16.7. 88 Official Journal of the European Communities NoC 186/13 
Re-examined proposal for a Council Decision on a programme plan to stimulate the inter­
national cooperation and interchange needed by European research scientists 1988 to 1992 
(Science) 
COM(88) 358 final — SYN 99 
(Submitted by the Commission pursuant to Article 149 (2) (d) of the EEC Treaty on 23 June 1988) 
(88/C 186/08) 
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, 
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European 
Economic Community, and in particular Article 130Q 
(2) thereof, 
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission ('), 
In cooperation with the European Parliament, 
Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and 
Social Committee (2), 
Whereas by Decision 85/197/EEC, a first plan to 
stimulate European scientific and technical cooperation 
and interchange was adopted by the Council on 12 
March 1985 (3); 
Whereas the terms of Article 130K of the Treaty provide 
that implementation of the framework programme be 
carried out by means of specific programmes developed 
within each of its action lines; 
Whereas Article 130G (D) provides for the stimulation 
of the training and mobility of researchers in the 
Community; 
Whereas the Community framework programme should 
play its part in contributing to strengthening the 
scientific and technological infrastructure and potential 
in all Member States of the Community; 
Whereas the Council Decision 87/516/Euratom/EEC of 
28 September 1987 adopting the multiannual framework 
programme 1987 to 1991 (4) includes the stimulation, 
enhancement and use of human resources amongst the 
activities it provides for; 
Whereas the stimulation of cooperation and exchange 
between European research laboratories in universities 
and in public and industrial institutions contributes to the 
(') OJ No C 14, 19. 1. 1988, p. 5. 
O OJ No C 35, 5. 2. 1988, p. 5. 
(J) OJ No L 83, 25. 3. 1985, p. 13. 
(4) OJ No L 302, 24. 10. 1987. achievement of a Researchers' Europe while aiming to 
reduce the gap on the scientific and technical level 
between the various Member States of the European 
Community and being consistent with the pursuit of 
scientific and technical quality; 
Whereas it is necessary to put existing scientific potential 
to good use at both the human level and that of 
institutions; 
Whereas it is important to improve access to communi­
cation networks and scientific and technical information; 
Whereas there exists a need to maintain close links with 
complementary activities undertaken by the European 
Science Foundation and the Council of Europe; 
Whereas it is in the Community's interest to involve third 
countries and international organizations in certain 
Community programmes and particularly those 
programmes contributing to the overall European 
scientific infrastructure; 
Whereas the Scientific and Technical Research 
Committee (CREST) has been consulted on the 
following measures, 
HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION: 
Article 1 
A programme plan to stimulate the international 
cooperation and interchange needed by European 
research scientists, hereinafter referred to as the 'stimu­
lation plan' is hereby adopted for a five-year period 
commencing on 1 January 1988. 
Article 2 
The summary of the stimulation plan and its objectives 
together with the operational arrangements for 
implementing the plan are set out in the Annex. 
NoC 186/14 Official Journal of the European Communities 16. 7. 88 
Article 3 
The funds estimated as necessary for the execution of 
the stimulation plan amount to 167 million ECU, 
including expenditure on a staff of 18. 
The Community financial support awarded to stimu­
lation activities shall constitute 100 °/o of the cost of 
these scientific and technical cooperation and inter­
change actions. 
Article 4 
1. The Commission shall undertake the implemen­
tation of the stimulation plan by means of research 
bursaries, research grants, grants for high-level courses, 
contracts encouraging the twinning of laboratories and 
operations contracts including equipment and accom­
panying measures where appropriate. It shall be assisted 
by the Committee for the European Development of 
Science and Technology (Codest), set up under Decision 
82/835/EEC (') and by consultants. 
2. The contracts drawn up by the Commission shall 
show the rights and obligations of each party, 
particularly the methods of disseminating, protecting and 
exploiting the research results and of making any reim­
bursement that may be necessary of the funding given. 
Article 5 
1. The Commission is authorized to negotiate, in 
accordance with Article DON of the EEC Treaty, 
agreements with international organizations, with those 
(') OJ No L 350, 10. 12. 1982, p. 45. countries participating in European Cooperation in the 
field of Scientific and Technological Research (COST) 
and with those European countries having concluded 
framework agreements in S/T cooperation with the 
Community with a view to associating them wholly or 
partly with the programme. 
2. These agreements, which are founded on the 
criterion of mutual advantage, are concluded by the 
Council, deciding by qualified majority, in cooperation 
with the European Parliament. 
Article 6 
The Commission shall address a report to the Council 
and to the European Parliament after 30 months on the 
basis of an evaluation of the results so far achieved. This 
report shall be accompanied by suggestions for changes 
which may be necessary in the light of these results. 
After the completion of the plan, the Commission shall 
send to Member States and the European Parliament a 
report on the performance and results of the plan. 
The abovementioned reports will be carried out in 
relation to the precise objectives set out in Annex II to 
this Decision and in conformity with the provisions of 
Article 2 (2) of the framework programme. 
Article 7 
This Decision shall apply from 1 January 1988. 
Article 8 
This Decision is addressed to the Member States. 
ANNEX I 
Objectives and summary of the stimulation plan 
The stimulation plan consists of a range of activities selected on the basis of their scientific and technical 
quality, which have as their aim the establishment of a network of scientific and technical cooperation 
and interchange at European level which will gradually be extended. The overall objective is to improve 
the efficacy of scientific and technological research in all the Member States and to contribute thereby 
to the reduction of scientific and technical development disparities between the different Member States 
of the European Community. It covers all fields of science and technology (the exact and natural 
sciences). 
