Busquin opens up R&D coffers to EU hopefuls

Date: 31/10/02

By Peter Chapman

SCIENTISTS from EU candidate countries have been granted full access to the Union's new €17.5 billion R&D budget, Philippe Busquin, the research commissioner, announced this week.

He said the move would allow researchers from the 13 candidates the same access to the 'sixth framework' programme as their EU counterparts - more than a year before most are due to join the European Union.

'Research will be the first area in which the EU enlargement becomes a reality,' said Busquin.

Scientists from the former Soviet bloc built up excellent reputations during the Cold War era in areas such as physics and engineering, but research funding has dried up for many universities.

Busquin said allowing the candidate countries to take a full role in R&D would boost science in the 13 and inject know-how into the programme, with positive spin-offs for the current 15 members.

He added that seven candidate countries - Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Latvia, Romania, the Slovak Republic and Slovenia - were also keen to join the EU's separate €1.23 billion Euratom programme for nuclear research.

Scientists from EU candidate countries have been granted full access to the European Union's new €17.5 billion R&D budget.