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| Signatures including commentsRefine your search Show all comments (sorted by date) Show all comments (sorted by length) Show regional comments: Comments from Czech Republic59 comments. (Note: Some comments are not made public accessible.) 18 Mar 22:10 Czech Republic Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic (ASCR), Institute of Ethnology Jarmila Gabrielova I definitely support this initiative. 18 Feb 22:38 Czech Republic Academy of Sciences, Institute of Physiology David Sedmera The proposal evaluation criteria should be focused on the actual research, not administrative details. The grants are means, not aims of research! 24 Mar 12:21 Czech Republic Agentura pro evropské projekty a management (EPMA) Irina Zalisova Absolutely agree with the call for simplification of the administrative burden for research, which may help to save effort and finances for the research work itself, which is for the moment impossible without a lots of reporting, declairing, confirming, truecoping, accountant and other assistant works. 10 Mar 09:18 Czech Republic Biological centre, Acad. Sci. CR David Dolezel Small research groups should be supported as well; many of big co-operations used to obtain grant are in fact artificial and only exist for EU grant system. If EU wants to compete for good researchers, administrative work should be reduced. And especially if EU expects to obtain some results (real findings, not pushing papers back and forth), then administrative work must be reduced significantly. 18 Mar 09:28 Czech Republic Biology Center Vlastimil Krivan Application process must be so simple, that every single researcher must be able to write the application. The process must be so simple that it will pay off to apply not only for huge projects, but also for just a few thousand Euros. Some fields do not need to create large teams to promote their research, so even single researchers must have chance to apply for grants. 10 Mar 21:17 Czech Republic Biology Center, Czech Academy of Sciences Vojtech Novotny I have informally queried colleagues from several EU countries and it appears that the national research funding bodies have all much simpler award and reporting processes than EU. EU procedures should be as simple as those at the US National Science Foundation - another funding body catering to research clientele of a comparable size to that in the EU. 10 Mar 12:10 Czech Republic Biology Centre AS CR Vladimir Kostal To my experience, the extensive administrative burden is one of the most strong arguments why NOT to apply for EU grant money. 10 Mar 10:08 Czech Republic Biology Centre Czech Acad. Sci. Michal Zurovec Our era is unique by the exponential growth of European administration - the organization of European science is just an example... 2 Apr 16:01 Czech Republic Brno University of Technology, Institute of Physical Engineering Tomas Sikola Make things easier, not worse. 9 Mar 18:27 Czech Republic CERGE-EI Randall Filer The contrast between Eu funding and US - NSF funding is so stark as to be almost unbelievable. Ease of grant administration alone is enough to make top scholars relocate to the US 9 Mar 18:43 Czech Republic CERGE-EI Petar Stankov If simplification of procedures reduces costs for researchers at no lost benefit for the eurocrats, then it clearly makes sense, doesnt it? Further, if researchers can obtain grants at lower transaction costs elsewhere, they will do it, thereby reducing the success of the EU funding programs, and reducing the competitiveness of the bidding process. It is a win-win for researchers and the goals of the programs. The only potential losers are the eurocrats who feed off the programs. So, Dear European Commission, make those programs easier to apply and manage, would you? 6 May 09:10 Czech Republic CERGE-EI Petr Zemcik I have received one grant in under FP6 and one under FP7. Compliance with all accounting and other rules has been very burdensome and distracting. Some flexibility with potential uses of the grant money is desired and the focus should be on the scientific output. 10 Mar 10:18 Czech Republic Charles University in Prague Evgeny Smirnov Money spent on the reduction of the red tape may be a very good investment. 17 Mar 14:20 Czech Republic Charles University in Prague Milan Matolin The energy of qualified persons should be devoted to the research, not to the burden of excess administrative. 18 Mar 10:32 Czech Republic Charles University in Prague Jana Albrechtova Time of researchers should be mainly used for research - we appreciate any steps leading to lower administrative burden. 