25. 7. 89 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 188/11 
II 
(Preparatory Acts) 
COMMISSION 
Re-examined proposal for a Council Decision to adopt a first plan to support and facilitate 
access to large-scale scientific facilities of European interest 
(COM(89) 90 final — SYN 93) 
(Submitted by the Commission pursuant to Article 149 (2) (d) of the EEC Treaty on 23 February 
1989) 
(89/C 188/14) 
PARTI 
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, 
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European 
Economic Community, and in particular to Article 130q 
(2), 
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, 
Whereas the terms of Article 130 k of the Treaty provide 
that implementation of the framework programme be 
carried out by means of specific programmes developed 
within each of the action lines; 
Whereas Council Decision 87/516/Euratom/EEC of 28 
September 1987 (') adopting the multiannual framework 
programme 1987 to 1991 includes the use of major 
installations amongst the activities it provides for; 
Whereas one of the objectives of the Community R&D 
efforts for 1987 to 1991 is to promote better use of human 
resources in the Community as a whole and to improve the 
utilization of large-scale scientific and technical instal­
lations through the addition of a European dimension; 
Whereas the present plan whilst being consistent with the 
pursuit of scientific excellence will help to improve the 
Community's competitiveness in the field of research and 
at the same time strengthen economic and social 
cohesion in the Community; 
Whereas the Commission will ensure that the research 
carried out under this plan falls solely within the scope 
of the EEC Treaty, even in cases where the facility or 
installation used may not be wholly or partially covered 
by that Treaty; Having regard to the opinion of the Scientific and 
Technical Research Committee (CREST) on the 
Commission proposal, 
HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION: 
Article 1 
An experimental Community plan to support and 
facilitate access to scientific and technical facilities and 
installations situated in the Community hereinafter 
referred to as the 'plan' — as defined in the Annex — is 
hereby adopted for a four-year period commencing on 
1 January 1989. 
Article 2 
1. The plan consists of temporary financial support 
measures designed to facilitate access to and thereby 
develop the exploitation of large-scale scientific facilities 
situated in the European Community. 
2. To achieve this objective, the Community will 
provide financial support for operations chosen on the 
basis of their scientific and technical quality. Such ope­
rations, which will be selected in conformity with the 
procedure laid down in Article 3 of the present Decision, 
must be based on joint proposals from the institutions or 
bodies responsible for the facilities and from the 
scientists or research workers wishing to acquire access 
to them. 
3. Community financial support for the operations 
will be used to contribute as necessary to: 
(l) OJ No L 302, 24. 10. 1987. 
No C 188/12 Official Journal of the European Communities 25. 7. 89 
— the operating costs of the facilities and, if necessary, 
the cost of adaptations and/or special features to 
meet the objectives set out in paragraph 1, 
— incidental expenditure arising from the operations, 
— expenditure incurred by the scientists or research 
workers including expenditure on mobility and travel. 
4. The scientists or research workers acquiring access 
to a facility as a result of Community financial support 
under this plan shall be nationals of a Member State of 
the European Community. Financial support under this 
plan shall only be granted to provide access to a 
scientific facility for scientists or research workers not 
normally enjoying access to the facility in questions. 
5. The Commission shall notify the Council and the 
Parliament, within a maximum period of three months 
from their selection, of the list of beneficiaries (scientific 
installations and researchers) of the plan. 
6. The precise objectives of the plan, together with its 
detailed modalities for implementation, are set out in 
Annex I. 
Article 3 
1. The Commission shall be responsible for 
implementing the plan. 
2. The Commission shall be assisted by a committee 
of an advisory nature composed of the representatives of 
the Member States and chaired by the representative of 
the Commission. 
3. The representative of the Commission shall submit 
to the committee a draft of the measures to be taken. 
The committee shall deliver its opinion on the draft, within a time limit which the chairman may lay down 
according to the urgency of the matter, if necessary by 
taking a vote. 
The opinion shall be recorded in the minutes; in 
addition, each Member State shall have the right to ask 
to have its position recorded in the minutes. 
The Commission shall take the utmost account of the 
opinion delivered by the committee. It shall inform the 
committee of the manner in which its opinion has been 
taken into account. 
Article 4 
The funds estimated as necessary for the execution of 
the plan amount to ECU 30 million including expen­
diture on a staff of three. 
Article 5 
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 completion of the plan, the Commission shall send 
to the Council and the European Parliament a report on 
the performance and results of the plan. 
The abovementioned reports should be prepared in 
relation to the precise objectives set out in Annex I to 
this Decision and in conformity with the provisions of 
Article 2 (2) of the framework programme. 
Article 6 
This Decision is addressed to the Member States. 
ANNEX 
OBJECTIVES AND IMPLEMENTATION PROCEDURES 
The plan takes the form of a number of temporary financial support measures, aimed at encouraging access 
to large-scale scientific and technical installations within the Community. It is of potential benefit to all 
researchers in the physical biological sciences who are nationals of one of the Community Member States. 
1. Objectives 
The precise objectives of the plan take the following form: 
— to encourage access by researchers who are nationals of Community Member States to major 
scientific and technical installations within the Community to which they would not normally enjoy 
access, 
25. 7. 89 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 188/13 
— to increase training opportunities available to European researchers so as to enable them to make 
better use of major scientific and technical installations, 
— to develop the use of large-scale scientific and technical facilities within the Community, where 
necessary by adaptation and/or the addition of special features. 
