Brussels, 18/07/2005 (Agence Europe) - According to the opinion of a group of experts asked about the subject by the European Commission, COST (European Co-operation in the field of Scientific and Technical Research) is a useful instrument with a contribution to make towards the Lisbon and Barcelona objectives, particularly as it promotes the creation of networks and coordination for research activities. According to these experts, the structure and modalities for its implementation have been designed in such a way as to make its use simple and fast, which makes it a particularly well-adapted instrument for new countries and research groups to get involved with. Young researchers are aware of the flexibility of COST, which also has an important role to play in preparing for participation in European research programmes. The reform of the management of COST is making good headway, and therefore the expert group was able to recommend that the full 80 million EUR earmarked under the sixth framework programme for research be paid to the European Science Foundation (ESF), which manages the secretariat of COST.
Here are the conclusions of the experts: -the Commission should make the full €80 million available to COST; -funding should continue under the future framework programme; -the ESF should plan its smooth transition to the seventh framework programme; -an increase in funding should be looked into, with the proviso of continuing to reinforce scientific management; -the technical committees and their actions should be permanently evaluated; -the timescale to approve new actions should be brought down; - new tools stemming from information technology should be made for use of for financial management; -more effort should be made for communication with the research community and national administration; - a complete assessment should be carried out in 2007.
COST was brought into being in 1971 at a conference of European research ministers, as an inter-governmental framework for coordination at European level for research activities financed at national level. Since 1980, COST has been financed directly by the EU and the European Commission managed its secretariat until 2003. In 2002, an independent study recommended that the initiative be pursued and that it should continue to be paid for out of the framework programme, whilst reforming its functioning in terms of scientific management and its management and organisation structures. At the same time, the Commission announced that it intended to give up the management of its secretariat services. Since 2003, the ESF runs the COST office, which provides the secretariat for the technical committees and the management committees of COST actions. The sixth framework programme provides for financial aid in the order of 50 to 80 million EUR to be allocated. The Commission and the Council agreed that the exact level of funding for COST would depend on the success of the reforms. It was also agreed that a mid-term review would be carried out in order to analyse the results of the reforms. The expert group was chaired by Dr Raoul Kneucker, a former director-general with the Austrian Federal Ministry of education.