Cordis Focus Newsletter. Issue number 280, July 2007.
Date: 2008-12-05
Institutions: CORDIS, Publications Office of the European Union
Subjects: research, research and development, research project, serial publication

Issue number 280 — July 2007

COrdIs
COrdIs

http://cordis.europa.eu

ISSN 1022-6559

Newsletter
Newsletter

● Highlights 3  ● General policy 10
  ● Projects and programmes 14  ● Innovation 18
  ● Calls and tenders 22  ● Around Europe 24  ● Events 26
  ● Other news 28  ● Also online 31  ● New on CORDIS 32

In this issue

● Ministers agree on general approach 

to EIT, page 4  

● The start of a new ‘science diplomacy’  
  with Africa?, page 8  

● Galileo’s future to be decided 
  by autumn, say ministers, page 12  

● Harnessing the waves, page 16  

● Green light for ‘Intellectual property  
  charter’, page 20

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European Council urges forward 
movement on JTIs, EIT and Galileo

While all eyes were on treaty reform as the EU’s Heads of State 
or Government met in Brussels on 21 and 22 June 2007, the leaders 
also had other items on their agenda, including joint technology 
initiatives (JTIs) and the European Institute of Technology (EIT).

The European Council 
invited  the  Council 
of  Ministers  to  agree 
swiftly  on  the  first 
four  proposals  for  JTIs 
(Artemis,  on  embed-
ded  computer  systems; 
I M I ,   on   i n nov at ive 
medicines;  ‘Clean  sky’, 
on  aeronautics  and  air 
on  aeronautics  and  air 
transport;  and  ENIAC, 
transport;  and  ENIAC, 
on nano-electronics tech-
on nano-electronics tech-
nologies).  The  leaders 
nologies).  The  leaders 
also invited the European 
also invited the European 
Commission  to  present 
Commission  to  present 
the remaining JTIs identi-
the remaining JTIs identi-
fied in the proposals for the 
fied in the proposals for the 
Seventh  Framework  Pro-
Seventh  Framework  Pro-
gramme  (FP7)  as  quickly  as  possible,  and  recalled  ‘the  importance  of  open 
and transparent management of these initiatives’. 

The conclusions welcomed the work done thus far on the regulation for the EIT, 
and called on the EU Competitiveness Council to agree on a general approach 
towards the initiative during its June 2007 meeting. This approach should include 
provisions for adequate financing ‘in accordance with Community budgetary 
procedures’.

‘The European Council is confident that the final decision of Council and European 
Parliament [EP] will be taken before the end of this year,’ the conclusions state.

continued on page 2

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EN EN

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continued from page 1   ‘European Council urges forward movement on JTIs, EIT and Galileo’

Europe’s future satellite navigation system, 
Galileo, stalled recently, after the companies 
involved  in  the  public-private  partnership 
(PPP) charged with financing the initiative 
were unable to reach agreement on how to 
apportion the financial risks inherent in the 
project. In Brussels, the European Council 
reaffirmed  the  value  of  Galileo  as  a  key 
project of the EU, and asked the Competi-
tiveness Council to take a decision on how 
Galileo should now be implemented in autumn 
2007. The Commission has already put for-
ward a number of suggestions on how public 
money could be used to finance Galileo.

its efforts to push for both the implemen-
tation of the London protocol, and then a 
Community  patent.  ‘Where  there’s  a  will 
there’s a way,’ she said. The rest of Europe’s 
Heads of State or Government are clearly 
behind Ms Merkel, as the conclusions from 
their 22 June meeting welcome the initiative 
for a European charter for the use of intel-
lectual property from public research institu-
tions and universities. The initiative should 
‘improve the  knowledge transfer between 
research and industry and its contribution 
to the development of the European research 
area [ERA]’, according to the conclusions.

The President of the European Council, Ger-
man Chancellor Angela Merkel, has previ-
ously underlined the importance for com-
petitiveness  of  securing  the  protection  of 
intellectual property. In April 2007 she spoke 

‘The Commission has 
already put forward a 
number of suggestions on 
how public money could 
be used to finance Galileo.’

of a forthcoming EU charter bringing in a 
voluntary  code  of  practice  on  intellectual 
property, and promised that the German EU 
Council Presidency would be ‘unstinting’ in 

The Council conclusions go on to specify new 
amendments made to the EU Treaty drafted in 
2004. Here it is specified that measures adopted 
under the European space policy (ESP)‘may 
not entail harmonisation of the laws and regu-
lations of the Member States’. Under envir-
onment, the need to combat climate change 
through international measures will be speci-
fied, while for energy, a reference to the spirit 
of solidarity between EU Member States will 
be asserted. A new point will also refer to the 
interconnection of energy networks.

Based	on	the	conclusions	
of	the	European	Council	of	21	and	22	June	2007.
To	access	the	conclusions	in	full,	please	visit:
http://www.eu2007.de/en/News/download_
docs/Juni/0621-ER/010conclusions.pdf
RCN:	27913

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The	European	Council	on	21	and	22	June	2007

Frequent acronyms

competitiveness and innovation framework programme

CIP 
CORDIS  Community Research and Development Information Service
EP 
ERA 
ERC 
FP5/6/7  Fifth/Sixth/Seventh Framework Programme of the European Community 

European Parliament
European research area
 European Research Council

ICT 
IP 
MEP 
R & D 
SME 

for research, technological development and demonstration activities
information and communication technology
integrated project
Member of the European Parliament
research and development
small and medium-sized enterprise

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Th  ank you.

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http://europa.eu/50

The	contents	of	this	bulletin	have	been	extracted	from
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©	European	Communities,	2007	—	Reproduction
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Iter Fusion for energy agency opens for business

‘It is time for fusion to deliver. And this is now in your hands,’ said Janez Potočnik, European Commissioner 
for Science and Research, as he officially opened Fusion for Energy, the European procurement agency for the 
‘International experimental thermonuclear reactor’ (ITER) in Barcelona, Spain, on 28 June 2007.

HIGHlIGHts

An agreement on the premises of Fusion for Energy, and setting 
out the conditions for the agency’s activities and staff, was signed 
by the Spanish Minister for Science and Education, Mercedes 
Cabrera Calvo-Sotelo, as well as Commissioner Potočnik.

‘[...] the new agency [will] 
allow the EU to contribute 
to ITER in a rapid, organised 
and effective way.’

Based in Barcelona, the new European Joint Undertaking for ITER 
and the Development of Fusion Energy, also known as Fusion for 
Energy,  will  work 
with  industry  and 
research  organi-
s at i o n s   a ro u n d 
Europe to provide 
the  components 
needed  to  build 
ITER.  Almost  half 
the parts that make up ITER will come from Europe, in the form 
of ‘in-kind’ contributions. The agency will have a budget of EUR 4 
billion for the first 10 years.

Speaking at the inaugural ceremony, Commissioner Potočnik 
said that the new agency would allow the EU to contribute to 
ITER in a rapid, organised and effective way. ‘By bringing together 

the knowledge and expertise needed for the construction of a 
demonstration  fusion  power  plant,  Fusion  for  Energy  should 
become  a centre of excellence that will allow  Europe and its 
partners to benefit fully from fusion energy in the future,’ he 
continued.
continued.

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In addition to its role in procuring parts for ITER, the agency will 
provide the European contributions to the ‘broader approach’ 
agreement with Japan on collaborative fusion research projects. 
These include the engineering design activities 
These include the engineering design activities 
for the International Fusion Materials Irradiation 
for the International Fusion Materials Irradiation 
Facility (IFMIF), a joint initiative between the EU, 
Facility (IFMIF), a joint initiative between the EU, 
Japan, Russia and the United States.
Japan, Russia and the United States.

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Fusion  for  Energy  is  also  mandated  to  pre-
Fusion  for  Energy  is  also  mandated  to  pre-
pare  for  the  construction  of  demonstration 
pare  for  the  construction  of  demonstration 
fusion reactors (DEMO) that can demonstrate 
fusion reactors (DEMO) that can demonstrate 
large-scale electrical power production. ‘I am 
large-scale electrical power production. ‘I am 
convinced  that  Europe  must  be  at  the  very 
convinced  that  Europe  must  be  at  the  very 
forefront of the DEMO effort — and we have 
forefront of the DEMO effort — and we have 
a duty to realise the investment of European 
a duty to realise the investment of European 
taxpayers in this venture,’ said Mr Potočnik.
taxpayers in this venture,’ said Mr Potočnik.

ITER is an international collaborative research 
ITER is an international collaborative research 
project on an unprecedented scale, involving 
project on an unprecedented scale, involving 
seven partners: China, the EU, India, Japan, 
seven partners: China, the EU, India, Japan, 
the Republic of Korea, Russia and the United 
the Republic of Korea, Russia and the United 
States. The experimental fusion reactor, to be 
located in Cadarache, southern France, will 
attempt to reproduce on Earth the nuclear 
reactions  that  power  the  Sun  and  other 
stars. Fusion can produce as much energy 
from half a bath of water and a notebook 
battery as can be produced with 40 t of 
coal.

Janez	Potočnik	and	Mercedes	Cabrera	Calvo-Sotelo	inaugurating	the	Fusion	for	Energy	agency

Based	on	information	from	the	European	Commission.
For	further	information	about	the	ITER	project,	please	visit:
http://www.iter.org
For	further	information	on	funding	for	
fusion	research	under	FP7,	please	visit:
http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/euratom/fusion_en.html
RCN:	27951

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2007 starting grants to three broad domains: 
15 %  for  social  sciences  and  humanities; 
40 % for life sciences, including medicine; 
and  45 %  for  physical,  mathematical  and 
engineering sciences. The fields addressed 
by the applications largely mirrored this div-
ision (14.9, 37 and 48.1 % respectively).

Finally, oversubscription was not limited 
to  the  grants.  Multi-disciplinary  evalua-
tion panels have now been put together, and 
all  received  numerous  applications.  The 
five most popular panels received between 
672 and 768 applications each.

The Scientific Council hopes that this break-
down of data on applicants will prove help-
ful for individual communities wishing to 
assess their standing.

Based	on	information	from	the	ERC	Scientific	Council.
For	further	information	on	the	ERC,	please	visit:
http://erc.europa.eu
http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/ideas
RCN:	27789

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erC stats show high number 
of overseas applicants

The European Research Council (ERC) has provided further 
information on the 9 167 applications received for the ERC’s first 
round of grants, the ‘Starting grants for independent researchers’.

In April 2007 the ERC’s Scientific Council 
announced how many applications had been 
received, and the figure of 9 167 was much 
higher than many were expecting. Now the 
Scientific Council has given details of how 
many  of  the  applications  address  each  of 
the three domains outlined in the call for 
proposals, which countries the applications 
have come from, and how many people have 
applied to be a member of the evaluation pan-
els charged with reviewing the proposals.

‘Like the applicants and the panels, the ERC 
Scientific Council is keenly aware that the 
available budget is not sufficient to fund all 
the deserving applications,’ says the ERC 
Scientific Council. ‘We can only reiterate our 
commitment that excellence will be the sole 
criterion: for selecting the first-stage appli-
cations whose PIs [principal investigators] 
will be invited to submit full (stage 2) pro-
posals, and for selecting the full proposals 
that will be funded later in the year.’

A significant number of PI applicants are 
currently  living  outside  of  the  EU.  ‘This 
suggests  that,  over  time,  ERC  grants  can 
enhance the competitiveness of Europe by 
recruiting overseas research talent,’ says the 
Scientific Council. 

For analysis purposes, the Scientific Council 
has divided the countries from which appli-
cations have come into six different groups. 
The first group, comprising the six founding 

members of the European Economic Com-
munity (EEC: Belgium,Germany, France, 
Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands) was 
by far the most active in submitting applica-
tions. Some 44.8 % of the PIs that submit-
ted proposals are currently living in these 
countries, while 46.2 % of the institutions at 
which the research would be carried out are 
in this part of Europe.

The next geographic bloc in the table com-
prises the nine EU Member States that joined 
in the years before 2004. Some 35.5 % of PIs 
are currently resident in these countries. 

The 12 countries that have acceded to the 
EU since 2004 account for 8.6 % of current 
countries of residence, which is only just 
ahead of the figure for the seven countries 
associated to the EU or having ‘candidate 
country’ status (7.9 %).

The  final  two  groups  comprise  ‘overseas 
highly  developed  countries’  (2.8 %)  and 
‘overseas developing or emergent developed 
countries’ (0.4 %).

The PIs can be of any nationality or current 
location, but must apply in conjunction with 
an institution in an EU Member State or 
associated country, where he or she will be 
based for at least the period of the grant.

As  specified  in  the  original  call  for  pro-
posals, the ERC pre-allocated most of the 

Ministers agree on general approach to eIt

After months of negotiations, ministers attending the EU’s Competitiveness 
Council on 25 June 2007 reached an agreement on a general approach
to a draft regulation to establish a European Institute of Technology (EIT).

The idea of establishing an EIT was first 
mooted by European Commission President 
José Manuel Barroso in 2005. A number of 
Commission communications followed, and 

‘The Council agreed that 
the EIT would start with an 
initial two to three [KICs], 
which will address the EU 
priorities of renewable 
energy and climate change.’

now the Council has given its backing to the 
latest paper — a compromise text prepared 
by the German EU Council Presidency.

The general approach agreed by the Council 
means that there is broad consensus on the 
substance  of  the  regulation,  but  further 
fine-tuning is still required before a polit-
ical agreement can be reached.

The fine-tuning is likely to relate primarily 
to funding. Ministers agreed on an initial 
budget of EUR 308.7 million, to come from 

the  Commission’s  funding  envelope.  But 
it is generally believed that more funding 
will be necessary. According to a statement 
from  the  German  Ministry  of  Education 
and Research, many ministers present were 
confident that industry will contribute sig-
nificantly to the funding envelope.

The Council agreed that the EIT would start 
with an initial two to three ‘Knowledge and 
innovation  communities’  (KICs),  which 
will address the EU priorities of renewable 
energy and climate change.

The  establishment  of  the  first  KICs  will 
form the first of a two-step approach. Sub-
ject to an evaluation of the EIT’s activities, 

continued on page 5

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approach the most effective product sets the 
standard that all other providers have to fol-
low,’ explained Mr Gabriel.

Agreement was also reached on the need for 
EU Member States to place greater focus on 
environmentally sound products in the con-
text of their procurement policies, thus con-
tributing to improving the market opportu-
nities of eco-innovations. Research activities 
should also be intensified, especially with a 
view  to  sustainable  energy  technologies, 
they stated.

Based	on	information	from	the	German	Government.
For	further	information,	please	visit:
http://www.eu2007.de
For	further	information	on	the	research	activities	of	the	
German	EU	Council	Presidency,	please	visit:
http://cordis.europa.eu/germany/presidency
RCN:	27779

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eU environment ministers call 
for greener european industrial policy 

In the face of climate change and environmental pollution, EU 
environment ministers have called for a greener European industrial policy 
at an informal meeting from 1 to 3 June 2007 in Essen, Germany.

The  ministers  agreed  that  the  EU  needs 
to place greater focus on improving energy 
and  resource  efficiency,  promoting  eco-
innovations, and accelerating the spread of 
environmental technologies in all sectors.

‘Not only do we want to make the EU the 
most competitive economy in the world, we 
also want to be pioneers in resource effi-
ciency  and  ecological  innovation,’  stated 
Germany’s Federal Environment Minister 
Sigmar Gabriel at the end of the two-day 
discussions. 

According to Mr Gabriel, ‘environmental 
technologies already play a major role for 
growth and employment in Europe. Their glo-

‘Not only do we want to 
make the EU the most 
competitive economy in 
the world, we also want 
to be pioneers in resource 
efficiency and ecological 
innovation.’

bal market volume will double from around 
EUR 1 000 billion in 2005 to approximately 

EUR 2 200 billion by 2020. To ensure that 
Europe can maintain its technological and 
economic  leading  position  in  this  field, 
policy-makers must steer the right course. 
The concept of ecological industrial policy 
is the  economic answer to the ecological 
question.’ 

The  ministers  voiced  their  support  for  a 
range of specific measures, outlining that 
improvements in the European emissions 
trading scheme are of fundamental import-
ance. They believe that emissions allowances 
ance. They believe that emissions allowances 
should be allocated to a greater 
extent on the basis of uniform 
calculation  methods.  Alloca-
tion should no longer be free of 
charge; allowances should instead 
be auctioned.

The  ministers  also  advocated 
dynamic standards so as to pro-
vide a strong market incentive for 
vide a strong market incentive for 
energy-efficient  innovations,  for 
energy-efficient  innovations,  for 
example  for  electrical  household 
example  for  electrical  household 
appliances.  ‘We  need  continuous 
appliances.  ‘We  need  continuous 
competition for the most efficient 
competition for the most efficient 
solution, based on the model of the 
solution, based on the model of the 
“Top runner” approach that has been 
“Top runner” approach that has been 
proven successful in Japan. With this 
proven successful in Japan. With this 

continued from page 4   ‘Ministers agree on general approach to EIT’

a second step will see the creation of fur-
ther KICs and a longer-term strategy for 
the EIT.

The Council expressed the hope of reaching 
an agreement with the EP at its first reading 
of the text during the second half of 2007.

The  KICs  will  be  partnerships  between 
the private sector, the research community 
and universities. They are designed to play 
a unique role in the ERA by combining all 
sides  of  the  ‘knowledge  triangle’:  educa-
tion, research and innovation. It is hoped 
that they will be able to rapidly convert the 
results from basic research into new tech-
nologies ready for the market.