2. Potential beneficiaries 
Community financial support may be made available to: 
— any organization within the Community which possesses major scientific and technical equipment or 
an installation of interest to the physical and biological sciences, 
— any researcher or engineer who is a national of one of the Community Member States and is 
currently working in a public or private sector laboratory in one of the Member States. All fields of 
the physical and biological sciences are eligible. 
3. Procedural arrangements 
3.1. Call for proposals and selection procedure 
(a) The Commission will publish a call for preliminary proposals from organizations or groups of 
organizations within the Community having one or more major scientific and technical instal­
lations with experimental and/or test facilities which could be made available to scientists or 
research workers who have hitherto been unable to use them. 
The Commission will also ensure that scientists and research workers who could potentially 
benefit under the plan from access to the facilities in question are informed of the possibilities 
likely to become available. 
The preliminary proposals received from those responsible for the large-scale facilities should 
be accompanied by a written statement of interest expressed by potential new users. 
All information related to the call for proposals and selection procedures will be published simulta­
neously in all Community languages, with the aim of ensuring conditions of equal participitation in 
all the countries of the European Community. 
(b) The Commission will draw up a draft preselection list of preliminary proposals to be retained. 
The committee referred to in Article 3 will be informed of the proposals received and will give 
an opinion on the draft preselection list according to the procedure set out in Article 3 (3). The 
Commission will then establish a preselection list of facilities which will be published in the 
Official Journal of the European Communities. 
(c) On the basis of the preselection list, the Commission will ask for joint proposals from the 
installations and potential users concerned. The Commission may, if necessary, assist in the 
organization of meetings between those responsible for the installations and potential users 
(financing of joint meetings, etc.). 
(d) The Commission will submit the list of joint proposals received to the committee, which shall, 
in accordance with the procedure set out in Article 3 (3), give an opinion on the operations 
with a view to financial support from the plan. The Commission will then proceed to the final 
selection of the operations to benefit from Community support. 
3.2. Choice of installations to receive Community support 
Criteria of selection 
The assessment of the value of Community support will be based upon an evaluation of the 
proposal put forward, on the basis of the following criteria: 
(a) Quality of the facility: 
— specific characteristics, 
— originality or uniqueness, 
— up-to-dateness, 
No C 188/14 Official Journal of the European Communities 25. 7. 89 
— range of experiments or tests possible, 
— backup and technical support available; 
(b) Interest shown by potential users: 
— priority will be given to researchers from Member States other than that in which the major 
installation is situated. 
(c) Cost/benefit ratio of Community support: 
— the number and quality of opportunities made available at the facility in return for 
Community support; 
(d) Value to the Community: 
— importance of the facility in respect of the Community's overall scientific and technical 
potential, 
— value of the experimental opportunities made available in terms of achieving the 
Community's scientific and technical objectives (potential links with sectoral R&D 
objectives), 
— value of the facility in terms of strengthening the scientific and technical potential of certain 
countries or regions of the Community. 
3.3. Mechanisms for giving Community support to selected installations 
The Commission will conclude an agreement with the recipient organization or institution which 
will set out: 
— the level of Community funding, 
— the uses to which it may be put, including a quantification of the opportunities for access to 
visiting scientists, 
— the obligations imposed upon the recipient organization. 
The obligations imposed on the recipient organization include, inter alia: 
— enabling the use of the equipment and installations forming the subject of the agreement at no 
extra charge by researchers not belonging to the recipient organization or institution, this being 
for a fixed period of time over the year, 
— ensuring access by visiting scientists to the scientific and technical back-up services on site. 
The contracts will also specify: 
— the payment from Community funds to visiting scientists and research workers of all eligible 
expenditure covered by the plan, 
— the methods by which the results arising from research carried out under the agreement are to 
be protected, disseminated and exploited. 
Finally, the Commission will, in cooperation with the installations concerned, take all appropriate 
measures to ensure the best possible implementation of the operations selected (programming, avai­
lability of machine time, etc.). 
25. 7. 89 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 188/15 
3.4. Implementation report 
At the end of each year of Community support, the beneficiary organization or institute will make 
a report to the Commission upon the use to which the funds awarded to them were put, and the 
results arising from the use which outside researchers made of the facilities made available to them 
in the context of the agreement signed with the Commission. 
PART II 
Comment of the Commission on the amendment of Parliament which is not accepted by the 
Commission 
1. During its meeting of 15 February 1989, the European Parliament, in its second reading 
of the common position on the plan to support and facilitate access to large-scale scientific 
facilities of European interest, adopted the attached amendment. 
2. The Commission can not accept this amendment because of the following reasons: 
The amendment refers to the annual budgetary procedures and has been tabled repeatedly. The 
Commission believes that this amendment is not necessary as Article 130, of the EEC Treaty 
already covers this issue. 
ANNEX 
Amendment of Parliament which is not accepted by the Commission 
Amendment No 7 
Article 4 
The funds estimated as necessary for the execution of the plan amount to ECU 30 000 including 
expenditure on a staff of three. 
Each year, as part of the annual budgetary procedure, the Commission shall propose to the Budgetary 
Authority that these funds be allocated to the title covering the programme in accordance with the real 
needs for the financial year in question and the financial estimates contained in the Interinstitutional 
Agreement.