Count cents, and lose brainpower

BUDGET BATTLELINES

The European Union's next research funding programme will not start until 2014, but preparations have already begun and battle lines are being drawn. An expert group will publish a review of the seventh framework programme later this year. This will inform the European Commission's proposals on FP8, which are expected late next year or early in 2012.

A group of European universities has already warned against any “radical” moves to make European research funding contingent on politically defined outputs. In a recent paper, the League of European Research Universities (LERU) argues for a balance between top-down, politically directed funding and bottom-up, science-driven research. “Of course, a researcher needs to be accountable, but if you only invest in directed research you don't get new developments,” says Stijn Delauré, a policy adviser at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven and a co-author of the report.

The group has also criticised another EU funding stream for lacking transparency. The joint programming initiative, a voluntary scheme by EU countries to pool money and expertise on big scientific problems, started last year with a first, big project on Alzheimer's disease. But the universities are concerned that scientists have not been involved enough in choosing project themes. So far, scientists have been involved only after officials chose the priorities for research, says Delauré. Political bodies have, complain the scientists, seized the opportunity to lobby for their special topics to be included, which does not necessarily lead to the best result, according to LERU. The universities propose that panels of scientists and entrepreneurs should define topics, while the Commission acts as a “gatekeeper” to ensure transparent management.