In promoting research within Europe, the ESF wishes to bring together the expertise which is available within all sectors of the research community, including people from industry and the private sector, commerce and consultancies.
Although ESF activities tend to operate in the more ‘basic’ part of the research spectrum, nevertheless there may be a strong interest from non-public sector researchers and their participation in ESF actions is encouraged. Such participation can be an important and desirable element for the mutual benefit of the parties involved. This is allowed for through flexible and optimal organisational procedures, tailored to meet the needs of the respective collaborations and the envisaged external participants.
Such participation may be in a single event within an ongoing ESF activity such as a workshop, special group or research conference. It could also be more substantial in terms of the planning process through membership of a Network Coordination Committee or in the Steering Committee of an à la carte Scientific Programme.
The basic principles for the participation of researchers from industry and other parts of the private sector are set out below:
- All scientific actions within ESF take place ‘openly’, i.e. there shall be no confidential information. Eventual IPR or copyright are the property of all participants contributing financially or intellectually to the activity.
- ESF does not favour any one private sector participant over another and so ESF activities are open to all researchers who have the expertise to be involved.
- Industrial and other private sector participants are normally responsible for their own costs related to travel, subsistence and accommodation.
- In the case of full participation in an ESF scientific or à la carte programme, it is expected that the organisation concerned will make a financial, or in some cases an ‘in kind’, contribution to the overall costs of the activity.