This agreement grants the EIT and the KICs 
a large degree of autonomy. However, long-
term strategic policy guidance will be pro-
vided by the EP and the Council, who will 
agree on a strategic innovation agenda for 
future EIT activities.

Ministers also held an exchange of views 
on  the  ERA,  focusing  on  the  Commis-
sion’s  recent  Green  Paper  on  the  subject 
entitled The European Research Area: New 
Perspectives, and welcomed the Commis-
sion’s recent communication on improving 
knowledge transfer. The Council invited the 
Commission to draw up a European charter 
on technology transfer to strengthen Euro-
pean competitiveness.

A  number  of  proposals  coming  out  of 
FP7 were presented to the Council. These 
included a draft regulation on the ‘Clean 
sky’  joint  technology  initiative  (JTI)  on 
greener air transport; and a draft regulation 

on the European Nanoelectronics Initiative 
Advisory Council (ENIAC) JTI.

Further  proposals  included  Community 
participation in a programme undertaken 
by  several  EU  Member  States,  aimed  at 
enhancing the quality of life of older peo-
ple through the use of new information and 
communication technologies (ICTs); and 
the  Eurostars  programme,  which  would 
use Article 169 of the EC Treaty to enable 
Community  participation  in  this  Eureka 
programme  for  small  and  medium-sized 
enterprises (SMEs).

Based	on	the	conclusions	of	the	2811th	
EU	Competitiveness	Council	meeting.
To	access	the	Council	conclusions	in	full,	please	visit:
http://www.consilium.europa.eu/ueDocs/
cms_Data/docs/pressData/en/intm/94967.pdf
RCN:	27925

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may  make  provision,  in  agreement  with 
the  Member  States  concerned,  for  par-
ticipation  in  research  and  development 
[R & D] programmes undertaken by sev-
eral Member States, including participation 
in the structures created for the execution 
of those programmes.’

The  new  research  initiative  would  aim 
to  stimulate  market-oriented  research 

‘Many projects on ICT 
for ageing have already 
received funding under the 
EU’s research framework 
programmes, and funding 
will continue under FP7.’

on  applications  for  independent  living, 
and bridge the gap between longer term 
research performed under FP7 and large-
scale innovation projects under the com-
petitiveness  and  innovation  framework 
programme (CIP).

‘Europe’s ageing population is a challenge for 
our job market and its social and health sys-
tems. But it is also an economic and social 
opportunity,’ said Viviane Reding, European 
Commissioner for Information Society and 
Media.  ‘ICT  will  provide  new  and  more 
accessible products and services that meet 
the needs of older people.’

Based	on	the	European	Commission	
communication	COM(2007)	332	final.
For	further	information,	please	visit:
http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/activities/
einclusion/policy/ageing/launch/index_en.htm
RCN:	27857

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european Commission proposes 
new research initiative on ICt and ageing

The European Commission has adopted the action plan ‘Ageing well 
in the information society’, and has proposed a new research initiative 
on the same theme, to be supported under Article 169 of the EC Treaty.

The Commission will also publish a rec-
ommendation to EU Member States on the 
privacy aspects of RFID, and will promote 
further investment in RFID research.

But the Commission alone cannot promote 
the use of digital technologies in healthy and 
independent  ageing.  EU  Member  States, 
business stakeholders, user organisations, 
regional and local authorities are asked to 
promote basic access through broadband 
to ICT services for ageing, and to increase 
digital competencies among older people. 
The  Commission  will  then  facilitate  the 
exchange of good practices and access to 
programmes, services, solutions and multi-
stakeholder initiatives through a new Inter-
net portal.

Many  projects  on  ICT  for  ageing  have 
already  received  funding  under  the  EU’s 
research framework programmes, and fund-
ing will continue under FP7.

In addition, the Commission is proposing 
the establishment of a new research ini-
tiative on ‘Ageing well in the information 
society’,  aimed  at  coordinating  Member 
State research programmes on ICT for age-
ing. The initiative would have Article 169 of
the  EC  Treaty  as  its  legal  basis,  which 
states: ‘In implementing the multiannual 
framework  programme  the  Community 

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‘Europe’s population is ageing: average life 
expectancy has increased from 55 in 1920 to 
over 80 today. With the retiring baby boom 
generation the number of people aged from 
65 to 80 will rise by nearly 40 % between 
2010 and 2030. This demographic change 
poses  significant  challenges  to  Europe’s 
society  and  economy.  ICT  can  play  an 
important role in dealing with these chal-
lenges,’ the action plan opens.

The initiative is intended to improve quality 
of life for older people — and thus introduce 
cost-savings in health and social care — and 
also  to  create  a  strong  industrial  basis  in 
Europe for ICT and ageing. The Commission 
proposes to act in six specific areas:
•
•
•
•
•

understanding older users;
market visibility and transparency;
regulatory barriers;
technical barriers;
basic access barriers and lack of adequate 
solutions;
other barriers.

•

Technical barriers stem from the failure of 
mainstream ICT products and services to 
address the needs of older people, particu-
larly in relation to the multiple progressive 
impairments that are associated with age.

In addition, technological solutions often 
require putting together and interconnect-
ing a variety of services in tools in a way 
that is beyond the ability of most users. And 
as markets alone do not provide sufficient 
incentives to guarantee interoperability and 

‘The initiative is intended to 
improve quality of life for 
older people — and thus 
introduce cost-savings in 
health and social care […].’

modularity  across  different  devices  and 
services, costs are relatively high for users, 
economies  of  scale  are  missed,  and  the 
internal market for ICT and ageing cannot 
take off.

During 2007 and 2008, the Commission will 
carry out further assessments of the various 
barriers hindering the uptake of technol-
ogies for independent living, and will also 
assess the implications and opportunities 
provided by ‘Radio frequency identification’ 
(RFID) technologies.

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‘Clean sky’ JtI takes off at Paris air show

The proposed ‘Clean sky’ joint technology initiative (JTI) for greener 
aviation was presented by European Science and Research Commissioner 
Janez Potočnik during the ‘Salon international de l’aéronautique et de 
l’espace’ (the international Paris air show) on 20 June 2007 in Paris, France.

The goal of the initiative is to improve the 
environmental performance and competi-
tiveness of Europe’s aeronautics industry. 
Concretely, its objectives are to reduce car-
bon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 40 %, nitro-
gen oxide (NOx) by 60 % and noise by 50 %. 
It is hoped that these advances will be made 
in time for a major fleet renewal in 2015.

The project is a public-private partnership 
(PPP), bringing together over 100 organisa-
tions including all the major aeronautical 
players in Europe as well as SMEs, research 
centres  and  universities.  The  European 
Commission  will  provide  EUR 800  mil-
lion in funding from FP7, and industry is 
expected to match this amount.

‘European Commission studies show that 
the aviation industry accounts for 4 % of 
annual  greenhouse  gas  emissions,’  com-

‘The project is a public-
private partnership (PPP), 
bringing together over 
100 organisations including 
all the major aeronautical 
players in Europe […].’

mented  Commissioner  Potočnik.  ‘So,  I 
warmly welcome industry’s commitment to 
the “Clean sky” initiative. “Clean sky” will 
make the best use of both public and private 
resources to develop cleaner and quieter air-
resources to develop cleaner and quieter air-

craft, with spill-over benefits in many other 
areas  of  science  like  materials,  computer 
simulations, and energy management.’

Within the proposed JTI, groups called ‘Inte-
grated technology demonstrators’ (ITDs) 
will carry out preliminary studies and then 
large-scale demonstrations in six key areas 
in order to develop innovative technologies 
to the level where they can be applied to the 
next generation of aircraft. 

The  ‘Smart  fixed  wing  aircraft’  ITD  will 
develop active wing technologies that sense 
airflow  and  adapt  their  shape  as  needed, 
while the ‘Green regional aircraft’ ITD will 
focus  on  low-weight  configurations  and 
technologies, as well as the integration of 
technology developed in other ITDs.

Developing  innovative  rotor  blades  and 
decreasing airframe drag are among the pri-
orities for the ‘Green rotorcraft’ ITD. Mean-
while the ‘Sustainable and green engine’ ITD 
will work on technologies aimed at lowering 
noise levels, decreasing NOx emissions and 
improving efficiency.

The  ‘Systems  for  green  operations’  ITD 
will focus on aircraft equipment and sys-
tems architectures, capabilities for ‘green’ 
trajectories and improved ground opera-
tions.  Finally  the  ‘Eco-design’  ITD  will 
address  the  full  life  cycle  of  material 
and  components,  with  an  emphasis  on 
optimising the use of raw materials, and 
optimising the use of raw materials, and 

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decreasing the usage of natural resources 
and energy.

A technology evaluator will be responsible 
for  assessing  the  contribution  of  the  six 
ITDs to the overall environmental object-
ives of the project.

The ‘Clean sky’ JTI will be overseen by an 
executive board and an executive office. The 
board will be made up of representatives of 
the Commission and founding members of 

‘The “Clean sky” JTI is 
the third such initiative 
to be put forward by the 
[European] Commission.’

the JTI, such as leading players in the aero-
nautics industry and research centres. The 
executive office will be headed by a joint 
undertaking director and the ITD steering 
committees.

The ‘Clean sky’ JTI is the third such initia-
tive to be put forward by the Commission. 
Back  in  May  2007  it  adopted  proposals 
for Artemis, a JTI on embedded systems 
technology, and the ‘Innovative medicines 
initiative’ (IMI). Other candidate fields for 
JTIs  are  nano-electronics  and  hydrogen 
and fuel cells.

Based	on	press	release	IP/07/854	and	MEMO/07/243	
from	the	European	Commission.
For	further	information,	please	visit:
http://www.asd-europe.org
For	further	information	on	transport	research	
(including	aeronautics)	under	FP7:
http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/cooperation/transport_en.html
RCN:	27893

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the start of a new ‘science diplomacy’ 
with africa?

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Africa is tired of hand-outs from the West that take it nowhere, and 
is instead looking for support to help strengthen its research base so 
that science can be used to spearhead development, according to Aida 
Opoku-Mensah, Director of the ICT and Science and Technology (S & T) 
division at the United Nation’s Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA).

What can be done in Europe to strengthen 
‘Science with Africa’ was the topic of con-
versation  at  a  working  lunch  bringing 
together Members of the European Parlia-
ment  (MEPs)  with  representatives  from 
embassies,  industry,  the  European  Com-
mission and non-governmental organisa-
tions (NGOs) on 26 June 2007. The lunch 
was sponsored by Polish MEP Jerzy Buzek.

Europe’s links with North Africa are closer 
than those with Sub-Saharan Africa, pos-
sibly because North Africa has more estab-
lished universities. ‘The challenge now is to 
go into those areas that are not glamorous. 
These are the really important. Science’s role 
in development is proof of that. It’s neces-
sary, but nobody wants to invest in it,’ she 
told CORDIS News.

Ideas included the establishment of offices in 
Brussels and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, closer 
links between technology and development 
policy-makers, and support for the building 
of infrastructure. Ideas will be discussed in 
more detail at a conference in Addis Ababa 
in March 2008.

Guest of honour Ms Opoku-Mensah told 
CORDIS News that prior to this initiative, 
she  had  regarded  European  initiatives  to 
increase science collaboration with Africa 
as ‘few and far between’. 
as ‘few and far between’. 

Globally, a number of high-level summits 
have  emphasised  the  importance  of  sci-
ence for Africa, including the 2005 World 
Summit, the World Summit on Sustainable 
Development  and  the  UN’s  ‘Millennium 
project 2005 — innovation: applying know-
ledge in development’. But much remains to 
be done. 

Africa  still  suffers  from  perpetual  brain 
drain: in South Africa, more than 300 spe-
cialist nurses leave the country every month; 

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Zambia has seen its pool of doctors dimin-
ish  four-fold  in  recent  years;  and  45 000 
Egyptian scientists have emigrated over the 
last 50 years.

The result is limited national systems that 
cannot  take  up  technological  opportuni-
ties,  poor  management  structures,  very 
basic infrastructure, and a lack of human 
resources.  The  problems  are  exacerbated 
by  a  lack  of  investment,  which  leads  to 

‘Globally, a number of 
high-level summits have 
emphasised the importance 
of science for Africa […].’

poor working conditions for researchers, 
and under-equipped universities that must 
restrict their teaching to theory.

The  West  has  harmed  Africa  by  turn-
ing a blind eye to these problems, or not 
providing  appropriate  support.  In  some 
instances, western policies have also hurt 
Africa.  ‘There  is  a  severe  constraint  on 
access to [...] technologies because of the 
patent and intellectual property regime, or 
the lack of it. For instance, anti-retroviral 
drugs have generic equivalents that could 
be developed in Africa but are hampered 
by  the  patent  and  intellectual  property 
regime,’ said Ms Opoku-Mensah, deliver-
ing a speech that the UN Under-Secretary-
General, Abdoulie Janneh, had intended to 
give at the lunch.

‘It is a fact that at the global level, a part-
nership based on new S & T to address the 
problems of poor people remains elusive,’ 
continued Ms Opoku-Mensah. ‘The policies 
of  developed  countries  continue  to  deny 
health systems in developing countries life-
saving drugs needed to fight AIDS, malaria 
and tuberculosis. And too little is spent on 
research into developing biomedical solu-
tions to the health problems of the develop-
ing world, particularly Africa.’

The solution? Increasing the flow of infor-
mation between Europe and Africa, putting 
scientists in touch with one another, and 
promoting best practice, would be a start, 
according  to  Declan  Kirrane,  Managing 
Director of Intelligence in Science (ISC), the 
organiser of the working lunch.

As  CORDIS  has  done  in  Europe,  offices 
in Brussels and Addis Ababa could serve 
as a helpdesk for increasing collaboration 
between  researchers  in  the  two  regions, 
opening communication channels, facilitat-
ing partner searchers and providing infor-

continued on page 9

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24-07-2007   11:35:47

 
	
	
 
continued from page 8   ‘The start of a new “science diplomacy” with Africa?’

mation on what is going on in Europe and 
Africa.  ‘The  office  would  fundamentally 
address  the  lack  of  information.  What  is 
missing is the answer to “who do you call?”’, 
said Mr Kirrane.

said that the EU’s research 
framework  programmes 
can  help  to  some  extent, 
but should not be expected 
to build capacity alone. 

The idea won the support of Mr Buzek, who 
proposed that MEPs look into current pro-
visions and initiatives to check that noth-
ing would be duplicated. If the analysis is 
favourable towards the office, it could then 
be  proposed  formally  at  the  March  2008 
conference.

Slovenian  MEP  Romana  Jordan  Cizelj 
emphasised  that  the  EU  alone  can-
not  address  the  problems  facing  Africa, 
and  called  for  the  EU  Member  States  to 
strengthen their links with African research-
ers. The MEP also stressed the importance of 
forging closer links between those working 
on development policy, and those focusing 
on technology, as well as the two separate 
budgets. ‘The two groups think differently. 
We need long-term cooperation. This would 
help the EU as well as third countries,’ she 
said.

The subject of development was also taken 
up  by  Italian  MEP  Pia  Locatelli.  ‘Part  of 
development  policy  is  support  for  infra-
structure, and this can be research infra-
structure,’  she  said.  Improved  African 
research infrastructure would reduce brain 
drain, she explained.

Representing the European Commission’s 
Research  DG,  Rudolf  Meijer  echoed  the 
need for capacity-building in Africa, and 

One of the new instruments 
introduced  under  FP7  is 
the INCO-Net, designed to 
bring together policy-makers 
and stakeholders of a given 
region  or  group  of  coun-
tries  with  the  EU  partners. 
tries  with  the  EU  partners. 
Mr Meijer was confident that 
Mr Meijer was confident that 
there would be an INCO-Net 
there would be an INCO-Net 
for Africa.

The 
Mr Meijer also spoke of the The 
European Researchers Mobility 
European Researchers Mobility 
Portal,  which  gives  informa-
,  which  gives  informa-
tion on opportunities in other 
tion on opportunities in other 
countries and the practical side 
countries and the practical side 
of  moving  to  these  countries. 
of  moving  to  these  countries. 
The ‘Marie Curie’ scheme also 
The ‘Marie Curie’ scheme also 
funds researcher mobility, and 
funds researcher mobility, and 
has a mechanism to support the 
has a mechanism to support the 
researcher’s return to his or her 
researcher’s return to his or her 
home country.

FP7 is open to third countries, but Mr Buzek 
claimed that this is not enough in the case 
of Africa. Special incentives are needed to 
encourage  participation,  such  as  a  pro-
gramme  that  supports  involvement,  he 
said.

Other  participants  suggested  introduc-
ing  initiatives  to  develop  a  science  cul-

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Jerzy	Buzek

ture in Africa, establishing an African-EP 
forum that would meet twice each year, and 
encouraging the transfer of knowledge in 
both directions, as well as within Africa. 

Efforts are already underway to foster closer 
collaboration within Africa. A small country 
such as Togo cannot be expected to mas-
sively increase its investment in research. 
But  by  working  together  with  other 
small countries and creating clusters, 
small countries and creating clusters, 
smaller countries will make themselves 
smaller countries will make themselves 
more attractive partners for collabora-
more attractive partners for collabora-
tive research, Ms Opoku-Mensah told 
tive research, Ms Opoku-Mensah told 
CORDIS News.
CORDIS News.

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Mr  Buzek  concluded  by  welcom-
Mr  Buzek  concluded  by  welcom-
ing the start of a ‘new diplomacy in 
ing the start of a ‘new diplomacy in 
science’, which he looks forward to 
science’, which he looks forward to 
developing further in Addis Ababa 
in March 2008.

