The work of Europe's scientific funding body has been marred by ongoing tensions with the European Commission and "stupid" bureaucratic rules, agency representatives have told MEPs says the EURACTIV network.

Helga Nowotny, who was appointed president of the European Research Council (ERC) last month, wants the fledgling body to be an autonomous and permanent fixture in the EU's complex scientific landscape, warning that its work has been hampered by Brussels bureaucracy.

Speaking to the European Parliament's committee on industry, research and industry (ITRE) this week (7 April 2010), she said the ERC's original structure was deeply flawed.

This, she said, had led to "an uneasy relationship" between the scientific and administrative sides of the agency and problems between the ERC and the European Commission's research directorate.

Read the full article on the EURACTIV website.