Frequently Asked Questions

• Is the ESF a funding agency?
• Does the ESF conduct research?
• Who are the ESF's Member Organisations?
• To collaborate and participate in ESF’s programmes, do I need to be associated with an ESF Membership Organisation?
• What are the primary functions of the ESF? In what way does the ESF serve the needs of Research in Europe?
• What is the relationship between ESF and the ERC?
• What differentiates ESF from other science organisations in Europe?
• What type of Activity is the right one for me/my research team/organisation and how do we get things started?
• How long do programmes last?
• How many people work for ESF?
• Where are your offices?
• What is your budget?
• What is your relationship with the EU and the EC?
• What is the nature of the relationship between ESF and ESF-Cost?
  

Is the ESF a funding agency?

No, ESF is not a funding agency. It can best be described as a networking organisation for its member organisations, who themselves are often funding agencies. ESF’s funding is provided by its member organisations.  The research community benefits from the ESF through its various instruments and activities, designed to bring European researchers together to network and share their knowledge for the benefit of European Research.  For participants within these activities, there may be small grants available for travel etc.

Does the ESF conduct research?

No. The ESF does not conduct research but instead facilitates others, especially researchers affiliated with its Member Organisations, in opening new horizons in science or pushing forward existing boundaries. It promotes and facilitates pan-European collaborative and comparative efforts with a particular emphasis on interdisciplinary research. We don’t believe in duplicating efforts and won’t undertake projects which can best be conducted at the national level.

Who are the ESF’s Member Organisations?

ESF’s member organisations are presently 75 research funding organisations, research performing organisations and learned societies from 30 European countries. For Membership Policy details click here.

To collaborate and participate in ESF’s programmes, do I need to be associated with an ESF Membership Organisation?

Generally, you need to be eligible to apply to an ESF MO to be eligible to be an applicant to ESF. Other researchers, including those from outside Europe, may be included, and even supported, in some of the instruments once they are launched, notably in Conferences and Exploratory Workshops. Researchers with funding to participate provided by their national (or other) funding organisation, from anywhere in the world, are usually welcome to participate in ESF funded activities – see the conditions for the individual instruments (Activities).
 
For more on ESF Activities, and to contact the relevant person with specific enquiries, click here.

What are the primary functions of the ESF? In what way does the ESF serve the needs of Research in Europe?

In our Strategic Plan, we break down our activities into three streams, or pillars, as a way of outlining what we do. There is an element of overlap among the activities but we find it’s the clearest way of explaining what’s going on to an outsider.

The pillars are: Science Strategy, Science Synergy and Science Management.

Strategy encompasses those activities which are forward looking and deal with policy issues of European significance, in order to identify upcoming research directions and priorities.

See: Forward Looks, Member Organisation Fora, Exploratory Workshops

Activities within the Synergy pillar aim to bring together researchers and Member Organisations in order to plan and implement European-level research.

See: EUROCORES, ESF Research Networking Programmes and ESF Research Conferences

Finally, Science Management encompasses the provision of services and expertise to subsets of ESF Member Organistaions and other research funders in the form of programme management.

Current examples of the management of external programmes are the European Young Investigator Awards scheme (EURYI), and the co-ordinating role in several EC-funded ERA-NETs programmes.

What is the relationship between ESF and the ERC?

The European Science Foundation welcomes the creation of the European Research Council and looks forward to its success. ESF was one of the leading voices of support for the creation of an ERC.

The European Research Council (ERC) will support individual researchers and  terms in order to promote European excellence and, in this way, to secure a leadership position for Europe at the frontiers of science. ESF will focus, in a complimentary way, on promoting cooperation and coordination between its Member Organisations, research-funding or research-performing organisations that control the vast majority of basic research funding in Europe.

What differentiates ESF from other science organisations in Europe?

Our independence: we are not tied to a national government or policy arm. We therefore have the freedom of being able to make our decisions apolitically.

• Our expertise:  We have built up a high degree of expertise since our foundation in 1972 in the management of international networking and research and in the formulation of international research strategy. The majority of our science management staff are experienced individuals on rotation from our member organisations so we maintain contact with current issues. "Customer surveys" indicate that ESF's style of managing its activites is well appreciated by participants.
• Our policy arm: Our Strategic Plan outlines our vision of becoming a leading European research  policy generator. We have a range of ways of doing this, through our scientific committees, our research activities, and  through special instruments such as our policy flagship of ESF Forward Looks.        
• ESF covers all areas in all disciplines: natural, medical and engineering sciences, social sciences and humanities. No other European organisation has this breadth. 

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What type of Activity is the right one for me/my research team/organisation and how do we get things started?

For a full list of the different Activities, click here. Relevant contact persons are attached to each programme.

If you’re still unable to decide on what format of programme best suits your needs, please get in touch with a Science Officer in the relevant Research Area.

How long do programmes last?

The scope and scale of programmes varies – from one-off workshops lasting 1-3 days, to Research Networking Programmes lasting 5 years or more.

How many people work for ESF?

There are currently 99 full time employees in total at the ESF across Strasbourg and Brussels. A further 30 people are employed by ESF in Brussels in support of COST.

Where are your offices?

Our offices are located in the twin European capitals of Strasbourg and Brussels.

What is your budget?

ESF has managed a consolidated direct budget of € 43 million in 2006, including à la carte activities and external contracts.

ESF networking activities funded through this direct budget impact at least  € 1 billion in research funding.

What is your relationship with the EU and the EC?

ESF is an independent non-governmental organisation. Some of its programmes receive part support from the Commission under the Framework Programmes.

What is the nature of the relationship between ESF and ESF-COST?

ESF are the Managing Agents of COST, which has its own Governance and committee structure, separate from ESF. COST expects to receive a budget of at least €210 m in Framework Programme 7.

According to the Addendum to the Memorandum of Understanding between COST and ESF, 6 October 2006:

“The ESF…acts as the legal entity to provide and manage the administrative, technical and scientific secretariat for COST, its Technical Committees and its Actions, dependent of the appropriate funding for the COST activities and the COST Office being made available from the EU RTD framework programme.” To go to the COST website, click here.