Personnaly speaking

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