Whilst the stimulation plan therefore aims to improve the overall scientific and technical quality of 
research and development in all Member States of the Community, its specific objectives are to: 
— promote training through research and, by means of cooperation, the better use of high level 
researchers in the Community, 
— improve the mobility of research scientists of the Member States of the Community, 
16. 7. 88 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 186/15 
— develop and support intra-European scientific and technical cooperation on high-quality projects, 
— promote the setting-up of intra-European cooperation and interchange networks with a view to 
reinforcing the overall scientific and technical competitivity of the Community and thereby strength­
ening its economic and social cohesion. 
2. The objectives set out above will be achieved by means of support measures for research scientists, teams 
of research and development organizations to ensure the harmonious scientific and technical devel­
opment of the Community. These will take the following forms: 
Research bursaries 
Financial support granted to scientists to enable them to acquire additional training by participating in a 
research project in a laboratory in a Community country other than their own for a period of at least 
one year and at most two years. 
Research grants 
These cover the cost to the laboratories concerned of the transfer or secondment of a research scientist 
from one Community country to another, either to allow a scientist to be taken on in a team in a 
country other than his own or to enable a science graduate to specialize before joining a university or 
industrial research laboratory. 
Depending on the type of scientist and the purpose of the research allocation, it may take different 
forms: 
— funding to enable a research scientist to make short stays (from 15 days to two months) in a foreign 
country within the Community to carry out specific experiments in a particular scientific or technical 
facility not available in his own country, 
— funding to cover the costs associated with mobility (travel, subsistence, insurance, removal, etc.), the 
research work and possibly the salary of a scientist seconded to or incorporated in a research team 
in a country (in the Community) other than his own, for a period of at least six months and at most 
three years, 
— funding to cover the costs associated with the mobility and research work of a scientist taken on in 
industry, who goes to follow a lengthy training course (from one to three years) in a public sector 
laboratory in a foreign country (within the Community), 
— subsidies for high-level training courses: financial support granted to a body offering a specialized 
high-level course held within a Member State so that it can accept scientists from different 
Community Member States to give them additional training or enable them to retrain for other 
functions. 
Twinning of laboratories in different countries 
This enables researchers who are working in isolation in an advanced field in several Community 
countries to bring their efforts together, without coming into one laboratory, and thus encouraging the 
formation of a research team exceeding the necessary 'critical size'. Funding is granted to allow the 
researchers to meet, to carry out joint experiments, to exchange results, to add to their equipment or to 
strengthen their teams by temporarily taking on other scientists, preferably from a different country. 
Development of multidisciplinary, multinational operations 
This would, by virtue of the financial resources made available, enable the associated research teams to 
have enough resources (including equipment) and be able to bring together the best expertise available 
in different countries and disciplines, in order to achieve a predetermined objective or to undertake 
jointly a predetermined scientific task in the framework of an S/T cooperation 'network'. 
In addition, the plan will be complemented by sectoral incentive measures: research bursaries, research 
grants and subsidies financed in the framework of each of the Community research and development 
programmes following the agreement of the appropriate Management and Coordination Committee 
(CGC). 
No C 186/16 Official Journal of the European Communities 16. 7. 88 
3. Measures to stimulate interchange and cooperation apply to all fields relevant to the exact and natural 
sciences, such as: 
— mathematics, 
— physics, 
— chemistry, 
— life sciences, 
— earth sciences and ocean sciences, 
— scientific instrumentation, 
— engineering sciences. 
4. In the fields in which support will be granted, multinational projects to benefit from the Community 
support measures will be chosen essentially on the basis of their quality, the extent to which they are 
multidisciplinary in content, their innovative aspects and their value in terms of breaking down barriers 
between diferent forms of research and development in all parts of the Community. Where scientific and 
technical quality is comparable, particular attention will be given to projects likely to reduce scientific 
and technical development disparities between Member States and thereby to contribute to economic 
and social cohesion within the European Community. 
5. The choice of stimulation incentive measures and the teams concerned will be made by the Commission 
which, with the help of the Committee for the European Development of Science and Technology 
(Codest), will make use of a peer review system. The Commission will see to it that there is consistency 
between the stimulation activity and programmed Community R&D activities. 
6. The Commission will at the same time undertake a series of consultations, surveys and seminars with the 
cooperation of Community scientific and technical circles in order to analyse and evaluate scientific and 
technical needs and opportunities, with the aim of providing more detail to the content of the stimu­
lation plan. 
The Commission will cooperate closely with the national authorities to ensure consistency between these 
activities and national policies on research stimulation. 
7. In order to evaluate the scientific and/or technical quality of requests for support, as well as to analyse 
scientific and technical opportunities and needs or to assess projects which have been financed or the 
activity itself, the Commission may call upon expertise from outside its own staff. 
ANNEX II 
Amendment of the European Parliament not accepted by the Commission 
Text amended by Parliament 
Article 3 (2) (a) (new) 
The final amount of appropriations and the number of staff shall be determined on the basis of 
decisions taken annually by the budgetary authority in accordance with real needs. 
The Commission rejects this amendment because its substance is already contained in Article BOP of the 
EEC Treaty which states that 'the amount of the Community's annual contribution shall be laid down 
under the budgetary procedure'.