A novel funding scheme for basic research
Research funding is often geared towards applied research. This leaves the basic research that is of fundamental importance to emerging scientific areas with few benefactors. The EU-funded project 'Transnational call for collaborative proposals in basic nanoscience research' (NANOSCI-EPLUS) was designed to facilitate collaborative research initiatives on the interfacing of functional nano objects. In particular, it aimed to remove all considerations of apparent strategic need or individual national funding limitations and priorities. Financial contributions from participating countries including partners from national scientific funding agencies were pooled with the European Commission grant. This move minimised trade-offs in selecting projects based on limited funds. The NANOSCI-EPLUS consortium created the framework for evaluation but the actual reviews and recommendations were made by an independent international panel of experts. The submission, evaluation and funding procedure was thus designed to ensure that the most deserving projects were funded with no consideration of international interests or barriers or of potential applications. NANOSCI-EPLUS funded 24 transnational collaborations on the interfacing of functional nano objects in the context of biology, electronics, photonics, plasmonics and more. Projects began in 2009, were reviewed for progress toward objectives in 2011 and final reports were to be delivered in April 2013. In the relatively immature yet exponentially growing field of nanoscience and nanotechnology, funding of basic research has often taken a back seat to funding of projects with exciting potential applications. However, understanding the basic physics and materials interactions is prerequisite to knowledge-based and effective product development. The NANOSCI-EPLUS consortium, through coordinated cooperation in research and funding at the national, regional and European levels, has established lasting partnerships for basic nanoscience research. Transnational collaborations will lead to exciting insights into the fundamental properties and behaviours of nano-scale objects. They will also form a solid foundation for many new and better focused applied research projects in the nanosciences.
Keywords
Transnational collaboration, nanoscience research, functional nano object, scientific funding