CORDIS focus Newsletter — No 280 — July 2007

Based	on	CORDIS	News	attendance	
at	an	ISC-EP	working	lunch.
RCN:	27934

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General POlICY
Climate and energy major threats 
to european agriculture, conference finds

What are the major challenges facing European agriculture? And how can research help 
farmers and the wider rural community meet these challenges? These questions were at the heart 
of a conference on the future of agricultural research held in Brussels on 26 and 27 June 2007.

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The starting point of the event was the outcome of a foresight 
process carried out by the EU’s Standing Committee on Agricul-
tural Research (SCAR). A Foresight Expert Group, set up in June 
2006, developed scenarios based on the 
factors  most  likely  to  disrupt  European 
agriculture over the next 20 years.

In the ‘climate shock’ scenario, an accelera-
tion of environmental impacts related to 
climate change seriously disrupts Euro-
pean  agriculture.  The  second  scenario 
foresees an energy crisis, where Europe’s 
lack of investments in bioenergies leaves 
it facing severe energy shortages when the oil price skyrockets. 

‘[…] the main challenge 
facing agro-food actors 
is the speed of adaptation 
and proactive responses 
to secure a European lead 
in this area.’

and increased vulnerability to other environmental pressures are 
just a selection of the many challenges agriculture will have to 
address as a result of climate change, he said. 

To help agriculture meet these challenges, 
research  is  needed  into  the  secondary 
effects of climate change, such as diseases 
and extreme events, as well as into man-
agement  methods  and  technologies  to 
mitigate greenhouse gas emissions from 
the agricultural sector. 

A ‘food crisis’ scenario envisages a world where global agriculture 
is faced with the challenge of providing sufficient, safe food for 
the growing world population. Finally, a ‘cooperation with nature’ 
scenario offers a more optimistic vision of the future, in which 
society  and  technology  work  together  to  ensure  sustainable 
development at all levels.

The  authors  of  the  foresight  report  note  that  by ‘disruption’ 
they mean fast change, resulting in both positive and negative 
changes. ‘Therefore the main challenge facing agro-food actors 
is the speed of adaptation and proactive responses to secure a 
European lead in this area,’ they write.

Other speakers at the workshop backed up the foresight group’s 
findings, with most agreeing that climate change in particular 
would pose major problems for Europe’s farmers in the coming 
decades.

‘There are already changes in rainfall intensity,’ noted Jørgen 
Olesen of the Jordbrugsvidenskabelige Fakultet (the faculty of 
agricultural sciences) at the University of Aarhus, Denmark, who 
worked on the recent report of the Intergovernmental Panel on 
Climate Change (IPCC). Droughts, changes in seasonal cycles 

On energy, Dr Steffen Daebeler of the Ger-
man Fachagentur Nachwachsende Rohstoffe (FNR, the agency of 
renewable resources) said that research into biofuels should focus 
on the development of plants with a higher energy yield per hec-
tare, and on improved technologies for biofuel production such 
as second generation fuels and residue use. He also encouraged 
work into certification schemes.

Dr Calliope Panoutsou of the European Biofuels Technology Plat-
form agreed, and pointed out there would be no single solution 
to the biofuels issue, and that policy makers should allow technol-
ogies to compete to develop biofuels. Studies should also focus 
on using as much of the crop as possible to boost efficiency.

However, one clear message coming from the conference was 
that it is not enough to carry out research; the knowledge gener-
ated must be turned into products and applications and reach 
farmers and other stakeholders in a form that they are able to use 
in their decision making and activities.

‘We need the same thing as other businesses — access to research 
results,’ said Giacomo Ballari, President of the European Council of 
Young Farmers (CEJA, Conseil européen des jeunes agriculteurs). ‘We 
need a common platform where researchers and farmers can meet.’

‘We need a research environment which stimulates innovation 
and mechanisms for the rapid transfer of knowledge into 
and mechanisms for the rapid transfer of knowledge into 
applications,’ added Jim Scudamore of the European Tech-
applications,’ added Jim Scudamore of the European Tech-
nology Platform for Global Animal Health.
nology Platform for Global Animal Health.

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The conference proceedings will be added to the other out-
The conference proceedings will be added to the other out-
comes of the foresight process, which will feed into a report 
by the European Commission on the coordination of agri-
cultural research in Europe. The report will be presented to 
the EP and EU Council in 2008.

Based	on	CORDIS	News	attendance	at	the	conference	
‘Towards	future	challenges	of	agricultural	research	in	Europe’.
For	further	information	about	the	conference,	please	visit:
http://ec.europa.eu/research/conferences/2007/scar/index_en.htm
For	further	information	about	the	SCAR:
http://ec.europa.eu/research/agriculture/scar/index_en.cfm
For	further	information	on	funding	for	agricultural	research	under	FP7:
http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/kbbe
To	view	a	clip	of	Christian	Patermann,	Programme	Director	‘Biotechnology,	
Agriculture	and	Food’	at	the	Commission’s	Research	DG,	discussing	the	conference:
http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/kbbe/interview_en.html
RCN:	27942

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strong marine research strategy needed 
for the future of our seas, says Borg

Marine science and technology must be the foundations 
on which a future EU maritime policy is built, according to Joe Borg, 
the European Commissioner for Fisheries and Maritime Affairs.

Speaking at the ‘EurOCEAN 2007’ confer-
ence on 22 June 2007 in Aberdeen, United 
Kingdom,  Mr Borg  spoke  of  the  need  to 
tackle  the  threats  posed  by  sea-related 

‘[…] science and 
technology hold the key 
and can allow […] to 
reconcile the economic 
growth generated 
by sea-based activities
with environmental 
sustainability.’

human  activities  and  climate  change  on 
marine ecosystems. ‘These two major chal-
lenges require complex responses of para-
mount  political  importance.  We  need  to 
ensure that the decisions we make today are 
the best possible to secure the wealth and 
welfare of future generations.’

‘We strongly believe that science and tech-
nology  hold  the  key  and  can  allow  us  to 
reconcile the economic growth generated 
by sea-based activities with environmental 
sustainability,’ said the Commissioner.

In June 2006, the European Commission called 
upon stakeholders to contribute to the Green 
Paper Towards a future Maritime Policy for the 
Union: A European vision for the oceans and 
seas, which looks at the need for an overarching 
European marine-related research strategy. 
According to Mr Borg, stakeholder feedback 
has confirmed the need for this strategy and 
emphasised action in four specific areas.

The first is the need to work across sectors 
in the maritime policy, as well as traditional 
research  areas.  Such  an  approach  would 
entail  identifying  strategic  cross-sectoral 
challenges and then providing the tools to 
address them concretely, said Mr Borg. At 
EU level, these tools could include shared 
cost schemes for large-scale catalysing ini-
tiatives for the better management and pro-
tection of sea resources, as well as joint calls 
for proposals under FP7. The Commissioner 
also stressed the particular importance of 
fostering cooperation between marine and 
maritime research and technology. ‘We have 
much to gain from strengthened cooper-
ation between these two areas,’ he noted.

‘To succeed we need commitment from all 
our Member States,’ argued Mr Borg. ‘We 
need to promote synergy between Member 
States’ research efforts and boost value added 
at Community level to everybody’s benefit.’ 
at Community level to everybody’s benefit.’ 
He pointed to the 
likes of the Euro-
p e an  res e arch 
are a  net works 
(ERA-Nets)  and 
their  upgraded 
version  in  FP7 
(ERA-Net  plus) 
as  tools  that  will 
help  deliver  this 
improved synergy.

Stakeholders  also 
Stakeholders  also 
highlighted the need 
highlighted the need 
for  a  strengthened 
for  a  strengthened 
marine and maritime 
marine and maritime 
research  infrastruc-
research  infrastruc-
ture  in  the  consult-
ture  in  the  consult-
ation.  Infrastructure 
ation.  Infrastructure 
is  an  enabling  factor 
is  an  enabling  factor 
for research and tech-
for research and tech-
nology. In the case of 
nology. In the case of 
marine  and  maritime 
marine  and  maritime 
science, it can take the 
science, it can take the 
form of physical, large-
form of physical, large-
scale  infrastructure, 
scale  infrastructure, 
such as oceanic research 
such as oceanic research 
vessels.  Or  it  can  take 
vessels.  Or  it  can  take 
the form of marine and 
the form of marine and 
genomic data collection 
genomic data collection 
networks.  Mr Borg  sug-
networks.  Mr Borg  sug-
gested  that  the  work  by 
gested  that  the  work  by 
the  European  Strategy 
the  European  Strategy 
Forum on Research Infra-
Forum on Research Infra-
structures  (ESFRI)  on 
structures  (ESFRI)  on 
identifying needs in the area of marine and 
maritime research could be further refined.

The Commissioner also emphasised the 
importance of collecting long-term, well-
validated data on the seas, and welcomed 

‘Stakeholders also 
supported the [European] 
Commission’s proposal 
to establish a “European 
atlas of the seas” to 
showcase the data and 
raise public awareness.’

But action at EU level alone will not bring 
about a stronger marine research strategy. 

the positive feedback from stakeholders of 
the proposal to set up a ‘European marine 

operation  and  data  network’  to  pursue 
this objective. Stakeholders, he said, also 
supported the Commission’s proposal to 
establish  a  ‘European  atlas  of  the  seas’ 
to  showcase  the  data  and  raise  public 
awareness.

The fourth and final area highlighted by 
stakeholders concerns science and research 
governance. This refers to the need for the 
better articulation by the science commu-
nity of research needs, and the development 

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of synergies between science and industry. 
On the latter, the Commissioner welcomed 
the initiative to set up a ‘European aquacul-
ture technology platform’ (EATP). ‘If con-
ditions are met for its launching, it would 
represent a considerable step forward for 
the  European  aquaculture  industry,’  he 
concluded.

Based	on	a	speech	by	Joe	Borg,	SPEECH/07/413.
For	further	information	on	the	Green	Paper,	please	visit:
http://ec.europa.eu/maritimeaffairs/policy_en.html
RCN:	27914

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Brand name, networks and ICt: the ingredients 
for a competitive region, says Hübner

‘The competition for creative people, innovative companies, young 
researchers — the assets which are key to innovation capacity — is taking 
place today at the regional and sometimes local levels,’ the European 
Commissioner in charge of Regional Policy, Danuta Hübner, told participants 
at the ‘Innovative actions network for the information society - plus’ (IANIS+) 
annual conference in Bilbao, Spain, on 15 June 2007.

The Commissioner took three messages to 
the regional representatives present: invest 
in creating a regional brand so as to attract 
the best brains and money; invest in estab-

‘ICT provides the most 
efficient tools for catching 
up with the better-
performing regions, and 
for overcoming the barriers 
to innovation encountered 
by remote or rural areas.’

lishing internal networks and links to the 
external  world;  and  invest  in  ICT  —  the 
most effective way of accelerating any catch-
ing up that needs to be done.

Economic  development  is  increasingly 
driven by the availability and concentra-
tion of resources such as academic institu-
tions, innovative businesses, and the way in 
which they interact with one another. But 
a region must also be attractive in other 
ways in order to attract the best knowledge 
workers and their families. Regions should 
address  this  by  establishing  a  unique 
‘regional brand’, said Ms Hübner.

Ensuring  that  a  region  has  other  attrac-
tions, such as good roads, a developed busi-
ness environment, local skills, and research 

facilities, requires an integrated approach, 
accompanied by an investment mix.

‘Therefore the second message I would like to 
pass to you is that your development strate-
gies [...] should not only focus on investment 
in business R & D infrastructures, but also on 
the various internal and external networks of 
relationships,’ said the Commissioner.

Internal networks are particularly important 
for SMEs. But regional economies must also 
foster links with European and global net-
works, which provide a connection to the 
external world and allow them to measure 
their strengths and weaknesses against glo-
bal challenges and opportunities. ‘As sur-
veys show, this is not always understood by 
the less advanced regions, which often think 
the less advanced regions, which often think 
their  main  competi-
tors  are  the  neighbour 
regions  [rather  than 
those in emerging Asian 
economies, for example],’ 
said Ms Hübner.

T he   C om m iss i one r’s 
third message to the con-
ference  concerned  the 
ference  concerned  the 
value of investing in ICT, 
value of investing in ICT, 
as well as the information 
as well as the information 
networks  that  it  can  cre-
networks  that  it  can  cre-
ate. ICT provides the most 
ate. ICT provides the most 
efficient tools for catching 
efficient tools for catching 

up with the better-performing regions, and 
for overcoming the barriers to innovation 
encountered by remote or rural areas. ‘ICT 
is a chance for European regions lagging 
behind to leapfrog into a new stage of eco-
nomic development,’ said Ms Hübner.

Many  regions  have  already  begun  chan-
nelling resources into ICT. The Commis-
sion estimates that between 2007 and 2013, 
almost 5 % of cohesion policy resources, or 
EUR 14 billion, will be invested in actions 
directly linked to the information society. 
This represents a new shift away from infra-
structure and towards services.

The Commission is also planning to dis-
seminate some of the best regional innova-
tive  projects  around  Europe  through  its 
‘Regions  for  economic  change’  (RFEC) 
programme.  The  RFEC  will  be  delivered 
through the future Interreg IV and Urbact II 
programmes, which the Commission hopes 
to adopt in early autumn 2007.

Based	on	a	speech	by	Danuta	Hübner,	SPEECH/07/398.
For	further	information	on	RFEC,	please	visit:
http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/cooperation/
interregional/ecochange/index_en.cfm
RCN:	27867

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Danuta	Hübner

Galileo’s future to be decided 
by autumn, say ministers

Meeting in Luxembourg on 8 June 2007, EU transport ministers called on 
the European Commission to provide further details of alternative scenarios 
to finance Europe’s satellite navigation project Galileo, including the various 
options for public funding. Ministers say they will be ready to take a decision 
on the project’s future by early autumn.

The EU Transport Council reaffirmed the 
value of the planned network of 30 Galileo 
satellites, which is intended to beam radio sig-
nals to receivers on the ground, enabling users 
to pinpoint exact locations. Ministers unani-
mously agreed that the project must go ahead 

as planned, with the deployment of the full 
system taking place before the end of 2012.

‘With Galileo as a pillar of European space 
policy [ESP], we are underscoring Europe’s 
efforts in the fields of space travel, advanced 

technology  and  innovation  and  ensuring 
European  independence  in  this  cutting-
edge field,’ said German Transport Minister 
Wolfgang Tiefensee.

Galileo is a joint European Commission-
European Space Agency (ESA) initiative, 
and was to be financed through a public-
private partnership (PPP). But the project 
came  up  against  a  major  setback  in  May 
2007, when the companies making up the 
Galileo consortium were unable to agree on 
how to share the financial risks involved in 
the project.

continued on page 13

12

CORDIS focus Newsletter — No 280 — July 2007

CFN_280_EN.indd   12

24-07-2007   11:36:37

	
	
	
 
 
experts call for radical change 
in way science is taught

A radical new approach to science teaching is needed if we are 
to reverse European schoolchildren’s declining interest in science, 
according to a report from the High Level Group on Science Education.

The expert group was set up last year by EU 
Science and Research Commissioner Janez 
Potočnik and Ján Figel’, the Commissioner 
for Education, Training, Culture and Youth. 
It was tasked with identifying best practices 
that could increase young people’s interest in 
science. Under the chairmanship of French 
MEP  Michel  Rocard,  the  group  studied 
existing initiatives to boost pupils’ interest 
in science, focusing in particular on the way 
science is taught in schools.

The group’s key recommendation concerns 
a reversal of school science teaching from 
mainly deductive to inquiry-based methods. 
The deductive approach to teaching entails 
the teacher presenting concepts, their logi-
cal implications and examples of applica-
tions. In contrast, in inquiry-based science 

‘The Rocard report 
makes very clear 
recommendations about 
the direction needed to 
revive science teaching 
in Europe.’

education (IBSE), more space is given to 
observation and experimentation and the 
child, guided by the teacher, is encouraged 
to construct his or her own knowledge. 

According to the experts, IBSE has proven 
effective at increasing students’ interest and 
attainment levels in science at both primary 
and secondary levels. It is particularly effec-
tive  for  students  with  lower  levels  of  self 
confidence and from disadvantaged back-

grounds, yet it also creates the right condi-
tions for the most able students to reach the 
deepest levels of knowledge. 

The group emphasises that the deductive and 
inquiry-based approaches are not mutually 
exclusive, and should be combined to accom-
modate the full range of pupils’ mindsets.

To support this move towards IBSE, the experts 
recommend support and training in order for 
teachers to use IBSE effectively together with 
the development of teacher networks.

The  experts  also  recommend  that  prior-
ity be given to initiatives that will raise the 
participation  of  girls  in  science  subjects, 
and boost their self-confidence in science. 
In this respect, the group found that where 
the IBSE approach is used, girls participate 
more enthusiastically in scientific activities.

The  report  calls  for  better  articulation 
between national activities and those funded 
at European level. They believe that the EU 
should  contribute  EUR 60  million  over 
10 years to these activities.

Finally, the experts call for the creation of 
a  European  Science  Education  Advisory 
Board, which, among other things, would 
monitor initiatives on IBSE and encourage 
them to cooperate and share information 
at the European level. The groups should 
be established and funded by the European 
Commission.

Implementing these recommendations will 
require action at all levels. ‘Because Europe’s 
future is at stake decision-makers must demand 

continued from page 12   ‘Galileo’s future to be decided by autumn, say ministers’

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action on improving science education from the 
bodies responsible for implementing change at 
local, regional, national and European level,’ the 
group states. ‘The issue should be given a cen-
tral place in the Lisbon strategy renewal and be 
considered as an imperative priority.’

