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Swiss scientists, who have enjoyed above-average success so far in the European Union's Sixth Framework Programme (FP6), are taking an active role in the debate about the future direction of European Union research.
Research heads from Switzerland's leading biotech companies met Octavi Quintana-Trias, director of the health section at the European Commission's Research Directorate General, in Basle last week (July 1) to discuss the strategic research priorities for the EU's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7), which is due to start at the end of 2006 and to run until 2010.
Sacra Tomisawa-Schumacher from the Swiss Ministry for Education and Science told The Scientist that the meeting was well attended. "Researchers from companies such as Novartis and Roche came to discuss how to increase the biotech industry's participation in the EU future research programs. This is positive because there has been a disappointingly low interest from the Swiss biotech industry so far," she said.
Hans Peter Hertig, secretary general of the Swiss National Science Foundation, the main funding body for university research in Switzerland, told The Scientist that the Swiss scientific community was eager to strengthen its participation in the next research program.
An agreement allowing Swiss scientists to participate in FP6 on the same terms and conditions as project partners in EU member states came into effect in January 2004. Projects with Swiss participation had a higher success rate than the average for 15 EU member states in the first round of funding.
"Researchers in Switzerland have always been very active in European research, but now that we have the same status as European Union members, there is an even greater interest," Hertig said.
"We would like to see the biosciences, biotechnology, and nanotechnology become research priorities in FP7. We would also like to see more funding for the social sciences that deal with ethical and other issues raised by the new sciences," Hertig said.
Hertig also welcomed plans to give more weight to basic science in FP7, and in particular, to create a European Research Council to fund basic science. "If Europe wants to catch up with the USA, then we will need to invest more in basic science," he said.
The meetings among Swiss scientists come as the European Commission launches a 3-month debate on the direction of research in the Europe Union before presenting a formal draft proposal for FP7 in January 2005.
The new emphasis on dialogue coincides with a report that fiercely criticized the European Commission for failing to listen to scientists when it developed and implemented FP6.
FP6, with a budget of €17.5 billion (USD $21.7 billion), is the European Union's main instrument for funding science and research.
"The most important insight to come out of the study is that we must get more in line with what the scientific community is willing and able to do," said Ramon Marimon, the head of the panel that evaluated FP6.
Achilleas Mitsos, director general of the European Commission's Research Directorate General, said that the scientific community and industry needed to have a greater say in the research agenda of the European Union in future.
Dan Andree, the Swedish government representative at the European Co-operation in the field of Scientific and Technical Research, told The Scientist that the EU wanted to encourage industry to participate as much as possible in the FP7. "We hope that more effective and simpler funding instruments, such as technology platforms, will encourage industry, also the Swiss biotech industry, to get more involved in FP7," he said.
References
| 1. | | [http://www.bbw.admin.ch/html/pages/presse/2004/pm-01-07-2004-d.pdf]
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| | | European Research in health: Meeting with the Swiss pharmaceutical and biotech industry
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| | | Swiss National Science Foundation
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| | | S. Pincock, "EU proposes science shake-up," The Scientist, June 16, 2004.
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| | | "Mid-term evaluation of FP6 instruments praises ambition, but sees room for improvement on implementation," Sixth Framework Programme press release, July 5, 2004.
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| 5. | | [http://dbs.cordis.lu/fep-cgi/srchidadb?CALLER=FP6_NEWS&ACTION=D&SESSION=&RCN=EN_RCN_ID:22265]
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| | | "Mitsos looks forward to key debates on the future of EU research policy," Sixth Framework Programme press release, July 1, 2004.
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