Advisors wanted: apply to Brussels

WANTED: Sage, experienced advisors to join a new R&D committee consulting to the European Commission. Four-year term. No pay. But the public service is its own reward. Twenty-two positions to fill. Apply by 7 Dec.

The problem with government R&D programmes, it’s often moaned, is that they’re designed by politicians without practical experience of the real world of labs, industry and markets. True or not, the European Commission is now proposing to create a new advisory board focused on getting it more of that real-world advice.

The panel, to be called the European Research Area Board, will be comprised of 22 individuals with broad, practical experience of various aspects of research, innovation and technology management across the EU. An expert group formed to recommend the prospective board members is seeking nominations by 7 December.  It will report to EU Science and Research Commissioner Janez Potočnik.

The board “should be an independent body of people from academia, industry, politics or other walks of life who can speak with authority on science, science policy and actions to bring about a knowledge society”, the Commission said in a press statement.

The panel’s formation is part of an evolving process through which the Commission has been reaching out for broader, outside advice on its R&D and innovation policies. In April, the Commission launched a formal public consultation process, which gathered more than 800 written comments, on how it should steer policy towards the creation of what it calls a European Research Area – an EU-wide market for researchers, inventions and skills. It has organised several ad hoc meetings with outside experts. The process shifts into higher gear in early 2008 when Potočnik plans to unveil a new round of policy proposals.

The new advisory panel is aimed not at formulating policy but at advising the commissioner on the strategic practicalities of implementing the policies he’s considering, according to Andrew Dearing, secretary-general of the European Industrial Research Management Association, and one of three experts acting as an “Identification Committee” on behalf of Potočnik. The other two experts are Claudie Haigneré, former minister of research and of European affairs for France, and Professor Vaira Vike-Freiberga, former president of Latvia.

According to the expert group, the ERAB board will have “a balanced membership, drawn from scientific and related academic fields, business and industry, civil society and other walks of life, collectively reflecting the diversity of Europe. While many of these members will have reached very senior positions, we will also look for suitable candidates who are at earlier stages of their careers.”

Members of the group should also “demonstrate qualities such as experience in the design and implementation of research policy; excellence in research and research management; advisory experience on a European of international level; disciplinary balance; and experience of the university–industry interface”.

The panel’s duties will include preparing an annual report on the state of the European Research Area and making policy suggestions in light of its findings, according to a Commission statement. It may also discuss implementation of ERA policies with national bodies, and will organise workshops and a bi-annual assembly to assess progress in realising ERA. The term of board members is four years. Dearing estimated it would require up to 10 days a year of voluntary time.