‘The Rocard report makes very clear rec-
ommendations about the direction needed 
to revive science teaching in Europe,’ com-
mented  Commissioner  Potočnik.  ‘These 
recommendations  need  to  be  taken  seri-
ously — stimulating interest among Europe’s 
young for science and technology [S & T] is 
crucial if Europe is to have a future based on 
the best use of knowledge.’

‘Declining interest and recruitment into S & T 
studies must be a cause for concern for all,’ added 
Commissioner Figel’. ‘Attracting more young 
people to scientific and technological fields of 
study — and especially girls, who are under-
represented in most European countries — has 
become an objective that is shared at European 
level. But much remains to be done.’

Based	on	the	report	‘Science	Education	Now:	
A	Renewed	Pedagogy	for	the	Future	of	Europe’.
For	further	information,	please	visit:
http://ec.europa.eu/research/science-society/
index.cfm?fuseaction=public.topic&id=1100&lang=1
RCN:	27840

To salvage the situation, the Commission put 
forward a roadmap, outlining scenarios on 
how the project could be taken forward. The 
most realistic of these scenarios, according 
to the Commission, is that the public sector 
takes over the construction and launch of 
the system, and fills in the funding gap left 
by the failed private consortium. 

cover all the public sector funding options. 
The Council also tasked the Commission 
with working out the public sector’s imple-
mentation and procurement strategy and 
management structure, as well as concepts 
for the subsequent operation and exploita-
tion of Galileo, involving the private sector 
where appropriate.

‘The Council and the Commission now have 
a reference framework for the future course 
of action in the implementation of Galileo, on 
which a decision is to be taken this autumn. 
I am optimistic that we will then create a 
good basis for avoiding further delays and 
keeping the financial burden on the public 
sector within limits,’ said Mr Tiefensee.

The question remains however as to where 
exactly  in  the  public  kitty  the  additional 
EUR 2.4 billion will be found. To answer 
this  question,  ministers  called  upon  the 
Commission to provide detailed alternative 
scenarios  for  the  project’s  financing  that 

These proposals will be tabled at the next 
EU Transport Council meeting, which is 
scheduled for September 2007. Ministers 
said that they intend to make an ‘integrated 
decision’ about the funding and implemen-
tation of Galileo at that point.

Based	on	the	conclusions	of	the	EU	Transport,	
Telecommunications	and	Energy	Council	meeting	
in	Luxembourg,	6	to	8	June	2007.
To	read	the	Council	resolution	on	Galileo,	please	visit:
http://www.consilium.europa.eu/ueDocs/
cms_Data/docs/pressData/en/trans/94550.pdf
RCN:	27824

CORDIS focus Newsletter — No 280 — July 2007

13

CFN_280_EN.indd   13

24-07-2007   11:36:42

 
PrOJeCts and PrOGraMMes
Pioneering CO2 storage facility opens in Germany

EU Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs helped launch a test carbon dioxide CO2 storage facility 
in Ketzin, Germany, on 13 June 2007. The pilot installation is the first of its kind on land in Europe, 
and was developed within a project funded under the Sixth Framework Programme (FP6).

The installation is expected to provide new information on the 
practical aspects of storing CO2 from power generation under-
ground. As CO2 emissions from power generation are a major 
source  of  greenhouse  gases,  which  the 
majority  of  scientists  believe  are  caus-
ing  global  warming,  the  project  has  an 
important role to play in the EU’s battle 
against climate change.

‘The Commission believes that underground 
storage of CO2 may contribute to the tech-
nological progress that should make carbon 
sequestration and storage become a reality 
after 2020,’ said Mr Piebalgs. ‘Today, Europe 
is taking an important step in making this goal reachable.’

‘Over the two-year pilot 
period, some 60 000 t 
of CO2 will be injected 
into the aquifer of salty 
water — roughly the 
annual CO2 output 
of 40 000 cars.’

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budget has come from the German Ministry of Economics and 
Labour, and from industry.

This pilot version of the facility is located 
between 800 and 850 m below ground, 
and  is  beneath  a  former  East  German 
storage site for natural gas. Scientists will 
monitor whether any chemical reactions 
take place between the CO2 and the min-
erals present. If a reaction were to occur, 
it could dissolve the ‘cap-rock’ that seals 
the storage site, or contaminate ground 
water.

Over  the  two-year  pilot  period,  some  60 000  t  of  CO2  will  be 
injected into the aquifer of salty water — roughly the annual CO2 
output of 40 000 cars.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) predicts that global energy 
demand will be growing by 1.7 % per year by 2030. Although 
energy  from  nuclear  and  renewable  sources  is  expected  to 
increase,  the  IEA  forecasts  that  a  massive  85 %  of  the  rise  in 
demand will be met through the greater use of fossil fuels.

The CO2sink project, which received EU funding of EUR 8.7 mil-
lion, is working towards a future storage facility at a depth of 
1 800 m. It will test different ways of injecting CO2 underground, 
and will establish reliable methods for monitoring the long-term 
stability of stored CO2. The rest of the project’s EUR 30 million 

Meanwhile the EU is seeking to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 
by up to 30 % by 2020, and says that the European power sector 
will need to drastically reduce the amounts of CO2 resulting from 
the use of fossil fuels. Capture and geological storage is one of 
the ways in which emissions can be cut at an acceptable cost.

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The results of the CO2sink project will be important for the further 
development of technologies for underground storage. They will 
also be used as a basis for future policies in this field: the Commis-
sion is currently considering options for stimulating the construc-
tion and operation of between 10 and 12 industrial-scale demon-
stration power plants by 2015. These would be expected to prove 
the commercial viability of carbon capture and storage-equipped 
coal and gas fired power plants by 2020. The demonstration plants 
will draw heavily on the experiences of the Ketzin plant.

Based	on	information	from	the	European	Commission	and	the	project	partners.
For	further	information,	please	visit:
http://www.co2sink.org
RCN:	27850

Clever european project — a star 
at the european research exhibition

As the increasing demand for mobility in urban centres creates ever more 
traffic frustration, pollution and noise, a very small, three-wheeled mini-car 
traffic frustration, pollution and noise, a very small, three-wheeled mini-car 
running on natural gas could offer a way out of all-too familiar gridlock. 
running on natural gas could offer a way out of all-too familiar gridlock. 
The car was on display at the ‘European research and innovation 
exhibition’, held in Paris, France, from 7 to 9 June 2007.

The  ‘Compact  low  emission  vehicle  for 
urban  transport’  (Clever)  car  is  a  three-
wheeled, tilting micro-vehicle which is only 
a metre-wide, fits two people and has a top 
speed of 100 km/h.

The result of a three year, EUR 2.2 million 
EU-funded research project, the car aims 
to outwit the Smart car, overtaking it as the 

fashionable and more environ-
mentally friendly way of getting 
about town.

The Institut français du pétrole 
(IFP,  the  French  oil  institute), 
one  of  the  project  partners, 
one  of  the  project  partners, 
designed  and  built  the  engine, 
designed  and  built  the  engine, 
which runs on compressed natural 
which runs on compressed natural 

gas (CNG). ‘The Clever vehicle represents 
a  great  leap  forward  in  the  development 
of vehicles, as its dedicated 213 cc single-

continued on page 15

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14

CORDIS focus Newsletter — No 280 — July 2007

CFN_280_EN.indd   14

24-07-2007   11:36:55

	
	
	
	
	
 
 
 
Immunity genes of virus-transmitting 
mosquito identified

Researchers have identified the genes behind the immune system of the 
mosquito Aedes aegypti (A. aegypti), which is responsible for transmitting 
the viruses which cause dengue fever and yellow fever. Between them, these 
diseases infect over 50 million people worldwide every year. The scientists 
hope their new-found knowledge could be used to help the insects fight 
off these viruses more effectively, and so prevent transmission to humans.

larly in urban and semi-urban areas. There 
are an estimated 50 million cases a year. In 
some cases a complication called dengue 
haemorrhagic  fever  (DHF)  can  develop. 
Although there is no treatment for dengue 
fever, with intensive care the mortality rate 
from DHF can be cut dramatically. Because 
dengue  fever  is  caused  by  four  different 
viruses,  developing  a  vaccine  against  the 
disease is difficult.

The work, which was partly funded by the 
EU, is published in the latest edition of the 
journal Science.

Drawing on the recently sequenced genome 
of A. aegypti, the scientists identified over 
350 genes which are involved in the mos-

‘This research comes at a 
time when the prevalence 
of both dengue and yellow 
fevers is on the rise.’

quito’s  immune  system.  They  discovered 
that these genes evolved much faster than 
the rest of the genome.

The researchers also compared A. aegypti’s 
immunity genes with those of the Anoph-
eles  mosquito  and  the  harmless  fruit  fly, 
Drosophila melanogaster. They found that 
while the two mosquitoes had some genes in 
common, there were also many differences. 
The scientists believe the insects’ immune 
systems evolved rapidly in response to the 
different pathogens they encountered.

‘Our study has revealed the genetic “land-
scape”  made  by  parts  of  this  mosqui-
to’s  newly-sequenced  genome  which  are 
involved  with  immunity,’  said  Dr George 

Christophides of Imperial College London 
(ICL), the senior author of the paper. ‘By 
working to understand as much as possible 
about these genes, and the way they interact 
with specific pathogens, we hope to gain a 
more complete understanding of the mecha-
nisms by which a pathogen either survives 
inside the insect body, or is killed by the 
insect’s defences.’

EU funding for the project came through the 
‘Biology and pathology of malaria parasite’ 
(BioMalPar) network of excellence (NoE).

Based	on	information	from	the	ICL	and	the	article	
‘Evolutionary	dynamics	of	immune-related	genes	and	pathways	
in	disease-vector	mosquitoes’,	by	Waterhouse,	RM	et	al.	(2007),	
published	in	‘Science’	No.	316:	pp.	1738-1743.
For	further	information,	please	visit:
http://www.sciencemag.org
RCN:	27905

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The next step for the researchers is to deepen 
The next step for the researchers is to deepen 
their understanding of the function 
of  the  newly-identified  A. aegypti 
immunity genes. They will also inves-
tigate whether the genetic differences 
between the Anopheles and Aedes mos-
quitoes explain why the first transmits 
malaria while the latter transmits den-
gue and yellow fevers.

This research comes at a time when the 
This research comes at a time when the 
prevalence  of  both  dengue  and  yellow 
prevalence  of  both  dengue  and  yellow 
fevers is on the rise. Yellow fever is found 
fevers is on the rise. Yellow fever is found 
in many tropical regions of Africa and the 
in many tropical regions of Africa and the 
Americas. Although an effective vaccine 
Americas. Although an effective vaccine 
against the disease exists, many people in 
against the disease exists, many people in 
affected  areas  remain  unvaccinated  and 
affected  areas  remain  unvaccinated  and 
according to the World Health Organization 
according to the World Health Organization 
(WHO), there are around 200 000 cases of 
(WHO), there are around 200 000 cases of 
the disease every year, and 30 000 deaths.

Dengue fever is found in tropical and sub-
Dengue fever is found in tropical and sub-
tropical regions around the world, particu-
tropical regions around the world, particu-

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continued from page 14   ‘Clever European project — a star at the European research exhibition’

cylinder,  15  hp  natural  gas  (CNG)-pow-
ered engine consumes about 1.51 litres per 
100  km,  i.e.  a  fifth  of  most  cars,’  project 
coordinator Richard Tilgone of the IFP told 
CORDIS News.

‘We hope that the fact that it costs less to 
run, is quieter and less polluting than fos-
sil fuel based cars, will make it popular with 
environmentalists,  as  well  as  the  general 
public,’ he added.

The Clever car accelerates from 0 to 60 kph 
in less than 7 seconds, emitting less than 
60g/km of CO2, a figure well in line with 
the EU’s long-term emissions targets. The 
vehicle is also equipped with two specially 
designed gas cylinders that can be removed 
and refilled externally, as for the time being 

Europe is poorly equipped in CNG refuel-
ling infrastructure. 

Another  innovation  in  the  project  is  the 
vehicle’s tilting mechanism. Due to the nar-
row  track  of  the  Clever  vehicle,  a  tilting 
chassis was designed to maintain cornering 
stability at speed. An ingenious hydraulic 
system was therefore developed to tilt the 
vehicle towards the centre of the turn, based 
on driver and other vehicle inputs. Because 
of the unique turning characteristics, new 
tyres had to be designed, featuring specific 
handling characteristics, high durability and 
a special rain-clearing tread design.

Finally, the vehicle is equipped with a two-
chamber driver air bag and a special belt 
system,  while  its  fully  lined  aluminium 

space frame cabin protects occupants from 
adverse weather conditions and provides a 
compartment stiff enough to withstand nor-
mal accident conditions.

The car obtained a three star rating in the 
‘European new car assessment programme’ 
(EuroNCAP). 

The mini-car proved very popular with visi-
tors at the exhibition, but the project part-
ners had to tell them that the car would not 
be commercialised for another few years at 
least.

Based	on	CORDIS	News	attendance	at	the	
‘European	research	and	innovation	exhibition’.
For	further	information,	please	visit:
http://www.clever-project.net
RCN:	27833

CORDIS focus Newsletter — No 280 — July 2007

15

CFN_280_EN.indd   15

24-07-2007   11:37:02

	
	
 
 
about  the  impact  that  such  wave  energy 
devices may have on the environment. Noise 
and changes to marine sediment structure 
are just some of these concerns. To address 
this aspect, the consortium will carry out an 
environmental risk assessment during the 
course of its work. Ms Bakke believes that 
the converter will have a limited impact, 
similar to that of a normal breakwater, and 
that turbine noise will not be loud enough to 
affect marine life.

Weather permitting, it is hoped that the con-
verter and power plant will be up and run-
ning by summer 2008. Although the pilot 

‘The “Seawave slot-cone 
generator” (SSG) is a wave 
energy converter based 
on the wave overtopping 
principle [...].’

project is to run for another seven years, 
Ms Bakke is confident that after one year, 
the project will be ready to provide concrete 
figures on how much power the converter is 
capable of producing.

The project received EUR 1 million under 
the ‘Sustainable development, global change 
and ecosystems’ thematic area of FP6. The 
overall cost to develop, build, install and test 
the system stands at EUR 3.5 million.

Based	on	a	CORDIS	News	interview	
with	the	WaveSSG	project	coordinator.
For	further	information,	please	visit:
http://www.waveenergy.no
RCN:	27849

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Harnessing the waves

Partners in the EU-funded WaveSSG project have developed a new 
wave energy converter, which they say can outperform other wave
energy systems. To put their system to the test, the project consortium 
is building a full-scale prototype off the coast of Norway. 

verter to harness three wave sizes (1.5, 3 
and 5 m).

The project consortium estimates that the 
converter  could  produce  200 000  kWh  a 
year,  which  would  be  enough  to  supply 
10 households on the island. ‘That’s not a lot 
of power, but it is because it is only a small 
power source,’ says Ms Bakke. ‘If you inte-
grate the system into a 500 m breakwater, 
then you are looking at producing 20 gWh 
per year.’ That would be enough electricity 
to supply some 4 000 households.

In  addition  to  providing  cost-efficient 
energy, the installation of the converter has 
the advantage that it can be integrated into 
breakwater infrastructures, thus serving two 
purposes. ‘95 % of the cost of the demon-
strator is for concrete for the breakwater, so 
building it in a breakwater makes it more 
competitive,’ surmises Ms Bakke. 

Other advantages listed by the project con-
sortium are the system’s high reliability and 
the fact that it has very few moving parts 
and can therefore withstand stormy weather 
conditions.  The  converter  could  also  be 
combined  with  fresh  water  production 
mechanisms and hydrogen storage facilities 
for electricity production during calmer sea 
periods.

However, like with other new energy tech-
nologies, such as wind, there are concerns 

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The project could not come at a better time. 
With the threat of climate change increas-
ingly  becoming  a  reality,  and  a  possible 
energy  crisis  looming,  European  policy-
makers  are  more  and  more  interested  in 
raising the share of clean, renewable ener-
gies in Europe’s energy mix.

The ‘Seawave slot-cone generator’ (SSG) is 
a wave energy converter based on the wave 
overtopping principle, using a total of three 
reservoirs built on top of each other. The 
water captured in the reservoirs then runs 
through a multi-stage turbine for electricity 
production. 

The three-tier design allows for the capture 
of both large incoming waves, which create 
the most energy, and smaller waves which 
ensure continued energy production. ‘The 
advantage of our concept is that it fully uti-
lises the whole spectrum of waves, which 
ensures a high degree of efficiency and the 
continual  generation  of  energy,’  Monika 
Bakke of Wave Energy AS, the lead partner 
in  the  WaveSSG  project,  told  CORDIS 
News. 

Another advantage to the converter is that it 
only uses one turbine. ‘Normally for a system 
to catch different sizes of waves there would 
be  one  turbine  in  each  pool  [reservoir],’ 
explains Ms Bakke. ‘The problem with having 
individual turbines is that waves come and 
go; the gap between waves arriving causes the 
turbine and then the generator to stop. This 
turbine and then the generator to stop. This 
then disconnects the system from the elec-
then disconnects the system from the elec-
tricity  grid.’  The  system 
patented  by  the  project 
consortium uses just one 
common turbine wheel for 
all of the three reservoirs. 
‘So as long as one pool is 
producing energy, the con-
verter will stay connected to 
the grid,’ says Ms Bakke.

