REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL AND THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT on the European Research Council's operations and realisation of the objectives set out in the Specific Programme "Ideas" in 2009
Date: 2010-09-03
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EU action, EU programme, State aid, activity report, operation of the Institutions, research programme, scientific research

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EUROPEAN COMMISSION 

Brussels, 3.9.2010 
COM(2010) 458 final 

REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL AND THE EUROPEAN 
PARLIAMENT 

on the European Research Council's operations and realisation of the objectives set out 
in the Specific Programme "Ideas" in 2009 

(Text with EEA relevance) 

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1. 

INTRODUCTION AND LEGAL BASE 

The  European  Research  Council  (ERC),  created  by  a  Commission  Decision1  in  2007, 
implements the Specific Programme (SP) "Ideas" under the Seventh Framework Programme 
(FP7). 

The  ERC  consists  of  an  independent  Scientific  Council  (ScC)  supported  by  a  dedicated 
implementation structure (DIS). In 2007 the ERC Executive Agency (ERCEA) was created2 
under  the  general  regime  of  executive  agencies3  with  a  view  to  taking  over  the  role  of  DIS 
from  the  Commission.  Responsibility  for  implementing  the  "Ideas"  programme  and 
supporting  the  ScC  was  delegated  to  the  ERCEA  through  a  Delegation  Act4  and  autonomy 
was  granted  to  the  ERCEA  in  July  2009.  Another  major  milestone  during  2009  was  the 
"Review  of  Structures  and  Mechanisms"  of  the  ERC,  an  independent  assessment  of  certain 
key aspects of the ERC, taking account of experience gained since it was created. 

In conformity with Article 4.4 and Annex I of the Council Decision on the SP "Ideas", this 
Annual Report of the Commission, drawn up in co-operation with the ERC's ScC, presents the 
Commission's  assessment  of  the  ERC's  operations  and  the  achievement  of  its  objectives  in 
2009. The contribution of the ERCEA is acknowledged. 

2. 

STRATEGY MATTERS 

The  ScC  is  responsible  for  setting  the  ERC's  scientific  strategy,  and  establishes  the  annual 
"Ideas" Work Programme (WP). 

2.1. 

Funding schemes 

The Scientific Council has aimed to define a clear and stable vision for the research activities 
of the ERC via two grant schemes across all fields of research: 

–  The  ERC  Starting  Independent  Researcher  Grants  (“ERC  Starting  Grants”  (StG)): 
designed  to  assist  researchers  who  have  recently  obtained  their  Ph.D.  to  establish  their 
independence 

–  The  ERC  Advanced  Investigator  Grants  (“ERC  Advanced  Grants”  (AdG)):  for  the 

very best research carried out by senior researchers working in Europe. 

2.2. 

2010 Work Programme for the Specific Programme "Ideas" 

The  2010  WP  for  the  SP  "Ideas"5  was  established  by  the  ScC  on  2/04/09  and  subsequently 
adopted by the Commission on 29/07/09. 

No  fundamental  change  in  strategy  was  introduced  via  the  2010  WP,  although  the  grant 
schemes were refined on the basis of experience gained. To further ensure a more appropriate 

1 
2 
3 
4 
5 

2007/134/EC (OJ L 57, 24.02.2007, p.14) 
2008/37/EC (OJ L9, 12.01.2008, p.15) 
Council Reg (EC) 58/2003 (OJ L 11, 16.1.2003, p. 1) 
C(2008) 5694 (unpublished) 
C(2009)5928 of 29.07.09, not published 

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assessment of both sub-groups that compete for the ERC StG (i.e. principal investigators in 
the  early  stage  of  transition  to  research  independence  and  researchers  in  the  consolidation 
phase  of  their  research  activity  or  team),  the  ScC  extended  the  eligibility  window  for 
applicants to 2-10 years following Ph.D. This was possible also as a result of the considerably 
strengthened budget for 2010. 

