Kafatos resigns ERC Presidency in mid-term

The outgoing European Research Council president Fotis Kafatos.

At the same time the ERC is now acting on the advice of a review last year, and recruiting a new director to merge the roles of Secretary General and Director of the executive arm of the organisation.  

Kafatos’ decision is unexpected, since his mandate was due to run until February 2011. In his resignation letter he said, “As the founding President of the ERC, I have devoted to it much of the last 3 years – much more time and volunteer effort than what I had planned or expected. Correspondingly, I would like now to devote more time to my research laboratory at Imperial College, [London].”

Kafatos, a specialist in immunogenomics and former Director-General of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), said he remains committed to the ERC and will remain on the 22-member Scientific Council.

Janez Potočnik, European Commissioner for Science and Research, thanked Kafatos for his, “outstanding commitment and achievements,” which have laid the foundations for the ERC’s success “well into the future.”

“Throughout a long and distinguished career, Prof. Kafatos has worked tirelessly in the cause of European Science,” Potočnik added.  “Under his leadership the European Research Council has grown into a fully-fledged funding body, known and respected not just by European scientists, but throughout the world.”  

A new president and chair will be selected from among the Scientific Council’s 22 members, with a vote scheduled for February.

There will also be another new face at the top of the ERC. Its executive agency is advertising for a new director to act as, “The chief executive officer, the legal representative and public face of the agency,” The ideal candidate will be, “A distinguished scientist with robust administrative experience.”

This is exactly as recommended in an independent review into the workings of ERC, published last July.

While recognising the ERC’s successes in attracting scientists and emerging as a high-prestige funder of basic research, the panel said change is needed if the ERC is to achieve its goals in a professional and sustainable way.

One of the recommendations was to merge the roles of Secretary General, held by Andreu Mas-Colell, and Director, currently held on an interim basis by Jack Metthey. “Science and management must be reconciled within the overall structure rather than to constitute two separate worlds as in the present situation,” the review panel, chaired by Latvia’s former president Vaira Vike-Freiberga, concluded in its report.

The deadline for applications for the post of director is 5 March 2010, and the successful candidate will take up the position, “in the coming months,” according to the agency. The new appointee will be recruited as an official of the European Communities, in Directorate-General Research, and then be seconded to the agency for a four-year term, which can be renewed.

Once the new director is appointed, Metthey will step aside from his position as acting director. It is not so clear for how long Mas-Colell will stay on while the posts are being merged. The official line is that he will remain as Secretary General until his term finishes in December 2011. It cannot be ruled out, however, that a shorter transition will be negotiated.

In his resignation letter, Kafatos noted the considerable impact that his tenure as ERC President has had on his own scientific research. The amount of time volunteered by Scientific Council members was also commented upon in last year’s review, which recommended that the chair or vice-chair receive some payment for their work.

The panel also said that, “adequate compensation” should also be considered for other members of the scientific council. In light of this recommendation, the European Commission is currently preparing proposals for the Scientific Council to receive some payment.