Europese Onderzoeksraad: vraag en antwoord (en)

MEMO/09/476

Brussels, 22 October 2009

Q&A: Commission takes steps to ensure European Research Council's long term success

What is the ERC?

Launched in February 2007, the European Research Council (ERC) is the first European funding organization to support investigator-driven frontier research. It was set up under the EU's Seventh Framework programme's “Ideas” specific programme with a budget of 7.5 bn Euros for 7 years (2007-2013).

Its main aim is to stimulate scientific excellence by supporting the very best, creative researchers undertaking pioneering high-risk/high-gain research. They are encouraged to go beyond established frontiers of knowledge and the boundaries of disciplines.

With t he ERC, the Commission aims to have a wider impact on research in Europe than simply funding research. In the long term, it should substantially strengthen and shape the European research system by providing up-to-date information on who is succeeding and why, increasing visibility of pioneering research and setting international benchmarks for excellent researchers and research organisations. This will help universities and other research institutions gauge their performance and encourage them to develop better strategies to establish themselves as more effective global players. Ultimately, the ERC aims to make the European research base more prepared to respond to the needs of a knowledge-based society. It should provide Europe with the capabilities in frontier research necessary to meet global challenges, make the EU more attractive to researchers and companies and sustain its global competitiveness.

What did the ERC achieve so far?

Since the beginning of 2007, and thus after only two and a half years of operations, some 800 outstanding frontier research projects led by top researchers in Europe - both senior researchers and those at the early-career stage - have been selected for funding. Of these, nearly 600 grant agreements have been signed for a total of 900 million Euros. The ERC fills a real gap on the European research scene and has to date received more than 15 000 applications for grants. The peer review process set up by the ERC has involved, so far, some 80 panels, 800 panel members and 2 000 peer reviewers.

What is the current governance and administrative structure of the ERC?

The ERC is built on a "triangle" structure:

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  The Scientific Council defines the scientific strategy and methodologies and the yearly programme. It is the ERC’s independent governing body and consists of 22 eminent scientists and scholars, who act on behalf of the scientific community in Europe to promote creativity and innovative research. It directs the scientific strategy and establishes methodologies and procedures for the peer review evaluation of proposals as well as the scientific reporting and monitoring. This structure guarantees that the ERC's strategy and evaluation processes are free of political influence and only governed by purely scientific considerations.
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  The Executive Agency implements the strategy and manages the ERC activities . This Executive Agency gained administrative autonomy from the European Commission on 15 July 2009. The recent autonomy will provide a unique entry point which will contribute to a more effective delivery of the programme.
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  The European Commission provides the funding budget through the FP7 “Ideas” programme and guarantees the ERC’s integrity and autonomy in its operations. Ultimately, the Commission remains politically and financially responsible and accountable for the implementation of the ERC operations to the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers .

Why does the Commission make such short-term and longer-term proposals?

The Commission is committed to the ERC being a “learning organisation” with a culture of excellence; up to now it has been highly successful but, as the independent review and our own assessments pointed out, to make this success sustainable, improvements and refinements are needed in the way it operates. So me adjustments and improvements to the operating conditions of the ERC can be implemented immediately or on the short term within the current existing financial and administrative regime. For instance, the appointment of a Director for the ERC Executive Agency, who will combine recognized scientific competencies with a robust administrative and managerial experience, will be done in the coming months. Other improvements require more substantial changes in the regulatory framework: including the EU's Financial Regulation which applies to any expenditure from the Community budget. This will have to be decided in accordance with the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers , within a broader reflection on the rules applied for research and innovation funding instruments. Thus, the European Commission has agreed on a two-step roadmap of measures to pave the way for the ERC to become a world-class frontier research funding organisation.

What are the current financial and administrative rules that are referred to? Why do they have to be modified?

The implementation of the EU budget by the European Institutions and any other EU body is ruled by the Financial Regulation and its Implementing Rules, which define how EU budget can be spent and for what purposes. On a regular basis (every three years) the Financial Regulation – which is adopted by the Council of Ministers, and, when the Lisbon Treaty enters into force, also by the European Parliament, is subject to a review.

Some recommendations of the ERC review panel, such as the funding of research proposals in the form of lump sums, cannot be implemented under the current regime defined by the Financial Regulation.

The upcoming review of the Financial Regulation (which starts with a proposal by the Commission) will enable a broader and substantial debate with the European Parliament and Council of Ministers on the regulatory framework for research and technological development in general, including ERC-funded frontier research.

What did the Commission already do to improve the administrative procedure?

Immediately after the ERC was launched in February 2007, the first call for proposals was announced. An ambitious and committed start of any new organisation is nevertheless likely to come with teething problems. Some weaknesses existed at the outset as certain processes had to be established and refined. These were addressed as soon as possible. For instance, new arrangements to assure quick processing of reimbursements for peer review experts, so that they can be paid within a target period of 3 weeks agreed with the Scientific Council, have been put in place. The ERC is giving priority to overseas experts, who can now be reimbursed in only 7 days. It should be remembered that the ERC not only started immediately to operate as a new funding programme, having to cope with a massive demand to its first grant competition, but also to establish a completely new organisational structure, including recruitment of staff, procurement of buildings and equipment, etc.

Further improvements and simplification of procedures, in line with the recommendations of the independent review, are already under way.

When will the positions of Director and Secretary-General be merged?

The Commission has decided immediately to publish a vacancy notice for the post of the ERC Executive Agency Director with the profile of a distinguished scientist with robust administrative and managerial experience and with the involvement of the Scientific Council in the selection process. Following the successful appointment of the Director with such a profile, and with the prior agreement of the Scientific Council, it is anticipated that the post of the ERC Secretary General would not be maintained, taking into account the term of the incumbent.

What about the proposal to change the model of the structure?

The independent review has confirmed that the Executive Agency is an appropriate basis for implementing the ERC, albeit that improvements are needed. The Scientific Council has also endorsed the conclusions of the review. Thus, there is a consensus that the Executive Agency model can be further improved and adapted to the requirements of the ERC, which should be a "learning organization". If the envisaged changes do not bring about the improvements sought, the possibility to explore a move to an Art. 171 structure in the future remains.

See also IP/09/1570