ERC and SLR

[Nora Brambilla <Nora.Brambilla@DROPMEmi.infn.it>]

Dear MC fellows,
 please take a minute of time to read the important message
appended below  and to visit the related web site. We plan to do 
further action on this issue inside the MCFA science policy group, 
please contact us if you are interested.
 Nora Brambilla for the MCFA science policy group
**********************************************************************
Dear Colleagues,

        In connection with the successful struggle of the 300 000 French
scientists' and citizens' coalition "Sauvons la recherche" (SLR), set up 
to defend basic research in France, we believe that the difficulties
highlighted in France reflect a general European crisis of scientific
research.

       Basic research in Europe badly suffers fromo  a low level of
funding in almost every country in Europe, of the  lack of a real European
scientific policy due to a misconception of the importance of basic
research and excessive bureaucratic procedures in the management of
European programs o poor consideration of the scientific community in
decision making procedures .

        The paradox of the present situation is further underlined by the
Lisbon and Barcelona official declarations setting an ambitious goal of 3%
of the GDP for European research in 2010 to build a knowledge based
European economy. We are marching towards this goal backwards, lagging 
more and more behind the USA and Japan.

        Given the present weakness of European research, we strongly
support the foundations of a European research area and, in particular, a
European Research Council (ERC) entirely devoted to basic research as
proposed by the Council of the European Ministers. However, we believe 
that the European scientific community must be better informed of this 
important evolution and consulted on the organisation and missions of the 
ERC.

  We need to put our agenda for basic research (ERC, funding...) at
the forefront, and we must rely on our own strength -- scientists and
academics in our labs and universities. This has to be now, not later, as
the European parliamentary elections are in ten days, and some major
decisions concerning research are under way.

        If you are convinced by the necessity of a European research
initiative, please visit  our web site. You will find more information , 
be able to sign up a manifesto elaborating on this message and participate 
to a related forum on the ERC (http://fer.apinc.org)

Please forward this message to other scientists.
If you are convinced by the necessity of a European research
initiative, please visit http://fer.apinc.org

The coalition Sauvons la Recherche.
C. Dargemont
Group leader and coordinator for the European action of french scientific
coalition"Sauvons la Recherche"
Nucleocytoplasmic transport group
Institut Jacques Monod
UMR 7592
CNRS, Universits Paris 6 et 7
2, place Jussieu Tour 43
75251 Paris Cedex 05
France
Tel/Fax: 0033 1 44276956