Within  this  window  of  eligibility,  applicant  Principal  Investigators  are  sub-divided  during 
evaluation into two main streams, with applicants being awarded their Ph.D. at least 2 and no 
more  than  6  years  (broadly  described  as  "starters")  or  over  6  but  no  more  than  10  years 
(broadly  described  as  "consolidators")  prior  to  the  call  publication.  To  assure  comparable 
success  rate  between  "starters"  and  "consolidators"  the  indicative  budget  of  each  panel  was 
divided  in  proportion  to  the  budgetary  demand  of  the  proposals  submitted  by  the  two 
categories of applicants.  

Other  adjustments  included  further  simplification  in  rules  on  re-submission  and  multiple 
applications and the introduction of measures to increase the attractiveness of the EU and the 
associated countries to researchers residing in third countries as well as to further encourage 
the  participation  of  women  scientists.  Additional  funding  is  to  be  made  available  to 
researchers from third countries to encourage and help them establish themselves in Europe 
and greater consideration will be given to previous career breaks and unconventional career 
paths which would be expected to encourage higher participation from women scientists. 

2.3. 

Peer review methodology 

The ERC employs a structure of high-level peer review panels chosen by the ScC and include 
scientists, engineers and scholars from both within the EU and beyond. These panels cover all 
research  disciplines  and  are  organised  for  both  AdG  and  StG  in  a  framework  of  three  main 
research  domains:  Physical  Sciences  and  Engineering  (PE),  Life  Sciences  (LS),  and  Social 
Sciences and Humanities (SH). 

3. 

PROGRAMME IMPLEMENTATION 

Commitments of more than € 794,861,770 and payments of more than € 221,422,331,50 were 
fully  executed,  representing  100%  of  the  operational  appropriations  of  the  "Ideas"  SP  for 
2009. 

3.1. 

Grants 

Since the 2008 WP, ERC calls involve a one-stage application process, where applicants are 
required to submit their full proposal, and a two-step evaluation6. 

Grants are offered to the best proposals depending on the budget available. The offer is made 
on  the  basis  of  the  proposal  itself  and  the  funding  recommended  by  the  peer  review 
evaluation.  

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See also 3.3 

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3.1.1.  ERC Starting Grants 

The 2009 ERC StG call was published in July 2008 with deadlines in Autumn 2008 and an 
indicative  budget  of  € 295.8  million.  In  total  2,503  proposals  were  received,  distributed  by 
domain as follows: 1,112 in PE, 927 in LS and 464 in SH. With the total budget increased to 
€ 325  million  thanks  to  FP7  Associated  Countries'  contributions  it  became  possible  to  fund 
242 proposals7. 

The  2010  ERC  StG  call  was  published  in  July  2009  with  deadlines  between  October  and 
December  2009  and  an  indicative  budget  of  € 528 million.  In  total  2,873  proposals  were 
received  distributed  by  domain  as  follows:  1,205  proposals  in  Physical  Sciences  and 
Engineering, 1,029 in Life Sciences and 639 in Social Sciences and Humanities8. 

3.1.2.  ERC Advanced Grants 

A total of 282 applications submitted for the 2008 ERC AdG call were funded from a final 
budget of € 553 million including FP7 Associated Countries' contributions9. 

The 2009 ERC AdG call was published in November 2008 with deadlines in Spring 2009 and 
an  indicative  budget  of  €  489.5  million.  As  demand  was  expected  to  be  high,  the  ScC  had 
decided that the first two ERC AdG calls (2008 and 2009) would be linked. For this reason, 
the 2008 "Ideas" WP stated that no applicant may be associated with more than one proposal 
to either of the two calls. The 2009 call still attracted 1,583 applications of which, 236 were 
initially selected for funding. Further proposals may be funded depending on the availability 
of FP7 Associated Countries' contributions. 

The 2010 ERC AdG call was published in October 2009 with deadlines between February and 
April 2010 and an indicative budget of € 590 million. Reporting on this call will be available 
in the Commission's 2010 Annual Report. 

3.2. 

Programme Committee 

The Programme Committee10 of the SP "Ideas" serves, in addition to its formal duties, as an 
important communication network between the Member States and FP7 Associated Countries, 
the ScC, the ERC Secretary General (Sec Gen) and the Commission. In 2009 meetings of this 
committee were held on 23/04 and 30/09. 

