1 / 33

Personnaly speaking

The Specific Programme “Ideas” : The European Research Council (ERC) Monica Dietl European Commission, DG RTD Directorate B/Unit B1 (W.P. Cannell). Personnaly speaking. Outline. Why an ERC? The ERC in the 7th Framework Programme ERC: Structure and organisation Progress in building the ERC.

woods
Download Presentation

Personnaly speaking

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript


  1. The Specific Programme “Ideas” : The European Research Council (ERC)Monica DietlEuropean Commission, DG RTDDirectorate B/Unit B1 (W.P. Cannell) Personnaly speaking

  2. Outline • Why an ERC? • The ERC in the 7th Framework Programme • ERC: Structure and organisation • Progress in building the ERC

  3. Why an ERC? • European added value through Europe- • wide competition • Catalysing the creation of a more • coherent European research system • Making Europe more competitive • Need of funding for Frontier research

  4. 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

  5. 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

  6. 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 start-ups • Knowledge acquisition is a major cultural benefit

  7. 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

  8. 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

  9. 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

  10. FP7 budget (Non-Nuclear)

  11. 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)

  12. 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

  13. 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

  14. 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 )

  15. 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

  16. 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

  17. ERC SC – 22 Founding Members

  18. 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

  19. 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

  20. 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

  21. 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

  22. 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

  23. 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: • ERC Starting Independent Researcher Grant scheme (ERC Starting Grant) • Call for proposals to be published in early 2007 • ERC Advanced Investigator Researcher Grant scheme (ERC Advanced Grant) • Call for proposals at a later stage

  24. 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

  25. Advanced Investigator Researcher Grant • Designed to support excellent investigator-initiated research projects by established investigators • Brought on-stream from year 2 • Complements the SIRG scheme by targeting researchers who are already independent research leaders

  26. 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)

  27. 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

  28. 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….)

  29. 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

  30. Initial structurefor ERC development DG Research (Core Group) Scientific Council B1 unit SC and ERC Development Other responsible departments • Strategy • Communication • Evaluation system and ERC processes • Grants, Finance • Resources ERC political negotiation

  31. 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 multipliersBrussels, 7-9 February 2007, conference aimed at intermediaries and at stakeholders of European research policy • ERC launch conferenceBerlin, 26-28 February 2007, organised with the German EU presidency as high-level conference • European Research Event with Public ExhibitionBrussels, 7-18 March, Political High-Level Event with Presentations and Exhibition on European Research Success Stories

  32. FP7 Timetable

  33. Further information Basic research website: http://europa.eu.int/comm/research/future/basic_research/ A new ERC dedicated website ! http://erc.europa.eu

More Related