Decisive day for European research.

A crucial day for the future of European research will be 26 November 2004. The European Council of Ministers (ECM), representing the 25 member states of the European Union (EU), will discuss whether and how the EU will support basic research in the years to come. Ultimately, the question of whether to establish a European Research Council (ERC) will have to be answered, and it is the hope of ERC supporters that the ECM will endorse their plan this year. In the Presidency Conclusions of the ECM meeting held in March 2004, the council " sees merit in enhanced support for basic research of the highest quality and the case for specific funding will be examined. " Despite this positive antecedent and support from 52 major European research organizations (see the open letter in Science, 6 August 2004, p. 776) and politicians, the result of the impending meeting is far from predictable, and some EU member states as well as parts of the European Commission continue to be reluctant. There are reasons for this reluctance. The ERC is meant to be independent from institutions of the EU and national governments. To have a noticeable impact, its budget must be on the order of at least 1 to 2 billion euros annually. This sum means that almost one-fifth of the future EU research budget will no longer be under the direct control of the Commission and its dealings with national governments. There is also fear among national ministries that if competition among the very best European research groups is taken seriously, " their " national groups may not succeed. Any legal form for the ERC must ensure that no criteria other than scientific quality, based on peer-reviewed competition, have an impact on its decision-making. This includes the total exclusion of any " juste retour " considerations, which are not only purely unscientific but also inhibit fair competition and international competitiveness in basic research. Such guarantees for the decision-making process are an essential prerequisite for the ERC's long-term success. To resolve these issues, the ECM will have to decide on enhanced financial perspectives for European research funding and establish a constituting committee to draw up a charter for an ERC that proposes a governance structure that fits the objectives and prepares the necessary steps for its implementation. The committee should consist of a small number of eminent researchers and research managers (perhaps …