European nations hope to redirect more than €1 billion (US$1.25 billion) earmarked for research grants to make up a budget shortfall at the experimental ITER fusion reactor, Nature has learned.rnThe proposal has alarmed scientists, who say that it will rob researchers of vital funds at a time when governments are planning to scale back domestic research budgets in response to the global economic downturn. "I think it's a small catastrophe in the present situation," says Helga Nowotny, president of the European Research Council, which funds research across Europe. "It's bad for European research."
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机译：《自然》获悉，欧洲国家希望将超过10亿欧元（12.5亿美元）的专项研究经费用于弥补ITER聚变实验堆的预算缺口。这项提议使科学家感到震惊，他们说，这将使研究人员抢劫各国政府正计划缩减国内研究预算以应对全球经济下滑之际，提供重要资金。欧洲研究委员会（European Research Council）主席赫尔加·诺沃特尼（Helga Nowotny）说：“在目前的情况下，这是一场小灾难。” “这对欧洲研究不利。”
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