Could US scientists get EU funding?

Representatives of Europe's national medical research councils are planning to discuss next week the possibility of letting US scientists apply for European research funding, in the same way that European researchers can receive funding from the US National Institutes of Health.Liselotte Højgaard, chair of the standing committee of the European Medical Research Councils (EMRC) told The Scientist that during the organization's annual meeting in Stockholm next week, members would discuss a potential white paper on clinical trials in Europe.One item that might make it into that white paper is the idea of levelling the playing field for US researchers in terms of EU funding, she said. "In my personal opinion the current situation is utterly unfair. I know that I have personally applied for NIH funding [in the past] and have really appreciated it."Under current arrangements, researchers from outside the US can apply for NIH funding. The NIH website lists 188 grants made in 2007 to researchers based outside of the US, some for close to $1 million. Researchers based outside of Europe, however, cannot apply for EU funding. At the newly established European Research Council, for example, "funds are open to any scientists (of any nationality) based in the EU," European Commission spokesperson Antonia Mochan said in an Email.Højgaard, head of the department of clinical physiology and nuclear medicine at Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen University Hospital, was careful to say she couldn't predict the outcome of the debate, which would involve representatives from agencies such as the UK's Medical Research Council, the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) in Germany, and INSERM in France among others. "It's only one small item on a long agenda," she said. "I will ask my fellow medical research council representatives whether it is of their concern also." Denmark is already discussing changing its national law to allow people from outside Europe to apply for research grants, she said.The Scientist contacted the British, French and German medical research councils for comment. Mark Palmer from the UK's MRC declined to comment until the issue had been discussed by the board; representatives of INSERM and DFG did not return calls by deadline.Mochan said that EU research commissioner Janez Potocnik and NIH director Elias Zerhouni had discussed the matter informally, but that the European Commission had nothing further to add at this time.The EMRC was established in 1971. Part of its role is to develop European scientific strategies and stimulate collaboration in emerging and interdisciplinary research areas.Stephen Pincock mail@the-scientist.comDo you think it is a good or bad idea to allow US researchers to apply for European funding? Let us know here.Links within this articleEuropean Medical Research Councils http://www.esf.org/research-areas/medical-sciences/about/standing-committee.htmlLiselotte Højgaard http://www.rigshospitalet.dk/rh.nsfNIH Grants Policy Statement http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/nihgps/part_iii_5.htmNIH grants to foreign researchers, 2007 http://silk.nih.gov/public/cbz2zoz.@www.fy2007.foreign.csvA. Scott, "ERC launched today," The Scientist, February 27, 2007. http://www.the-scientist.com/news/display/52908/

Could US scientists get EU funding?

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