Romania requests cut in financial contributions to FP6
The European Commission is considering a request by the Romanian government for a decrease in the country's budgetary contribution to the Sixth Framework Programme (FP6). The appeal was made during a recent visit to Romania by EU Research Commissioner Philippe Busquin, who promised that a full analysis of Romania's situation will be carried out. The results of this assessment will then be used by Mr Busquin and his colleagues in the College of Commissioners to reach a decision. 'It appears that the situation is very difficult in Romania, and [a decrease in the country's budgetary contribution] could therefore be necessary,' a Commission official working in the field told CORDIS News. The Romanian national press agency (Rompres) reports that the country's Minister for Education, Research and Youth, Alexandru Athanasiu, together with the ministry's State Secretary, Gheorghe Popa, requested a 25 per cent cut to Romania's contribution of 77 million euro. 'The funds gained by this contribution cut will be used to make investments in our research institutes so that they should be better trained for project competition,' Mr Athanasiu told Rompres. Mr Athanasiu added that the Commissioner had suggested that the government consider implementing tax incentives, in order to encourage Romanian entrepreneurs to take up the results of Romanian research. Of the three remaining candidate countries, Romania currently channels the highest percentage of its gross domestic expenditure on research and development (GERD) into the Framework Programmes at 19 per cent. Bulgaria allocates 12 per cent, while Turkey contributes 7.5 per cent. Mr Busquin said that some of the aims of his visit to Romania were to learn more about the difficulties facing Romanian researchers who wish to participate in FP6, and to review the government's support mechanisms for facilitating participation. Some 8.68 per cent of FP6 proposals involving Romanian researchers were selected for funding by external evaluators - well below the average of 31.58 per cent. Romanians were most successful in the 'aeronautics and space' thematic priority, where six out of 16 proposals were retained. At the other end of the scale, only one out of 25 proposals involving Romanian organisations was selected under the 'life sciences, genomics and biotechnology for health' priority.
Kraje
Romania