European scientists call for ERC funding to be ringfenced

Leading academics from eight countries have published an open letter to the President of the European Council Charles Michel, President of the European Parliament David Maria Sassoli and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, and launched an international petition calling on funding for the European Research Council (ERC) and frontier research to be ringfenced in the next long-term budget of the European Union.

Nobel laureates, university rectors and presidents and leading professors from Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Finland, Denmark, Austria, Germany and the Netherlands are among the 19 signatories of the open letter.

They include Nobel laureates Professor Edvard Moser and Professor May-Britt Moser, who were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2014, and Professor Ben L Feringa, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2016.

They include two existing and one former member of the ERC Scientific Council, one former vice president of the ERC, 10 university rectors, one vice-chancellor and one university president, among them Jari Niemela, rector of the University of Helsinki; Ole Petter Ottersen, president of the Karolinksa Institute; Beate A Schucking, rector of Leipzig University; Svein Stølen, rector of the University of Oslo; and Henrik C Wegener, rector of the University of Copenhagen.

In the letter they say: “One of the greatest success stories of the EU in the last decade is the European Research Council. Thanks to its unique formula of independence from political intervention, bold research ideas, bottom-up approach and a singular focus on excellence, ERC grants have become one of the most prestigious research grants in the world.

“In light of the current European debate on the next Multiannual Financial Framework, there is significant reason to fear a cut across all areas of Horizon Europe, and we anticipate that this would also impact the ERC.

“With this open petition letter, we urge the EU to protect the funding of the European Research Council in the long-term budget of the EU.”

The signatories argue that the ERC is a major reason for Europe’s increasing strength in research. The EU comprises 7% of the world’s population but produces one-third of the world’s high-quality scientific publications. “It is therefore of paramount importance that this success story can continue to develop and increase its strength in Horizon Europe.”

They say the ERC invests in top researchers in Europe, giving them the freedom to follow their scientific curiosity. “Based on scientific excellence, the ERC supports research that is pushing the very frontiers of knowledge through competitive funding across all fields. Open to top talent worldwide, the ERC is a vital tool helping Europe to attract and retain the brightest minds, and to establish itself as a scientific powerhouse.”

They add that since many great ideas already exist that will not be awarded funding under current budget constraints, if there was increased funding many more scientific breakthroughs would be possible.

“We recognise the ERC as the most important European instrument for financing frontier research – the very foundation of disruptive innovation. Thanks to the successes of the ERC, Europe is well positioned to remain a world leading economy, succeed in the European Green Deal and make substantive contributions to the resolution of global societal challenges.”

The letter invites people to sign a petition organised by Friends of the ERC via a webpage set up by the University of Bergen, where they can also comment on the initiative. The initial goal of 1,500 people supporting the petition was reached on 15 April and they are now aiming for 10,000 signatures.

The petition lists the achievements of the ERC programme after running for 13 years:

• 75% of completed projects led to breakthroughs or major advances.

• ERC grantees have received seven Nobel Prizes, four Kavli Prizes and four Fields Medals.

• More than 9,500 top researchers have been funded, with two thirds of grantees under 40 years old.

• More than 70,000 team members, mostly PhD students and postdocs, have been supported – training the next generation of excellent researchers.

• ERC research led to more than 100,000 articles being published, with more than 5,500 articles in the 1% most cited international scientific journals.

• ERC projects have led to more than 1,200 patent applications and more than 100 new ventures.

Strong support

Rector of the University of Bergen in Norway, Professor Dag Rune Olsen, one of the 19 signatories of the letter, told University World News that if the purpose of the huge research investments in the European Union is to regain some of its dominance as a research region in the world, putting it in the same league as China and the United States, then it is important for it to use its financial muscle to allow for long-term blue-sky research.

This will lay the foundations also for thematical research projects and innovation in the future, he argued.

“I do believe that the time horizons for much research recently have been too short and we have not seen the value of delaying the reward in research processes,” Olsen said.

“The ERC is a European success story that needs to continue. We need its independence from political intervention, bold research ideas, a bottom-up approach and sole focus on excellence.”

Among the comments from the signatories of the petition, Peter van Leeuwen said: “This is the best research programme in the world and researchers in many countries, for example the US, have realised that a programme like this should be implemented there too. So don’t cut its budget; Europe is far ahead of the game!”

Matt Grubb said: “You never know when you’ll need the knowledge produced by blue-skies research and COVID-19 is a primary illustration of this.”

Embroiled in controversy

The ERC has been embroiled in controversy recently following the resignation of its president, Mauro Ferrari, after failing to win support for a special programme of research aimed at combating the COVID-19 virus, but which contravened the ERC’s role in funding independent ‘bottom-up’ research, as reported by University World News.

Former president of the ERC, Helga Nowotny, said: “Frontier research as funded by the ERC is the lifeline for our future. Science will come up with solutions, but preparedness must come from society. May the lessons to be drawn from the COVID-19 crisis and the recent turmoil around the ERC strengthen the ERC spirit and result in giving it the means to fulfil its mission.”

Professor Nils Christian Stenseth, from the University of Oslo in Norway and a former member of the ERC Scientific Council, told University World News he agreed that substantial financial resources should be reallocated from the Horizon programme to basic and applied COVID-19 research. “However, this should not be at the expense of the ERC – in situations like the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, with so much unknown, basic curiosity-driven research is particularly important.

“It is within such curiosity-driven basic research we might see entirely new ways of addressing big challenges like the ongoing coronavirus pandemic – the history of science is full of such examples. Hence, rather than reducing funding to the ERC curiosity-driven programme, it should be increased.”

Vinnova Brussels representative Dan Andrée said: “There are other perfect instruments in Horizon 2020 and the incoming Horizon Europe programme to tackle the need for research related to COVID-19. It is important to keep the character of the ERC, where the most important aspect is the bottom-up concept.

“We had a very lengthy discussion between member states and the European Commission on how to implement the ERC and I think we have an excellent implementation structure at the moment which is based upon trust between member states and the commission, ensuring the independence of the ERC.”