Dr. John Marks Director of Science and Strategy Centres of Excellence Meeting, Prague, 24 May

1. Dr. John Marks Director of Science and Strategy Centres of Excellence Meeting, Prague, 24 May

2. The ESF promotes the development of European science at the forefront of knowledge in all disciplines, by bringing together leading scientists and research funding agencies to debate, plan and implement European research

3. ESF Key Characteristics • Multidisciplinary– all disciplines are covered: • Physical and engineering sciences • Life and environmental sciences • Medical sciences • Humanities • Social sciences • High scientific quality– leading scientists and leading funding agencies, ethically sound research practice • Independent voice – independent of governments and interest groups • Flexible decision making – swift, flexible, efficient responses to new developments in open and transparent variable geometry

4. ESF Promotes • Integration of the European research community • Development of a European research agenda in areas of strategic importance • Coordinated European approaches to global programmes • Management of programmes on behalf of the ESF MO’s

5. ESF Member Organisations 76 in 29 Countries: Academies, Granting Agencies, Organisations of Institutes

6. ESF Instruments • Forward Looks • Exploratory Workshops • EUROCORES • EURYI • À la carte Scientific Programmes • COST Actions • Research Conferences • Science Policy Actions

7. ESF Budget • Directly: • General Budget M€ 7,5 • Other funding M€ 12,5 • Indirectly: • EURYI M€ 5,0 • EUROCORES M€ 15,0 • COST M€ 20,0

8. Medium - long term scientific perspectives Multidisciplinary topics viewed from a European level Bring together leading scientists and policy makers Should lead to authoritative reports and action plans for research and infrastructure Systems Biology Cultural Diversity Urban Science Nanomedicine Earth System Science Nanosciences Immigration and Identity Scientific Forward Looks

9. Bring together scientists to exchange ideas, establish new links and develop collaborative actions, spearheading new topics Yearly open call May lead to ESF or other proposals (e.g. FP); position statements 25-30 scientists involved Protein Arrays Ecological-Economic Modelling of Biodiversity New Optics of the Human Eye Microwave Chemistry Environmentally Friendly Composites Re-integration of the Ukraine in Europe Migrants and Human Tissue Donation Exploratory Workshops

10. European Science FoundationCollaborative Research Programmes EUROCORES • Investigator driven, all areas of science • Create European scale and scope in topics where this is needed for excellence • Provide flexible framework for collaboration of national basic research funding bodies • Open and transparent variable geometry • European competition with international peer review • Networking and scientific management funded from M€ 20 EC contract

11. Origin of Man, Language and Languages EuroMARGINS (Ocean Margins) Self Organised Nanostructures European Clinical Trials Dynamic Nuclear Architecture and Chromatin Function EuroCLIMATE Science of Protein Production EuroSTELLS (Stem cells) EuroDIVERSITY European Structural Systems Technologies Genetic Terrestrial and Atmospheric Research European Mineral Sciences Initiative Smart Epidemiology Arteriosclerosis Fundamentals of Nano Electronics Consciousness in a Natural and Cultural Context EUROCORES

12. EUROCORES: Key Figures • Participating organisations 11-23 • Size M€ 10 • Projects submitted 50-70 • Projects funded 16-20 • From idea to call (3) 15-20 months • Call (3) 3 months • Review and ranking (6) 6-12 months • Commitments by POs (1) 5 months • Start projects (1) 1-25 months

13. Bring together substantive research projects carried out by multinational teams Supported by ESF MO’s through á la carte funding Include workshops, summer schools, exchanges, fellowships and dissemination May link to other initiatives, including the EC-FP Core Group of 8-12 scientists Funding of k€90k - k€250 per year for 5 years Impacts of genetically modified plants Integrated Approaches to Functional Genomics Femtochemistry and Femtobiology Noncommutative Geometry Towards Atomistic Materials Design Quantitative methods in Social Sciences ESF Scientific Programmes

14. European Young Investigator Award – EURYI • To stimulate the best young researchers in any field, from all over the world, to pursue their career in Europe • Selection criteria: scientific quality, originality, quality of host institution • Selection by panels of the highest scientific quality • Initiative of 17 EUROHORCs and ESF • 1st Call: 25 grants of 250000 €/yr-5years

15. EURYI Status • 770 applications in national pre-selection • 30 April: 133 applications delivered to ESF • Mid June: pre-selection by 6 panels • Early July: interviews of 60 candidates • 26 July: EUROHORCS decide on 25 grants • 27 August: EUROHORCS award ceremony at the EuroSCIENCE Conference in Stockholm • EC funding for the management of the scheme • 15 September launch 2nd Call • 15 December closing date 2nd Call

16. ESF Research Conferences • High profile framework for scientific debate on frontline topics • Bring together younger and established leaders • Partnerships with others in Europe • ESF World Conferences: Japan, US, China, International Partners • 100-200 participants • Limited number of attractive venues

17. Research Infrastructures • RI studies comprise • analysis of the scientific and technical case • follow up with funding organisations • ESF scientific studies have led to the creation of ESRF and the Social Science Survey

18. Science Policy Activities • ESF Forward Looks • Policy Briefings, e.g. on communication, infectious diseases, animal experiments • NWO-ESF Conference on international cooperation among research funding agencies in Europe, 4-5 November • Active role in the development of the ERC together with EUROHORCS and EC

19. ERC: Where do we stand? • Early 2003: ESF Sykes report • December 2003: Mayor report • January 2004: EC Communication ‘Europe and Basic Research’ • February 2004: EUROHORCS + ESF meet Busquin, resulting an invitation for a partnership on two main issues: • Advice on the implementation of ERC(ompetition) • Development of enhanced coordination and cooperation (ERA - NET plus)

20. The Six Axes of an FP7 • Transnational collaboration • Large Scale Technology Partnerships • European Competition by Individual Teams • Human Resources Development • Research Infrastructures • Coordination of National Programmes

21. European Research Competition • Arms length from EC, governance by scientific community • Scientific excellence as the only criterion • Covering all fields • Proposal assessment through international peer review • Bottom up proposal process, no themes • Grants instead of contracts • Adequate funds, adequate success rate • Transparent and lean structure

22. Enhanced Coordination in the ERAEUROHORCS-ESF ‘Package for Partnership’ • Research Foresights • Science ‘Markets’ • Harmonisation of procedures • Exchange of Information • EuroPAC: Research in Partnership • Creating European Excellence • Funding Commitment by Councils • Bonus EC Funding of Research • Funding for Networking, Coordination, Synthesis and Integration

23. European Science Foundation 1 quai Lezay-Marnésia B.P. 90015 67080 Strasbourg cedex France Tel: +33 (0)3 88 76 71 00 Fax: +33 (0)3 88 37 05 32 Email: communications@esf.org www.esf.org