French presidential hopefuls go head to head on research
France's leading presidential candidates go head to head on research in an election special published in the latest edition of the journal Nature. As the French prepare to go to the polls for the first round of the presidential elections, the prestigious British journal quizzes Nicolas Sarkozy, Ségolène Royal and François Bayrou on their plans for research in the country. The latest polls show these three to be ahead of the other six candidates running for the presidency. On research funding, all three are clear that an increase is needed. The right of centre Mr Sarkozy pledges an additional €4 billion for research and €5 billion for higher education; socialist Ségolène Royal promises to increase funding by 10% a year for five years, while centrist François Bayrou proposes a 5% budget increase every year for ten years. However, as Nature points out in its editorial, 'the next president must support much-needed, targeted reforms of the science system, which has resisted comprehensive reform efforts for more than two decades.' The journal asked the candidates if they thought French science was 'beyond reform'. 'French research needs simplification, coherence and transparency,' replies Ms Royal, adding that the National Research Agency should encourage multidisciplinarity and partnerships between the public and private sector, as well as international cooperation. Mr Sarkozy highlights his own role in the establishment of the National Research Agency, saying he would like to reinforce the quality of its evaluation procedures and triple the funding of research projects. For Mr Bayrou, the first goal would be to reinstate research as a priority on the political agenda. The candidates were also interrogated on how they would reform the French university system. 'As of the day after the elections, I will be ready to launch a major reform of French universities designed to give them much more autonomy,' states Mr Sarkozy, saying these new freedoms would include the power to recruit, fix salaries and diversify funding resources. For Mr Bayrou, boosting spending-per-student levels to the OECD average or higher and changing the way universities are run is a priority, while Ms Royal calls for 'a rational, optimal use of resources based on evaluation,' and more favourable working conditions for all researchers. As for innovation, Mrs Royal states that: 'Innovation has stagnated because fundamental research has not been supported.' Mr Bayrou says he would reinforce technology transfer departments in research institutes and propose that royalties from patents be exempt from income tax for researchers living in France. Meanwhile, Mr Sarkozy notes that a country's innovation potential is not determined by financial incentives alone but by the quality of research and the way it is disseminated.' All three candidates were supportive of the European Research Area (ERA). Mr Bayrou lamented the fact that funding for the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) was not higher, and called for an increased budget for the EU so that it would be able to maintain all its policies and obligations and 'give research the impetus it deserves'. Mr Sarkozy agrees that the ERA is essential for creating a critical mass of researchers for large projects and also promoting excellence at the European level. Ms Royal also called for more funding for research at the EU level, and suggested that public spending on R&D be excluded from the stability and growth pact. She also expresses her support for the European research Council and the European Charter for Researchers. France has a long history of space research, and here too the candidates were asked to set their priorities. For Mr Bayrou the emphasis should be on 'fundamental research and the exploration of the Universe,' as well as on GMES (Global Monitoring for Environment and Security) and the Galileo systems. Meanwhile Ms Royal prioritises the launch of Earth-observation satellites and international programmes for manned space flight. For his part, Mr Sarkozy expresses his keenness for greater European cooperation in space, with France leading the way. Asked if they have anything else to add, both Ms Royal and Mr Bayrou highlighted the importance of generating a public debate on science. 'Science cannot develop outside of, or in opposition to, society,' states Ms Royal. 'It is essential to develop a scientific culture and for society to debate scientific issues.' 'The public must be well-informed by the media of scientific and technological progress,' states Mr Bayrou. 'Then completely democratic debates will benefit the whole of society.' For Mr Sarkozy the priority is to get universities in the international top ten, and to attract French researchers working abroad back to their homeland.
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