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Along with the increasing popularity of the technology debate in Austria during the last years and after numerous discussions with ICT researchers in the Centrope countries I realised that there is a striking resemblance in their complaints, although the statements themselves express the respective opposite. See also http://noweurope.com/2009/09/08/barriers-cooperation/#more-1293 by Vlastimil.

Simply speaking, the Austrians complain that there’s not enough money for basic research as all goes to applied research, whereas the Czech and Slovak Republics as well as Hungary (representing the situation in virtually all new EU member states and beyond) complain that universities concentrate too much on basic research and do not understand the importance of applied research. Continue reading ‘Basic vs. applied research: Potentials unused?’

IST Austria www.ist-austria.ac.at, Austria’s new center for excellence in research, has been a controversy for years. One of its original proponents, Anton Zeilinger, one of the world’s top researchers in quantum computing, has withdrawn from the project when it became clear that politics started to dominate the debate and “excellence” was abused as a euphemism for “I want some new research stuff in my province”.

Continue reading ‘IST Austria opened: „Excellent“ topping on research coffee?’

Statice Santé , a French SME specialised in micro-technical transformation and biomaterials has taken part in two different FP projects for the development of a bio-artificial pancreas for diabetes therapy thanks to its high technical expertise and its networks with research organsiations.

The first project named BARP was a Craft project within the 4th Framework programme. The second project, BARP +, in the continuation of BARP was launched within the 6th framework programme (Priority Nan technologies and Nan sciences ) and is still active. BARP + is a Specific Targeted Research Project and is coordinated by the European Center for research on diabete. It includes 14 partners.

The project aims at developing artificial pancreas for human application and integrates various types of skills from clinical research to advanced technologies (including nano-technologies).

Beyond an undisputable scientific and research excellence, success of this project essentially lies in complementarities of skills, cooperation and alliances, which have been built between partners. This project was made possible thanks to the links established between research organisation and the industry. Statice? highly technical skills in the use and moulding of silicone and Biodegradable and composite materials for medical use and research was a central factors for its participation. Besides, international dimension of the French SME and European “culture” facilitated the partenship.

It is important to say that BARP project was put together with the support of a French consulting company, Essor Europe specialised in R&D, and demonstration or technology transfer projects. Essor Europe got involved in the selection and the preparation of the project as well as in the management of the project, acting as a general secretariat (technical and and strategic management). Participants in BARP+ built on their previous experience of BARP.

The total cost of the project amounts to 3.62 million euros and the European funding allocated to this project to 2.5 million euros.