Swedish university wants FP6 funding rethink
The proposals for the Sixth Framework programme represents too much of a top down approach by the Commission and power should be given to federal research councils, according to the academic senate of the Swedish university of Uppsala. In a full response to the proposals, the university's academic senate goes on to explain that it feels that the annual supranational resources available for research, totalling 3.5 billion euros, should instead be 'distributed by means of federal research councils.' This would have the advantage of funding being distributed by elected representatives of the research community and, according to the senate, increase the quality both on the European and national level. The senate, which represents the university's professors and students, claims that at present 'the idea is that the [European] Commission, as a proxy for sectoral interests, should decide which research projects should be prioritised.' It claims that, while this system is not new, the introduction of open methods of coordination will lead to less activity within Member States by their respective research communities and undermine cultural and economic foundations of research within these States. 'The credibility of Member State governments will, more than in the past, depend on pursuing the same policies supranationally as well as nationally and intergovermentally,' says the Senate. It concluded that that proposal as it stands is 'highly unsatisfactory'. Responding to the Senate's claims, a Commission spokesperson said that its proposals came after a year of consultation. 'These proposals have not come out of the blue. The consultation was flagged to everyone, it was available on the Internet and at a certain point you have to make a choice. The scientific community has been heard.' The spokesperson also pointed out that the Institute for prospective technological studies, which was independent of any influence, had spent a year studying what priorities would be most appropriate.