Introduction

The Food quality and Safety priority aims at assuring health and well-being of European citizens through a better understanding of the influence of food intake and environmental factors on human health; providing safer, high-quality and health-promoting food.

An overview of the scale and type of projects and partnerships that will be funded can be found below. The thematic areas and instruments covered are specified in the work programme. The actual thematic areas presently open and the relevant instruments to be used are specified in the call for proposals.

Indicative budget: EUR 753 million of which 15% is intended for small or medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

Funding Instruments for Food quality and safety

The Food quality and safety priority of the FP6 progamme encompasses many of the research topics and themes funded by the FP5 Quality of Life programme. There is, however, a move towards funding larger, more ambitious projects using new funding instruments designed for FP6, as well as retaining some support for smaller projects through more traditional instruments. Please click on the links for further information on the six FP6 funding instruments that will be used in the Food quality and safety Priority.

In the call for proposals, each specific topic is linked to a particular instrument, or choice of instruments, and it is not possible to secure funding with traditional instruments for small projects in areas that are already covered by topics inviting integrated project or network of excellence proposals.

It is anticipated that integrated projects and networks of excellence will together account for roughly three quarters of the 167 M€ allocated to the first call for proposals.

Article 169 projects require a decision by the Council and the Parliament, and implement their own call procedure. At present, no such project has been yet examined in the frame of this priority.

Please note that although training is an integral part of the Food quality and safety, and will be supported through the network of excellence and integrated project instruments, the funds for this will be allocated and administered by the project partnerships themselves. Training fellowships are offered directly by the European Commission through the Marie Curie Actions.