15 Mar 17:19 Czech Republic Charles University, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics Jaromir Plasek The current state of FP7 rules stems obviously from very efficient policies of the influential lobbies of auditors and various companies that “provide training and consultancy in the field of EU Framework Programmes”. I am afraid it will not be an easy task to cut them from power in Brussels offices. 26 Feb 12:58 Czech Republic Charles University, Faculty of Sciences, Department of Experimental Plant Biology Fatima Cvrckova The rules and procedures must be made simple and understandable enough to make the process of grant application and the administrative tasks associated with running a project (incl. reporting) manageable by the scientist with a standard level of institutional support. As long as companies making their living from providing advice on filling in the forms can happily thrive, the forms are too complicated. 26 Jul 09:45 Czech Republic COC Ltd. Miroslav Necas I agree with the declaration based on the experiences I have obtained during my in-person involvement in FP6 and FP7. 15 Mar 09:05 Czech Republic Czech Geological Survey Tomas Paces Instead of research, we have to devote a lot of time learning methods of preparation of proposals and administration of the projects. It is counterproductive. Procedures must be simplified. 16 Mar 11:05 Czech Republic Czech University of Life Sciences Josef Soukup Full-cost calculation of overheads brings new administrative costs and loss of time for institutions. The waiting time for payment of the rest of money after finishing of the framework 6,7 projects is unacceptable (many times more than 2 years). 4 May 18:09 Czech Republic Faculty of Informatics Masaryk University Karel Pala The EU bureaucracy eats up our time that should be used for research. Almost the same can be said about the national administration in the individual countries, e.g. in Czech Republic. 25 Apr 11:11 Czech Republic Faculty of Informatics, Masaryk University Zdenek Vrbka The European Union should be inspired by financing of U.S. grants 18 Mar 16:35 Czech Republic FIRST Innovation Park Vlastimil Veselý The FP overregulation discriminates especially innovative SMEs that dont have capacities to assign a full-time person to the administration and complex legal issues. Where is simplifying the procedures promised before FP7? 24 Feb 18:01 Czech Republic Food Research Institute Prague Milan Houska The enlighted control of research has to be installed. Current battle for money is contraproductive. Teams do not collaborate openly without project. Current contracts and conditions lead to low application rate in industry. Industry is not sufficiently motivated to take part during research and co-fund the research because rules lead to publicity. We can search here the reasons why Europe generates knowledge and surrounding world applicate it. 30 Apr 07:13 Czech Republic ICPF Jan Schraml EU bureaucracy has negative effects not only on science; overregulation in which rules have precedence over the results kills competitive chances of the whole EU in all fields. 31 Mar 13:36 Czech Republic Institut of Animal Physiology and Genetics, AS CR Jan Kopecny I believe the simplified criteria will improve quality of the EU research. 4 May 00:22 Czech Republic Institute of Chemical Technology, Department of organic chemistry Michal Májek It is necessary not only to reduce the paperwork requested by the EU, but in the Central Europe, the reduction of the paperwork requested by the state grant agencies is even more pressing matter. Sciencists are here to do the research, not to fill forms, after all... 4 May 12:47 Czech Republic Institute of Chemical Technology, Prague Igor Linhart Small meaningful and controllable project should be supported rather than huge ones, which are not only difficult to control from the inside but also difficult to evaluate. Formal requirements and financial regulation should be kept on a reasonable level, so that a qualified scientist does not need to hire an agency for writing project proposal and/or for project administration. The need for such an agency clearly indicates that formal requirements and administration become more important than the scientific content. It is wasting of public resources. 29 Apr 10:30 Czech Republic Institute of Hydrodynamics Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, v. v. i. Pavel Vlasak Financial and administrative rules should be effective and simple, researcher have to concern mainly on his job – research and/or development. 12 May 15:31 Czech Republic Institute of Mathematics AS CR Jiří Rákosník Everybody who wants to support research or any other type of creative activity should watch the provocative speach http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/dan_pink_on_motivation.html and reflect upon it. 24 Mar 14:18 Czech Republic Institute of Mathematics, Academy of Sciences Tomas Vejchodsky The level of bureaucracy prevents me to ask for any European support. I rather invest my time to the research instead of reading hundreds pages with mostly absurd and irrelevant rules. 