CORDIS Archive

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The Community will contribute financially to the RTD(1) activities, carried out under the Specific Programmes implemented within the Fifth Framework Programme. The general rules(2) are as follows:

(a) Shared-cost actions

• Research and technological development (R&D;) projects(3) - projects obtaining new knowledge intended to develop or improve products, processes or services and/or to meet the needs of Community policies (financial participation: 50% of total eligible costs(3,4),

• Demonstration projects(3) - projects designed to prove the viability of new technologies offering potential economic advantage but which cannot be commercialised directly (financial participation: 35% of total eligible costs(4)

• Combined R&D; and demonstration projects(3)- projects combining the above elements (financial participation: 35 to 50% of total eligible costs(3,4)

• Support for access to research infrastructures (only implemented under "Improving the human research potential and the socio-economic knowledge base" - IHP Programme) - actions enhancing access to research infrastructures for Community researchers. Support will cover a maximum of 100% of the eligible costs necessary for the action.

• "SME Co-operative" research projects(3) - projects enabling at least three mutually independent SMEs from at least two Member States or one Member State and an Associated State to jointly commission research carried out by a third party (financial participation: 50 % of total eligible project costs(3))

• "SME Exploratory" awards - support of 75% of total eligible costs(5) for an exploratory phase of a project of up to 12 months (e.g. feasibility studies, validation, partner search).

(b) Training fellowships

Marie Curie Fellowships are either fellowships, where individual researchers apply directly to the Commission, or host fellowships, where institutions apply to host a number of researchers (financial participation: maximum of 100 % of the additional eligible costs necessary for the action(6)). See Box 2.
The decisions on the specific programmes may define specific sub types of actions for example: the programme "Confirming the international role of Community research" - INCO 2 - defines bursaries for young researchers from developing countries and other bursaries for researchers from the EU Member States or Associated States as specific training fellowships. See Box 1.

(c) Research training networks and thematic networks

- Training networks for promoting training-through-research especially of researchers at pre- and post-doctoral level (these are only implemented under the IHP programme);

- and thematic networks for bringing together e.g. manufacturers, users, universities, research centres around a given S&T; objective. These include co-ordination networks between Community funded projects. Support will cover a maximum 100 % of the eligible costs necessary for setting up and maintaining such networks.

(d) Concerted actions

Actions co-ordinating RTD projects already in receipt of national funding, for example to exchange experiences, to reach a critical mass, to disseminate results etc. (financial participation: maximum of 100 % of the eligible costs necessary for the action).

(e) Accompanying measures

Actions contributing to the implementation of a Specific Programme or the preparation of future activities of the programme. They will also seek to prepare for or to support other indirect RTD actions (financial participation: maximum of 100 % of total eligible costs).

1. It will also carry out research and development activities conducted by the Joint Research Centre.
2. In the Decisions adopting the Specific Programmes, there can be no derogation from the financial participation rates set out here, with the exception of duly justified special cases.
3. The rates may need to be adjusted in individual cases to comply with the Community framework for State aid for R&D; (O.J. C 45, 17.2.1996) and with article 8 of the WTO Agreement on subsidies and countervailing measures (O.J. L 336, 23.12.1994). If the project is supported financially by a Member State or one of its public bodies, the cumulation rule applies, according to item 5.12 of the above mentioned Community framework.
4. In the special case of legal entities which do not keep analytical accounts, the additional eligible costs generated as a result of the research will be financed at the rate of 100%.
5. EC funding up to maximum of euro 22,500
6. In the case of industrial host fellowships, this will normally approximate to 50 % of the total eligible costs.