Make FP7 more multidisciplinary, urges ALLEA position paper
In it's reaction to the Commission's proposals for the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7), the federation of national science academies, known as All European Academies (ALLEA), has called for a greater emphasis on multidisciplinarity in EU research. The document says that in general, the proposals are a 'major step forward in this programme's catalytic role', and in particular ALLEA strongly supports proposals to double EU research funding. The establishment of a European Research Council (ERC) to support excellent investigator-driven research is also welcomed, as are plans to make certain reforms to the programme. Under the proposed 'Cooperation' strand of FP7, however, while ALLEA recognises that interdisciplinarity is mentioned with regard to fields such as marine science, it adds: 'Here the proposal should have seized the opportunity to really expand and elaborate the theme of inter- or multidisciplinarity. A great many more examples should have been offered in which interdisciplinary approaches could have been demonstrated as useful and innovative.' The examples offered in the position paper include the interactions between: informatics and cognitive psychology, energy and sustainable consumption, health and the environment, and nanosciences and biology. 'In ALLEA's view, it will be a missed opportunity if FP7does not open the way to a really interdisciplinary approach to the complex problems that Europe faces,' the report adds. Staying with cooperative research, ALLEA also criticises the 'weak' role given to humanities research under the proposed new 'social sciences and humanities' thematic area. It argues that the priority focuses on growth, productivity, employment and citizenship, with no reference to issues such as individual mental health, schooling and literacy, drug abuse, violence 'and many other issues that have a grave effect on the development and well being of society.' regarding support to infrastructures, the federation of national science academies declares itself happy with the vision outlined in a recent report by the European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructure (ESFRI). However, it points out that this vision focuses on large infrastructures such as those encountered in the natural and life sciences, and adds: '[B]ut also categories that are not mega-sized, but are still beyond a single country's reach, need such coordination and support.' It offers distributed communication structures, electronic libraries and archives, social and bioinformatics databases and systems for trans national surveys as examples of such mid-level infrastructures. The position paper sees little wrong with proposals to simplify the framework programme, to extend the ERA-NET scheme, or to promote a more scientific culture through the science and society priority, welcoming the Commission's initiatives in each of these areas. Lastly, although the FP7 proposals do not deal with issues of intellectual property rights (IPR) in any great detail, ALLEA brings up the subject, arguing that it is of vital importance to the development of European science. 'One of the suggestions is that universities and publicly funded institutes should be encouraged to more actively consider whether they could exploit discoveries made during a project,' says the report. While ALLEA agrees that too much IP currently goes to waste, it warns that universities and institutes may reduce open communication if patents seem likely, and that pressure may be put on researchers to select topics of investigation that could lead to patents. 'Obviously, there is a need for a balance to assure that the research findings within Europe are exploited as far as possible, while ensuring that the programme of research and its dissemination is not hindered,' the position paper concludes.