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Editorial

Nature 439, 369-370 (26 January 2006) | doi:10.1038/439369b; Published online 25 January 2006

A firm foundation?

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After more than thirty years, a European science agency is struggling to establish a clear identity.

The European Science Foundation (ESF) was born before its time, in 1974 — and has suffered for it. It could have evolved into Europe's answer to the US National Science Foundation, but history decreed otherwise.