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www.esf.org

 

European Science Foundation

Acronym ESF
   
Programme Owner The European Science Foundation is the European association of national organisations responsible for the support of scientific research. Their aim is to act as a catalyst for the development of science by bringing together leading scientists and research funding agencies to debate, plan and implement pan-European initiatives. ESF's core purpose is to promote high quality science at a European level.
  The European Science Foundation (ESF) is an association of 78 member organisations devoted to scientific research in 30 European countries. Since they were established in 1974, they have coordinated a wide range of pan-European scientific initiatives.
   
Budget The basic budget 41 million Euros.
  ESF frequently uses its independent status and flexibility to mobilise funds that are orders of magnitude larger than the relatively small coordination costs that appear on their balance sheet.
   
Deadline
  • Exploratory workshops - The calls for proposals are closed for this year (2006).
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  • Networks - There are no calls for new Networks currently planned. If there is some particular ideas, it is possible to contact the appropriate ESF Scientific Unit secretariats (LESC, PESC, EMRC, SCH and SCSS) to get advice on how to best develop that idea and into which funding instrument (see below).
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  • ESF Research Conferences - The ESF Research Conferences is now open for conferences to take place in 2008. Deadline for submitting proposals: 2 October 2006 (now closed).
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  • Programmes- depends on subprogramme
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  • EUROCORES - The 2006 Call for New EUROCORES themes is now closed.
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    Target Groups Target groups are scientists and research funding agencies.
       
    TOPICS The European Science Foundation (ESF) carries out a wide range of activities. These range from organising exploratory scientific workshops to providing science policy advice. Their scientific activities employ five main instruments:
     
  • Exploratory workshops - enable scientists from different organisations and countries to work together examining an issue and agree whether it should be addressed on a longer-term basis.
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  • Networks - aim at coordinating across Europe activities which stimulate and consolidate the scientific community in specific fields. These networks are frequently interdisciplinary in character.
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  • ESF Research Conferences. The European Science Foundation (ESF) is developing a new high-level Conference Scheme in partnership with national and international organisations, including universities. The new Scheme is known as ESF Research Conferences. Topics will be at the forefront of scientific research and interdisciplinary when appropriate.
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  • Programmes - longer-term activities based around specific scientific themes. They bring together substantive research projects carried out by multi-national teams of researchers, on average from 10 countries. These programmes promote high quality research and effective co-operation among scientists from across Europe and beyond.
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  • EUROCORES - European Cooperative Research Projects offer a flexible mechanism for mobilising national funding in ESF member organisations not just in support of research coordination but in support of the research itself.
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  • Forward Looks - The ESF Forward Look is a new instrument, which will enable Europe’s scientific community to develop medium to long term views and analyses of future research developments in multidisciplinary topics, and interact with the policy makers from ESF Member Organisations.
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      Each of these instruments is open to the scientific community, drawing on ESF’s 25 years’ experience in developing cost-effective and efficient scientific management on a pan-European scale. Each instrument is clearly defined and offers access to opportunities and collaboration across borders and scientific disciplines.
       
    Type of support Depending on the rules of the participating funding organisations and on the agreements for each Call for Proposals, funding may include support for:
     
  • salaries (PhDs, Post-docs, senior scientists, technicians, etc.), equipment and consumables,
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  • publications and general dissemination,
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  • access to large infrastructures (e.g. shiptime),
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  • participation in conferences and other travel within the CRP.
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    Eligibility The Foundation is committed to adding value by providing scientific leadership through its networking expertise and by ensuring that there is European added value to all its initiatives and projects.
      The networks and programmes typically have participants from no fewer than six countries with the average for programmes being 12 countries.
      Proposals for networks originate from individual groups of scientists, and are put before the Network Group.
      Proposals for programmes in many cases reflect openness in scientific co-operation by emanating ’bottom up’ from scientists. In other cases they may come from member organisations and reflect ’top down’ national priorities.
      Proposals for ESF Research Conferences may emanate ‘bottom up’ in response to Open Calls or ‘top-down’ through ESF Science Bodies and/or through Partners in consultation, within the limits of the partnership funding available.
      In both cases, the Foundation will support the proposals provided they satisfy the main criteria of scientific excellence and European added value. Proposals are put before the relevant Standing Committee or Committees for the scientific disciplines involved.
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