EMBO and ELSF instigated the petition in response to the Luxembourg presidency's budget proposal of June 2, which suggests a cut of approximately 40% in the budget for research and innovation in contrast to a 10% reduction in structural funds and a 5% cut in agriculture spending.

To date over 13,000 scientists have endorsed the call to provide the resources urgently needed to achieve the objectives of the Lisbon agenda. The petition is open to scientists of all disciplines and the number of signatories is currently increasing at a rate of around 1,000 per day.

EMBO Executive Director, Frank Gannon commented, "The response of the scientific community sends a clear message to the political leaders in Europe. Science is not a luxury item in modern society. It is the basis of our well-being. The proposal to cut the budget for research suggests that this message needs to be reaffirmed at a political level."

The results of the petition are being communicated to the EU heads of state and government and the EU ministers for finance and research.

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Contact: Lindsay Johnson
lindsay.johnson@embo.org
European Molecular Biology Laboratory
7-Jul-2005