THERE'S A LOT of terminology in EU science that can be baffling. Talk of joint technology initiatives, ERA net, technology platforms, ERC, Eureka, and more just contributes to the image of the EU as remote and boring. This is unfair. The important thing is to look at the big picture. The EU's science directorate (the second-largest after agriculture) is obsessed with the US, which has a lower gross domestic product and produces fewer scientific papers, yet has a vastly greater influence in global affairs - and wins more Nobel prizes. The reason, officials say, is economy of scale. Europe's many borders and languages, and nation-centred research budgets, mean a lot of similar and low-level science is duplicated, and the best researchers do not rub shoulders, compete, or collaborate, so the global heights are never reached.
展开▼
