Ministry of Science efforts for changes in the system of remunerations from Horizon 2020
Photo: PAP 2015 / Rafał Guz
The remuneration system in the EU’s Horizon 2020 may increase the gap between the so-called new and old EU countries - believes Minister of Science Lena Kolarska-Bobińska.
Horizon 2020 is the largest research funding programme in the history of the European Union. Its budget for 2014-2020 is nearly EUR 80 billion.
Ministry of Science and Higher Education summarized the participation of our country in the EU framework program Horizon 2020 during the conference "Opening Polish Science" held September 21 in Warsaw.
"Polish participation in Horizon 2020 is not what we would like it to be (...), we need mass mobilization of the community. The truth is that the Polish scientific community only to a small extent participates in the so-called grant culture" - said the Minister of Science and Higher Education Prof. Lena Kolarska-Bobińska. She noted that it is not just about the efforts to acquire funds in European competitions, but even in competitions organized in Poland.
Data published by the Ministry of Science show that the percentage of funds that Polish teams won in competitions of the EU framework programs has dropped. In the 7th Framework Programme (2007-2013) Poland won 1.2 percent of all competition funds, and in the Horizon 2020 competitions to date, only 0.95 percent. According to the Ministry of Science calculations, the problem with fighting for funds concerns not only Poland.
Kolarska-Bobińska reminded that the EU Horizon 2020 Framework Programme (2014-2020) is the largest research funding programme in history. She added that in 2017 a mid-term review of Horizon 2020 will be prepared. She explained that the Commission will also have to answer the question whether the money distribution system is well designed and whether all EU countries are winning grants, or just some of them. However, according to the minister, the EC should consider making earlier adjustments to the programme.
"We decided that the remuneration system in Horizon 2020 does nor reward Polish scientists - it does not encourage them (to take part in competitions - PAP), and it contributes to the development of a gap between the so-called new and old countries of the European Union" - said Kolarska-Bobińska. She reminded that a few months ago her ministry prepared a letter to the European Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation Carlos Moedas. In addition to Poland, the letter on this issue was signed by the ministers of science of eight countries: Hungary, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Estonia, Latvia and Malta.
"In this letter we asked for a review of the principles of remuneration for Horizon 2020 projects" - explained the Minister. She announced that the European Commission and representatives of the member states would meet and discuss the principles of remunerations for winners of the Horizon 2020 grants.
"Currently researchers may receive remuneration from the project equal to the national average. In Poland national average is low because scientists’ income often comes from different sources. Unlike, for example, in the case of German scientists, where the average is satisfactory" - noted the Minister. The idea is to introduce solutions that would benefit countries in which national average is low. Providing better remuneration under Horizon 2020 grants would also encourage scientists from other countries to carry out projects in Poland.
Mobilizing for research units should be the program planned by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education: "Bonus on the Horizon". In this program, scientific institutions that manage to win grant funding under Horizon 2020, will be awarded additional funds.
PAP - Science and Scholarship in Poland
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