Transcript Supporting the cooperation and coordination of research

The Specific Programme
“Ideas” : The European
Research Council (ERC)
Monica Dietl
European Commission, DG RTD
Directorate B/Unit B1 (W.P. Cannell)
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Outline
 Why an ERC?
 The ERC in the 7th Framework Programme
 ERC: Structure and organisation
 Progress in building the ERC
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Why an ERC?
• European added value through Europewide competition
• Catalysing the creation of a more
coherent European research system
• Making Europe more competitive
• Need of funding for Frontier research
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European added value through
Europe-wide competition
 Encouraging and supporting the finest talent:
scientists are ambitious and competition for
big rewards will always “raise the game”
 Selecting the most promising research
areas, by pushing groups to the edge of
current possibilities
 Giving European and international visibility to
research leaders
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Catalysing the creation of a more
efficient European research system
 Bottom-up competition promotes the re-configuration
of research activities to meet the new opportunities
and challenges, often across disciplinary boundaries
 Individual countries need external benchmarks
 National research systems learn from European
competition
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Making Europe more competitive
 High quality frontier research stimulates early-stage
industrial investment
 Europe’s universities and research organisations must
stay at the forefront of knowledge
 Discoveries lead to Intellectual Propperty and to startups
 Knowledge acquisition is a major cultural benefit
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Need for Frontier research
 Research at the frontiers is an intrinsically risky
venture
 it is characterised by an absence of disciplinary
boundaries
 We need to avoid outmoded distinctions:
 Between “basic” and “applied” research
 Between “science” and “technology”
 Between “traditional” disciplines
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The ERC in FP7
 Cooperation - thematic research areas
 Ideas - frontier research (ERC)
 People - human resources
 Capacities:
Infrastructures
SMEs
Regions of knowledge
Research potential
Science in society
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What’s new in FP7 ?
•
•
•
•
Substantial annual budget increase
Frontier research (~ EUR 1 billion per year)
Joint Technology Initiatives (JTI)
A Risk-Sharing Finance Facility (loan finance
EIB)
• Regions Knowledge (regional RTD driven
clusters)
• Logistical and administrative tasks transferred
to external structures
• Duration of 7 years
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FP7 budget (Non-Nuclear)
Capacities
8.5%
JRC
3.4%
Cooperation
63.9%
People
9.4%
Ideas
14.8%
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Specific programme “Ideas”:
Innovations compared with
“standard” FP programmes
Support to individual teams !
 Investigator-driven frontier research
 All areas of science and technology
 Simplified grant
 100% reimbursement
 Independent scientific governance
(Scientific Council)
 Dedicated implementation structure
(Executive Agency)
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FP7 negotiations: state of play

Competitiveness Council of 28 November 2005
arrived at a consensus on ERC (including a
review of implementing structure by 2010)

Competitiveness Council of 13 March 2006
global consensus on SP Ideas, no decision

Parliament amendments FP7 - 15th March 2006
(Buzek report); SP Ideas – 4 May 2006 (Niebler
report)

FP7 budget following financial perspectives of
the EU budget
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ERC Implementation requirements
 Autonomous (independent of political interest)
 Efficient (low bureaucracy)
 With necessary financial means (at programme
and project level)
But also….
 Accountable (scientific, financial)
 Appropriate European Structure
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ERC Structure and Organisation
 Scientific Council (SC)
 Dedicated implementation structure (DIS)
(may be Executive Agency)
Possibility of different structure after review
(f.ex. Article 171 )
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ERC Scientific Council
 High level scientists reflecting the full scope of
European research, nominated by Commission
decision
 Role:
 Establish overall scientific strategy, preparation of work
programmes (including calls for proposals, detailed
criteria of excellence, …)
 Define peer review methodology; ensure selection and
accreditation of experts
 Monitor quality of operations and evaluate programme
implementation
 Assure communication with the scientific community
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ERC Scientific Council
 Founding members were announced on 18 July 2005
following an independent identification procedure
 Working in advance of the FP7 decision in the
development phase of the ERC (already 2 meetings)
 22 Members
 Chair: Fotis Kafatos
 Vice Chairs:
Helga Nowotny
Daniel Estève
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ERC SC – 22 Founding Members
Dr. Claudio BORDIGNON (IT)
Prof. Maria Teresa V.T. LAGO (PT)
Prof. Manuel CASTELLS (ES)
Dr. Oscar MARIN PARRA (ES)
Prof. Dr. Paul J. CRUTZEN (NL)
Prof Robert MAY (UK)
Prof. Mathias DEWATRIPONT (BE)
Prof. Helga NOWOTNY (AT)
Dr. Daniel ESTEVE (FR)
Prof. Christiane NÜSSLEINVOLHARD (DE)
Prof. Pavel EXNER (CZ)
Prof. Dr. Hans-Joachim FREUND (DE)
Prof. Wendy HALL (UK)
Prof. Dr. Car l- Henrik HELDIN (SE)
Dr. Leena PELTONEN-PALOTIE
(FI)
Prof. Alain PEYRAUBE (FR)
Prof. Dr. Fotis C. KAFATOS (GR)
Dr. Jens R. ROSTRUP-NIELSEN
(DK)
Prof. Dr. Michal KLEIBER (PL)
Prof. Salvatore SETTIS (IT)
Prof. Norbert KROO (HU)
Prof. Dr.med. Rolf M.
ZINKERNAGEL (CH)
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ERC Dedicated Implementation
Structure (DIS)
 Execute work programme as established by the
Scientific Council
 Implement calls for proposals (information and
support to applicants; proposal reception/eligibility
check; etc.)
 Organise peer review evaluation
 Establish grant agreements, transfer funds
 Administer scientific and financial aspects and
follow-up of grant agreements
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The European Commission’s duties
 Guarantor of the autonomy and integrity of the ERC
 Ensure that implementation follows principles of
autonomy
 Adopt work programme as established by the Scientific
Council
 “Double lock” by the Programme Committee
 Provide annual report on ERC operations to Council
and European Parliament
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Progress in building the ERC






