Annual report : 1994

200 Pages·1994·15.6 MB·English

by  European Science Foundation

The European Science Foundation is an
association of its 56 member research councils,
academies and institutions devoted to basic
scientific research in 20 countries. The ESF
assists its Member Organisations in two main
ways: by bringing scientists together in its
Scientific Programmes, Networks and
European Research Conferences, to work on
topics of common concern; and through the
joint study of issues of strategic importance in
European science policy.
The scientific work sponsored by ESF includes
basic research in the natural and technical
sciences, the medical and biosciences, the
humanities and social sciences.
The ESF maintains close relations with other
scientific institutions within and outside
Europe. By its activities, ESF adds value by
cooperation and coordination across national
frontiers and endeavours, offers expert
scientific advice on strategic issues, and
provides the European forum for fundamental
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Annual Report 1994
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CONTENTS
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THE PRESIDENT’S REPORT ~—
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INTRODUCTION
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OVERVIEW OF ESF ACTIVITIES ~a
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_ STANDING COMMITTEES \O
— Standing Committee for the Social Sciences \O
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— Standing Committee for the Humanities
— European Medical Research Councils
— European Science Research Councils
ASSOCIATED COMMITTEES
— European Space Science Committee (ESSC)
— Committee on Radio Astronomy Frequencies (CRAF)
— Nuclear Physics European Collaboration Committee (NuPECC)
— European Committee on Ocean and Polar Sciences (ECOPS)
— Advisory Panel for Environmental Change (APEC)
CONTINUING PROGRAMMES
SOCIAL SCIENCES
— Beliefs in Government (BiG)
— Regional and Urban Restructuring in Europe (RURE)
— Geographic Information Systems: Data Integration and
Data Base Design (GISDATA)
— European Management and Organisations in Transition (EMOT)
— Learning in Humans and Machines
— Environment, Science and Society (ESS)
HUMANITIES
— Language Typology
— The Transformation of the Roman World
— The Evolution of Chemistry in Europe 1789-1939
— Concepts and Symbols of the 18th Century in Europe
MEDICAL AND LIFE SCIENCES
— Molecular Neurobiology of Mental IIness (MNMI)
— European Neuroscience Programme (ENP)
— Developmental Biology (EDB)
— Programme of Fellowships in Toxicology (PFT)
NATURAL AND TECHNICAL SCIENCES
— European Ice Sheet Modelling Initiative (EISMINT)
— European Volcanological Project (EVOP)
— EUROPROBE
Study of the European Arctic Shelf (SEAS)
— European Palaeoclimate and Man (EPC)
CONTENTS
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~~ Continuing Programmes (continued)
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~ — Greenland Ice Core Project (GRIP)
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— Polar North Atlantic Margins (PONAM)
Nv) — ESF Consortium for Ocean Drilling (ECOD)
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— Population Biology
La) — Environmental Damage and its Assessment (EDA)
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— Mathematical Treatment of Free Boundary Problems (FBP)
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= — Relativistic Effects in Heavy Element Chemistry and Physics (REHE)
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— Kinetic Processes in Minerals and Ceramics
— Dynamics of Gas-Surface Interactions
— Process Integration in Biochemical Engineering
— Study Centres in Non-linear Systems
— Biophysics of Photosynthesis
— Artificial Biosensing Interfaces (ABI)
NEW PROGRAMMES
LIFE AND ENVIRONMENT
— Tropical Canopy Research
— Climate and Fauna: A Database of the Quaternary Mammals of Europe
— Airborne Polar Experiment (APE)
— Transport Processes in the Atmosphere and Oceans (TAO)
PHYSICS AND ENGINEERING
— Vapour-phase Synthesis and Processing of Nano-particle Materials (NANO)
— Control of Complex Systems (COSY)
HUMANITIES
— Asian Studies Programme
ESF SCIENTIFIC NETWORKS
— The History of European Expansion
— Crystallography of Biological Macromolecules
— Financial Markets
— The Semantics of Classical Hebrew
— Molecular Dynamics of Biomembranes
— Written Language and Literacy
— The Classical Tradition in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance
— Dynamics of Complex Systems in Biosciences
— Metal Clusters
— Mediterranean Marine Geosciences
— Whole Plant Physiology
— HLA and Allergy
— Quantum Fluids and Solids
— The Palaeolithic Occupation of Europe
— Cell Stress Genes and their Protein Products
— Impact Cratering and Evolution of the Earth
— Highly Structured Stochastic Systems
CONTENTS
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— Transitions in Youth —
— European-African Songbird Migration a
— Databases of Gene Expression during Mammalian Development
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— Fishes of the Antarctic Ocean ea)
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NEW NETWORKS
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— Oxide Crystals
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— Catalytic Membrane Reactors WA
— Systematic Biology
— Molecular Biology and Ecology of Plasmid-Mediated Gene Spread
— Gender Inequality and the European Regions
— Social Transformations in Central and Eastern Europe
— National Socialist Occupation Policy
NETWORK EVALUATIONS
— Transport, Communications and Mobility (NECTAR)
— Neuroimmunomodulation
—'' Polar Science:
— Population Ecology and Genetics
EUROPEAN RESEARCH CONFERENCES
GENERAL ADMINISTRATION
FINANCE AND ACCOUNTS 116
APPENDICES 128
Curtinuing Programmes (continued) -
£0 Giventarid Ice Done Project (GRIP)
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THE PRESIDENT'S REPORT
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My predecessor as President, Professor 1993 — as President of ESTA, and al
Colombo, said in his speech to the Professor Donnelly — a Vice-President of a
Assembly in 1993 that he had tried “to ESF — as Vice-President of ESTA also. I ®
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revitalise the Foundation’s structures and am myself pleased to be a member of the J
to expand its areas of interest ... we still Assembly and Bureau, and our Secretary 7s
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have to earn the place in the European General is a member of the Assembly.
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Science system that is our due”’. \S
