how much does it cost to be a prodigy member

If the idea is deemed worthy of the next stage, the applicant is required to write down the management details of the project in a longer format. ERC applicants first submit 10 or 15 pages with their research idea. The Commission could solve this by implementing a two-stage application process, similar to the one used at the European Research Council (ERC). “It's only management and, of course, adaptation of applications to the language of the Commission,” he added. “They are never working on research ideas, they are just trying to make these applications more attractive or closer to the Brussels way of thinking,” Papič said.Īccording to Papič, it’s very difficult to evaluate how much money research organisations are paying for consulting services, but in many cases, consultants become part of consortia and can get 10 to 15% of the budget for management services. Papič believes this state of affairs is a great opportunity for consultancies in Brussels and across the EU, as consulting costs, which may go over 10%, can be sunk into the overall budget of research projects. Researchers need to submit, along with proof that their idea is worth funding, a flurry of other documentation on gender equality, data management, open science principles and ensuring that their project does not harm the environment. In fact, according to submissions to the Commission’s most recent survey on research and innovation, the application process is still long, burdensome and costly. Burtscher fired back saying it’s not the fault of the Commission that applicants “are not able to put their ideas in writing”.įast forward a few years: Burtscher has moved to the Commission’s agriculture directorate and Papič has entered politics with an ambition to change how his country funds basic and applied research, and to connect science to the needs of the private sector.īut the complexity of writing a Horizon application has not been reduced by much. Papič thought it unreasonable that applying for research funding was so convoluted researchers needed the help of consultants to write a proposal.

Back in 2019, he entered a public spat with Wolfgang Burtscher, a former deputy director general for research and innovation at European Commission, over the complex application process in Horizon Europe. “It’s practically impossible to make a successful application without external support agencies,” Papič told Science|Business.īefore becoming a politician, Papič was the rector of the University of Ljubljana and was actively involved in EU research policy debates. Slovenian researchers are winning more Horizon Europe grants than in in the past thanks to additional support services organised by universities and research institutes, but science minister Igor Papič says the application process for EU grants could be simplified further.

How much does it cost to be a prodigy member