In a February 2004 article, The Scientist,
an international news magazine focusing on live scientists,
characterized the funding for basic research in Austria as low and
falling, calling it“a grim funding scenario for basic research.”Bridges has asked Prof. Georg Wick, President of the Austrian Science Fund, to comment on this report.
The
movement “Zukunft kann man sich nicht ersparen,” or “You cannot avoid
the future,” is at present supported by 13 Austrian scientific
societies, covering fields ranging from neurosciences (Austrian
Neuroscience Association, ANA) to philosophy (Austrian Society for
Philosophy (ÖGP) and mathematics (Austrian Mathematical Society, ÖMG).
The movement surfaced last summer when the Austrian Science Fund (FWF)
declared that due to the shortage of financial resources it would be
unable to meet the funding of projects that had already been approved
based on their scientific merit.
At the beginning of July, at the Informal Competitiveness Council in
the Netherlands, European research ministers discussed ways to
encourage the productivity performance of European firms. Between 1991
and 2003, the U.S. economy grew by 47 percent, compared to the EU
growth of only 28 percent. Europe’s poor productivity record does not
prevail across the board: in fact, in about half of its industries,
Europe actually performs better than the United States. However, the
United States has been remarkably successful in raising productivity in
a small number of excellently performing service industries, e.g.,
retail, wholesale, financing. Furthermore, the fastest growing
industries in the United States grow considerably faster than those
industries in the EU. The innovative environment of excellent research
universities and start-ups plays an important role in helping U.S.
firms to achieve significant productivity improvements. The response of
the ministers to these challenges from the United States and also from
Asia, was a commitment to accelerate the “internal market strategy” and
prioritize science and research on the European and national level
within member states.
The
prospect of an “environment in which academic rigor, originality and
performance are appreciated” made Mr. Mayer-Schönberger decide to
accept the position of Associate Professor of Public Policy at Harvard
University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government in 1999. His work
focuses on business, legal and policy issues of the new economy. He is
also an expert on the European Union, especially its regulatory
framework and business-government relations.
encourage the productivity performance of European firms. Between 1991
and 2003, the U.S. economy grew by 47 percent, compared to the EU
growth of only 28 percent. Europe’s poor productivity record does not
prevail across the board: in fact, in about half of its industries,
Europe actually performs better than the United States. However, the
United States has been remarkably successful in raising productivity in
a small number of excellently performing service industries, e.g.,
retail, wholesale, financing. Furthermore, the fastest growing
industries in the United States grow considerably faster than those
industries in the EU. The innovative environment of excellent research
universities and start-ups plays an important role in helping U.S.
firms to achieve significant productivity improvements. The response of
the ministers to these challenges from the United States and also from
Asia, was a commitment to accelerate the “internal market strategy” and
prioritize science and research on the European and national level
within member states.
The
prospect of an “environment in which academic rigor, originality and
performance are appreciated” made Mr. Mayer-Schönberger decide to
accept the position of Associate Professor of Public Policy at Harvard
University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government in 1999. His work
focuses on business, legal and policy issues of the new economy. He is
also an expert on the European Union, especially its regulatory
framework and business-government relations.