3.3. 

Ethical review 

An  external  Ethics  Panel  screened  133  of  the  projects  selected  for  funding  under  the  2009 
ERC  StG  call  and  carried  out  a  full  ethical  review  of  42  of  these.  All  but  one  project  were 
cleared by the review11. 

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call 

Additional  top  researchers  selected  in  the  ERC's  second  StG  competition  (ERC  ScC  News  release, 
29/10/09) 
Third  ERC  StG 
(http://erc.europa.eu/pdf/NewsRelease_StG3_submissions.pdf) 
Reporting on this call was included in the Commission's 2008 Annual Report [COM(2009)488final] 
Article 8 of Council Dec 2006/972/EC 
The one project that was not immediately cleared by the first review was subjected to a further review 
which was still ongoing by the end of the year 

total,  ERC  Update, 

proposals 

18/12/09 

attracted 

2873 

in 

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For  the  2009  ERC  AdG  call,  146  proposals  were  flagged  for  ethical  screening,  which 
identified  49  proposals  for  a  full  ethical  review  and  78  proposals  for  which  only  approvals 
from  national  authorities  were  requested.  The  full  ethical  review  was  organised  by  the 
ERCEA with the exception of 19 proposals that required invasive methods in human subjects 
– mainly children – and non-human primates and were therefore submitted to the Commission 
in view of their sensitive nature. 

3.4. 

Redress 

The  "Ideas"  configuration  of  the  redress  committee12  considered  85  requests  for  redress  in 
connection with proposals submitted under the 2009 ERC StG call and 74 requests relating to 
the  2009  ERC  AdG  call,  representing  approximately  3.5%  and  4.5%  of  the  proposals 
submitted for each call.  

The redress committee concluded that 10 requests related to the 2009 ERC StG call merited 
an evaluation or a re-evaluation. In one such case, related to a selected project, the previous 
decision regarding the amount of funding was changed. The decisions regarding requests for 
redress in the case of the 2009 ERC AdG had not been finalised by the end of the year. 

3.5. 

Communication  

The  ERC  participated  in  a  number  of  events  of  interest  to  the  scientific  community  and 
produced and distributed promotional material. 

3.5.1.  Meetings 

A  conference  dedicated  exclusively  to  the  ERC  took  place  in  Istanbul  on  13/03/09  and 
coincided with the plenary session of the ScC held there13. The conference was addressed by 
representatives of the ERC, the Turkish government and the local research community as well 
as ERC grant holders and stakeholders. 

The ERC had a significant and visible role in the Research Connection conference (7-8/05/09) 
organised by the Commission in Prague during the Czech Presidency of the EU. 

The  ERC  was  also  a  participant  in  the  58th  Meeting  of  Nobel  Laureates  at  Lindau  (28/06-
3/07),  the  Source  Event,  a  science  career  fair  in  London  (25/09)  and  the  first  European 
Researcher Career Fair held in Berlin (4/12). 

The ERCEA inauguration event, ERC – The future starts today, was held in September 2009 
on the occasion of its autonomy and installation in new premises. 

A  number  of  information  days  for  stakeholders  were  held,  often  organised  through  the 
National  Contact  Point  network.  Venues  were  throughout  the  EU  and  FP7  Associated 
Countries  and  included  cities  in  Denmark,  Hungary,  Ireland,  Italy,  Luxembourg,  the 
Netherlands, Portugal, Serbia, Sweden, the UK and Norway. 

12 

13 

OJ  L  391  and  OJ  L 400  of  30.12.2006  (EC  and  Euratom  rules  respectively)  and  corrigendum  in 
Euratom OJ L 54 of 22. 02.2007, p. 4 
See also 4.1 

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The  ERC  also  sought  to  increase  its  visibility  in  the  USA  by  participating  in  the  European 
Career  Fair  (Boston),  the  American  Association  for  the  Advancement  of  Science  (AAAS) 
Annual Meeting (Chicago) and the International Career Fair (San Francisco). 