Following intense lab test-
ing, the project partners are 
now ready to put the con-
verter to the test in a real-
life environment. They have 
started  work  to  integrate  a 
demonstration converter into 
demonstration converter into 
a harbour breaker at Kvitsoy, 
a harbour breaker at Kvitsoy, 
a  small  island  (520  inhabi-
a  small  island  (520  inhabi-
tants) off the coast of Norway. 
tants) off the coast of Norway. 
Having  studied  the  waves  at 
Having  studied  the  waves  at 
the location, the project part-
the location, the project part-
ners  have  adapted  the  con-
ners  have  adapted  the  con-

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astroparticle physicists publish 
‘roadmap to the stars’

A new roadmap defining a common strategic plan for astroparticle physics has 
been published by the ‘Astroparticle European research area’ (Aspera) ERA-Net 
and the ‘Astroparticle physics European coordination’ (ApPEC) consortium.

The ‘roadmap to the stars’ is an attempt to 
forge an international consensus on what 
the astroparticle physics community needs 
in the way of facilities for the future. It fol-
lows  an  analysis  by  ApPEC  and  Aspera, 
engaging all astroparticle physicists, of the 
future of the discipline. 

Astroparticle physicists seek to answer ques-
tions such as ‘what is the universe made of?’, 
‘what is the origin of cosmic rays?’ and ‘what 
is the nature of gravity?’. They also look to 
increase knowledge of phenomena such as 
supernova  explosions,  neutron  stars  and 
black holes.

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Rapid advances in astroparticle physics have 
led  to  the  design  of  new  infrastructures, 
including underground laboratories, new 
telescopes and antennas. Together with new 
detection methods, these have enabled the 
observation of a wide range of cosmic par-
ticles: neutrinos, gamma-rays, cosmic rays 
at the highest energies, gravitational waves 
and dark matter particles.

The  roadmap  is  still  in  its  infancy,  but 
already identifies four large infrastructures 
that would benefit astroparticle physics: the 

‘Rapid advances in 
astroparticle physics have 
led to the design of new 
infrastructures, including 
underground laboratories, 
new telescopes and antennas.’

‘Cherenkov telescope array’ (an observatory 
for high-energy gamma rays); the ‘European 
underground rare event calorimeter array’ 
(Eureca), a bolometric detector for cryo-
genic research into dark matter; the ‘Large 
apparati for grand unification and neutrino 

european Commission adopts simpler payment 
scheme for non-eU FP7 participants 

The European Commission has finalised the arrangements for lump-sum payments 
to international cooperation partner countries (ICPC) taking part in FP7.

Flat rate lump-sum amounts can now  be 
incorporated in grant agreements for indi-
rect  actions  concluded  under  FP7.  This 
option should make the grant-agreement 
process, as well as project administration, 
far simpler than was the case with the tradi-
tional reimbursement of eligible costs.

‘By  offering  international  cooperation 
partner  country  beneficiaries  a  simpler 
method of financing the work, we facilitate 
their participation in FP7 research activities 
and reduce the administrative follow-up,’ 
says Mary Minch, Director for International 
Cooperation  within  the  Commission’s 
Research DG.

‘The lump-sum amounts have been defined on 
the basis of World Bank data on gross national 

income levels in the different countries. It is up 
to the individual partners to decide whether 
or not to opt for the lump-sum system of pay-
ment. Alternatively, participants may request 
the standard reimbursement of eligible costs,’
the standard reimbursement of eligible costs,’
she adds.

The lump sum cov-
ers  all  the  costs  of 
the  ICPC  involved 
— not only personnel 
and travel costs, but 
also those for equip-
ment,  consumables 
and indirect costs.

In  addition  to  World 
In  addition  to  World 
Bank data, calculations 
Bank data, calculations 
on  the  maximum  EU 
on  the  maximum  EU 

CORDIS focus Newsletter — No 280 — July 2007

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astrophysics’ (Laguna), a detector for pro-
ton decay and neutrino astronomy; and the 
‘Einstein telescope’, a next generation gravi-
tational wave antenna.

The roadmap is described as ‘the first step 
towards a European coordination of astropar-
ticle physics’. Aspera coordinator Professor 
Stavros Katsanevas said: ‘It will be the first 
time that astroparticle physics funding will 
be concentrated by the participating Euro-
pean agencies on commonly agreed targets.’

The infrastructures identified in the road-
map will be discussed during a workshop in 
Amsterdam, the Netherlands, in September 
2007. Participants at the conference will also 
compare the priorities for Europe’s astropar-
ticle physics community with those of non-
European researchers.

The Aspera ERA-Net, funded under FP6, 
brings together national funding agencies 
responsible for astroparticle physics from 12 
European countries, as well as the Organisa-
tion européenne pour la recherche nucléaire 
(CERN,  the  European  organisation  for 
nuclear research). 

ApPEC  was  founded  in  2001,  when  six 
European  scientific  agencies  decided  to 
coordinate in order to encourage astropar-
ticle physics in Europe.

Based	on	information	from	CERN.
To	access	the	roadmap,	please	visit:
http://www.aspera-eu.org
RCN:	27944

contribution take into account the number 
of person-years requested for the project, 
the type of funding scheme that the project 
is using, and the legal status and activity 
type of the legal entity in the ICPC.

Based	on	information	from	the	European	Commission.
For	further	information,	please	visit:
ftp://ftp.cordis.europa.eu/pub/fp7/docs/financialguide_en.pdf
RCN:	27852

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InnOVatIOn
G8 vows to boost innovation

Leaders of the G8 countries meeting in the German seaside resort of Heiligendamm 
from 6 to 8 June 2007, have pledged to promote and protect innovation.

to major challenges which neither the G8 nor the emerging econ-
omies could tackle alone. 

‘Such a dialogue will provide a forum for the positive exchange 
on topics critical for growth of successful knowledge economies 
and the promotion of an innovation-friendly business environ-
ment also taking into account the needs of small and medium 
sized enterprises [SMEs],’ the leaders write in the declaration.

The discussions are expected to cover intellectual property pro-
tection, effective market incentives for innovation and the import-
ance of efficient innovation value chains that promote business 
commercialisation of patented research results.

Other topics slated for discussion under the Heiligendamm pro-
cess are: enhancing freedom of investment; defining common 
responsibilities for development with special regard to Africa; 
and sharing knowledge for improving energy efficiency and tech-
nology cooperation with the aim to contribute to reducing CO2 
emissions.

The OECD will provide a platform for the dialogue, which will get 
underway in the second half of the year. The final report on the 
outcomes of the dialogue is due to be presented at the G8 sum-
mit in Italy in 2009.

Based	on	the	G8	2007	Summit	declaration	‘Growth	and	responsibility	in	the	world	economy’.
For	further	information,	please	visit:
http://www.g-8.de
RCN:	27817

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‘Science, research and innovation today more than ever form 
the basis of economic growth and prosperity,’ the G8 leaders
write  in  the  Growth  and  responsibility  in  the  world  economy 
declaration. ‘We will undertake to bring forward an international 
economic and political environment that promotes and protects 
innovation.’

The section of the declaration entitled Promoting Innovation — 
Protecting Innovation focuses on two main areas — innovation for 
sustainable growth and intellectual property protection.

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On the former, the leaders state: ‘Because we strive to provide sci-
entific and technical leadership we also recognise our responsi-
bility for a long-term oriented research initiative that will focus on 
concentration of scientific research and improved technological 
capacity in order to be able to react most effectively to future glo-
bal challenges.’

Developing countries are specifically invited to get involved in this 
process, and the leaders also call for a strengthening of research 
cooperation between developed and developing countries.

Possible areas for cooperation identified by the leaders are sus-
tainable land and water use, energy efficiency and the promotion 
of environmentally-related innovations. ‘We will work together 
to achieve more effective coordination and cooperation in our 
research efforts in these fields,’ the declaration reads.

The leaders suggest that the Organisation for Economic Cooper-
ation and Development (OECD) coordinate this effort via the Glo-
bal Science Forum (GSF).

On intellectual property rights, the declaration states: ‘The bene-
fits of innovation for economic growth and development are 
increasingly threatened by infringements of intellectual property 
rights [IPR] worldwide.’ The leaders pledge to strengthen cooper-
ation in this area, and endorse a number of existing sets of guide-
lines and recommendations on the topic.

Innovation is also one of four priorities highlighted in the new 
‘Heiligendamm  process’,  a  high  level,  structured  dialogue 
between the G8 countries (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, 
Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States) and five major 
emerging  economies  (Brazil,  China,  India,  Mexico  and  South 
Africa). The goal of the dialogue is to develop common solutions 

new instrument to boost access 
to finance for ‘risky’ projects

The European Commission and European Investment Bank (EIB) have launched 
a new financial instrument to support research and innovation in Europe.

The  new  ‘Risk-sharing  finance  facility’ 
(RSFF)  is  designed  to  improve  access  to 
financing for the promoters of research and 
innovation projects. Currently the uncer-
tain, risky nature of these initiatives makes 
it harder for them to attract financing. The 
RSFF will address this challenge by shar-

ing the underlying risks between the EIB 
and the EU. 

The Commission and the EIB will each put 
EUR 1 billion into the fund over the period 
2007–13, with the Commission’s contribu-
tion  coming  from  FP7.  All  legal  entities, 

G8	working	meeting

including SMEs, larger companies, research 
organisations and joint technology initia-
tives (JTIs), can benefit from the funds.

By boosting the ability of the EIB to provide 
loans for research and innovation projects, 
the RSFF will unlock billions of euros of 
additional financing from the private sector 
for these activities.

The agreement establishing the facility was 
signed by European Science and Research 

continued on page 19

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mental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), 
Mr Potočnik, urged all European and inter-
national actors to work together to solve the 
globe’s  major  energy  and  environmental 
challenges.

‘It is obvious from the IPCC reports on cli-
mate change that it is human beings who 
have created the mess and so it is our respon-
sibility to clear up our mess,’ Mr Potočnik 
stated.

‘The  question  is;  are  we  ready  to  work 
together to find the technological solutions 
to the globe’s pressing problems? In Europe, 
the only choice we have to make is do we 
continue to work as a team of stars or do we 
work together as a star team?’, the Commis-
sioner asked rhetorically.

The  ‘European  research  and  innovation 
exhibition’ ran from 7 to 10 June 2007 in 
Paris, France, and featured over 200 exhibi-
tors in an area of 11 000 m2. Spain was this 
year’s guest of honour.

Based	on	CORDIS	News	attendance	at	the	
‘European	research	and	innovation	exhibition’.
For	further	information,	please	visit:
http://www.european-research-exhibition.com
RCN:	27816

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‘european research and innovation 
exhibition’ held in Paris

Valérie Pécresse, the French Minister for Higher Education and Research, 
opened the third edition of the ‘European research and innovation exhibition’ 
by urging universities and the private sector to strengthen their cooperation.

The minister announced the government’s 
plans to foster cooperation of this type by 
helping  students  on  university  campuses 
create their own innovative companies. ‘To 
build  bridges  between  fundamental  and 
applied research, I intend to promote the 
creation of business incubators in our uni-
versities,’ said the minister.

The announcement came hot on the heels of 
the French President’s declaration that the 
government would create ambitious univer-
sity ‘free zones’. These zones will have a spe-
cial tax status so as to ensure their develop-
ment. ‘In this way, we will link the creativity 
and entrepreneurial spirit of young people 
with the research carried out at universities,’ 
said Ms Pécresse.

In a new poll published to coincide with the 
Paris exhibition, 97 % of the French public are 
cited as believing that the government should 
support French research as a top priority.

The poll, carried out by the LH2 Institute, 
involved interviews with 1 013 individuals 
aged  18  and  over,  who  were  asked  about 
their views on the importance of research. 
The interviewers found that 90 % of those 
surveyed  are  interested  in  the  advances 
made in science, while 64 % felt they were 
not sufficiently informed of the scientific 
advances made by research, and how these 
impact on their daily lives.

In fact, ‘Science in our daily lives’ has been 
selected as one of the themes of this year’s 

exhibition.  Along  with  goals  for  energy 
issues  and  the  environment,  one  of  the 
objectives of the salon is to make science 
and research more accessible to the general 
public. 

‘We  chose  the  three  themes  of  energy, 
environment and daily life because we felt 
that these topics are of great interest to the 
general public,’ Jean Andouze, Director of 
the exhibition’s scientific committee, told 
CORDIS News. 

This year’s participants were thus asked to 
bring along presentations to showcase the 
main  scientific  findings  over  which  they 
have presided since the last exhibition, and 
to  engage  in  talks  and  debates  about  the 
major topics currently rocking the worlds 
of public and private research.

‘Our intention is to bring together public 
and private research under one roof to show 
what they can achieve when they 
work together. And in fact, when 
they do work together, it works out 
quite well,’ said Mr Andouze.

The twin issues of energy and envir-
onment  were  also  highlighted  by 
the European Science and Research 
Commissioner  in  his  appearance 
at  an  opening  debate  on  the  chal-
lenges  of  research  and  innovation 
lenges  of  research  and  innovation 
at the global level. Referring to the 
at the global level. Referring to the 
latest reports on climate change by 
latest reports on climate change by 
the  United  Nation’s  Intergovern-
the  United  Nation’s  Intergovern-

continued from page 18   ‘New instrument to boost access to fi nance for “risky” projects’

Commissioner Janez Potočnik at the fourth 
European Conference on Research Infra-
structures (ECRI2007) in Hamburg, Ger-
many, and by the EIB President Philippe 

Maystadt at the annual meeting of the EIB 
Board of Governors in Luxembourg.

innovation in FP7’. ‘It is a good example of 
how you can do more with less,’ he added.

‘RSFF is the demonstration of a very effec-
tive cooperation between two EU institu-
tions to support European competitiveness,’ 
said Mr Maystadt. ‘By targeting higher risk 
financing in support of research and innov-
ation projects, the facility will in an efficient 
way complement the existing support instru-
ments including national and EU grants as 
well as market debt and equity funding.’

Speaking at the ECRI2007, Commissioner 
Potočnik  described  the  RSFF  as  ‘a  major 

The RSFF was set up following a request 
from the European Council in December 
2005. A mid-term review of the initiative 
will be held in 2010. If demand for RSFF 
supported loans is lower than expected, the 
unused Commission contribution will be 
used to fund traditional FP7 grants.

Based	on	CORDIS	News	attendance	at	the	ECRI2007.
For	further	information,	please	visit:
http://www.eib.org/rsff
RCN:	27796

CORDIS focus Newsletter — No 280 — July 2007

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Green light for ‘Intellectual property charter’

The European Commission has received the green light to draft a 
new charter for the management of intellectual property rights (IPR). 
This is good news for European research, says Klaus Uckel of the German 
Federal Ministry for Education and Research, who believes that the 
initiative will help put a stop to the uncontrolled outflow of knowledge 
as well as product piracy, and will help boost European competitiveness.

The ‘Intellectual property charter’, a pro-
posal from the German EU Council Presi-
dency, would comprise a set of non-legally 
binding  basic  principles  and  guidelines, 
upon which research partners could volun-
tarily base their research cooperation. The 
approach is similar to that of the 2005 ‘Euro-
pean charter for researchers’, which provides 
voluntary guidelines on appropriate work-
ing conditions for researchers.

Speaking at a briefing in the EP on 26 June 
2007,  Mr Uckel  noted  that  the  ‘European 
charter  for  researchers’  has  been  widely 
adopted by universities and research insti-
tutes across Europe, and is seen as a tool to 
attract the best researchers. ‘The fear is that 
by not signing the Charter, organisations will 
get left behind,’ he said, adding that industry 
is also beginning to adopt the charter.

A  variety  of  national  and  supra-national 
tools already exist to help universities and 
other public research establishments to bet-
ter manage their knowledge. These include, 
among other tools, the United Kingdom’s 
‘Lambert  agreements’,  the  ‘Responsible 
partnering initiative’, and European Com-
mission guidelines. Meanwhile, collabora-
tive  research  under  the  EU’s  framework 
programmes is governed by rules of partici-
pation, which provide an intellectual prop-
erty framework for the project partners. 

‘There are lots of best practices already on 
the  table,’  said  Mr Uckel.  ‘But  these  now 
need  a  strong  political  push.  The  char-
ter  aims  to  give  a  political  framework  to 
these practices.’ He added that the charter 
would be broad enough and sufficiently all-
encompassing to be consistent with national 
arrangements and the EU research frame-
work rules for participation.

There is a real need for an EU-wide frame-
work, outlining the principles of intellectual 

property management for universities and 
research centres, because a lack of profes-
sionalism is causing us to lose our know-
how and leading to an ever-growing innov-
ation  gap  between  Europe  and  its  global 
competitors, believes Mr Uckel. 

One problem that has arisen as a result of 
having  no  common  approach  to  settling 
intellectual property issues is product piracy. 
It is estimated that illegal competitive prac-
tices are costing Germany alone EUR 25 bil-
lion a year.

European innovation is also suffering as a 
result of the very different approaches taken 
by industry and public research institutes to 
managing  intellectual  property.  Whereas 
researchers are mainly interested in pub-

‘[…] the “European charter 
for researchers” has 
been widely adopted by 
universities and research 
institutes across Europe, 
and is seen as a tool to 
attract the best researchers.’

lishing their work, industry is interested in 
preventing disclosure and in filing for and 
exploiting protective rights. 

An ‘Intellectual property charter’ would not 
only be able to initiate a process of awareness-
raising on the importance of better intellec-
tual property management, says Mr Uckel; it 
would also promote a better understanding 
of research partners’ positions. If cooperation 
between industry and academia is made eas-
ier, research institutions would be able to tap 
into funding sources more easily, while Euro-
pean industry would become more competi-
tive  since  it  would  have  more  chances  to 

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commercialise innovative inventions. ‘The 
charter will help change the culture of Euro-
pean research,’ surmised Mr Uckel.

