| Review of the Austrian Science Talks 2007 |
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bridges vol. 16, December 2007 / News from the Network by Stefan Eichberger The Austrian Science Talks this year were held in the US for the fourth time, this time on both the East and West coasts. More than 150 participants took the opportunity to talk with Austrian and European representatives from politics, industry, and science about "Excellent Research - the Principle of Elite." Research for Success "We have learned a lot since last time we were here," said Ingolf Schädler, deputy general of the Federal Ministry for Transport, Innovation and Technology, in his opening speech. FTE-Politics in Austria has gained a new significance. Austria shows up noticeably on the international radar map of R&D. Austria invests in R&D, is "doing well," and is visible internationally. As keywords, Schädler mentioned the recently nominated K2-Competence Centers of the COMET program and the I.S.T. Austria. Research Promotion at the European Level News that the European Research Council (ERC), for the first time, is providing funding for basic research at the European level within the scope of the Seventh Framework Program produced great interest among participants. Christian Krassnig (Los Angeles) and Ernst-Ludwig Winnacker (New York) introduced the ERC and its grants and reported on more than 9,000 applications for the first call, a number that far exceeded all expectations. There is a noticeable pioneering spirit at the ERC and now there is also competition at the European level that will be evaluated by excellence alone. Both Winnacker and Krassnig asked: "Why [should there be] research (and research promotion) at the European level?" They found answers in stimulated economic growth, bundling of resources, encouragement of national politics, and strengthening of human capital, to name a few of the benefits. "I think it's crucial to better inform scientists abroad, especially those living in the US, about the situation in Europe and the Associated Countries. In this regard, the event in NY was a model. This is true for the content as well as the format." Ernst-Ludwig Winnacker
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