Source: EURLEX
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16.7. 88 Official Journal of the European Communities N o C 186/13

Re-examined proposal for a Council Decision on a programme plan to stimulate the international cooperation and interchange needed by European research scientists 1988 to 1992

(Science)

_COM(88) 358 final_ — _SYN 99_

_(Submitted by the Commission pursuant to Article 149 (2) (d) of the EEC Treaty on 23 June 1988)_

(88/C 186/08)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European
Economic Community, and in particular Article 130Q
(2) thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission ('),

In cooperation with the European Parliament,

Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and
Social Committee ( [2] ),

Whereas by Decision 85/197/EEC, a first plan to
stimulate European scientific and technical cooperation
and interchange was adopted by the Council on 12
March 1985 ( [3] );

Whereas the terms of Article 130K of the Treaty provide
that implementation of the framework programme be
carried out by means of specific programmes developed
within each of its action lines;

Whereas Article 130G (D) provides for the stimulation
of the training and mobility of researchers in the
Community;

Whereas the Community framework programme should
play its part in contributing to strengthening the
scientific and technological infrastructure and potential
in all Member States of the Community;

Whereas the Council Decision 87/516/Euratom/EEC of

28 September 1987 adopting the multiannual framework
programme 1987 to 1991 ( [4] ) includes the stimulation,
enhancement and use of human resources amongst the
activities it provides for;

Whereas the stimulation of cooperation and exchange
between European research laboratories in universities
and in public and industrial institutions contributes to the

(') OJ No C 14, 19. 1. 1988, p. 5.
O OJ No C 35, 5. 2. 1988, p. 5.
( [J] ) OJ No L 83, 25. 3. 1985, p. 13.
( [4] ) OJ No L 302, 24. 10. 1987.

achievement of a Researchers' Europe while aiming to
reduce the gap on the scientific and technical level
between the various Member States of the European
Community and being consistent with the pursuit of
scientific and technical quality;

Whereas it is necessary to put existing scientific potential
to good use at both the human level and that of
institutions;

Whereas it is important to improve access to communication networks and scientific and technical information;

Whereas there exists a need to maintain close links with

complementary activities undertaken by the European
Science Foundation and the Council of Europe;

Whereas it is in the Community's interest to involve third
countries and international organizations in certain
Community programmes and particularly those
programmes contributing to the overall European
scientific infrastructure;

Whereas the Scientific and Technical Research

Committee (CREST) has been consulted on the
following measures,

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

_Article 1_

A programme plan to stimulate the international
cooperation and interchange needed by European
research scientists, hereinafter referred to as the 'stimulation plan' is hereby adopted for a five-year period
commencing on 1 January 1988.

_Article 2_

The summary of the stimulation plan and its objectives
together with the operational arrangements for
implementing the plan are set out in the Annex.

N o C 186/14 Official Journal of the European Communities 16. 7. 88

_Article 3_

The funds estimated as necessary for the execution of
the stimulation plan amount to 167 million ECU,
including expenditure on a staff of 18.

The Community financial support awarded to stimulation activities shall constitute 100 °/o of the cost of

these scientific and technical cooperation and interchange actions.

_Article 4_

1. The Commission shall undertake the implementation of the stimulation plan by means of research
bursaries, research grants, grants for high-level courses,
contracts encouraging the twinning of laboratories and
operations contracts including equipment and accompanying measures where appropriate. It shall be assisted
by the Committee for the European Development of
Science and Technology (Codest), set up under Decision
82/835/EEC (') and by consultants.

2. The contracts drawn up by the Commission shall
show the rights and obligations of each party,
particularly the methods of disseminating, protecting and
exploiting the research results and of making any reimbursement that may be necessary of the funding given.

_Article 5_

1. The Commission is authorized to negotiate, in
accordance with Article DON of the EEC Treaty,
agreements with international organizations, with those

(') OJ No L 350, 10. 12. 1982, p. 45.

countries participating in European Cooperation in the
field of Scientific and Technological Research (COST)
and with those European countries having concluded
framework agreements in S/T cooperation with the
Community with a view to associating them wholly or
partly with the programme.

2. These agreements, which are founded on the
criterion of mutual advantage, are concluded by the
Council, deciding by qualified majority, in cooperation
with the European Parliament.

_Article 6_

The Commission shall address a report to the Council
and to the European Parliament after 30 months on the
basis of an evaluation of the results so far achieved. This

report shall be accompanied by suggestions for changes
which may be necessary in the light of these results.

After the completion of the plan, the Commission shall
send to Member States and the European Parliament a
report on the performance and results of the plan.

The abovementioned reports will be carried out in
relation to the precise objectives set out in Annex II to
this Decision and in conformity with the provisions of
Article 2 (2) of the framework programme.

_Article 7_

This Decision shall apply from 1 January 1988.

_Article 8_

This Decision is addressed to the Member States.

_ANNEX I_

Objectives and summary of the stimulation plan

The stimulation plan consists of a range of activities selected on the basis of their scientific and technical
quality, which have as their aim the establishment of a network of scientific and technical cooperation
and interchange at European level which will gradually be extended. The overall objective is to improve
the efficacy of scientific and technological research in all the Member States and to contribute thereby
to the reduction of scientific and technical development disparities between the different Member States
of the European Community. It covers all fields of science and technology (the exact and natural
sciences).

