Research roundup - August 2006

Here is another roundup of international news about research. Some problems confront the entire global research community, while other issues seem to be more unique and country-based.

Singapore continues to flex its muscles in the international research arena with the announcement, on July 7th, that it would increase its research budget to 3% of GDP over the next 3-5 years. Its newly established National Research Foundation will have S$13 Billion in the pot for the budget period 2006-2010 and will focus on biomedical research, the environment and digital media.

Then there was news, also in July, from Nigeria that oil revenues have made possible a new $500 million annual research budget. To put that into an African context, South Africa spends $200 million annually. President Olusegun Obasanjo has asked that publicly funded research be "one of his legacies", according UNESCO science policy advisor Folarin Osotimehin.

First step will be to mint, freshly, a US-style national science foundation for Nigeria. Organizers are working quickly to launch the plan before the end of Obasanjo's presidency, now only months away. "It has to be set up before he leaves. Otherwise we could have a president without enthusiasm for science", a key Organizer said.

Meanwhile the EU's Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI) has seen cuts to its future budget. An announcement was made in June that total funding would be cut and that current funding would be "backloaded": released at a later stage than initially planned.

I find the news saddening because of the potential knock-on effect it could have on the EU's efforts to encourage partnerships with small to medium sized enterprises (SME's). SME's, - companies with less than 250 employees and < €50M annual turnover, make up 99% of the companies in Europe and create 50% of new jobs.