Brussels, 04/06/2009 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 4 June, the European Commission expressed its pleasure that agreement had been found on that same day by the Council on the draft regulation on the Community legal framework applicable to the European Research Infrastructure Consortium (ERIC).
The regulation will make it easier to create European research infrastructure systems: cutting edge installations for experimentation on CO2 capture and storage technologies, genome databanks and powerful supercomputers at the forefront of technology, for example, says the Commission in a press release. The proposal picks up on calls from member states which want to set up world-ranking joint research facilities in Europe, but had hitherto not had an immediately useable legal instrument. This tailor-made legal framework sets out the criteria which will permit a research facility to be awarded ERIC status and the rules governing them. European research facilities so recognised will be granted the status of international organisations, and will enjoy the concomitant advantages, such as VAT exemption.
The European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI) has drawn up a list of 44 priority infrastructures which will take Europe to the head in several physical science, medical, social, energy, life science and ICT areas. (O.J./transl.rt)