3.5.2.  Publications 

The second ERC Annual Report, prepared under the ScC's authority and outlining the ERC's 
activities  and  achievements,  was  published.  Prominence  was  given  to  the  perspectives  and 
expectations of the funded projects' Principal Investigators. 

Paper publications also included fliers, fact sheets, brochures and posters which still receive 
wide distribution as a way of introducing the ERC and its work. A video outlining the ERC's 
strategy, mission and funding through ERC StG was produced and is expected to receive wide 
circulation.  Up-to-date  information  is  also  made  available  through  the  ERC  website14  and 
CORDIS15, the European portal on research and development. 

3.6.  Monitoring, Assessment and Evaluation of the Specific Programme "Ideas" 

A  strategy  and  framework  for  the  monitoring,  assessment  and  evaluation  of  the  ERC 
previously developed continued to be applied in 2009. 

Two  proposals  for  Co-ordination  and  Support  Actions  (CSAs)  were  selected  in  2008:  one 
analysing the programme's impact on researchers, research organisations, funding institutions 
and  policy  structures,  the  other  on  career  development,  host  institutions,  research  structures 
and research output. 

Following an analysis of these results, a second round of CSA calls was published in 2009, 
focusing  on  the  "gaps"  in  topics  and  areas  of  interest  where  no  proposals  were  selected  for 
funding in the previous call. The first results are expected by the end of 2010. 

Another CSA, the call for which was launched in 2008, provides support to the ScC Chair and 
Vice-Chairs at their places of work. 

4. 

STRUCTURES AND MECHANISMS OF THE EUROPEAN RESEARCH COUNCIL 

4.1. 

The Scientific Council 

During 2009, the ScC met five times in plenary in different venues in Member States and FP7 
Associated Countries as a way of promoting the ERC and the SP "Ideas" in these countries as 
well as a way of drawing attention to the local scientific and research community. In 2009 the 
Scientific  Council  met  twice  in  Brussels  (27-29/04  and  12-14/10)  and  once  in  Istanbul  (10-
12/03), Warsaw (29/06-1/07) and Rehovot, Israel (14-16/12). 

The ERC Board, set up by the ScC to plan the ScC meetings and liaise with the ERCEA, met 
five times during the year. 

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15 

http://erc.europa.eu/ 
http://cordis.europa.eu/ 

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4.1.1.  Appointment of new members 

In  2008  an  "Identification  Committee"16  was  set  up  by  the  Commission  in  order  to  identify 
new members to fill three vacant posts on the ScC and make recommendations on a method 
for  future  replacements  of  members17.  The  committee  presented  its  proposals  to  the 
Commission in January 2009 following consultations with the scientific community18. 

Based on the proposals of this committee, the Commission nominated Prof. Dr. Sierd A. P. L. 
Cloetingh (VU Amsterdam), Prof. Carlos M. Duarte (Spanish Council for Scientific Research, 
CSIC) and Prof. Henrietta L. Moore (University of Cambridge) as new members of the ScC19. 
As to future appointments, the committee proposed that approximately one third of the ScC be 
renewed once every two years (implying a term that is ordinarily of six years, renewable) and 
that  the  Identification  Committee  be  established  as  a  standing  committee  to  identify  new 
members to fill in vacancies as they arise.  

4.2. 

The ERC Secretary General 

On 30 June the term of the first ERC Sec Gen, Prof. Ernst-Ludwig Winnacker, ended. Prof. 
Andreu  Mas-Colell,  Professor  of  Economics  at  Universitat  Pompeu  Fabra  in  Barcelona  and 
Chairman of the Barcelona Graduate School of Economics, was appointed to the post with a 
mandate until December 201120. 

The  ERC  Sec  Gen  acts  under  the  authority  of  the  ScC,  is  responsible  for  effective  liaison 
the  effective 
the  ERCEA,  and  monitors 
between 
implementation, by the ERCEA, of strategy and positions adopted by the ScC. 

the  Commission  and 

the  ScC, 

4.3. 