Whilst the stimulation plan therefore aims to improve the overall scientific and technical quality of
research and development in all Member States of the Community, its specific objectives are to:

— promote training through research and, by means of cooperation, the better use of high level
researchers in the Community,

— improve the mobility of research scientists of the Member States of the Community,

16. 7. 88 Official Journal of the European Communities N o C 186/15

— develop and support intra-European scientific and technical cooperation on high-quality projects,

— promote the setting-up of intra-European cooperation and interchange networks with a view to
reinforcing the overall scientific and technical competitivity of the Community and thereby strengthening its economic and social cohesion.

2. The objectives set out above will be achieved by means of support measures for research scientists, teams
of research and development organizations to ensure the harmonious scientific and technical development of the Community. These will take the following forms:

_Research bursaries_

Financial support granted to scientists to enable them to acquire additional training by participating in a
research project in a laboratory in a Community country other than their own for a period of at least
one year and at most two years.

_Research grants_

These cover the cost to the laboratories concerned of the transfer or secondment of a research scientist

from one Community country to another, either to allow a scientist to be taken on in a team in a
country other than his own or to enable a science graduate to specialize before joining a university or
industrial research laboratory.

Depending on the type of scientist and the purpose of the research allocation, it may take different

forms:

— funding to enable a research scientist to make short stays (from 15 days to two months) in a foreign
country within the Community to carry out specific experiments in a particular scientific or technical
facility not available in his own country,

— funding to cover the costs associated with mobility (travel, subsistence, insurance, removal, etc.), the
research work and possibly the salary of a scientist seconded to or incorporated in a research team
in a country (in the Community) other than his own, for a period of at least six months and at most
three years,

— funding to cover the costs associated with the mobility and research work of a scientist taken on in
industry, who goes to follow a lengthy training course (from one to three years) in a public sector
laboratory in a foreign country (within the Community),

— subsidies for high-level training courses: financial support granted to a body offering a specialized
high-level course held within a Member State so that it can accept scientists from different
Community Member States to give them additional training or enable them to retrain for other
functions.

_Twinning of laboratories in different countries_

This enables researchers who are working in isolation in an advanced field in several Community
countries to bring their efforts together, without coming into one laboratory, and thus encouraging the
formation of a research team exceeding the necessary 'critical size'. Funding is granted to allow the
researchers to meet, to carry out joint experiments, to exchange results, to add to their equipment or to
strengthen their teams by temporarily taking on other scientists, preferably from a different country.

_Development of multidisciplinary, multinational operations_

This would, by virtue of the financial resources made available, enable the associated research teams to
have enough resources (including equipment) and be able to bring together the best expertise available
in different countries and disciplines, in order to achieve a predetermined objective or to undertake
jointly a predetermined scientific task in the framework of an S/T cooperation 'network'.

In addition, the plan will be complemented by sectoral incentive measures: research bursaries, research
grants and subsidies financed in the framework of each of the Community research and development
programmes following the agreement of the appropriate Management and Coordination Committee
(CGC).

No C 186/16 Official Journal of the European Communities 16. 7. 88

3. Measures to stimulate interchange and cooperation apply to all fields relevant to the exact and natural
sciences, such as:

— mathematics,

— physics,

— chemistry,

— life sciences,

— earth sciences and ocean sciences,

— scientific instrumentation,

— engineering sciences.

4. In the fields in which support will be granted, multinational projects to benefit from the Community
support measures will be chosen essentially on the basis of their quality, the extent to which they are
multidisciplinary in content, their innovative aspects and their value in terms of breaking down barriers
between diferent forms of research and development in all parts of the Community. Where scientific and
technical quality is comparable, particular attention will be given to projects likely to reduce scientific
and technical development disparities between Member States and thereby to contribute to economic
and social cohesion within the European Community.

5. The choice of stimulation incentive measures and the teams concerned will be made by the Commission
which, with the help of the Committee for the European Development of Science and Technology
(Codest), will make use of a peer review system. The Commission will see to it that there is consistency
between the stimulation activity and programmed Community R&D activities.

6. The Commission will at the same time undertake a series of consultations, surveys and seminars with the
cooperation of Community scientific and technical circles in order to analyse and evaluate scientific and
technical needs and opportunities, with the aim of providing more detail to the content of the stimulation plan.

The Commission will cooperate closely with the national authorities to ensure consistency between these
activities and national policies on research stimulation.

7. In order to evaluate the scientific and/or technical quality of requests for support, as well as to analyse
scientific and technical opportunities and needs or to assess projects which have been financed or the
activity itself, the Commission may call upon expertise from outside its own staff.

_ANNEX_ _II_

Amendment of the European Parliament not accepted by the Commission

_Text_ _amended_ _by_ _Parliament_

Article 3 (2) (a) (new)

The final amount of appropriations and the number of staff shall be determined on the basis of
decisions taken annually by the budgetary authority in accordance with real needs.

The Commission rejects this amendment because its substance is already contained in Article BOP of the
EEC Treaty which states that 'the amount of the Community's annual contribution shall be laid down
under the budgetary procedure'.