Joint Research Centre
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- Máire Geoghegan- Quinn ( Commissioner )
- Dominique Ristori ( General )
The Joint Research Centre (JRC) / Joint Research Centre ( JRC) is one of the Directorates-General ( Directorate General ) of the European Commission. She is assigned to the Commissioner for Science and Research; this is the Irish Máire Geoghegan- Quinn in the Barroso II Commission ( 2009-14 ).
Responsibilities and agendas
The JRC is a major research institution, whose origin was the nuclear research. She is now mainly active in non-nuclear areas and is similar in this respect the research centers of Jülich and Karlsruhe. It supports European policy through technical and scientific services. This order, as well as their integration into the public service they can more resemble a German Federal Research Centre. Their facilities are distributed to sites in several Member States, for instance similar to the various institutes of the Fraunhofer -Gesellschaft in the German states. Your seat is the seat of the European Commission in Brussels (Belgium ). It is distinguished from more or less similar institutions in the member countries of the Union by the fact that it provides scientific advice and technical service that is not identified with a member country. Wherever it comes to find a common solution to this perceived neutrality turns out to be important.
The main activities of the JRC is mainly for environmental and health protection. The policy support by scientific service expressed about by the fact that it is an accepted by all Member States due to their research in the definition of quality characteristics and control methods for food, for example wine, from different ways may draw ( policy formulation). Technical services support the policy implementation about the fact that a service is held, in which, in the event of a nuclear accident, such as Chernobyl, the different environmental data from the member countries together, be transferred to a comparable for all presentation and then asked the member countries as a decision aid available. There are many examples of similar activities that can only be hinted at by the following description of the structure of the JRC. The annual reports of the JRC reflect the wide range of topics in detail.
The work of the JRC thus benefit mainly of European Union policies. In which policy areas and topics this should be done is this specified in the research programs of the Union. The objectives and research areas of the JRC may be altered in the changes of the political priority issues at the level of the Union accordingly. Basically, their work enriching the general global knowledge serve on their research. Used for this purpose the dissemination of their research results in the scientific community, as with any civilian research facility. Cooperation in research projects with universities, research centers and companies contributes to both aspects.
Structure and Locations
In the JRC researchers and technicians come together diverse scientific disciplines: chemists, computer scientists, engineers, geographers, economists, etc. To handle the political tasks, so to be able to problem-oriented research, researchers of different disciplines must be able to provide their own specific contribution. The JRC's organization must therefore allow that these can be combined with its technical expertise as well as possible to the respective topics and adapt it to the changing political targets in areas of responsibility.
The activities of the JRC can be divided into coarse subject areas that are reflected in the banks. The listed abbreviations correspond to the English name variants. The Institute is spread over several research institutions that are specified after the name of the institute.
- Institute for Transuranium Elements (ITU ), Eggenstein -Leopoldshafen near Karlsruhe ( Germany )
- Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements ( IRMM), Geel (Belgium )
- Institute for Energy ( IE), Petten (Netherlands)
- Institute for Environment and Sustainability ( IES ), Ispra (Italy )
- Institute for Health and Consumer Protection ( IHCP), Ispra (Italy )
- Institute for the Protection and Security of the Citizen ( IPSC ), Ispra (Italy )
- Institute for Prospective Technological Studies ( IPTS), Seville (Spain )
Among the academic institutions there is the central administration added to its seat in Brussels (Belgium ).
Relationships with companies, educational institutions and public
Other expectations as to all research centers for quite some time also at the JRC subject as to conduct research and to make the results known.
The main demand of the JRC refers in this respect to the exploitation of their knowledge throughout the economy. In addition to participating in research projects with industrial participation and the inclusion of industrial visiting scientists consulted to traditional patent licensing. The contract research for companies in the areas of the JRC is also possible as some support is given to start-ups.
Linking research and teaching at universities in many countries a long tradition. An increased involvement of research institutions outside of universities is a recent development. Personal relations between the scientists at universities or other universities here form the backbone. In addition to visits by students as part of their project work or of doctoral students (see below) are separated also held guest lectures.
In addition to the usual research centers today publicity about the popular media, organize the research institutes also open days. Depending on the activity at the individual stations, visitors can find groups access outside these days, especially as related professional groups and school groups, as part of the popularization of science among students.
Means
The JRC is funded predominantly in the form of so-called direct actions of the Framework Programmes for Research and Technological Development of the European Union. This fund the basic research in the political priority topics. In addition, " third agent" that need to be raised. In recent years it has been shown that the bulk of these funds consists of the participation as a partner in the indirect actions of the Framework Programme and to be negotiated services to other parts of the European Commission projects. Contract research for industrial and public clients from the member countries account for another part.
Just over half of the scientific and support staff is permanent. Time contracts of different type and duration allow one-third a certain flexibility. In addition, seconded by the Member States employees, and contributions of visiting scientists, graduate students and students ( Scholars ) in the context of student projects or internships. Employees account for slightly more than a third of the total staff.
