CELEX: 51988PC0358
Language: en
Date: 1988-06-16
Title: RE-EXAMINED PROPOSAL FOR A COUNCIL DECISION ON A PROGRAMME PLAN TO STIMULATE THE INTERNATIONAL CO-OPERATION AND INTERCHANGE NEEDED BY EUROPEAN RESEARCH SCIENTISTS 1988 - 1992 ( SCIENCE )

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