Funds of €8bn for scientific research

SOME €8.1 billion has been made available to researchers with good ideas. It represents the largest single block of EU funding yet released for scientific research.

Details of the investment were announced yesterday by the Irish commissioner for research Máire Geoghegan-Quinn. It will be used in support of a number of research areas, including sustainable “smart” cities, the marine, digital communications and the management of fresh water.

Her announcement comes on the eve of the EuroScience Open Forum 2012 (Esof), Europe’s largest research meeting, which takes place this week in Dublin.

The commissioner will deliver a keynote address on Friday and participate in events which run through Sunday.

Researchers across a range of disciplines are invited to apply for support from the €8.1 billion fund, which comes via the commission’s €55 billion research budget Framework Programme 7. This is the final call for research proposals to be issued under FP7. It finishes at the end of 2013, to be replaced by an even larger programme, Horizon 2020, worth €80 billion.

Irish scientists have done very well from the FP7 fund, winning €384 million in support of research. Irish small to medium-sized enterprises have also done well, currently ranked first in the EU for per capita participation.

Minister of State for research Seán Sherlock yesterday welcomed the fresh funding and also Ireland’s success in accessing FP7 support. Irish business lobby Ibec also welcomed the announcement. There were “significant opportunities” for Irish companies seeking to access this latest fund, said Aidan Sweeney, Ibec innovation executive.

The director general of Science Foundation Ireland, Dr Mark Ferguson, said: “I expect the research community in Ireland to compete strongly for and avail of this new source of funding leveraging from the investment received through Science Foundation Ireland.”

See a full Esof programme at esof2012.organd learn about the many public events taking place at dublinscience.ie