The ERC Executive Agency 

Administrative  autonomy  was  granted  to  the  ERCEA  on  15/07/09.  It  was  officially 
inaugurated  in  its  new  premises  in  Brussels  on  24/09  at  the  event  "ERC  –  The  future  starts 
today"  which  was  addressed  by  Dr Tobias  Krantz  (Swedish  Minister  for  Higher  Education 
and  Research,  representing  the  Presidency  of  the  EU),  Janez  Potočnik  (European 
Commissioner  for  Science  and  Research),  Herbert  Reul  MEP  (Chair  of  the  EP's  ITRE 
Committee), Prof. Fotis C. Kafatos (President of the ERC and Chair of its ScC) and Dr Jack 
Metthey (Director ad interim of the ERCEA and Director in the Commission) and attended by 
invited stakeholders and ERCEA staff. 

Since  July  2009  the  ERCEA  has  been  responsible  for  all  aspects  of  administrative 
implementation and programme execution as provided for in the WP.  

The  operations  of  the  ERCEA  are  supervised  by  a  Steering  Committee,  appointed  by  the 
Commission  and  composed  of  three  Commission  officials,  one  ScC  member  and  an 

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20 

The  members  of  this  committee  were  Prof.  Eero  Vuorio  (Chancellor  of  the  University  of  Turku)  as 
Chairman  and  Prof.  Hélène  Ahrweiler  (Honorary  Rector  and  Chancellor  of  the  Academy  of  Paris), 
Prof. Zita Aušrelė Kučinskienė (Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Vilnius University) and Prof. Arnold 
Schmidt (Professor at Vienna University of Technology) as members 
News  Alerts  on  EU  Research:  Set  up  of  the  ERC  Identification  Committee.  Brussels,  23/09/08 
(http://ec.europa.eu/research/index.cfm?pg=newsalert&lg=en&year=2008&na=na-230908) 
ERC ScC Identification Committee. Final Report (19/01/09) 
European Commission Press Release. New ERC ScC members appointed (27/04/09) 
New 
(http://erc.europa.eu/pdf/Press_release_New_SecGen_02_07_09.pdf) 

Release, 

2/07/09 

ERC, 

Press 

Gen 

Sec 

the 

of 

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independent scientist; the ERC Sec Gen is an observer. In 2009, the Steering Committee held 
four  meetings  and  adopted  decisions  related  to  the  ERCEA's  Annual  WP  and  budget,  the 
organisational  structure  and  the  date  of  autonomy.  At  each  of  its  meetings,  the  Steering 
Committee received a detailed progress report from the Director of the ERCEA. 

4.3.1.  ERCEA Staff 

The rate of recruitment and actual taking up of duties was increased dramatically in 2009 over 
the  previous  year.  201  new  recruits  brought  the  ERCEA's  total  staff  to  262  representing  a 
fourfold increase from 2008. 

As regards the management of the ERCEA, 13 out of the 16 posts are now filled. 

Apart from selection and recruitment, during 2009 the ERCEA saw to the consolidation and 
development  of  its  human  resources.  In  particular,  implementing  rules  related  to  staff 
management were adopted by the Steering Committee. 

4.3.2.  Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) 

A MoU was signed between the Commission and the ERCEA in July 2009 in conformity with 
Article  4.3  of  the  Delegation  Act.  The  aim  is  to  establish  arrangements  for  the  day-to-day 
interaction between the parent-DG and the ERCEA in the implementation of the SP "Ideas". 

4.4. 

Review of Structures and Mechanisms 

4.4.1.  The review process 

Annex  I  of  the  Council  Decision  establishing  the  SP  "Ideas"  requires  that  "an  independent 
review will also be carried out of the ERC's structures and mechanisms, against the criteria of 
scientific excellence, autonomy, efficiency and transparency and with the full involvement of 
the ScC21. 

The review took place between February and July 2009. The ERC ScC was fully involved in 
the  review  process  and  was  broadly  in  agreement  with  orientations  ultimately  taken  by  the 
Panel. 

