06/21/2006 | sponsor3

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Brussels, 20 June 2006


Dear Colleagues,

INTAS has been generally recognized as a successful model, well-suited to scientific cooperation with Russia and the NIS, which could be adapted to continue its function as a bridge between its Member States and the NIS in a changing context under FP7. As active partners and/or coordinators of INTAS projects over the last years, we wish to draw your attention to the recent developments concerning the future of INTAS in the 7th Framework Programme of the European Union (FP7), presently under discussion between the European Commission, the Council and the European Parliament.

Unfortunately, INTAS is threatened with liquidation at the end of 2006. The European Commission proposed to replace INTAS by different activities that would be managed by different units of the Commission. In practical terms, it means that INTAS, with its autonomy, flexibility, and responsiveness would disappear.

This is however the Commission’s proposal and the final decision should be taken during autumn 2006 by the Council and the European Parliament, together with the decision on the FP7. At the present stage of the procedure, the Parliament introduced in its report on the FP7 (the “Buzek” report, voted on 15 June) an amendment (n° 299), which recommends that “Taking into account the experience gained with INTAS while cooperating with the Eastern European and Central Asian countries, INTAS will be continued”[1]. Informal consultations between the Member States, the European Parliament and the Commission, will now start in view of reaching a compromise. They will probably expand over summer until the second reading of the FP7, probably in October.

The final decision of the Council and Parliament will certainly take into account the position expressed by the different stakeholders: governments, research and academic institutions, and the scientific community. We already observed a mobilisation of the scientific community, both in EU member countries and in the NIS, to support INTAS’ continuation. Recent contacts with scientific authorities in Russia and NIS partner countries also indicate that they would support the continuation of INTAS.

It is of utmost importance that the scientific community continues expressing its support for the continuation of INTAS. With this respect, we would invite you to acquaint yourself with the document attached summarizing arguments which explain why, in our opinion, INTAS should not be discontinued.

We acknowledge that, responding to a changing context, an adjustment of the scientific cooperation policy at the European Community level and an adjustment of corresponding tools are necessary. However we remain convinced that a revamped INTAS would be in a better position to respond to this necessary evolution than the standard instruments of the Framework Programme, which have been designed for different purposes and do not offer the same flexibility.

If you consider it desirable to support the continuation of INTAS activities in the scope of FP7, we would invite you to express your opinion in the form of letters to European Commission officials, Members of the European Parliament and/or to the Ministries in charge of Research and Technology Development in of your own country.

Thanking you in advance for your support,

With my very best regards,

Alain G?rard
INTAS Executive Secretary

Attachments:
1/ Note: “What will be lost if INTAS dissolves”
2/ List of the members of the ITRE Committee of the European Parliament.
See:http://www.europarl.europa.eu/activities/expert/committees/allMembers.do;jsessionid=26CC4373E0BCCE3C2A5FD461659ADFD0.node1committee=1240&language=EN

[1] For full text of the EP report on FP7, see http://www.europarl.europa.eu/activities/expert.do?language=EN