Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, the UK and, at doctoral level, France appear to be worst affected by the current situation. This problem was one of the findings highlighted in a three-year study carried out by the Institute for Employment Studies (IES) at Sussex University (UK), together with ROA (Research Centre for Education and the Labour Market) in the Netherlands. IES also found that R&D employers are increasingly looking for graduates with good communication skills and business sense, in addition to technical know-how.

Monitoring trends
"A good supply of science and technology skills is an essential element of our prosperity," said Richard Pearson, Director of IES. In conclusion, the report calls for the establishment of a European science and technology observatory to monitor key trends and advise governments accordingly. Other findings of interest included the fact that most R&D employers recruit from their own countries; there is no evidence of a 'brain drain' from the EU; and natural sciences are an extremely popular degree choice, accounting for 18% of graduates. Also in general, while women account for more than half of all EU graduates, only 20% of research scientists and engineers are female.

These conclusions are from policy-makers, scientists, farmers and other stakeholders who came together at the conference in December (held in Versailles, France) to discuss agricultural research in the context of the European Research Area (ERA). The ERA will encompass the European Union's research and development policies and goals between 2002-2006.

Working groups set up at the conference propose to establish an "agricultural research area", which should be open to public understanding and scrutiny as a means of building credibility. The groups call for a change of emphasis, away from research programmes that traditionally served only the farmer, to strategies that support the needs of society as a whole.

Environmentally friendly
This will mean focusing on issues such as the development of environmentally friendly farming systems, rural development and protection, the sustainable use of natural resources, the application of genomic and post-genomic technologies, and the production of safe, high-quality food.
Other recommendations cover the specific instruments which will help shape the ERA, including: agricultural research infrastructures, the mobility of researchers, the role of regions and candidate countries, and how research could help determine agricultural and food policy legislation. Research must also contribute to the competitiveness of European agriculture.

The results are the outcome of high-precision radial-velocity surveys carried out at the Geneva Observatory in Switzerland, and the Grenoble and Haute-Provence Observatories in France, as well as research institutes in the USA and Israel. This observational method measures changes in the velocity of a central star, caused by the changing direction of the gravitational pull from an unseen exoplanet.
Some of the more unusual findings included:

• a two-planet system in which one orbital period is nearly twice as long as the other;
  
• another two-planet system, with a Jupiter-like planet and an even bigger planet further out;
  
• a planet with the most elongated orbit yet detected, moving between 5 and 127 million kilometres from the central star;
  
• a giant planet orbiting its star which is very similar to our own Sun. The potential satellites of this planet could, in theory, be habitable.

Advances in observational capability
These results demonstrate the outstanding role that comparatively small telescopes can still play in modern astrophysics. Further progress is expected soon with the installation of new instruments at the European Southern Observatory sites in La Silla and Paranal (Chile), which will be able to detect even very small wobbles in stellar positions.

Entitled, "Ethics and biomedical research - the process of balancing benefits and risks", the two-day programme of activities will be opened by Philippe Busquin, European Commissioner for Research, and Thomas Östros, Sweden's Minister of Education and Science. Organised by the EC and the Swedish Presidency, the conference will review the ethical debate by concentrating on three current examples of controversial biomedical research - xenotransplantations, human biobanks, and the use of stem cells.

Ethical dilemmas
Speakers will include scientists, policy-makers, business people and journalists drawn from different parts of Europe who will discuss potential ethical dilemmas brought about by the rapid advances biomedicine. Alongside with weighing up the scientific value and ethical problems faced in the three example fields, sessions will also cover broader issues relating to European research policy and biomedicine.
The conference language is English, and those wishing to attend must register before 11 May 2001. Registration details can be found via the link below.

The main aim of the '2002 Euro-China Cooperation Forum on
Information Society' is to allow European companies to
strengthen ties with Chinese organisations at a time when
the country is experiencing a boom in the IT sector. There is
strong backing for the Forum from both sides, and the
opening ceremony will feature Erkki Liikanen, European
Commissioner for Enterprise, Mr. Xu Guanhua, Chinese
Minister of Science and Technology, and Mr Wu Jichuan,
Chinese Minister of Information Industry.

Free coaching
A conference, exhibition and business meetings are planned
as the main Forum activities, and European organisations and
companies willing to take part are invited to apply as quickly
as possible. Participants will also be given the opportunity to
attend free coaching sessions, to be held in Brussels in
February next year. These will provide attendees with
information and advice on how to develop commercial
relations with Chinese partners.

While travel and subsistence expenses will have to be paid
by participants, those involved in EU's IST projects can, with
the agreement of the EC, charge them as project costs.
Registration for the Forum is available via the web link below.
Those wishing to exhibit are invited to register as soon as
possible. Final selection of exhibitors will be made by the
European Commission which, when choosing, will try to
produce a balanced mix of the various technologies and
services the sector has to offer.