ERC president cites frontier research importance
In a keynote speech at a public hearing in the European Parliament, ERC President Professor Jean-Pierre Bourguignon has highlighted the success of the European Research Council, citing the ERC as proof that the EU can make a difference.
The presentation, which took place at a meeting of the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE), turned the spotlight on ‘The European Research Area – from Framework Programme 7 to Horizon 2020′.
At the hearing – chaired by ITRE Committee Chair Amalia Sartori – Bourguignon spoke about ‘The ERC under Horizon 2020: Why do we need, and how can we achieve, excellent fundamental and frontier research in Europe?’. He acknowledged the role of the scientific community in initiating the ERC, as well as the subsequent support from national governments, the European Commission and the European Parliament, which he praised for its “brave decision to support basic research”. He also took the occasion to touch on the substantial budget increase the ERC has received for the next seven years, which he said will enable the organisation to develop further.
Bourguignon took stock of the ERC’s strengths and emphasised the recognition received from the scientific community. However, he also pointed to challenges such as gender balance and the geographical distribution of grants. He noted that countries with a less developed research infrastructure still have a good potential for training young top scientists. Calling for “joint efforts across the European scientific community to set up new targets in these countries”, he also underlined the role that structural funds can play to make these countries more competitive at a European level.
Asked about the need to harmonise rules and procedures in research within EU member states, Bourguignon stated that “uniformity is not the answer, compatibility is the key”. He said: “For scientists, political boundaries do not exist – the quality of work is more important than the procedures.”
Also speaking at the session, Professor Emeritus Carlos Salema of the Instituto Superior Técnico of Portugal praised the simplification rules introduced by Horizon 2020, which “will make participation easier and available for less developed member states”. He insisted on the importance of efficiency and said that “excellence should be the decisive [selection] criterion because potential impact is extremely difficult to evaluate”.