Having a common approach to intellectual 
property management would also ensure 
that research partners from Europe could 
better negotiate contracts with international 
partners. Countries such as Japan and the 
United States are well versed in intellectual 
property management, says Mr Uckel. But 
European research institutions and research-
ers find themselves in a weaker negotiating 
position, because they are unfamiliar with 
the  many  different  intellectual  property 
rules and practices. A charter would help 
reduce  any  uncertainties,  enabling  Euro-
pean partners to refer to a common frame 
of reference. 

Having received political backing from the EU 
Competitiveness Council on 25 June 2007, the 
Commission will now push ahead with draft-
ing the charter, which Mr Uckel expects to be 
ready by the autumn of this year.

Based	on	CORDIS	News	attendance	at	a	briefing	
on	the	German	EU	Council	Presidency.
For	further	information	on	the	‘Intellectual	
property	charter’,	please	visit:
http://www.bmbf.de/pub/Eckpunkte_IP_eng(2).pdf
http://www.bmbf.de/pub/Eckpunkte_IP_eng(2).pdf
RCN:	27935

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nanotechnology: we’ve invested 
in research, where are the applications?

The dimensions are minuscule, the potential enormous. But if Europe is to 
benefit from all that nanoscience and nanotechnology has to offer, the results of 
research must make their way out of the lab, and into industrial applications.

Industrial  application  was  the  theme  of 
the third EuroNanoForum, this time tak-
ing place in Düsseldorf, Germany. During 
the  opening  plenary  on  18  June  2007, 
Thomas Rachel, State Secretary from the 
German Federal Ministry of Education and 
Research, said that the market for nanotech-
nology products will be worth EUR 1 billion 
in 2015.

Mr Rachel emphasised that nanotechnolo-
gies can bring much more than economic 
success. Working at the nanoscale has the 
potential to find solutions for major global 
problems,  including  climate  change  and 
disease.

ance companies, all contribute to the bottle-
neck that slows the industrial application of 
nanotechnology products.

‘Ideas must not stay in labs. SMEs must take 
up the ideas and further develop them. The 
State cannot do this,’ said the German State 
Secretary.

But SMEs face particular difficulties. It is 
more difficult for a small company to bor-
row money for a nanotechnology venture as 
insurance companies are concerned about 
risk. Investors also like to look at the his-
tory of a sector, which is difficult in such a 
young area. 

Anti-microbial  wound  dressings;  new, 
lighter material for wind turbines; targeted 
drug delivery systems, highly efficient bat-
teries, gas detection, and a device for quickly 
identifying the reason for chest pains were 
just some of the applications of the future 
mentioned on the first day of the three-day 
conference.

Mr  Rachel  suggested  that  SMEs  are  best 
helped at regional level. But the Commission 
also has tools in place. The new guarantee 
funds, for example, facilitate the participa-
tion of SMEs in the EU’s research frame-
work programmes. The SMEs that will do 
best in nano are those that have an ambition 
to grow, says Mr Tomellini. 

But are the results of this pioneering research 
finding their way to industry? Some are and 
some are not, according to Renzo Tomellini,
Head of the European Commission’s Nano-
technology  Unit.  Speaking  to  CORDIS 

‘Ideas must not stay 
in labs. SMEs must take 
up the ideas and further 
develop them.’

Of course nanotechnology must also deal 
with the problems experienced by the rest 
of the scientific community: a lack of sci-
entists, and particularly engineers; a failure 
in some countries to recognise qualifica-
tions  awarded  in  others;  and  insufficient 
researcher  mobility  between  countries 
and  sectors.  Such  problems  can  only  be 
addressed  if  industry,  society  and  pol-
itics  work  together,  Mr  Rachel  told  the 
conference.

This  list  was  further  extended  by  Nick 
Hartley,  Director  of  Industrial  Technol-
ogies at the Commission’s Research DG. 
If  Europe  is  to  benefit  from  the  money 
that it is currently investing in nanotech-
nology, it needs the right infrastructure, the 
human  resources,  industrial  innovation, 
and an effective way of addressing societal 
concerns, said Mr Hartley.

The Commission, with its ‘two head’ cap-
acity,  is  seeking  to  both  make  the  right 
policy decisions, and then to back up these 

‘The SMEs that will do best 
in nano are those that have 
an ambition to grow.‘

decisions  with  funding.  The  nanotech-
nology action plan published in 2005 got 
the strategy rolling, and FP7, launched on 
1 January  2007,  is  providing  substantial 
funding (EUR 3.5 billion over seven years).

Mr Tomellini is confident that the EU has 
the tools in place to avoid what has been 
known  as  the  ‘European  paradox’  —  the 
phenomenon  by  which  Europe  invests 
in research, but then fails to transfer the 
results into products, and instead imports 
the resulting technologies from elsewhere. 
‘We have the tools to change the paradigm 
and to make a jump of quality,’ Mr Tomellini 
told CORDIS News.

Based	on	CORDIS	News	attendance	at	EuroNanoForum.
For	further	information	about	this	year’s	
EuroNanoForum,	please	visit:
http://www.euronanoforum2007.eu
For	further	information	about	nanotechnologies	
research	in	FP7,	please	visit:
http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/cooperation/
nanotechnology_en.html
RCN:	27882

News, he said that domains, such as nano-
electronics, are already making money. In 
other fields there are various bottlenecks 
delaying the arrival of nano products on the 
market.

Scientists are in most cases still at the stage 
of introducing nanotechnology to the pro-
duction chain, adding value as they go, says 
Mr Tomellini. ‘We don’t sell nanotechnology, 
we sell products,’ he emphasises.

Delays  to  take-up  can  be  attributed  to  a 
number of factors. Of course there are tech-
nological issues (this is still a very new field 
of research). But regulations, or uncertainty 
as to whether a new regulation is imminent, 
unease among the general public, a lack of 
skilled personnel, insufficient intellectual 
property protection, hesitation from insur-

CORDIS focus Newsletter — No 280 — July 2007

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Calls and tenders
Calls and tenders

Before contacting the European Commission, all tenderers are strongly advised 
to consult the original call text in the Official Journal of the European Union.

To see the full details of the call, please visit:
http://ted.europa.eu/udl?uri=TED:NOTICE: 
145485-2007:TEXT:EN:HTML
OJ S 119-145485, 23.6.2007

RCN:	27922

Call for tenders: scale and  
scope as drivers of the ERA

The European Commission’s Research 
DG has published a call for tenders for 
a study into scale and scope as drivers 
of the ERA.

One of the core assumptions underlying 
the  idea  of  the  ERA  appears  to  be  that 
economies of scale and scope matter in 
research funding and execution, and that 
therefore coordination and collaboration 
in  research  funding  and  execution  are 
beneficial, and fragmentation and disper-
sal are pernicious. 

Because of gaps in the relevant literature, 
this assumption remains largely to be vali-
dated. The purpose of this call for tenders 
is to start filling those gaps and to obtain a 
much better insight into when and where 
in research, economies of scale and scope 
matter.

The call consists of three lots:
1.

economies  of  scale  and  scope  in  the 
provision of public support for public 
and private R & D;
economies  of  scale  at  the  research 
project level;
economies  of  scale  and  scope  in 
research  financed  at  the  level  of  the 
firm.

2.

3.

The deadline for requesting tender docu-
ments is 4 September 2007. The dead-
line for submitting tender documents is  
14 September 2007.

To see the full details of the call, please visit:
http://ted.europa.eu/udl?uri=TED:NOTICE: 
2007129997:TEXT:EN:HTML
OJ S106-129997, 6.6.2007

RCN:	27802

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Call for tenders:  
use of renewable energy 
sources for aviation

The European Commission’s Energy 
and Transport DG has issued a call for 
tenders for a feasibility study on the use 
of renewable energy sources, particularly 
biofuels, for aviation.

The purpose of this feasibility study is to 
investigate  which  and  how  renewable 
energy sources, in particular biofuels, with 
today’s knowledge, can be introduced for 
use in the aviation sector. This should be 
done through a holistic study of the state-
of-the-art of aircraft engines and energy 
performance, and potentially supported 
by  an  environmental  impact  analysis 
and a strategy for the way forward. Fur-
thermore, the study should prepare the 
ground for building a demonstrator, or a 
pilot prototype, of an aircraft using a maxi-
mum of renewable energy sources; in par-
ticular biofuels, with a view to launching 
a preparatory action (demonstrator/pilot 
prototype).

The deadline for requesting tender docu-
ments  is  15  August  2007.  The  dead-
line for submitting tender documents is  
31 August 2007.

To see the full details of the call, please visit:
http://ted.europa.eu/udl?uri=TED:NOTICE: 
145489-2007:TEXT:EN:HTML
OJ S 119-145489, 23.6.2007

RCN:	27924

Call for tenders:  
project technical assistants  
for nanotechnologies

The European Commission’s Research 
DG has issued a call for tenders for 
protect technical assistants (PTAs) for 
nanosciences, nanotechnologies, materials 
and new production technologies (NMP).

The contract involves technical assistance 
by named experts (referred to as project 
technical assistants or PTAs) for the moni-
toring of research projects funded by the 
contracting  service  (see  terms  of  refer-
ence for the tasks that can be contracted 
to PTAs).

The deadline for requesting tender docu-
ments is 4 September 2007. The dead-
line for submitting tender documents is  
12 September 2007.

Call for tenders: mapping 
the past in view of the future 
developments of the ERA

The European Commission’s Research 
DG has published a call for tenders 
for mapping the past in view of future 
developments of the ERA.

The  purpose  of  this  call  for  tender  is  to 
launch work aimed at tracing the past evo-
lution of certain aspects of the ERA with a 
view to developing future scenarios for the 
EU research system. It consists of three lots:
1.
developing a taxonomy of research sys-
tems within ERA;
analysing public research institutes in 
Europe  in  selected  science  and  tech-
nology (S & T) fields;
costs  and  benefits  of  applying  to 
national  and  EU  public  research 
programmes.

2.

3.

The deadline for requesting tender docu-
ments is 4 September 2007. The dead-
line for submitting tender documents is  
14 September 2007.

To see the full details of the call, please visit:
http://ted.europa.eu/udl?uri=TED:NOTICE: 
2007129999:TEXT:EN:HTML
OJ S106-129999, 6.6.2007

RCN:	27803

Call for tenders:  
study on lead markets and  
S & T specialisation in Europe

The European Commission’s Research 
DG has published a call for tenders 
for a study on lead markets and science 
and technology (S & T) specialisation 
in Europe.

The overall objective of activities in this 
area is to provide European, national and 
regional  policy-makers  with  a  basis  for 
more informed decisions shaping future 
European  S & T  specialisation  through 
the use of demand-oriented policies and 
instruments.

This call for tender consists of three lots:
1.

‘The role of public intervention in the 
creation of new markets’;
‘S & T  priorities  for  2030  —  potential 
impacts and markets of future key tech-
nological domains’;
‘European  consumer  preferences  in 
2030  —  implications  for  science  and 
technology’.

2.

3.

This is an indicative list of FP7 calls for proposals which will be closing soon. 

To obtain the full list of calls, please visit: http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7

Call identifier

Call

Theme/Activity

Closing date

FP7-INCO-2007-2

Activities of International 

Cooperation

Bilateral coordination for the enhancement 

and development of S & T partnerships

11 September 2007

FP7 Specific 

Programme

Capacities

FP7-HEALTH-2007-B

Health

Cooperation

research for human health; optimising delivery 

18 September 2007

FP7-INFRASTRUCTURES-

2007-2

INFRASTRUCTURES CALL 2

Capacities

support to policy development and programme 

20 September 2007

Biotechnology, generic tools and medical 

technologies for human health; translating 

of health care to European citizens; other actions 

across the health theme

Support to existing research infrastructures; 

implementation

Pervasive and trusted network and service 

infrastructures; components, systems, 

engineering; towards sustainable and 

personalised healthcare; ICT for mobility, 

environmental sustainability and energy; ICT for 

independent living and inclusion

FP7-ICT-2007-2

ICT Call 2

Cooperation

9 October 2007

FP7-PEOPLE-2007-4-3-IRG

International Reintegration 

Grants (IRG)

People

Support for training and career development 

of researchers

17 October 2007

While every effort is made to ensure that the information in the CORDIS focus Newsletter is accurate, 

readers who wish to follow up on any of the opportunities cited in the Newsletter should confirm 

the validity of information with the contacts and/or references cited in the entries.

22

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The deadline for requesting tender docu-
ments is 4 September 2007. The dead-
line for submitting tender documents is  
14 September 2007.

To see the full details of the call, please visit:
http://ted.europa.eu/udl?uri=TED:NOTICE: 
2007129998:TEXT:EN:HTML
OJ S106-129998, 6.6.2007 

RCN:	27804

Call for tenders:  
consultants for analysing 
exploitation of nano projects

The European Commission’s Research 
DG has published a call for tenders for 
exploitation strategy and innovation 
consultants (ESIC) for nanosciences, 
nanotechnologies, materials and new 
production technologies (NMP).

The call refers to on-demand services to 
secure and enhance the potential impact 
of the results of projects co-financed by 
the Commission within the activity ‘Nano-
sciences, nanotechnologies, materials and 
new production technologies — NMP’.

The tasks to be performed will more spe-
cifically aim at identifying and addressing 
potential  obstacles  to  the  exploitation 
of project results. These may be internal 
obstacles,  such  as  diverging  expecta-
tions or intentions between project part-
ners (risk for conflict of interest), as well 

as external obstacles, such as legislative 
or  normative  influences,  market  evolu-
tion, development of other technologies 
to  solve  the  same  problem  or  address 
the same market, lack of training, lack of 
acceptance by society, etc.

Services take the form of project analysis 
(desk work), assistance at project meet-
ings,  exploitation  strategy  seminars, 
first line consulting, presentations, and 
other.

The deadline for requesting tender docu-
ments is 12 September 2007. The dead-
line for submitting tender documents is 
20 September 2007.

To see the full details of the call, please visit:
http://ted.europa.eu/udl?uri=TED:NOTICE: 
152142-2007:TEXT:EN:HTML
OJ S 125-152142, 3.7.2007

RCN:	27973

Call for proposals:  
Food, agriculture and fisheries, 
and biotechnology

The European Commission has issued 
a call for proposals for the theme 
‘Food, agriculture and fisheries, and 
biotechnology’ of FP7. The call covers 
exclusively large collaborative projects 
and networks of excellence, which 
will be evaluated through a two-stage 
submission procedure.

Activities slated for funding under the call 
are:
•

Activity 2.1: Sustainable production and 
management of biological resources from 
land, forest and aquatic environments;
Activity 2.2: Fork to farm: Food (including 
seafood), health and well being;
Activity 2.3: Life sciences, biotechnology 
and biochemistry for sustainable non-
food products and processes.

•

•

The  deadline  for  submitting  proposals 
is  11  September  2007  (first  stage). 
The  deadline  for  the  second  stage  is  
19  February  2008  (only  for  proposals 
retained at stage 1).

To see the full details of the call, please visit:
http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/dc/index.cfm? 
fuseaction=UserSite.CooperationDetails 
CallPage&call_id=61
For further information on the ‘Food, Agri-
culture and Fisheries, and Biotechnology’ 
theme:
ht t p :/ /co rdi s.eu ro p a. eu/ fp 7/ k b b e/ 
home_en.html
OJ C133, 15.6.2007

RCN:	27865

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This is an indicative list of FP7 calls for proposals which will be closing soon. 
To obtain the full list of calls, please visit: http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7

Call identifier

Call

FP7-INCO-2007-2

Activities of International 
Cooperation

FP7 Specific 
Programme

Capacities

Theme/Activity

Closing date

Bilateral coordination for the enhancement 
and development of S & T partnerships

11 September 2007

FP7-HEALTH-2007-B

Health

Cooperation

FP7-INFRASTRUCTURES-
2007-2

INFRASTRUCTURES CALL 2

Capacities

FP7-ICT-2007-2

ICT Call 2

Cooperation

Biotechnology, generic tools and medical 
technologies for human health; translating 
research for human health; optimising delivery 
of health care to European citizens; other actions 
across the health theme

Support to existing research infrastructures; 
support to policy development and programme 
implementation

Pervasive and trusted network and service 
infrastructures; components, systems, 
engineering; towards sustainable and 
personalised healthcare; ICT for mobility, 
environmental sustainability and energy; ICT for 
independent living and inclusion

18 September 2007

20 September 2007

9 October 2007

FP7-PEOPLE-2007-4-3-IRG

International Reintegration 
Grants (IRG)

People

Support for training and career development 
of researchers

17 October 2007

While every effort is made to ensure that the information in the CORDIS focus Newsletter is accurate, 
readers who wish to follow up on any of the opportunities cited in the Newsletter should confirm 
the validity of information with the contacts and/or references cited in the entries.

CORDIS focus Newsletter — No 280 — July 2007

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arOUnd eUrOPe
arOUnd eUrOPe
swiss researchers eligible 
to participate fully in FP7

Switzerland is the latest ‘third country’ to become 
eligible to participate fully in FP7, following the 
signature of a scientific agreement with the EU.

The  agreement  was  signed  by  Swiss  Interior  Minister  Pascal 
Couchepin, European Commissioner for Science and Research 
Janez Potočnik, and Annette Schavan, the German Education and 
Research Minister and Chair of the EU’s Competitiveness Council. 
It will enable Swiss researchers to participate on an equal foot-
ing with their EU counterparts in all of the FP7 calls for proposals, 
including those opened since the beginning of 2007.

The Swiss Federal Government has committed CHF 2.4 billion
(EUR  1.4  billion)  to  FP7  (3 %  of  the  overall  budget),  and  it  is 
expected  that  Swiss  researchers’  participation  will  provide  a 
return on this investment. 

