RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURES
(21264)
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| Draft Council Resolution on research infrastructures.
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| Legal base:
| — |
| |
| Department: |
Trade and Industry |
| Basis of consideration:
| EM of 6 June 2000 |
| Previous Committee Report:
| None |
| To be discussed in Council:
| 15 June 2000 |
| Committee's assessment:
| Politically important |
| Committee's decision:
| Not cleared; further information requested
|
Background
7.1 The Minister for Science at the Department
of Trade and Industry (Lord Sainsbury) has submitted an Explanatory
Memorandum of 6 June on a draft Resolution which invites the Commission
to provide immediate support, that is funding, for two research
"infrastructures" under the 'Quality of Life and Management
of Living Resources' programme of the Fifth Framework Programme
for Research and Technological Development ("FP5").
The infrastructures concerned are the European Bioinformatics
Institute (EBI) and the European Mouse Mutant Archive (EMMA).
7.2 Both these research infrastructures received
funding from the Biotechnology programme of the Fourth Framework
Programme (1994-1998) ("FP4"). This included "core"
funding, but in December 1998 the Research Council agreed unanimously
to specifically exclude running costs and core funding from the
'Quality of Life' programme.
7.3 Both EBI and EMMA submitted proposals which
include core cost funding. These have been peer reviewed by independent
evaluation panels and judged to be ineligible under the rules
of the current Framework programme (FP5).
The Government's view
7.4 The Minister says bluntly that the Resolution
is not necessary. Government policy, he says, is:
"... to secure the future
for EBI at Hinxton and recognises the need to address the underlying
problems that the draft Resolution identifies. This resolution
is not an acceptable or appropriate way of achieving this. The
Government will seek to ensure that effective support for EBI
is achieved as far as possible within the existing rules of the
Fifth Framework Programme through: securing a broader interpretation
of the rules to cover more of EBI's activities; a targeted call
for proposals in the area of 'bioformatics'; and, in the medium
and longer term, through negotiation with other EMBL (European
Molecular Biology Laboratory) members to reach agreement, for
a sound financing of EBI (EBI is an outstation of EMBL). These
negotiations are outside of [FP5].
"The general issue of support for infrastructures
will also be addressed in [the] context of the European Research
Area (ERA) and future Framework Programmes."
Conclusion
7.5 We also believe that this Resolution is
not an acceptable or appropriate way of securing funding which
has already been judged ineligible. We were given firm assurances
by the Government when FP5 was being subjected to scrutiny that
a more rigorous approach would be adopted towards the approval,
monitoring and funding of activities undertaken under the Programme.
7.6 We do not clear this Resolution, but we
ask the Minister to report back to us on the outcome of the discussions
at the Research Council meeting.
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