Brussels, 05/11/2013 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 5 November, the European Commission announced it had appointed 15 advisory groups composed of independent experts to determine the priorities of the next framework programme for research and innovation 2014-2020 (Horizon 2020). The Commission welcomes the fact that the groups are diverse in nature and that they have a good gender balance.
Out of the 15,000 candidates, the Commission selected 400 to serve on the 15 thematic groups. In order to ensure a “fresh approach” to the project selection process, which is due to begin mid-December, the Commission wanted to renew the experts in a way that avoids choosing the same as those in the previous framework programme. Thus, 40% of the members of the groups have not advised on previous EU research programmes and will be giving their advice to the Commission for the first time. The Commission underlines, moreover, that the origin of the experts was also a criterion for selection, in order to ensure broad representation of both public and private sectors and civil society. Finally, 52% of the experts selected are women, a level never reached before. (JK/transl.jl)