Seventh Framework Programme (FP7)

News

Stakeholder Consultation on the preparation of a European Metrology Research Programme (EMRP)
[2008-05-08]
The European Commission Directorate General for Research has launched a Stakeholder consultation on the preparation of a European Metrology Research Programme (EMRP) via a potential Article 169 of the Treaty... read more

Important News on the 2008 ERA-NET Call
[2008-04-29]
Regarding the Horizontal part of the 2008 ERA-NET call - this is, most likely, the last possibility, for 2008 and 2009, to submit proposals for ERA-NETs or ERA-NET Plus actions of a horizontal nature...
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Highlights

• Final Report of the ERA-NET Learning Platform and NETWATCH event now available... read more
• Report of the ERA Expert Group - Optimising research programmes and priorities now available... read more
• The call FP7-ERANET-2008-RTD, supporting ERA-NET and ERA-NET PLUS activities was published on 30 November 2007 and closes on 12 August 2008. This is a Joint Call covering five themes of the cooperation workprogramme 1) Food Agriculture and Fisheries, and Biotechnology, 2) Nanosciences, Nanotechnologies, Materials and new Production Technologies, 3) Socio-economic sciences and Humanities, and 4) Transport (including Aeronautics), 5) ERA-NET activities of a Horizontal nature or not directly linked to any of the cooperation themes. Please see the table ' Joint ERA-NET call'
• Important Notice: There will be no call for horizontal ERA-NETs in the 2009 Work programme... read more

The Commission stakeholder consultation [PDF] on the future of European research revealed a strong support for more co-ordination of national research programmes from all categories of contributors. Framework Programme 7 will support two main tools to favour the restructuring of the European Research Area. Together they should reduce its fragmentation in several national and regional research programmes by favouring the development of joint calls, joint programmes and actions supported together by several Member States and the Commission.

The ERA-NET scheme aims at developing and strengthening the coordination of national and regional research programmes in two ways:
- providing a framework for actors implementing public research programmes to improve coordination through new ERA-NETs or by broadening and deepening existing ERA-NETs; and
- providing, in a limited number of cases, additional EU financial support to participants who create a common fund for the purpose of joint calls for proposals among national and regional programmes (‘ERA-NET PLUS’).

Actions under Article 169 aim at integrating parts of national and regional programmes for implementing jointly, together with the Commission, a real European research programme.

The actions supported here may cover subjects not directly linked to the ten themes in as far as they have a sufficient EU added value. They will also be used to enhance the complementarity and synergy between FP7 and activities carried out under intergovernmental structures such as EUREKA and COST.

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Joint Technology Initiatives

For a limited number of European Technology Platforms, the scale and scope of their strategic research agendas and the resources involved justify setting up long-term public-private partnerships in the form of Joint Technology Initiatives. These initiatives, will combine private sector investment and/or national and European public funding, including grant funding from the Research Framework Programme and loan finance from the European Investment Bank. Joint Technology Initiatives may be decided on the basis of Article 171 of the Treaty or on the basis of the Specific Programme Decisions in accordance with Article 166 of the Treaty.

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