Europe needs a research leader who will lead

摘要

In a few months, Europe will appoint aresearch commissioner whose €11-billion (US$15-billion) annual budget will make him or her, at least in theory, the most influential figure in European science policy. Nations are now scrambling to pick and send to Brussels one commissioner each, to provide a pool of 28 from which the research head and others will be plucked. Research commissioner is not the most prestigious appointment for some of these people. But it is a crucial one for Europe's researchers, many of whom are spending rather too much time grumpily pondering career prospects-their own, and others'-in the United States or Asia.