It has been very natural that we in ESF ‘©
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The progress in those endeavours is should have thought long and hard about
demonstrated in the changes that have our relationships with the European
taken place during 1994, both within ESF Union through the Commission. As we
and its methods of working, and in the have celebrated our 20th Anniversary, we
general debate. have recalled that ESF was founded when
the research responsibilities of the
The reappraisal of ESF’s strategic mission European Commission were small and
proposed by Member Organisations, restricted to the applied technologies.
discussed with them and approved at the There was therefore an opportunity and a
Assembly of 1993, has begun to be put need for ESF as an organisation to help
into effect during the year. The the coming together of European science
implementation report gives us a detailed by promoting the collaboration and
account of what has been put in place. In mobility of scientists and scholars.
particular, each of the Standing
Committees has studied how it may best Since that time our place in the world has
introduce strategic matters into the areas changed. The Commission’s Framework
of science within which we should Programmes have evolved major and
operate; and each of the Committees put a comprehensive plans to cover many of
report before the Assembly on that Europe’s needs for collaboration in key
subject. areas and for promotion of mobility and
cohesion within the research community.
In terms of the Foundation’s external I think the Commission would agree that
relations, the links with the European it has been helpful in the achievement of
Union through the Commission have been all this to take advantage of the networks
strengthened. We were delighted to have and programmes which ESF had put in
Professor Ruberti with us in November as place on a small scale, and indeed the
Commissioner for Research; I thanked Commission still does entrust us with a
him on behalf of ESF for the keen interest responsibility for Euroconferences in
he had taken in ESF, and the care with those areas in which the best results need
which he had studied ESF’s proposals for planning on the basis of detailed
a more formal participation in the knowledge of the scientific fields and the
Commission’s discussions. ESF has scientists for leading them. But they have
worked with the Commission to help in now established themselves as a major
setting up the new European Science and influence on the funding of European
Technology Assembly, ESTA, and Research and Training. ESTA has been
specifically in the selection of the first established as an instrument of the
members. There is considerable and Commission, as an assembly of
gratifying overlap in membership with independent scientists, though they are
ESF, not least with Dr Borgman — a not, as in ESF, representatives of Member
member of ESF Executive Council until Organisations. What then is the role of
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THE PRESIDENT'S REPORT
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~ ESF? Should we in ESF say that we have relate to them. The full development of
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done our job and now go into graceful European potential requires not only the
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Re member countries have been squeezed from the centre outwards, but others such
8 and they look very carefully and critically as ESF working from the outside inwards.
= at expenditures outside domestic
= priorities. It is natural for them to ask, The development of European Science is
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afford the ESF as well as the programmes room for more than one body especially if
of the Commission. relationships between them can be
complementary and symbiotic. But the
One doesn’t have to think long about the Commission, ESTA and ESF are by no
implication of saying “yes” to this means the only players in this game.
question — should we go into retirement — Other bodies have also been formed in
to realise that it would be quite the wrong response to the important need to
thing to do. Consider my own home represent the voice of science in Europe.
organisation, a British Research Council. What are to be the relationships and
Should it really — in the Europe of 1994 — divisions of responsibility between them?
say that it has no common interest and We acknowledge the Academia Europaea,
common policies which it wants to of which Professor Hubert Curien is the
develop with sister Research Councils in new President, and the Association of
France, Germany, Italy, Spain, European Academies (ALLEA), whose
Netherlands, Greece, Sweden, President, Professor Paul Germain we
Switzerland, Poland, Hungary and so on? were pleased to have with us at the
That the British Research community in Assembly. We join with both these bodies
planning its own programme at home in valuing and honouring excellence and
should not be taking account of what achievement in science and humanities.
other Europeans are doing elsewhere? Or The Board of ESF meets annually with
that we should not take a neighbourly the President and Vice-Presidents of the
interest and offer our co-operation to Academia Europaea. The Secretary
organisations in other countries, whether General and I attended the meeting of
still developing scientifically or operating ALLEA in Paris in March 1994, which I
at the level of maturity, as they plan to be was honoured to be invited to address.
effective and excellent in today’s Also, the European Rectors Conference,
competitive world? Obviously not! The of which Professor Seidel who
new job description for ESF is to help participated in our Assembly discussion is
member organisations to link up and be a Past President, and whom we join in
positive to this challenge. honouring education and scholarship.
Last but not least is EuroHORCs — the
While we applaud and encourage the role European Union Heads of Research
of the Commission in co-ordinating Councils which, like ESF, is a coming
research collaboration in association with together of research funding
the Central Institutions of the European organisations. I am happy to report that,
Union — the Council of Ministers and the at a EuroHORCs meeting in November
European Parliament — ESF also has a 1994 in Madrid to which the Secretary
part to play through the organisations in General and I were invited, ESF and |,
member states which by definition are EuroHORCs arrived at a very good plan
outside those central institutions but must for future working relationships. It was