The long way to integration | Nature Materials

As the European Union embraces new members, the growth of European science requires effort on various fronts. The European Union expanded in January 2007, with Romania and Bulgaria joining

in. This again poses the clear challenge of overcoming the strong economical and social differences between eastern and western Europe. In science, this division has been substantial, at

least since the Second World War. Poor funding in the east has led to strong specialization in theoretical aspects of research, particularly in the physical sciences. In addition, the

possibility of obtaining a passport and emigrating after the fall of the Berlin Wall led to an inevitable brain drain of young scientists who moved west in search of better conditions to do

research. As more countries join in, will the increased EU funding for research have any effect on science in eastern Europe? Credit: © EUROPEAN COMMUNITY, 2006 Indeed, the percentage of GDP

that eastern countries spend on research activities is still very low (less than 1%), with the exception of Slovenia and the Czech Republic. Some even suggest that, in the short term, the

benefits of joining the EU won't be seen, as the accession process involves strict budget requirements and tough economic targets, leading to drastic cuts, which primarily affect the

quotas for science and education. According to Jacek Kossut, director of the Institute of Physics of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw, access to European funding is vital for

research groups in Poland. Once such researchers succeed in obtaining EU funding, the Polish government awards them extra resources. Other countries in the east seem to be willing to follow

this policy. The EU is making a real effort to increase R&D resources. The recently approved Framework Program 7 (FP7) has been allocated more than 50 billion euros1 (60% more than FP6).

It is, however, hard to imagine that EU funding will make a significant difference for eastern countries, particularly in the near future as EU bids are extremely competitive and

researchers in western countries, with greater experience and more substantial national funding, will clearly be advantaged. But the aim of the EU research program goes beyond direct

provisioning of funds. According to Antonia Mochan, European Commission spokesperson for science and research, the strengthening of R&D is necessary across Europe. Science in central and

eastern Europe will benefit from working with other European and also international partners. A clear example is the proposal included within FP7 to upgrade existing research

infrastructures and implement new ones in the next few years2. For materials science, approximately 4.5 billion euros will be spent to upgrade two existing facilities (the ESRF and ILL in

France) and develop five new ones, encompassing neutron sources, free electron lasers, and advanced facilities to study light–matter interaction. These infrastructures should serve

scientists from the whole EU, and they will be crucial for developing experimental sciences in the east. Although not all locations have been decided yet, _Nature Materials_ believes it

would make sense to locate at least some of the new facilities in eastern Europe. Cooperating with scientists from within or outside European seems the way forward — an opinion shared by

scientists from the two new member countries. Marius Boamfa, a Romanian materials researcher working in the Netherlands, is convinced that scientists will continue visiting foreign

institutions to improve their skills, but without the desire to leave their country. Vesselina Ranguelova, a Bulgarian researcher working for the EU commission, thinks that being officially

a member of the EU means that scientists will be more aware and inclined to take advantage of opportunities for international cooperation3. Moreover, scientists who moved abroad would

probably go back to their native countries when the conditions for research improve. Despite the optimism and good intentions, more has to be done. In 2002, _Nature Materials_ welcomed the

launch of an annual fall meeting of the E-MRS in eastern Europe to promote scientific exchange, particularly with eastern countries, which were then outside the EU4. But with limited support

from the EU and scarce international interest, the meeting has still only a minor impact on the international scene. It is the responsibility of the scientific and political communities

(particularly in Europe) to give stronger support to such initiatives if we wish European science to benefit from the expansion of the EU. REFERENCES * Editorial _Nature Mater._ 5, 839

(2006). * European Roadmap on Research Infrastructures; http://cordis.europa.eu/FP7 * _Cordis Express_ 10 November 2006; http://cordis.europa.eu/express * Editorial _Nature Mater._ 1, 75

(2002). Download references RIGHTS AND PERMISSIONS Reprints and permissions ABOUT THIS ARTICLE CITE THIS ARTICLE The long way to integration. _Nature Mater_ 6, 85 (2007).

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