Social Aspects
Work at each location, people from different countries of the European Union, especially among scientists. A high weight of the members of the site can be observed throughout the country, especially in the technical and manage generic support functions. In addition, visiting scientists from other European and non-European countries such as the USA, India, among others, the work environment is therefore internationally.
English as a language of science is the predominant working language. Depending on the composition of the working group and of their language ability may be paid under a different language. A strong position is occupied by the respective local language of the institutions.
The social environment is designed similar to other international institutions, such as NATO or the UN. The integration in the host society depends in this case as in all immigrants from the very persons themselves from. At the major sites is the general tendency to remain among members of a country to watch while claiming to be the smaller sometimes reinforced non-work activities with each other.
With the exception of Seville, Karlsruhe Research Institutes are located in more rural areas, such as for nuclear research centers typical. This, too, is seen differently: Families will enjoy it commonly while single people often have to rely on one-hour trips to the nearest big city to continue their usual leisure life.
Especially since there are at the larger sites of cultural and sporting associations or organized trips. In Ispra, for example, the VDI Friends Italy active.
At retirement, a further hike takes place: back in the country of origin or to the south. At least at the Ispra site there seems to be a significant colony of retired former.
Personalities and alumni
An alumni association was founded, whose existence is confirmed for the first years of the 21st century.
History
The JRC was on the basis of the Treaty establishing the European Atomic Energy Community ( EURATOM) established in the late 50s as a Joint Nuclear Research Centre ( JSIS ). The research institutes were set up in the early 60 's. At Karlsruhe she was built to supplement the Nuclear Research Center Karlsruhe. The basis for the other institutions, however, was defined by the transfer of national nuclear research facilities on the EURATOM.
At the present time, with its prestigious granted travel to all countries, well-developed, even social infrastructure, the widely available knowledge about other countries and languages , as well as great distance to the Second World War, it falls naturally difficult to put yourself in the circumstances at the time. It required therefore strong incentives to move the desired top researchers from other Member States to move, and on the side a good deal of the spirit of adventure.
The research activities of the top-up reimbursement had under the EURATOM treaty. The activities of the four research institutes were all focused on one goal: to develop better types of reactor. EURATOM funds were available to support nuclear research in the Member States, including industrial cooperation counted. Thus arose for the top-up reimbursement diverse opportunities for collaboration with the industry, as well as a lively exchange with global research centers. The JSIS held a reference role.
However, this time ended in the late 1960s. The industrial and global cooperation could not find the appeal of all member countries. The crisis was revealed when the Council was able to agree on a new work program after 1967.
The discussion amounted to a diversification in non-nuclear areas. This found expression in the fact that in 1971 the reference was deleted on the core research on behalf of the JSIS that henceforth Joint Research Centre (JRC) said. The overall research policy of the European Communities in 1974, becoming more broad. Ultimately was valid for the JRC a new multi- annual program from 1974.
Building on the existing scientific competences related to the actual reactor development work was abandoned in favor of activities in areas such as environmental protection, especially since the effect of chemical substances and nuclear safety, the development of satellite remote sensing, solar energy or new materials. Again, it was predominantly areas that were new to the member countries, as recently as nuclear technology.
The different activities of the JRC had no concrete common goal more, but many of those, even if they served a higher-level abstract goal. The financing structure was also more complex, as there are now several programs were available, with some the activities of a department were covered by several programs. At the same time, the influence of the member states became stronger by introducing the representation of national ministries.
The cornerstone of the present-day organization of the JRC were therefore set 30 years ago. The role of the JRC in support of the policy at that time was already visible: Among other things, led the Solar Energy Research from 1981 to the largest test facility in Europe, which was essential in the development of standards; Environmental research proved to be instrumental in the introduction of European environmental policy at the beginning of the 1980s.
The more support the industry through public funding of research, which also coined the beginning of the 80 communities, the discussion of research policies, the JRC presented again in question. The result was a further diversification in some a number of smaller activities with regard to industrial application fields such as robotics. Remote Sensing and new materials were to success in the new fields in which the member countries have been strong. The computers tradition was continued in the early introduction of the Internet Protocol for the internal network of research institutions, which today is referred to as an intranet.
The high degree of fragmentation, the extent of the original core technology-oriented knowledge of other areas while incorporation into a management framework that was more suitable for ministries for research institutions, however, had since the 70s even less promising tendencies result. Since the late 80's is set back to a more pronounced integration of activities among others, which also led to the introduction of the institute based organization. There was also a visible increased focus on practical policy support.
The involvement of the teaching in the research of G ( K) FS also has a certain history. Although the EURATOM Treaty provided for the establishment of a facility at the university level, but this was never carried out. A skilled worker training, however, was at least established at the Ispra in order to meet especially the needs for construction and operation of reactor plants can, however, which the companies in the surrounding region benefited. The training was set at the beginning of the 90s. In the area of environmental management led in the second half of the 1990s institutionalized cooperation to a Master's program to which, among other things, the University of Trier and the University of Kaiserslautern participated.
Its work is assessed regularly. Particularly noteworthy are the scientific peer review in 1999, and the report of 2003 on the research of the previous five years.