Europe took a step forward in developing a European Research Area on Monday (October 27) when the European Commission and seven international scientific organizations said they would sign an agreement that sets out a program of collaboration, exchange of experts, and other bilateral arrangements.
The commission said the statement of intent would be signed by Research Commissioner Philippe Busquin with the directors-general of the European Fusion Development Agreement, the European Southern Observatory, Institut Laue-Langevin, European Space Agency, the European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Centre Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire, and the European Synchroton Radiation Facility.
The groups who put their name to the new pact are members of the EIROforum, set up in 2002 to strengthen links between them.
“This 'statement of intent' marks a new step towards the creation of the European Research Area,” Busquin said in a statement. “With Europe's best scientists working together in world-class research infrastructures to ...
