Brussels, 17/07/2012 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 17 July, the European Commission presented two initiatives relating to the European Research Area (ERA) and free access to scientific information. These were presented together as they have the same objective and are based on the same premise - that research at European level is not sufficiently competitive and is too disjointed.
European Research Area. A deadline has been set - 2014 - for the establishment of the ERA. Today, however, there are many obstacles standing in the way to achieving this. The Commission has therefore published five action plans intended for member states and illustrating the problems that are an affliction for European research. The plans aim at: (1) Increased effectiveness of national research systems. Brussels finds the breakdown of national public funds for research is not sufficiently transparent, as only 40% of such funds are shared out transparently, i.e. on a competitive base according to merit. (2) Improved transnational cooperation and competition. Although international projects within the EU already exist, they remain the exception, with only 1% of public funding being devoted to this. (3) A more open labour market for researchers. The idea is quite simple: such an employment market, a European market, still does not exist. Eighty percent of researchers see this as a brake put on professional mobility. (4) Gender equality - 40% of researchers are women but only 15% reach posts of responsibility. (5) Optimal circulation and transfer of scientific information. On this last point, the Commission decided to publish a separate communication. Such measures are not binding but act as an incentive. After the presentations, the Commission signed four memoranda of understanding with the main academic associations and research centres in the EU (EUA, EARTO, LEUR, NORDFORSK and SE), as well as a joint statement with the first four.
Open access. From the start of the next framework programme for research and innovation funding (Horizon 2020), all scientific results of subsidised projects should be made accessible to all, either through online publication by the editor (with costs reimbursed by the Commission), or directly by the researcher via free access archives, within a general 6- or 12-month timeframe for social and human sciences. The Commission has also set an objective that member states are invited to attain in the context of their own funding programme, namely to make 60% of scientific articles public by 2016. Commissioner Neelie Kroes (Digital Agenda) believes this is a measure of common sense, saying: “Taxpayers should not have to pay twice for scientific research and they need seamless access to raw data. We want to bring dissemination and exploitation of scientific research results to the next level. Data is the new oil”. (JK/transl.jl)