IP/09/645

Brussels, 27 April 2009

New ERC Scientific Council members appointed

The European Commission has appointed three new members of the Scientific Council of the European Research Council (ERC), the EU funding body for frontier research. The Scientific Council is an independent body whose role is to determine the ERC’s scientific strategy and ensure that its operations are conducted according to the requirements of scientific excellence. The three members were selected following an independent identification process including consultation of the scientific community. The new members have a four year term of office.

The new Scientific Council members are:

Prof. Dr. Sierd A.P.L. CLOETINGH, VU University Amsterdam

Prof. Carlos M. DUARTE, Spanish Council for Scientific Research (CSIC)

Prof. Henrietta L. MOORE, University of Cambridge

These appointments follow the resignations, on personal grounds, of the three Scientific Council members Prof. Manuel Castells, Prof. Paul J. Crutzen and Prof. Lord May of Oxford OM AC.

Note to the editors

The European Research Council was set up under the Seventh Framework Programme's “Ideas” specific programme (2007-2013) with an independent Scientific Council and a dedicated implementation structure, to be established in the form of an Executive Agency.

New ERC Scientific Council members are appointed by the Commission following an independent and transparent procedure for their identification, including a consultation of the scientific community. Members are identified on the basis of the criteria set out in the Commission Decision establishing the ERC of 2 February 2007 (2007/134/EC, Annex I).

http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/site/en/oj/2007/l_057/l_05720070224en00140019.pdf

The current ERC Identification Committee, tasked with identifying three new members of the Scientific Council and establishing a method for future replacements of members, was appointed by the European Commission in September 2008.

Background information

ERC Identification Process Webpage

http://erc.europa.eu/index.cfm?fuseaction=page.display&topicID=156

13/10/2008: Identification Committee announcement

The ERC Identification Committee consults the scientific community

23/09/2008: European Commission news release

Set up of the ERC Identification Committee

23/05/2008: ERC news release

Identification process for new ERC Scientific Council members to be set up