Now answer question D4 (in not more than 2 pages

09-February-2006

[ Open Source , politics/europe ]
Surely there are better ways to allocate funding than the present European processes for project applications

I am busy finishing off a project application for the EU Leonardo da Vinci programme. As usual I am totally fed up with the endless repetitive questioons, with trying to understand what the questions mean and what they are looking for and with trying to match something I want to do (and think is important) with the somewhat abstract categories that EU policy deliberations dictate.

OK - EU project procedures are somewhat strange. But it is not limited to the EU. And it is an important issue. Much of the innovation - at least in the use of ICT for learning and in vocational education and training - depends on project funding. In European universities 'core' funding is being constantly reduced. Project funding is no longer the icing on the cake but a integral and important part of any innovative research programme.

There must be better procedures for allocating this funding. In this respect I must praise the UK Higher Education JISC programme. JISC issue many calls for proposals. Most stipulate that proposals can be no longer than 10 - and in some cases - 6 pages. Having also worked as an evaluator for a JISC call, ten pages is perfectly adequate for conveying an idea and activity. There is an argument that if someone cannot explain clearly in ten pages what they want to do then they have not thought out the idea properly.

I suppose the length and complexity of EU proposals operates as some kind of filter. But I fear it serves to filter out many of the best and most innovative ideas.

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Graham Attwell; 09-February-2006 08:37:52;