Busquin to hear views on integrated projects
Research Commissioner Philippe Busquin will hear the opinions of the Fraunhofer Gesellschaft on 'integrated projects', a proposed new tool for the next Framework programme, when he visits the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser technology in Aachen, Germany on 24 July. Integrated projects are envisaged to take place in the priority thematic areas of research, possibly with very large budgets and maybe made up of clusters dedicated to different aspects of the same action. The projects may cover 'risky' research. The Fraunhofer Gesellschaft's proposals include the creation of an external monitoring council and a new call for proposals procedure. The society is calling for a two step proposal procedure for every call, involving a fast and transparent evaluation procedure. The core group in the project should be able to allocate new tasks in the yearly revised execution plan if new competence fields arise in the course of the project, believes the society. If the project partners do not have the necessary competence, the core group should be able to organise new calls in order to recruit new partners. The rules for these calls should be set up by the core group in accordance with a general framework set up in coordination with the Commission. A steering committee should decide upon the results of the calls, whilst an external monitoring council watches over the compliance with rules, believes the Fraunhofer Gesellschaft. The monitoring council would be composed of between five and ten representatives from the scientific community, industry and the Commission to be appointed by the core group and approved by the Commission, Mr Busquin will hear from the Fraunhofer Gesellschaft. Once the project has passed all excellence criteria and been approved, the core group should have maximum flexibility in managing the project, the Fraunhofer Gesellschaft feels. Financial responsibility should be to the group's share in the project, with no responsibility for the other project partners. The Fraunhofer Gesellschaft is the largest organisation for applied research in Europe. In the year 2000, the society participated in 175 EU projects in addition to other projects with European participants. In April 2001 a Fraunhofer Representative Office was opened in Brussels in order to support the dialogue between the society and the EU institutions.