Under FP6, Switzerland performed well. Proposals involving Swiss 
researchers had a 24 % success rate — significantly higher than 
the EU average of 20 %. It is estimated that the level of funding 
obtained by Swiss researchers in FP6 was equal to the amount 
that the Government paid into the framework programme.

Based	on	information	from	the	Swiss	Federal	Government	and	the	Council	of	the	EU.
For	further	information	about	FP7,	please	visit:
http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7
RCN:	27927

One fifth of Finnish academy grants 
go to breakthrough research

A new report from the Suomen Akatemia (the Academy of Finland) 
has found that one fifth of academy-funded research projects 
can be categorised as high-risk or breakthrough research.

The report, Breakthrough Research — Funding 
for  High-risk  Research  at  the  Academy  of 
Finland, shows that about half of the project 
proposals  identified  as  breakthrough 
research were granted funding.

The issue of funding scientifically innovative, 
high-risk research has been the subject of on-
going  discussions  among  international 
research funding organisations over the past 
few years. The reasons for this concern lie 
both in the escalation of competition among 
different research systems and the growing 
difficulties of obtaining competitive research 
funding.

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Many of the projects funded by the ERC are 
expected to involve high-risk research.

The report assesses international develop-
ments in breakthrough research, and reviews 
the discussions held at the Academy, whose 
mission is to serve both as a research fund-
ing organisation and as an expert in science 
and science policy.

The report cites a lack of consensus in inter-
national academia on the problem of funding 
high-risk research, and how this should be 
resolved. It recommends that the Academy 
approaches the issue by giving breakthrough 
research more attention, but also adopting 
a sharper conceptual framework to help in 
identifying and evaluating such projects.

‘The  Academy  will  continue  to  support 
new initiatives with breakthrough potential 
through  mainstreaming.  Researchers  are 
encouraged to present scientifically high-
quality  and  exceptionally  innovative  and 
high-risk proposals, regardless of their field 
of research,’ said the author of the report, 
Dr Maunu Häyrynen.

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Zurich,	Switzerland

The  Senior  Adviser  also  suggested  that 
efforts should be made to better accommo-
date breakthrough research in the Academy’s 
reviewing and reporting processes.

Finally, the report states that the ultimate 
aim in funding breakthrough research is to 
enhance scientific diversity, and financial 

‘The issue of funding 
scientifically innovative, 
high-risk research has been 
the subject of ongoing 
discussions among 
international research 
funding organisations over 
the past few years.’

support should not therefore be limited to 
strategic areas highlighted by foresight exer-
cises and bibliometrics.

The Academy of Finland’s annual research 
funding amounts to more than EUR 260 million,
around  15 %  of  the  Finnish  government’s 
annual research budget.

Based	on	the	report	‘Breakthrough	Research	—	Funding	
for	High-risk	Research	at	the	Academy	of	Finland’.
To	download	the	report,	please	visit:
http://www.aka.fi/modules/upndown/download_file.asp?
id=BCEC343DB2E449EEB1D14F564FED974C	
RCN:	27916

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three western Balkan countries 
and turkey join FP7

Croatia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Serbia are 
now eligible to compete on an equal footing with EU Member States 
in FP7, following the signature of Memoranda of Understanding 
with the European Commission. A similar agreement was also 
recently signed between Turkey and the Commission.

In gaining ‘associated status’, the signatory 
countries will now be able to participate in 
all  the  FP7  calls  for  proposals,  including 
those opened since the beginning of 2007. 
The agreement offers researchers from these 
countries the same rights for participation 
as  researchers  from  EU  Member  States 
in all the research cooperation and 
supported actions funded under FP7.

Acting as signatory on behalf of the Euro-
pean Commission, Science and Research 
Commissioner Janez Potočnik said he was 
pleased to see that ‘the doors of the ERA are 
open wide to the western Balkan countries’. 

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estonia to begin cooperating with esa

The European Space Agency (ESA) and Estonia 
have signed an agreement to work more closely 
in the fields of astronomy and space science.

This  makes  Estonia  the  first  of  the  ‘new’ 
EU Member States to sign a cooperation 
agreement with ESA.

The  Baltic  country  has  a  long-standing 
experience in astronomy and space science. 
The  Observatory  of  Tartu  has  worked  in 
this field since the 19th century, and more 
recently, has participated in preparations for 
two ESA space missions: Planck and Gaia. 

Estonian  astronomers  have  also  been 
involved in preparing data reduction algo-
rithms for ESA in cooperation with the Uni-
versity of Turku in Finland. Furthermore, it 
was an Estonian company, Vertex Estonia, 
which produced part of the large antenna 
reflector back structure for ESA’s 35-metre 

antenna deep-space station in 
New Norcia, Australia. This 
antenna is used to track Mars 
Express. 

The recent adoption of the first 
The recent adoption of the first 
European  space  policy  (ESP) 
European  space  policy  (ESP) 
by both ESA and the EU con-
by both ESA and the EU con-
firms the importance of ESA’s 
firms the importance of ESA’s 
space activities for EU Member 
space activities for EU Member 
States. The new members of the EU are now 
approaching ESA with a view to participat-
ing in its space activities, says ESA.

The newly-signed agreement is a first step 
for  Estonia  in  the  process  for  closer  col-
laboration with ESA. As a second step, the 
Baltic state intends to become a ‘European 

CORDIS focus Newsletter — No 280 — July 2007

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The Commissioner also noted the import-
ance of the agreement in view of these coun-

‘The doors of the ERA are 
open wide to the western 
Balkan countries.’

tries’ application to join the EU. ‘Research 
cooperation with Europe’s scientific com-
munity is a tool which can smooth the way 
for the integration process of candidate and 
potential candidate countries into the EU,’ 
he said.

This is not the first time that some of these 
countries have been associated with the EU 
research framework programmes. In 2006, 
Croatia gained associated status, enabling 
them to participate in the last year of FP6. 

Montenegro has also requested to become 
associated with FP7 and it is expected that 
a decision will be taken once ‘Stabilisation 
and association agreement’ (SAA) negotia-
tions have come to a head. Albania, Bosnia-
Herzegovina and Israel are also expected to 
Herzegovina and Israel are also expected to 
join soon.
join soon.

Based	on	information	from	the	European	Commission.
For	further	information	on	international	
cooperation	under	FP7,	please	visit:
http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/capacities/
international-cooperation_en.html
http://ec.europa.eu/research/iscp
RCN:	27874

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cooperating state’ in a few years time with 
an increased financial contribution to space 
activities.

Based	on	information	from	ESA.
For	further	information,	please	visit:
http://www.esa.int
http://www.aai.ee
RCN:	27938

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eVents

In the coming weeks

International conference 
on robotics and applications

An international conference on robotics 
and applications will take place between 
29 and 31 August 2007 in Würzburg, 
Germany.

The conference will be an international 
forum  for  researchers  and  practitioners 
interested  in  advances  in  robotics  and 
its broad range of applications. Specific 
emphasis will also be placed on telero-
botics, which receives increasing atten-
tion due to the tremendous progress in 
telecommunication and data processing 
technologies. 

The event is being organised by the Inter-
national Association of Science and Tech-
nology for Development (Iasted), a non-
profit organisation.

For further information, please visit:
http://www.iasted.org/conferences/cfp- 
563.html

RCN:	27794

Conference and workshops  
on reading and writing research

A conference and a series of workshops 
on cutting-edge reading and writing 
research will take place from 30 August 
to 5 September 2007 in Stavanger, Norway.

The conference will present the latest on 
reading and writing research, with con-
tributions from linguistics and psycholin-
guistics, psychologists and educational-
ists, and doctors and biologists. 

A series of workshops will also take place, 
dealing with the methodological aspects 
of reading research.

For further information, please visit:
http://lesesenteret.uis.no/article.php? 
articleID=5823

RCN:	27921

The events at which CORDIS will be represented are marked with the CORDIS logo. 
Meet COrdIs!
We look forward to welcoming you at our stand. If you would like to contact us in the 
meantime, please do not hesitate to get in touch with our Help Desk: 

CORDIS Help Desk
B.P. 2373
L-1023 Luxembourg
Tel. (352) 266 48 01
Fax (352) 26 64 93 80
E-mail: cordis-helpdesk@publications.europa.eu

•

•

implications of socio-economic climate 
changes on tourism; 
adaptation measures for climate change 
impacts on tourism.

For further information, please visit:
http://www.siam.fc.ul.pt/clitop

RCN:	27948

Euritrack final workshop

The final workshop of the ‘European illicit 
trafficking countermeasures kit’ (Euritrack) 
project will take place in Varese, Italy, 
on 11 and 12 September 2007.

The aim of Euritrack, which comes to an 
end  this  year,  is  to  develop  and  dem-
onstrate  a  non-intrusive  system  for  the 
detection  of  explosives  and  other  dan-
gerous goods in cargo containers using 
tagged neutron beams. 

Over the course of the first day, the work-
shop  will  present  the  initial  goals  and 
expectations  of  the  project,  as  well  as 
information on the development of com-
ponents and system integration, and the 
outcomes of the final testing campaigns 
in the port of Rijeka, Croatia. 

During the second day, participants will 
be  provided  with  an  overview  on  the 
security  research  thematic  area  of  FP7 
and on how the Euritrack project results 
fit with those of ongoing initiatives and 
future collaborations.

For further information, please visit:
http://nuclearsafeguards.jrc.it/Web_ 
Euritrack

RCN:	27909

In the coming months

Brokerage event:  
new technologies using 
renewable resources

‘naro.tech 2007’, an international 
brokerage event, will take place in Erfurt, 
Germany, on 7 September 2007.

SMEs, research institutions and universi-
ties from the renewable resources sector, 
and companies, are invited to submit an 
online technology profile and then attend 
the event.

Areas to be addressed at the event include 
fibre composites, biopolymers, adhesives 
and wood, bio-energy, biogas, and eco-
logical building materials. A congress on 
plant oils and fuels, and a symposium on 
materials made from renewable resources 
will take place alongside the brokerage 
event.

For further information, please visit:
http://www.thueringen-innovativ.de

RCN:	27815

International conference  
on climate change impacts  
on tourism

An international conference on the 
impact of climate change on tourism 
will be held in Lisbon, Portugal, 
on 7 and 8 September 2007.

The conference will cover the emerging 
research area of climate change and tour-
ism, with a special emphasis on climate 
change  impacts  and  adaptation  meas-
ures on tourism, including the following 
themes: 
•

climate and tourism trends and future 
scenarios;
tourism related energy demand changes 
under climate change; 
implications  of  thermal  comfort  and 
extreme events in tourism; 
climate  change  impacts  on  tourism 
resources; 

•

•

•

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Hysafe conference  
on hydrogen safety

Computational methods  
in systems biology

Symposium on biomagnetism 
and magnetic biosystems

A conference on hydrogen safety, organised 
by the FP6 ‘Safety of hydrogen as an energy 
carrier’ (Hysafe) network of excellence 
(NoE), will take place in San Sebastián, 
Spain, from 11 to 13 September 2007.

A conference on computational 
methods in systems biology will take 
place on 20 and 21 September 2007 
in Edinburgh, United Kingdom.

The event will address:
•

hyd ro g e n   r i s k   a s s e s s m e n t   a n d 
management;
hydrogen production and handling;
hydrogen applications;
standardisation and legal requirements.

•
•
•

For further information, please visit:
http://www.hysafe.org/conferences

•

The event will address such topics as:
•
biological systems and networks;
•
models  including  symbolic  evolution 
and learning;
formal methods for drug discovery and 
design;
emergence of properties in complex bio-
logical systems;
computer  models  in  nanosciences 
applied to biological domains.

•

•

RCN:	27822

RCN:	27774

A symposium on biomagnetism and 
magnetic biosystems, organised by the 
European Science Foundation (ESF) 
and the European Molecular Biology 
Organisation (EMBO), will take 
place from 22 to 27 September 2007 
in Sant Feliu de Guíxols, Spain.

The  conference  will  bring  together 
researchers in the diverse fields of biomag-
netism, medicine, spintronics, nanomag-
netism, optoelectronics, microelectronics, 
bioinformatics and high throughput clin-
ical diagnostics and sequencing to explore 
the  potential  of  recent  breakthroughs 
in  magnetic  nanotechnologies  to  new 
approaches to practical bioapplications.

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Sessions will focus on:
•

•

•

•

•

•

exploitation of research on magnetism 
and  magnetic  materials  in  relation  to 
high throughput screening;
design, fabrication and characterisation 
of magnetic elements for biodetection 
and biotechnology;
design and characterisation of magnetic 
sensors: giant magnetoresistive (GMR), 
magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJ);
shape memory material; targeted drug 
delivery methods and systems utilising 
magnetic beads; hyperthermia induced 
by magnetic beads;
technologies and systems for the manip-
ulation of magnetic beads;
industry landscape in Europe and world-
wide  commercial  opportunities  for 
biotechnology companies engaged in 
research on biomagnetism.

For further information, please visit:
http://www.esf.org/activities/esf-conferences/ 
details/confdetail228.html?conf=228

RCN:	27941

Launch conference of the 
sustainable nuclear energy 
technology platform

A conference to mark the launch of the 
‘Sustainable nuclear energy technology 
platform’ (SNE-TP) will take place on 
21 September 2007 in Brussels, Belgium.

Janez  Potočnik,  the  EU  Science  and 
Research Commissioner will act as the host 
for the event, which will bring together 
representatives from the European Com-
mission, industry, academia and national 
authorities to speak about the following 
topics:
•

the content of SNE-TP’s vision document 
(copies of which will be available at the 
conference);
how  the  SNE-TP’s  proposed  develop-
ment in nuclear fission technology will 
contribute to addressing security of sup-
ply, sustainability including safety and 
waste, and competitiveness.

For further information, please visit:
http://ec.europa.eu/research/energy/gp/
gp_events/article_1567_en.htm#sne-tp

RCN:	27881

FP7 project proposal  
training course

A training workshop on writing successful 
project proposals for FP7 will take place 
from 12 to 14 September 2007 in Rome, 
Italy.

The  aim  of  the  workshop  is  to  provide 
the necessary tools to help would-be FP7 
participants better structure their project 
proposals. The workshop will outline the 
structure of FP7 and the available financial 
instruments.

For further information, please visit:
http://www.apre.it/formaAssist/corso.
asp?id=65

European Respiratory  
Society — annual conference

The European Respiratory Society 
(ERS) will hold its annual congress 
in Stockholm, Sweden, between 
15 and 19 September 2007.

The scientific programme will address the 
latest advances in clinical diagnosis and 
treatment. Specific sessions will address, 
among other topics:
•

the impact of viral and bacterial infec-
tion on the respiratory epithelium;
gender-related aspects in sleep apnoea;
stem cells and the lung;
novel therapies for severe asthma;
quality control in respiratory medicine 
and research.

•
•
•
•

RCN:	27932

•

For further information, please visit:
http://www.ersnet.org

RCN:	27910

The events listed in this section are based on event announcements and 
were selected from the CORDIS events calendar, which is updated on a 
daily basis. For further information on forthcoming events, please visit: 
http://cordis.europa.eu/news

CORDIS focus Newsletter — No 280 — July 2007

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OtHer neWs
Ministers give euro-Mediterranean 
research cooperation a boost

Research cooperation around the Mediterranean has been given a boost with the adoption of a declaration 
Towards a Euro-Mediterranean Higher Education and Research Area during the first ‘Euro-Mediterranean 
ministerial conference on higher education and scientific research’.

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The meeting, which took place in Cairo, Egypt, was attended by 
representatives of the research ministries of all 27 EU Member 
States and the 10 Mediterranean partner countries. It was chaired 
jointly  by  Annette  Schavan,  German  Science  and  Education 
Minister, Hany Helal, Egyptian Research Minister, and EU Science 
and Research Commissioner Janez Potočnik.

Until now, research and education have not figured strongly in the 
Euro-Mediterranean (Euromed) partnership, which was launched 
almost twelve years ago. This now looks set to change, as the 
declaration states that ‘higher education, research and innov-
ation should be defined as a priority sector within the Euromed 
partnership’.

Speaking at the event, Janez Potočnik stated his belief that greater 
research cooperation in the region would help both Europe and 
its neighbours face 
the challenges and 
opportunities  of 
globalisation. 

‘Researcher mobility 
is addressed […] with 
ministers calling for a 
simplification of visa 
procedures for researchers 
and students moving 
between Euromed countries.’

‘Reinforcing  our 
partnership  will 
help  us  dissemi-
nate, produce and 
share useful know-
ledge and address 
common challenges — such as in public health, water manage-
ment, desertification, and renewable energies,’ he said. ‘It will also 
underpin sustainable development in a region that is critical for 
peace, security and stability in Europe — and beyond.’

In the Cairo declaration, the ministers pledge to integrate the 
Mediterranean partner countries into the European research area 
(ERA) by promoting links between centres of excellence in the 
Euromed region, and boosting the participation of these coun-
tries in FP7.

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Researcher mobility is addressed in the declaration, with ministers 
calling for a simplification of visa procedures for researchers and 
students  moving 
between Euromed 
countries.

‘Until now, research and 
education have not figured 
strongly in the Euro-
Mediterranean (Euromed) 
partnership, which was 
launched almost twelve 
years ago.’

The  declaration 
also calls for work 
to promote innov-
ation  and  know-
ledge  sharing  in 
the  region,  for 
example by setting 
up national and regional innovation funds and developing cap-
acity building in R & D and innovation management.

