European farmers do it; so do companies and unions. Now European scientists are doing it, too. Just like other special interest groups who have organized in order to more effectively lobby European Union policymakers, scientists have got together at the grassroots level to make a united plea for improved research conditions.

On Monday (September 27), copies of a petition launched earlier this year by the European Life Scientist Organization (ELSO) were delivered to research ministries of the 25 member nations. The petition, with more than 4000 verified signatures, said the European Union must give more attention "to basic, long-term research, to young scientists, to small networks and individual grants, to innovation and creativity."

Bart de Strooper, from the Department of Human Genetics at the University of Leuven in Belgium and a driving force behind the petition, told The Scientist that researchers must become more involved in shaping political decisions that affect EU research conditions. "Farmers organize and lobby in Brussels," he said. "Businesses organize; labor unions organize. They are in Brussels and can really push for what they want. Scientists need to do the same."

Many European scientists are unhappy with the Sixth Framework Programme, which runs through 2006 and is the main source of centralized funding for research in Europe, de Strooper said. Specifically, those scientists hope to convince EU policymakers to make changes for Seventh Framework Programme, slated to begin in 2007, he said.

The petition, which can be accessed online, makes four major requests: that EU research application procedures are simplified and research grants used rather than contracts; that the EU pressure national governments to open funding to applicants from all EU member nations; that the European Commission propose legislation to increase European investment in research and development to 3% of gross national product; and that a European funding agency for basic research be created independent of the national governments.

De Strooper said that he and two other ELSO members had hoped to hand-deliver the petition in Brussels to the semi-annual meeting of the EU Council of Ministers for Research. "But they had a full schedule on Friday and did not really want humble researchers to come by and talk to them," he said.

De Strooper said a council staff member had suggested ELSO deliver copies of the petition directly to the 25 EU research ministries or to ministry representatives in Brussels. In coming weeks, the petition will also be delivered to a European Parliament research committee, the European Commission, and other EU policymakers, he said.

The petition, which can be signed online until Friday (October 1), had 4433 verified signatures as of Wednesday morning. De Strooper said signers from more than 20 nations signed the petition, led by France, where 20.8% of signers were based. That was followed by Belgium, which accounted for 15.8% of petition signers, Germany at 15.5%, Spain at 9.8%, Italy at 7.2%, and the United Kingdom at 5.7%. Some 1.8% of the signers were based in the United States. The names of verified petition signers and their comments can be viewed online.

De Strooper said delivery of the petition to policymakers is only a first step in the lobbying effort for improvements in the Seventh Framework Programme. "We will continue working on this for at least another year," he said.

Fabio Fabbi, EU Commission spokesman for Research and Development, told The Scientist that EU officials were open to "constructive criticism" from scientists about EU research policy. Fabbi acknowledged that changes could be made to streamline the research application process and to make funding more flexible and transparent.

"Basic research is creative by nature, and some developments cannot be foreseen," Fabbi said. "We do not want to hamper or stifle creativity."

But Fabbi said that even if the process for EU research grants applications is simplified, scientists would still be required to justify their research projects. "At the end of the day, taxpayer money must be spent in the best way," he said. "Some amount of [research funding] administrative paperwork cannot be avoided. People who think they have a good idea for research cannot simply pick up the phone and say: 'Just give me the money.' There has to be some sort of control."