EURAB suggests more streamlined FP6 evaluation procedure
A new slant on the way that proposals for the Sixth Framework programme should be evaluated has been submitted by EURAB, the independent European research advisory board. The suggested changes in the evaluation have been welcomed by EU Research Commissioner, Philippe Busquin. While EURAB suggests the retention of some elements of the previous Framework programme, such as following the specific programmes with expert panels responsible for assessing calls for expressions of interest, they also called for some clear changes. Anonymity of proposals should be dropped, as the record of the proposers is a key element in evaluation. Likewise, anonymity of evaluators should also go, so as to make them more accountable. Indeed, EURAB suggests that proposers should be able to indicate (along with a justification for their reasons) that they do not want specific evaluators to evaluate their proposals. Evaluators should not feel the need to be drawn to Brussels and should do as much of the evaluation procedure as possible at home according to EURAB. Nominating a principal evaluator and using electronic distribution of proposals should help this procedure. The list of evaluators available should be drawn from a central database made up of national and European university, research and industrial organisations, with indications of which area the evaluators are best suited to evaluate. They should demonstrate an industrial/academic, national and gender balance. In terms of evaluation criteria, EURAB feels that high risk research which has great potential should be encouraged. It also suggests that innovation should be included as an evaluation criterion in applied research proposals. In line with this, EURAB highlights that particular attention should be paid to the use of non-European evaluators in evaluating proposals where there is competition with Europe. There should also be different weightings given to applied and basic research proposals. Finally, EURAB warns that awareness activities are needed both before and after the evaluation procedure. Beforehand, Member States need to be made aware of the excellent research centres in the pre-accession countries, so that the introduction of new instruments does not mean the reduction of these countries' participation in the Framework programme. Following the evaluation and the research, dissemination of results and applications should be carried out. This should lead to clear indications of the applications of the research. EURAB, which was established in June 2001, is made up of 45 representatives of science and industry from all of Europe.