After five years of debate, the European Union has officially launched the European Research Council, a new agency that will concentrate on funding basic research. More than 280 scientists attended the 27 February launch in Berlin, Germany, including German chancellor and physicist Angela Merkel. The ERC will be “a champion's league for research,” allowing excellence, promoting international involvement, and encouraging creativity and innovation in research, said Merkel.
The agency is split into two parts, a scientific council of 22 leading European scientists that acts as an independent strategic and supervising body, and another group that will manage day-to-day operations. “The creation of the ERC … represents a landmark event for science policy in our continent, “ says ERC president Fotis C. Kafatos, a molecular biologist at Imperial College London.
Over the next seven years, the agency will have a budget of €7.5 billion ($9.9 billion). Unlike other parts of the...
