Munich

The European Union (EU) is taking steps to attract more scientists from Arab countries into its Framework programme on research.

Later this week, European research commissioner Philippe Busquin will sign fresh agreements on science and technology cooperation with Morocco and Tunisia. A further agreement with Egypt is likely to be reached during the summer, officials at the European Commission say.

The officials hope that the move will boost Arab science, nurture political dialogue in the Middle East, and fend off criticism that the EU discriminates in favour of Israel.

In theory, scientists anywhere in the world can participate in Framework projects that are led by researchers from nations that are full members of the programme. But scientists in Arab countries are mostly unaware of the opportunity, research administrators say, or may be deterred by the complexity of the application process.

Under the new agreement, researchers in Morocco and Tunisia will be given up-to-date contact information for all of the groups taking part in Framework projects, and will get assistance in making applications to join in.

“A strong connection to European research is essential for science in north Africa,” says Youssef Alouane, president of the University of Tunis-El Manar, one of Tunisia' s leading universities. “We are very pleased with these agreements.”

The agreements will be signed just two weeks after Israel's full participation in the Sixth Framework Programme was confirmed. Under an agreement in place since 1998, Israel pays its share of Framework's overall cost and participates fully in the programme.

Maria Kayamanidou, an official at the European Commission, hopes that the new agreements will also boost cooperation between Arab and Israeli researchers. “Israel and the surrounding countries have a strategic interest in cooperating for research,” she says. “We try to provide them with a framework to do that.”

But some continue to view the agreement with Israel — which includes the Palestinian territories — as discriminatory. “The EU scientific cooperation policy has no significant impact on our region,” says Imad Khatib, the Secretary General of the Palestine Academy for Science and Technology.