RESEARCH : RESEARCHERS STILL FACE TOO MUCH RED TAPE, SAYS ECA REPORT.

• Position: European Union Court of Auditors

The EU's external auditor has given generally good marks to the European Commission for its management of the Union's Seventh Research Framework Programme (FP7). However, says the EU Court of Auditors (ECA) in a special report, published on 7 June, researchers seeking EU funding are still faced with "unnecessary inconsistencies". The court concludes that while FP7 processes are geared to ensuring that funds are invested in quality research, there is less focus on efficiency. The auditor recommends that this could be considerably improved, particularly via the development of better grant management tools and by shortening processing times.

The audit examined the rules of participation, the Commission's processes and the establishment of two new instruments. Thea results, says...