28 Apr 16:14 Czech Republic Institute of Microbiology of the Academy of Sciences Zdenek Kamenik Look at www.vedazije.cz (in Czech) or www.vedazije.cz/en (partially translated in English) 18 Mar 21:00 Czech Republic Institute of Microbiology of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic Peter SEBO I wrote one FP5 grant, the paperwork was a nightmare. I participated in 3 FP6 projects. Things simplified, but time sheets and audits were introduced and applied research was accentuated. I am ignoring FP7. We collaborate with former partnes without dealing with crap and I only miss the funding for joint meetings and the construction of European Research Area... 18 Mar 10:04 Czech Republic Institute of Microbiology, ASCR, v.v.i. Jiri Vohradsky We are so much overwhelmed with burocracy that we have to do science in our free time. Trust scientists, 99.9% of us just want to have time and money to do our job. 28 Apr 15:44 Czech Republic Institute of Microbiology, CR Academy of Sciences Karel Sigler At the same time when banks, loan sharks, construction firms in collution with ministry and local administration officals, concrete lobbies and such like bleed the countries and their budgets for billions, scientists are forced (by a similar brand of officials) to present every invoice, have validated and approved every scrap of paper or trest tube for fear they could embezzle some public money. They are forced to evaluate and re-evaluate themselves, and prove to people who are totally ignorant of the nature of research that they are worth further financing. 18 Mar 10:09 Czech Republic Institute of Molecular Genetics Pavel Hozak The administration costs should be signifivantly reduced and used for a real research. 28 Apr 19:26 Czech Republic Institute of Molecular Genetics AS CR Petr Svoboda Its about time to take control over research from hands of bureaocratic administrators. Its about time to give the right meaning to the term administrative service. 18 Mar 12:53 Czech Republic Institute of Molecular Genetics AVCR Jan Svoboda European evaluation process is superficial neglecting merits and intelectual contribution of applicants to understanding and developping their branches of science.Funding becomes a matter of international popularity,but not of scientific competence. Buaucratic procedures disgust motivated scientists 18 Mar 09:31 Czech Republic Institute of Molecular Genetics, Acad. Sci. Czech Republic Vaclav Horejsi The present highly bureaucratic system is damaging for European science. EU should take an example from institutions like the Wellcome Trust or HHMI, where the procedures are 100-times easier and user-friendly. It is a bureaucratic illusion that the more we are controlled, the better - no, it is counterproductive. But there are also deeper problems - the artificial huge consortia are also a nonsense that should be abandoned. We should simplify everything and let scientists to determine what is the best way of collaboration. In my view, the major tool European tool should be ERC, functioning as a standard grant agency (with the style as similar as possible to e.g. WT, HHMI). ERC should get major part of money currently administered through the cumbersome and bureaucratic FPs. 23 Feb 11:29 Czech Republic Institute of Molecular Genetics, AS CR Pavel Vesely A fair approach to rejected applications is missing. Applicatns are not entrusted with proper feedback on reasons for failure of the application. 19 Mar 01:38 Czech Republic Institute of Molecular Genetics, ASCR Karel Drbal European science funding system must come closer to the U.S. (NSF, HHMI) or UK (MRC, Wellcome T.) standards. ERC is the way to go with its support for startup grants. Still, it would deserve much higher budget in spite of FP7. Much more productive are the small scale projects compared to the artificial consortia - that has been said many, many times. 12 Mar 09:27 Czech Republic Institute of organic chemistry and biochemistry Petr Bour Make science democratically, not from upstairs Do not mix research and industrial support Do not dictate and distort future thinking 26 Apr 23:39 Czech Republic Institute of Philosophy of Academy of Sciences Pavel Materna All this bureaucracy causes that it is simply impossible to work and solve the problems where one is competent. We are disturbed and we need concentration. We will never read all these pages that are of null importance for us. 29 Apr 11:21 Czech Republic Institute of Physics, Academy of Sciences Czech Republic Elena Buixaderas A policy in which one must spend many hours to read the instructions and fill all the application forms instead of focusing on the scientific level and output of the project is asking for, definitely HAS TO BE WRONG, please change it. We want to make science and not bureaucratic tasks. 