Declan Butler,ParisThe European Commission says that itwill allow “small and temporary” budgetdeficits to be run up by member states thatare trying to boost spending on research.

The move is seen as lending supportto a plan by the European Union (EU) toboost its total research and development(R&D) spending from 1.9% of economicoutput to 3% by 2010. Normally,member states that run budget deficitsabove target levels face huge fines fromthe commission.

Increased public spending onresearch is needed if the EU is toencourage more private investment; it isrelying on industry to come up with two-thirds of the proposed R&D increase.

But even as the commissionannounced its offer, a survey by theEuropean Round Table of Industrialists,a forum of 45 leaders of Europe’s largestresearch-based companies, found thatmost of its members plan to increaseresearch activity in the United States orAsia, rather than in Europe.

The commission’s offer is part of anaction plan released this week aimed atmeeting the EU’s R&D target. The goal isseen as vital by Europe’s politicians if thecontinent is to compete with the UnitedStates and Japan, which both spend about3% of their economic output on R&D.

The commission’s plan calls for EUmember states to agree measures toprovide tax breaks for industry, tostrengthen links between industrial andpublicly funded research, to redirectpublic spending towards research andinnovation, and to make careers inresearch more attractive. It also suggeststhat member states convert fragmentednational research initiatives into Europe-wide programmes in critical technologiessuch as aerospace and nanotechnology.

But there is still a long way to go tomeet the R&D goal. Spain currentlyspends only 0.97% of its economicoutput on R&D, lagging behind Italy(1.04%) and Britain (1.84%). France(2.13%) and Germany (2.52%) are closerto the target, but only Finland (3.37%)and Sweden (3.78%) surpass it.

The commission itself has little directclout to enforce change, as memberstates set taxes and provide most publicresearch funds. Officials say that it willrely instead on encouraging best practicein innovation and research policy, andon monitoring closely the performanceof member states. ■

Declan Butler,Paris Major reforms to decentralize France’sresearch system were backed by most speak-ers at a high-level meeting on 28 April.

About 50 leading scientists and officials,including science minister Claudie Haigneré,met in Paris to discuss science policy. Themeeting took place against a backdrop ofprotests by researchers against governmentbudget cuts that are forcing the government-run laboratories that form the backbone ofFrench research to deal with reductions of upto one-third in their operating budgets.

While attacking the cuts, speakers saidthat the time was ripe for a radical change inhow French science is run. Philippe Kouril-sky, director general of the Pasteur Institutein Paris said that that the malaise in the system is palpable.

Christian Bréchot, director general ofINSERM, the national biomedical agency,was even blunter: “It’s obvious that ourmodel doesn’t work,”he said.

Many speakers expressed admiration forwhat is seen in France as the ‘Anglo-Saxonmodel’ of competitive grants based on peerreview, as opposed to the French system inwhich most of the available money directlyfunds the laboratories of the main researchorganizations. Haigneré indicated thatalthough such a model is not “directly transposable” to France, the governmentwould like to introduce some elements ofthe system, turning the existing research

organizations into granting agencies.Greater collaboration within the Euro-

pean Union was said by several speakers to bethe best hope for France and its neighboursto strengthen their national research efforts,although concerns were expressed about thequality of existing European Commissionresearch programmes.

Faced with a revolt by researchers, PrimeMinister Jean-Pierre Raffarin recentlypromised that President Jacques Chirac’spledge to increase spending on research from2.13% to 3% of economic output by 2010would be met,with government spending ontrack to hit the target by 2007. ■

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6 NATURE | VOL 423 | 1 MAY 2003 | www.nature.com/nature

French researchers demandradical overhaul of funding

Arizona institute names leader

Commission laysfoundations for rise in research spending

Rex Dalton,San Diego Arizona State University (ASU) has hired ascientific heavyweight to head an ambi-tious, multidisciplinary research centrebeing built on its Tempe campus.

George Poste — former head of research atdrug firm SmithKline Beecham and adviser

to the British and US gov-ernments on bioterrorism— is set to be named thisweek as the new director of the Arizona BiodesignInstitute (AzBio). Researchprojects at the institute areexpected to include nano-technology, materials sci-ence, robotics, informationtechnology and drug-pro-duction methods.

Trained as a virologistand veterinarian in Britain,

Poste lives in Arizona. He is a member of theUS government’s Defense Science Board andchairman of its biodefence task force.

Fifty-eight-year-old Poste says that he hasgiven the ASU “a minimum five-year com-mitment to make something special happen”.

His appointment was due to beannounced at a ceremonial groundbreakingon AzBio’s first research building. The $70-million structure is scheduled to becompleted in late 2004, and the Arizona legislature is now debating a bill that wouldprovide a further $185 million for three moreAzBio research buildings at the ASU.

“Poste is one of the leading scientists inthe world, and there is no better person tobuild AzBio into a world-class centre,” saysMichael Crow, the ASU’s president.

Charles Arntzen, a plant biologist whohas been AzBio’s interim director,will returnto research,as was previously planned. ■

Claudie Haigneré: considering science reforms.

George Poste: fiveyears to “to makethings happen”.

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