must not only advocate for the ERC, but
we all have to work for its success.