European Union Commissioner for Research, Innovation, and Science on Successful Grant Applications. (February 18, 2011)

Gretchen Vogel, reporting for Science, in writing up her interview with Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, European Union Commissioner for Research, Innovation, and Science, notes that she has become an "outspoken booster of research as a foundation for Europe's economic and social stability".  The following exchange seems particularly relevant to successful applications for Australia's National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) and Australian Research Council grants.

Gretchen Vogel: Two countries that are not E.U. members but participate in the Framework Programmes—Norway and Switzerland—have said they oppose a budget increase. Will that make your campaign for more funds more complicated?

Máire Geoghegan-Quinn:  No. As far as I'm concerned, I have 27 member states that I have to convince that we need a bigger budget. And I went to the parliament last week. The members of the parliament were shocked that only one in three grants deemed worthy actually receive funding. It seemed to me that certainly they didn't have difficulty in giving more funding, because they felt that the funding would be used very well.

I think it is important for member states to realize that we're not spending taxpayers' money on something that can be done better in a member state. It's adding value to whatever is being done in the 27 member states.

We haven't been good in actually telling people what we've done research on, what it has achieved, and what the added value is. And I think we need to do that. I think it's important for the member states as they are looking at their budgets: Where are we going to put very scarce money? Let's put it into something that really delivers extra. And of course the Innovation Union, as I always say to everybody, is an economic policy.