The science-research grant-reporting and audit requirements of the European Commission (EC) are to become simpler. New measures include accepting less-stringent grantee accounting practices, discarding rules requiring grant recipients to deposit their grant money into a bank account and improving transparency for criteria and timelines throughout the grant cycle. In a meeting on 11–12 October, the EC's Competitiveness Council requested that the commission streamline the process during the Seventh Framework Programme and make further changes for the Eighth Framework Programme, which launches in 2014. A spokesman says that the aim is to cut red tape and introduce a more flexible and user-friendly system without decreasing financial control and oversight.