Written evidence and documentation were presented to the Panel by the Commission, the ScC 
and European research organisations22. Hearings were held with officials of the Commission 
(from  Directorates-General  Research  and  Budget  and  from  the  Legal  Service)  and  the  ScC 
(the Chair, the Vice-Chairs and the Sec Gen) and the Chair of the European association of the 
heads of research-funding and research-performing organisations, EUROHORCS. An on-line 
questionnaire  for  applicants,  panel  members  and  referees  specifically  on  the  peer  review 

21 

22 

This  panel  chaired  by  Vaira  Vike-Freiberga  with  Lord  Sainsbury  as  Vice-Chair  and  the  following  as 
members: Yves Mény (who was also the panel's rapporteur), Fiorella Kostoris Padoa Schioppa, Lars-
Hendrik Röller and Elias Zerhouni, was set up by Com Dec C(2009) 1871 
These  were:  ALLEA  (All  European  Academies),  EARTO  (European  Association  of  Research  and 
Technology  Organisations),  ESF  (European  Science  Foundation),  EUROHORCs  (European  Heads  of 
Industrial  Research  Management  Association), 
Research  Councils),  EIRMA 
BUSINESSEUROPE  (The  Confederation  of  European  Business),  EUA  (European  University 
Association), EASAC (European Academies' Science Advisory Council) and Academia Europaea 

(European 

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evaluation  process  was  prepared,  the  process  being  managed  and  results  analysed  by  the 
European University Institute.  

4.4.2.  The results of the review 

The  Panel  presented  its  report  in  July23.  It  stated  that,  overall,  the  ERC  had  succeeded 
"beyond all expectations", its creation being a landmark in European research, generally lived 
up  to  its  stated  aim  of  academic  freedom,  excellence  and  merit  and  produced  a  "positive 
spill-over effect" in some European national research systems. 

The  Panel  nevertheless  identified  some  specific  problems  related  to  rules  and  practices 
applied  in  the  ERC's  governance  which  were  not  fully  adapted  to  the  ERC's  mission  of 
funding  frontier  research,  problems  which  would  need  to  be  resolved  to  secure  the  ERC's 
long-term  sustainability.  The  financial  rules  are  "cumbersome",  based  more  on  preventing 
risks of fraud or mismanagement rather than on trust. 

The immediate measures recommended by the review include the streamlining and integration 
of governance structures with the fusion of the positions of ERC Sec Gen and Director of the 
ERCEA, adapting  funding philosophy  to frontier research, establishing standing committees 
on  a  number  of  issues,  adoption  of  new  and  streamlined  procedures  for  reviewers  and 
panellists, improvement of transparency, financial compensation for members of the ScC and 
facilitation of recruitment of scientists by the ERCEA. 

The Panel also called for changing the "quasi-contract" grant into a lump sum "grant-in-aid" 
giving  grant  holders  the  flexibility  to  adapt  the  direction  of  their  ongoing  research.  Lighter 
procedures for the appointment and management for experts in the peer review process were 
proposed. 

Finally, the Panel endorsed the proposal of the Identification Committee on the appointment 
of new members to the ScC24 and, for greater transparency, proposed that minutes of the ScC 
be published. 

Having  considered  the  opportunities  and  potential  risks  associated  with  the  two  types  of 
structure,  the  review  comes  to  the  position  that  while  the  executive  agency  model,  in  its 
current standard form, involves a number of constraints, the difficulties and risks associated 
with moving to a new structure based on Article 187 of the TFU25, including the possibility of 
political  interference  with  the  ERC's  scientific  independence,  would  not  justify  a  change  of 
structure  -  at  least  until  the  prospects  for  developing  and  refining  the  ERCEA  to  meet  the 
ambitions of the ERC are exhausted. The Panel recommends a further independent review in 
two years. 