19 Feb 12:39 Czech Republic Institute of Physics, ASCR Miroslav Kotrla Clearly, there is the need to change the system based on plenty of regulations, often formal deliverables etc. to a more flexible framework allowing principal investigaters to concentrate on the research and spent less time with the paperwork. 19 Mar 09:11 Czech Republic Institute of Scientific Instruments of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic Radovan Jirik The bureaucratic burden discourages me (and many of my colleages) from taking initiative in European process. 1 Apr 07:11 Czech Republic Institute of the Czech Language, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic Karel Oliva I do understand that control is an essential tool against misusing the funds allocated for research, on the other hand, too much control has the same effect as misusing: the money is wasted for non-research purposes. (e.g., if a scientist has to spent a considerable - let us say over ten perecent - of her/his time writing proposals or reports, instead of performing research proper). In addition to this, too much control causes frustration which not seldom leads to diminishing Europes scientific potential, since talented people either leave leave Europe or leave their scientific career. Definitely, new schemes of control should be sought (and found !). 18 Mar 12:59 Czech Republic Intitute of Biotechnology AS CR, v. v. i. Lukas Vesely All work is dependent on funding and difficult financial rules complicate the work throughout the Institute. All EU funding are much more complicated than financing from other sources. 24 Feb 13:11 Czech Republic Masaryk University Matej Lexa Support of extraordinary ideas in small teams should be as important as support of large teams with good ideas. Give ESF more money to support the former, simplify and cut back on complicated mega grants that motivate people to think about creating virtual or artificial research structures first and research ideas later. 25 Feb 08:43 Czech Republic Masaryk university Petra Orsáková I do all the administration on our project. Sometimes it feels to work more with papers than people. To simplify the administration of the project means focus more on a target group, which, I believe, is the most important. 23 Apr 14:44 Czech Republic Masaryk University Tomas Pitner If bureaucracy cost only time of the administrators and overhead money, it would not be that bad. But in reality, it always costs valuable time and energy of the researchers which consequently makes them less competitive. Always. So, let us minimize it. 27 Apr 12:13 Czech Republic Masaryk university Lubomir Janda Bureaucracy stifles creative thorought and demotivates work efforts. 27 Apr 12:14 Czech Republic Masaryk University Crina-Maria Ionescu I find the grant application process overly bureaucratic and genuinely depressing. I believe the conditions are too specific and the time spent on writing proper grant applications prevents real scientists from doing real research. 29 Apr 15:46 Czech Republic Masaryk University Pavel Kubacek Bureaucracy always has followed the second law in a particular manner, namely by multiplying and promptly handling trivial matters, important matters being never solved. 3 May 09:49 Czech Republic Masaryk University Lenka Zajickova Scientists are people doing their job as hobby. Therefore, they should be trusted to spend financial support honestly for a good scientific purpose. Science cannot be planned and control in every detail. 25 Feb 13:39 Czech Republic South Moravian Innovation Centre Jindřich Weiss We have extremely bad experiences with the control of Interreg programme. 4 May 17:09 Czech Republic Sun Microsystems Lenka Kasparova Simplify the whole process focused more on the projects results. In most cases I met only understanding the reporting process and all financial guidelines takes more time and energy than overall development work. 28 Apr 03:02 Czech Republic University of Ostrava Vilem Novak The general assumption In communist times was: every person is a thief, wants to misuse the funds and to do nothing.This led to overregulations which led precisely what they were afraid of: people pretended to do something, wrote what clerks wanted to see but the truth was far away. With EU, the situation is repeating. But the communism broke ....! 1 Mar 16:46 Czech Republic University of West Bohemia Jiri Vacek Due to lack of trust the projects are overregulated and resulting administrative burden consumes a lot of time that could (and should) be devoted to more useful activities. The control and audit activities generate significant overhead expenses (auditors are often paid more generously than researchers). Back | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||