欧盟基础研究资助格局、机制及其启示

欧盟资助基础研究的计划包括欧洲研究理事会(ERC)资助的前沿研究和欧盟网络与数据总司实施的未来新兴技术计划。ERC面向全球资助优秀研究人员到欧洲开展前沿研究,其资助机制包括启动基金、巩固基金、高级基金、协同基金及概念验证基金;未来新兴技术计划旨在资助信息与通讯领域的基础性、长期性、高风险和跨学科基础研究,具体包括开放项目、先导项目以及旗舰项目等,其已经启动的旗舰项目为"人脑计划"和"石墨烯"。欧盟资助基础研究的有关实践给我们的启示是:基础研究具有"双力驱动"的时代特征,需要"竞争资助"和"稳定支持"之间的平衡,加强人才培养是繁荣基础研究的关键,加强交叉科学研究是开拓科学前沿的重要方式。

Portfolio and Mechanism of Basic Research Funding of EU and Its Implications

The portfolio of basic research funding of EU includes the Frontier Research funded by the European Research Council （ERC） and the Future and Emerging Technologies （FET） initiative implemented by DG CONNECT. ERC supports excellent researchers around the world to conduct frontier research in Europe, and developed a series of mechanism including the Starting Grants, Consolidator Grants, Advance Grants, Synergy Grants and Proof of Concept Grants. FET supports the basic research in ICT areas with fundamental, long-term, high-risk and cross-disciplinary characters. The tools of FET include FET-Open, FET-Proactive, and FET Flagships. The latter includes the recently-launched Graphene and Human Brain Flagship Project. The implications of the practice of EU include the following：First, the motive power of basic research comes from both the science development and the social development. Second, the development of basic research needs to keep balance between competition funding and institutional funding. Third, talent cultivation is critical to booming basic research. Last, cross-disciplinary research is one of the most important ways to explore the science frontier.