Implementation of the conference declaration will be overseen 
by the Monitoring Committee for Euro-Mediterranean Cooper-
ation in Research and Technological Development, which will 
report back to the Euromed Committee in 2008. A second ‘Euro-
Mediterranean ministerial conference on higher education and 
scientific research’ will be held in 2009 to assess the achievements 
made and make plans for further cooperation.

Also at the event, the EU and Egypt signed a new grant financ-
ing agreement worth EUR 11 million to support Egypt’s research, 
development and innovation initiatives. The four-year programme 
is designed to facilitate Egypt’s participation in the ERA by stimu-
lating research linkages between scientists in the EU and Egypt.

In addition, Germany and Egypt agreed on a programme to pro-
vide funds for young  Egyptian researchers  to spend three  to 
six months working in Germany. The agreement was reached 
in the framework of the ‘German-Egyptian year of science and 
technology’.

Based	on	information	from	the	European	
Commission	and	the	German	Government.
For	further	information,	please	visit:
http://www.euromed-erconf.org
The	Cairo	declaration	can	be	downloaded	at:
http://www.bmbf.de/pub/cairo_declaration-e.pdf
http://www.bmbf.de/pub/cairo_declaration-e.pdf
RCN:	27883

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High arctic spring weeks earlier than a decade ago

Spring is arriving in the High Arctic weeks earlier 
than it did a decade ago, according to new research. 

The Danish-American team’s findings came 
about thanks to phenology, the study of the 
timing  of  periodic  natural  events  such  as 
plants flowering, birds laying eggs or insects 
emerging. Similar studies carried out at lower 
latitudes have already revealed that spring is 
starting earlier and earlier. For example, it has 
advanced by an average of five days per dec-
ade for European plants and animals.

However,  until  now,  there  has  been  little 
research into the effects of climate change 
on phenological events in the High Arctic. 
This is despite the fact that temperatures in 
the Arctic are currently increasing at twice 
the global average. 

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The latest study looked at changes in the 
flowering dates for six plant species, emer-
gence dates for 12 arthropod species and the 
egg laying dates of three bird species for the 
period 1996–2005 at a site in north-eastern 
Greenland. The study is published in the 
journal Current Biology.

The researchers found ‘extremely rapid cli-
mate induced advancement’ in the species 
studied. The average time of advancement 
was 14.5 days per decade, while some spe-
cies had advanced by over 30 days. There 
was a lot of variation in levels of response 
to the warming, both within and between 
species.

‘Our  study  confirms  what  many  people 
already think, that the seasons are chang-
ing and it is not just one or two warm years 
but  a  strong  trend  seen  over  a  decade,’ 
commented  Dr Toke  Høye  of  Danmarks 
Miljøundersøgelser  (DMU,  the  national 
environmental  research  institute)  at  the 
University of Aarhus, Denmark. ‘We were 
particularly surprised to see that the trends 
were so strong when considering that the 
entire  summer  is  very  short  in  the  High 
Arctic  —  with  just  three  to  four  months 
from snowmelt to freeze up at our Zacken-
berg study site.’

Gene silencing mechanisms offer hope 
for leukaemia sufferers

Two gene regulatory mechanisms, which were previously thought to work 
independently of one another, are actually interconnected and need each other 
to function, according to new research from a team of European scientists.

The study, which brought together research-
ers from Belgium, Denmark, Spain, Italy 
and  Austria  is  published  in  the  journal 
Cancer Cell.

Our cells have two main mechanisms for 
switching  off  genes  whose  activity  is  no 
longer needed: DNA methylation and the 
Polycomb protein complex. Switching genes 
on and off at the right time is vital for nor-
mal development, and when the ‘switch off ’ 
mechanism fails to work properly, the result 
can be uncontrolled cell proliferation and 
the development of cancerous tumours.

Croce of the Centre de Regulació Genòmica 
(CRG, the centre for genomic regulation) in 
Barcelona, Spain, has demonstrated that in 
Barcelona, Spain, has demonstrated that in 
patients  with  acute  leu-
kaemia,  these  two  gene 
silencing mechanisms are 
closely  interconnected. 
Furthermore,  the  action 
of one reinforces the other, 
and importantly, they need 
each other. This means that 
if the action of one mecha-
nism is blocked by drugs, the 
other will also be affected.

For a long time, it was thought that the DNA 
methylation mechanism and Polycomb pro-
tein complex worked independently from one 
another. Now, a team led by Dr Luciano Di 

According to the researchers, 
According to the researchers, 
their  findings  open  up  new 
their  findings  open  up  new 
avenues for the development 
avenues for the development 
of  drugs  to  treat  leukaemia. 
of  drugs  to  treat  leukaemia. 

CORDIS focus Newsletter — No 280 — July 2007

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While phenological changes at lower lati-
tudes  are  related  to  temperature,  in  the 
far north it is snow cover that is the deci-
sive factor, as variation in phenology was 
found to be closely linked to the timing of 
snowmelt.

The  results  have  serious  implications  for 
the species living in the Arctic. ‘The strong 
responses and the large variability within 

‘Our study confirms 
what many people 
already think that the 
seasons are changing and 
it is not just one or two 
warm years but a strong 
trend seen over a decade.’

species and taxa illustrate how easily biolog-
ical interactions may be disrupted by abiotic 
forcing, and how dramatic responses to cli-
matic changes can be for Arctic ecosystems,’ 
the researchers warn. ‘Indeed, such dramatic 
phenological changes may weaken or even 
disrupt [...] interactions among species that 
are crucial to successful reproduction in this 
highly seasonal environment.’

Based	on	the	article	‘Rapid	advancement	of	spring	
in	the	High	Arctic’	by	Høye,	TT	et	al.	(2007),	
published	in	‘Current	Biology’	17	(12),	R449-R451.
For	further	information,	please	visit:
http://www.current-biology.com
RCN:	27878

The researchers now plan to identify agents 
which will block both mechanisms at the same 
time, without altering other cell processes.

Based	on	information	from	the	CRG	and	on	the	article	‘Role	of	the	
Polycomb	repressive	complex	2	in	acute	promyelocytic	leukemia’	by	
Villa,	R.	et	al.	(2007),	published	in	‘Cancer	Cell’	11	(6):	pp.	513-525.
For	further	information,	please	visit:
http://www.crg.es
http://www.cancercell.org
RCN:	27836

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Streaming	blood	cells

29

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World’s most powerful particle 
accelerator ready by May 2008

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The ‘Large hadron collider’ (LHC) — the world’s most powerful 
particle accelerator — will be switched on in May 2008. The announcement 
was made by Dr Robert Aymar, Director of the Organisation européenne 
pour la recherche nucléaire (CERN, the European organisation 
for nuclear research), the body responsible for building the collider, 
at a meeting of the CERN Council on 22 June 2007.

The installation of the 27 km circumference
tunnel, in which scientists will attempt to
reproduce the first instances of the Big Bang,
suffered some setbacks earlier this year. These 
included  the  failure  of  a  Fermi  National
Accelerator  Laboratory  (Fermilab)-built 
‘inner triplet’ of superconducting magnets 
during  a  routine  pressure  test  in  March 
2007,  and  the  cooling  down  of  the  first 
sector of the LHC ring, which took longer 
than foreseen.

Due to an accumulation of delays, a sched-
uled low-energy run, which entails setting 
up  a  beam  in  each  direction  in  the  col-
lider, but without particle acceleration, was 
dropped. ‘The low-energy run at the end 
of  this  year  was  extremely  tight  due  to  a 
number of small delays, but the inner triplet 
problem now makes it impossible,’ said LHC 

Project Leader Dr Lyn Evans. ‘We’ll be start-
ing up for physics in May 2008, as always 
foreseen, and will commission the machine 
to full energy in one go.’

Over the course of the next 12 months, the 
operations team will continue with ‘cooling 
and powering’ tests on each of the collider’s 
sectors. The entire 27 km ring needs to be 
cooled down to a temperature of -271 °C in 
order for the superconducting magnets that 
guide and focus the proton beams to remain 
in  a  superconductive  state.  Such  a  state 
allows the current to flow without resist-
ance, creating a dense, powerful magnetic 
field in relatively small magnets. 

Hardware commissioning will also continue, 
as will the installation of the large apparatus 
needed for experiments at the facility. 

The Council also agreed during their meet-
ing to increase CERN’s funding by a total 
of CHF 240 million (EUR 145 million) over 
the next three years (2008–11), in order to 
implement the body’s ‘European strategy for 
particle physics’. ‘This is an important vote 
for the future of particle physics in Europe,’ 
said Dr Aymar, ‘it allows us to consolidate 
the  laboratory’s  infrastructure,  prepare 
for future upgrades of the LHC and to re-
launch a programme of R & D for the long-
term future.’

Based	on	information	from	CERN.
For	further	information,	please	visit:
http://www.cern.ch
RCN:	27930

show me the money!

When it comes to earning top dollar, researchers should look no further 
than Austria, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. According to the findings 
of a new study published by the European Commission, these are the 
countries in Europe offering the highest salaries to their researchers. 
Salaries in many of the countries of eastern Europe are less enticing. 
There, researchers’ wages remain well below the EU average.

The Study on the Remuneration of Research-
ers  in  the  Public  and  Private  Commercial 
Sectors compared the net and gross sala-
ries  of  researchers  at  different  stages  of 
their careers. It identified four categories 

56 268). These salaries are well above the EU 
average of EUR 40 126, and are comparable 
with wages that researchers might expect to 
earn in the United States (EUR 62 793) and 
Japan (EUR 61 991).

‘[…] as in any profession, 
researchers are attracted 
by a good salary.’

of salary: low (up to EUR 20 000 annually), 
medium (between EUR 20 000 and 30 000); 
high (between EUR 30 000 and 40 000), and 
very high (over EUR 40 000). 

Taking  into  account  the  cost  of  living  in 
each country, the study found that the best 
off researchers were those living in Austria 
(earning EUR 60 530 annually), the Nether-
lands (EUR 56 721) and Luxembourg (EUR 

Other EU Member States offering attractive 
wages include Belgium (EUR 55 998 annually), 
Germany (EUR 53 358), the United Kingdom 
(EUR 52 776) and Cyprus (EUR 50 549). 

However, the situation looks a lot less pros-
perous  in  other  EU  Member  States,  par-
ticularly in the countries of eastern Europe, 
where salaries fall way below the EU aver-
age. In Bulgaria for example, a researcher 
might  hope  to  earn  EUR 9  770  annually, 
while in Romania the average salary stands 
at EUR 13 489.

There is also a startling difference in many 
of the countries between the pay packets 

of female and male researchers. The big-
gest  contrast  is  in  Estonia,  where  a  male 
researcher can expect to earn EUR 23 000 
compared to a female researcher who can 
only  hope  to  earn  just  under  half  of  this 
(EUR 12 179). Women researchers also fare 
badly in the Czech Republic and Portugal, 
earning some 36 % less than men. 

The study also looked at which countries 
offer  the  best  overall  salary  progression 
throughout  a  researcher’s  career.  In  the 
United Kingdom for example, a researcher 
can expect an incremental increase in their 
wages of over 235 % during their career. In 
contrast,  researchers  in  Denmark  would 
only see an incremental increase of 90 %.

Prestige and notoriety are important aspects 
in a researcher’s career. But as in any profes-
sion, researchers are attracted by a good sal-
ary. The study is therefore expected to help 
researchers benchmark attractive research 
locations, and at the same time raise aware-
ness  of  inequalities  across  EU  Member 
States.

Based	on	the	‘Study	on	the	Remuneration	of	Researchers	
in	the	Public	and	Private	Commercial	Sectors’.
For	further	information,	please	visit:
http://ec.europa.eu/eracareers/pdf/final_report.pdf
RCN:	27806

30

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CFN_280_EN.indd   30

24-07-2007   11:39:21

 
General policy

Projects and programmes

Other news

alsO OnlIne

RCN:	27780

High-tech car to tell  
mechanics of its needs

Pulse of bright light  
affects body’s internal clock, 
study shows

Avian flu vaccines safe,  
say EFSA experts

Exposure  to  brief  periods  of  extremely 
bright light a few hours before sleeping is 
enough to synchronise the body’s internal 
clock to the required day length, accord-
ing to new research. The work, which was 
partly funded by FP6 through the Euclock 
project, appeared in the journal Proceed-
ings of the National Academy of Sciences 
(PNAS).

RCN:	27771

Vaccination  programmes  using  drugs 
currently available on the market are pro-
viding a safe and effective means of pro-
tecting domestic poultry from outbreaks 
of highly pathogenic strains of avian flu 
(H5N1), according to the latest scientific 
opinion released by the European Food 
Safety Authority (EFSA).

RCN:	27834

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An intelligent system that can tell mechan-
ics which parts of a car need servicing was 
unveiled on 18 June 2007 at a European 
technology show in Strasbourg, France. 
The specially-adapted Fiat prototype can 
tell garage staff about the state of its com-
ponents in seconds by using smart elec-
tronic tags inside its engine.

RCN:	27884

AthenaWeb — take two:  
the return of the European 
science film portal

The European Commission has relaunched 
its  award-winning  science  film  portal, 
AthenaWeb,  with  the  aim  of  boosting 
science  film  production  and  circulation 
in  Europe. The  new-look  AthenaWeb  is 
now a versatile video portal and online 
workspace  aimed  at  European  audio-
visual communication professionals in the 
areas of science and scientific information  
(http://www.athenaweb.org).

Getting scientists  
out of white coats and  
into the public arena

At a debate organised at the third ‘Euro-
pean research and innovation exhibition’ 
in Paris, France, on 9 June 2007, a panel 
was asked to discuss the problems faced 
by scientists and professional communi-
cators in communicating science to the 
general public. 

RCN:	27860

Trust and communication:  
keys to public acceptance  
of nanotechnology

Since the media first picked up on nano-
technology towards the end of the 20th 
century, reports have, in turn, presented it 
as the solution to all of the planet’s prob-
lems, from disease to climate change and 
energy supply, or spoken of nanorobots 
taking  over  the  world,  the  dangers  to 
health and the environment of nanopar-
ticles, and the military’s interest in new 
nanotechnologies. The result, inevitably, 
is limited public knowledge and under-
standing of nanotechnology.

RCN:	27950

RCN:	27892

European Chemicals Agency 
gets to work on REACH

The  new  European  chemical  legislation 
‘Registration,  evaluation,  authorisation 
and  restriction  of  chemicals’  (REACH) 
came into force on 1 June 2007, and on 
the same day the new European Chemi-
cals  Agency  (ECHA)  started  work.  The 
Helsinki-based  agency  will  be  respon-
sible for the day-to-day management of 
the REACH legislation. ECHA is charged 
with  providing  EU  Member  States  and 
institutions with scientific and technical 
advice on chemicals covered by REACH  
(http://echa.europa.eu). 

Projects illustrate role  
of science in maritime policy

The important role that research plays in 
European  marine  policy  was  illustrated 
during a technical briefing at the Euro-
pean Commission in Brussels on 14 June 
2007. The sea and the maritime industry 
are  not  usually  at  the  forefront  of  our 
minds when listing sectors that contrib-
ute to our economy. And yet, according 
to figures available from the Commission, 
some 40 % of the EU’s GDP is generated in 
maritime regions.

RCN:	27859

EU alone should fund Galileo, 
say MEPs

MEPs  say  that  Galileo,  the  European 
programme  of  satellite  radio-naviga-
tion, should be funded entirely from the 
EU  budget.  Galileo  was  to  be  financed 
through a public-private partnership (PPP). 
However,  following  the  failure  of  com-
panies in the Galileo consortium to agree 
on how to share the financial risks, it was 
suggested that public funds alone should 
be used to finance the programme.

RCN:	27903

The articles selected for the CORDIS focus Newsletter were published online 
during the previous month. They can be accessed directly on the website by 
keying in the record control number (RCN) in the ‘Search articles’ facility or by  
visiting the online edition (in English only) at: http://cordis.europa.eu/news/focus 
For  a  complete  catalogue  of  all  CORDIS  News  articles,  please  visit:  
http://cordis.europa.eu/news 
European Commission speeches (SPEECH) and press releases (IP) quoted in the 
references can be accessed on: http://europa.eu/rapid

CORDIS focus Newsletter — No 280 — July 2007

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neW On COrdIs
the COrdIs FP7 service goes multilingual

In line with efforts to bring EU information closer to citizens, and improve 
access to funding, CORDIS is further extending its boundaries. Key pages 
of the CORDIS FP7 service, the official access point to funding from the Seventh 
Framework Programme for research (FP7), are now available in six languages. 

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Users will be able to access pages linked to the homepage, and 
the individual programmes’ homepages, not only in English, but 
also Spanish, German, French, Italian and Polish — all with a sin-
gle click. The translated web pages will improve the localisation 
of information, facilitating access to EU research funding through 
FP7 for new participants such as small and medium enterprises 
(SMEs) and regional actors.

Links for ‘Latest News’, ‘Forthcoming Events’, and other articles of 
relevance and topical interest under ‘Highlights’, ‘In the spotlight’, 
‘What’s next’ and ‘Newsroom’, as well as the services for ‘Under-
standing’ and ‘Participating in FP7’, can be accessed in translated 
form with the same ease.

This latest development within CORDIS will support efficient 
communication of knowledge between the scientiﬁ c commu-
nities in EU Member States, while helping new research actors to 
participate in EU-funded research.

Based	on	information	from	CORDIS	News.
To	access	the	different	language	versions	of	the	home	page,	please	visit:
http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/home_es.html
http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/home_de.html
http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/home_en.html
http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/home_fr.html
http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/home_it.html
http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/home_pl.html
RCN:	27778

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