Science & technology might be exempt from E.U. austerity measures
July 7, 2011 10:00 AM   Subscribe

There is an European Commission budgetary proposal to boost E.U. funding for science and technology by 45% from €55B to €80B by trimming some fat form the controversial Common Agricultural Policy.

Very promising compared to the other side of the pond.
posted by jeffburdges (6 comments total) 5 users marked this as a favorite
 
I hope that they use this as an opportunity to deal with their science funding mechanism issues and avoid a repeat of the US's NIH-doubling exercise in human capital management.
posted by a robot made out of meat at 10:10 AM on July 7, 2011


So what are they planning to change with the Common Agricultural Policy? They already agreed to reform the payment system, so is this just reducing the overall level of payments? A wider look at this proposal might reveal that it's much more about reducing CAP expenditure than increasing the research budget. The research spending is then a way of gaining support for what otherwise might be a difficult CAP reduction. Need more information.
posted by Jehan at 10:23 AM on July 7, 2011


As much as i'd love to see this i doubt agricultural interests would let it happen..
posted by 3mendo at 10:57 AM on July 7, 2011


Go for it. America appears to have totally given up on funding science and technology and our kids are falling way behind in STEM (Science, Technology, English, and Mathematics). Someone on the planet should care about it.
posted by Deathalicious at 7:06 PM on July 7, 2011


Just fyi, the E in STEM stands for Engineering.
posted by jeffburdges at 8:39 PM on July 7, 2011


It's a promising start. Paying for fundamental research (of the sort that doesn't result in an immediately marketable product or weaponisable patent portfolio) seems a lot more sensible than paying farmers to produce wine which can't be sold, by picturesque yet inefficient methods, and then buying it back and distilling it into industrial fuel.

I imagine there'll be strikes and riots once the farmers realise that the EU is, ever so gradually, taking their free ride away. Perhaps we'll be treated to the sight of blockades/sit-ins on the site of the ITER fusion experiment, and/or a grand coalition of entrenched agricultural subsidy recipients and opportunistic anti-science radicals campaigning against research institutions?
posted by acb at 3:29 AM on July 8, 2011


« Older NOTW: 0 - Guardian: 1   |   Bill Gates on the future of energy Newer »


This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments