European Fundamental Research Institute

Context

Fundamental theoretical research has always driven the advancement of our understanding of Nature and repeatedly laid the groundwork for transformative technologies. Quantum mechanics and general relativity — once abstract pursuits by scientists like Einstein, Bethe, and Wigner — now underpin GPS, solar energy, semiconductors, and medical imaging. Group theory, developed by mathematicians such as Weyl, is central to modern cryptography and materials science, while von Neumann’s foundational work in logic and computation laid the path to modern computing and AI. The next revolutionary ideas will come again from tackling fundamental scientific questions. Many of the breakthroughs of the 20th century which fuelled decades of American scientific dominance came from scientists who, like Einstein, Bethe, Wigner, Weyl and von Neumann, emigrated to the USA to take up prestigious permanent positions. Today, programmes such as China’s Thousand Talents Plan endeavour to attract scientists from all over the world. It is time for the European Union to leverage its position as a bastion of democracy, social justice and the rule of law and launch an ambitious program to attract top scientists.

Fundamental Research and Long-Term Thinking

While research in fundamental science is driven by curiosity rather than profit, it has the best return on investment of any human activity. This is especially true for theoretical fundamental research which does not require any experimental facilities and can yield an enormous payoff from a tiny investment. Moreover, leading scientists act as catalysts of scientific activity, by attracting talented young researchers and by providing unique insights when teaching and mentoring graduate students and junior researchers, also from neighbouring fields. The highest quality theoretical research tackles difficult questions: hence, it may span several decades and requires building ‘schools’ of researchers of complementary expertise. In this sense, while prestigious grants such as the ERC ones are helpful to this research, they are not tailored to it. This is why a new European instrument that funds research on a longer horizon is needed.

Attracting researchers from outside the EU and retaining European talent

The current geopolitical situation makes it possible – in fact, urgent – to attract talent to Europe. Fixed-term grants, however generous, are ill-suited for this purpose. What leading researchers typically value is the security of permanent employment and long-term resources to freely develop their research lines, in the context of a scientifically stimulating environment. The creation of tenured positions, aggregated in a distributed institute would answer this need.

In order to anchor fundamental research in Europe at the most competitive level internationally, we believe it is necessary to establish and fund a number of permanently funded positions, structured in two categories, both tenured:

• Directorial Chairs, with permanent funding to employ two-to-three fixed-term junior researchers (PhD students or post-docs) at any given time.

• Associate Chairs, with permanent funding to employ one fixed-term junior researcher (PhD students or post-docs) at any given time.

Such Chairs should be embedded in existing EU Universities and Research Institutes and involved in the local advanced-teaching and doctoral programmes; to maximise synergy, groups of two-to-four Chairs could be created in each participating Institution, to be selected through a competitive, EU-wide call.

All Chairs would be networked in a geographically distributed European Fundamental Research Institute responsible for appointments and promotions. As the EU organises its budget in 7-years frameworks, the scope of the EU funding would be evaluated and renewed periodically, while Host Institutions would commit to guarantee tenured employment to their Chairs should the EU funding lapse – an arrangement already used by other national and international institutes. We call for the EU to establish the funding of a European Fundamental Research Institute within the upcoming Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), initially as a pilot scheme to be expanded in subsequent MFF. Focusing on the theoretical research, this initiative would require a modest financial commitment, below 0.01% of the EU budget, but it would have an enormous flywheel effect on the Union’s science and economy by attracting and retaining the world’s top talent.