23 

24 
25 

Review  Panel,  Towards  a  world  class  Frontier  Research  Organisation:  Review  of  the  European 
Research Council’s Structures and Mechanisms (23/07/09) 
See 4.1 
Former Article 171 of the EC Treaty; "The Union may set up joint undertakings or any other structure 
necessary for the efficient execution of Union research, technological development and demonstration 
programmes" 

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4.4.3.  Reaction of the Scientific Council to the review 

The  ScC  issued  a  reaction  to  the  review,  commenting  on  the  individual  recommendations 
made26.  The  ScC  gave  particular  attention  to  proposals  to  adapt  the  administrative  regime 
better to meet the ERC's mission and to the need to consider further its legal structure. 

4.4.4.  Commission's reaction on the review and follow-up 

A Commission communication was issued in October 2009 in response to the review27. It set 
out  the  strategy  and  proposed  actions  for  the  next  phase  of  the  ERC,  building  on  the 
recommendations made in the ERC Review Panel's report. 

These  actions  include:  recruiting  the  ERCEA's  Director  as  a  distinguished  scientist  with 
robust administrative experience, integrating the ERC's communication strategy to achieve a 
clear  vision,  seamless  coverage,  reinforced  transparency,  reducing  the  risks  of  conflict  of 
interest,  clarifying  the  roles  of  the  ERCEA  and  the  ScC  and  exploring  the  possibilities  of 
offering honoraria to members of the ScC attending ScC plenary meetings (in recognition of 
their personal commitment, particularly the Chair and the Vice-Chairs). 

The  Commission  also  intends  to  establish  a  standing  independent  Identification  Committee 
for future ScC members to ensure the staged renewal of the ScC. 

Medium-term  actions  proposed  in  the  communication  deal  mainly  with  proposals  on  the 
financial  and  administrative  procedures.  The  Commission  will  be  taking  the  opportunity 
offered  by  the  upcoming  triennial  review  of  the  Financial  Regulation  to  see  how  the 
framework  it  establishes  can  be  better  adapted  to  European  policies  in  this  sector,  and 
simplified, in line with the recently adopted Communication28. 

Considering  the  ERC  a  "learning  organisation",  the  Commission  follows  the  SP  "Ideas", 
which  states:  "…The  implementation  and  management  of  the  activity  will  be  reviewed  and 
evaluated  on  an  ongoing  basis  to  assess  its  achievements  and  to  adjust  and  improve 
procedures on the basis of experience". 

5. 

CONCLUSIONS AND OUTLOOK FOR 2010 

The two major developments in the ERC's timeline of 2009 were the granting of autonomy to 
the ERCEA and the Review of Structure and Mechanisms. 

The year 2010 will see further progress related to these developments. The follow-up to the 
ERC  review  will  entail  the  appointment  of  a  Director  of  the  ERCEA;  amendments  to  the 
legislation to  incorporate improvements in the ERC's construction and operations, including 
the  management  of  independent  experts  in  the  peer  review  process,  are  also  foreseen.  A 
standing Identification Committee will also be set up in view of the renewal of some members 
anticipated for the end of their first term of office in February 2011. 

26 

27 
28 

The ERC Scientific Council's response to the Report on the Review of the European Research Council’s 
Structures and Mechanisms "Towards a world class Frontier Research Organisation". (25/08/09) 
(COM(2009) 552 final) 
COM(2010)187 

EN 

10 

   EN 

                                                 
The ERC grant funding is expected to maintain its current growth path, with the rising annual 
budget  during  FP7.  The  Commission  is  delighted  that  the  ERC  continues  to  be  extremely 
popular with researchers and that its reputation is enhanced by the track record that has been 
built.  With  a  strong  likelihood  that  the  volume  of  high-quality  proposals  will  increase,  the 
ERC should be in a stronger position to contribute to Europe's ambitions for world excellence 
in  research,  and  thereby  to  the  objective  of  the  Europe  2020  strategy29  of  developing  an 
economy based on knowledge and innovation. The objectives, as well as the main strands of 
the future architecture and mechanisms of EU research funding, will be further developed in 
the  "Innovation  Union"  flagship  initiative,  that  has  been  announced  in  the  "Europe  2020" 
communication and will be presented in the Autumn 2010. 

29 

COM(2010)2020 

EN 

11 

   EN