European Research Council Expert Group

An Expert Group to explore options for creating a European Research Council has been established

The European Council of Ministers in November last year invited the Member States and the Commission to continue discussions on the purpose and scope of a European Research Council (ERC). Just before Christmas the Danish minister for Science, Technology, and Innovation, Helge Sander, initiated the setting up of a small expert group to explore options for possibly creating an ERC. Professor Federico Mayor, former Director-General of UNESCO, was asked to chair the expert group.

"If Europe is to become competitive and leading as a knowledge based society, the strengthening of the basic sciences as a stepping stone for innovation and development is urgent. One of the very promising initiatives in this direction could be the creation of a European Research Council as one of the corner stones in the European Research Area", says Professor Mayor.

The conference in Copenhagen under the Danish presidency has laid a solid foundation for further considerations. The Expert Group shall before the end of the year present a report about possible options for an ERC to the EU research ministers. The Group has decided to carry out broad consultations with the scientific communities in Europe, with responsible ministerial bodies and other concerned European research organisations and researchers. An observer from the EU Commission will follow the work of the Expert Group. Each country will appoint a representative from the research ministry to be a contact person to the group. The group held its first meeting in Paris February 18.

The following people, serving in their personal capacity, are members of the Expert Group. They represent a broad spectrum of insight into academia, research policy, and public as well as private research in Europe.

· Professor Federico Mayor is Chair of the Expert Group. He is professor at the Autonomous University of Madrid and President of the Foundation for a Culture of Peace.

· Professor Mogens Flensted-Jensen, Vice Chair of the Group, is Vice Chairman of the Board of the Danish Research Councils. He chaired the Copenhagen conference.

· Professor Norbert Kroó is Secretary General of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences.

· Dr. Wilhelm Krull is the Secretary General of the VolkswagenStiftung.

· Dr. David J. McConnell is Professor of Genetics at Trinity College Dublin and Chairman of the Irish Times Trust.

· Professor Gérard Mégie is President of the CNRS.

· Professor Helga Nowotny is Chair of EURAB, the European Research Advisory Board.

· Dr John Taylor, Director General of Research Councils, UK.

· Mr Peter Kind, Director for Structuring the European Research Area, is observer from the European Commission

Professor Dan Brändström serves as Secretary to the Expert Group. He is Director of the Bank of Sweden Tercentenary Foundation. He is assisted by Dr Olle Edqvist, Head of International Relations at the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research.

For further information about the European Research Council Expert Group (ERCEG) please contact:

Prof. Federico Mayor

Email: f.mayor@inves.es

Tel: +34 914 261 555

Director Dan Brändström

Email: dan.brandstrom@rj.se

Tel. +46 850 626 401