Individual team
Frontier research grant
Peer review process (SC)
Work programme (SC)
Preparation of the DIS
Follow-up of political process: Timetable
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Individual team
 The Principal Investigator (the ‘team leader’) has
 power to assemble his/her research group
 freedom to choose the research topic.
 Individual teams should consist of a grouping of
researchers which meets the needs of the project,
without “artificial” administrative constraints; thus
members may be drawn from one or several legal
entities, from either within or across national
boundaries, including third countries
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Frontier Research Grant:
Key principles
An investment in research and research leaders
 Support for investigator-driven research
projects implemented by individual teams
 Attractive (budget size, duration and
conditions, including 100% reimbursement)
 Administratively simple
 Flexible in application
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Work programme:
ERC Launch Strategy
The Scientific Council has made good progress in its
first meetings regarding the ERC launch strategy
Two streams of activity are foreseen:
1. ERC Starting Independent Researcher Grant
scheme (ERC Starting Grant)
Call for proposals to be published in early
2007
2. ERC Advanced Investigator Researcher Grant
scheme (ERC Advanced Grant)
Call for proposals at a later stage
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Starting independent
researcher grant
 first call at start of FP7
 designed to support researchers at the
stage of starting their first independent
research team
 continued throughout the life of the
framework programme
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Advanced Investigator
Researcher Grant
 Designed to support excellent investigatorinitiated research projects by established
investigators
 Brought on-stream from year 2
 Complements the SIRG scheme by
targeting researchers who are already
independent research leaders
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Peer review process
 Peer Review Evaluation
Approx. 15 high level panels (~10 members)
Multidisciplinary projects encouraged (appraised
by all appropriate panels)
Possibly have ScC member as observer on each
panel
 Evaluation Criteria
Excellence of project
Potential of people (research excellence,
achievements, publications)
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Funding Streams principles:
ERC Starting Grant and ERC Advanced Grant
- Operating on a bottom-up basis
- Not duplicating other FP7 activities
- Two-step procedure
- 100 k€ - 400 k€ for up to 5 years
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Ongoing actions to build the
ERC : Preparation of the DIS
Under the guidance of the ScC:
 Definition of scientific strategy (in particular for ERC
launch and first calls)
 Development of the systems and processes for the
DIS (call/evaluation methods, grant agreement…)
 Building awareness of ERC and its early strategy
And in parallel:
 Continuation/completion of political negotiation
(FP7, “ideas” programme)
 Development of the legal and operational basis for
the Agency
 Building the “operational capability” of the DIS
(recruitment of personnel, infrastructure….)
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Implementation
Roadmap
Preparatory work defined by eventual “functional
components” of ERC, under the direction of a
“Core Group”:
 Strategy and Planning
 Communications and external interfaces
 Evaluation
 Grants and Finance
 Resources
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Initial structure
for ERC development
DG Research
(Core Group)
B1 unit
SC and ERC Development
Scientific
Council
• Strategy
• Communication
• Evaluation system
and ERC processes
Other
responsible
departments
• Grants, Finance
• Resources
ERC political negotiation
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European Events
with ERC participation
 Euroscience Open Forum (ESOF2006):
Munich, 15-19 July 2006, Discussion forum on the European Research Council with
the participation of Prof Kafatos
 FP7 launch event for information multipliers
Brussels, 7-9 February 2007, conference aimed at intermediaries and at
stakeholders of European research policy
 ERC launch conference
Berlin, 26-28 February 2007, organised with the German EU presidency as highlevel conference
 European Research Event with Public Exhibition
Brussels, 7-18 March, Political High-Level Event with Presentations and Exhibition
on European Research Success Stories
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FP7 Timetable
6 April 2005
Commission’s proposal
21 September 2005
Specific programmes’ proposal
Nov 2005
FP7 partial agreement at Council
23 December 2005
Rules for the participation
June 2006?
FP7 plenary vote at EP
July 2006?
Council and EP common position
July 2006?
September 2006?
Oct 2006 ?
Nov 2006 ?
Dec 2006?
Dec 2006?
December ?
Fev 8-9, 2007
March 7-18, 2007
Council – political agreement SPs
EP starts 2nd reading
Commission – adoption of WPs
Council Decision
Adoption of FP7
First calls for proposals
Launch Conference Multipliers
Symposium on Science
Public exhibition on EU research
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Further information
Basic research website:
http://europa.eu.int/comm/research/future/basic_research/
A new ERC dedicated website !
http://erc.europa.eu
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