Dr John Smith © EUA
Costs, participation and the brain drain
The European University Association (EUA) is the continent’s largest and most comprehensive university organisation in Europe. The EUA represents 850 members across 47 countries, including the 28 EU member states, and brings forward the interests of individual institutions and the higher education sector as a whole. The alliance has also been a strong vocalist for the continued full reimbursement of costs for universities in the next framework programme.
Horizon 2020 Projects spoke to Dr John Smith, deputy secretary general for research and innovation at EUA, and gathered his thoughts on the framework programme’s agreement that was reached during the summer, members’ thoughts on Horizon 2020 and the methods to best combat the academic brain drain to North America and Asia.
What are your thoughts on the final Horizon 2020 agreement, including the final funding figure, and how have your members reacted?
The shape and content of Horizon 2020 has involved a good level of consultation by the European Commission and European Parliament with the main European stakeholder organisations in which the EUA has played a full and active role. There is a consensus that the replacement for FP7 develops new innovative approaches while preserving the successful elements of previous research framework programmes – a good balance of continuity and change has been achieved.
On the budget, it is obviously less than we had ideally hoped for, but in terms of economic and political realities, it is a satisfactory outcome particularly given the commitment to research and innovation activities as key ‘growth’ components of the MFF to be given priority.
The EUA has previously argued for a full reimbursement of costs during Horizon 2020. Are you and your members satisfied with the final arrangement?
The EUA made a strong case for the continuation and development of full cost reimbursement of research costs on the grounds that financial sustainability of university-based research was an essential component of the university modernisation process and that the FP7 eligible cost model had acted as an important driver in this respect. The Parliament supported this view, but at the end of the day, in the compromise on the final settlement, the ‘full cost option’ did not survive.
The EUA has welcomed from the beginning the important measures proposed for simplification, and time will tell whether the new simplified model for cost re-imbursement works well for universities. The association will monitor whether progress is being made on the promised simplification by collecting experience and views from universities’ participation in Horizon 2020 with a view to bring forward such university experience as input to the mid-term review which will take place no later than the end 2017.
To what extent do you expect an increase in participation of universities in Horizon 2020 compared to FP7?
It is to be expected that university applications to Horizon 2020 will increase, particularly as a result of policy initiatives from national governments encouraging universities to do so (several related to the fact of decreased national research budgets). Hence, the competition is likely to be fiercer than in FP7.
What steps can be taken at supranational level to stem the brain drain from European universities to North America and Asia?
Many of the ERA policy initiatives are designed to address this challenge and their success will depend upon the degree to which EU member states are willing through the current ‘partnership approach,’ or through a future European directive to stem the factors that foster the brain drain, i.e. salary and pension conditions and mobility, open recruitment and competitive salaries across Europe, etc.
For its part, the EUA together with other major European stakeholder organisations representing universities and other research institutions and funding agencies have signed Memoranda of Understanding and Joint Statements with the Commission to foster and promote best practices tackling these issues.
Dr John Smith
