FET Flagships

	FET FLAGSHIPS WORKING GROUPS

In order to help set up the FET Flagships, three working groups were convened.

• External Advisory Group
  (EAG – formerly the FET Flagships Science Forum Coordination Group)
• National ICT Directors' Working Group

External Advisory Group

The External Advisory Group is the successor of the FET Flagships Science Forum Coordination Group, which has changed role after the beginning of the competitive phase in the Flagships setup process. The group of experts now acts as an independent scientific advisory group to the EC regarding the FET Flagships setup process.

The group is composed along the original criteria: with 5-10 people, with signitificant representations of FET-ICT research as well as of other areas such as Life Sciences, Social and Economical Sciences, Materials, Energy or Health. The members of the group act in their personal capacity and will not be linked to any Flagship candidate. They will posssess a combination of the following profiles:

• High-level members of research related organisations, (acting in a personal capacity).
• Recognised track record/experience in coordination of research
• Recognised role in shaping research policy and influencing political decision-making

Members of the External Advisory Group

National ICT Directors' Working Group on FET Flagship Initiatives

Strategy for consultation with Member and Associated States to align priorities in Future and Emerging Technologies (FET) leading to the launch of FET Flagship Initiatives

Background and Motivation

The challenge for Europe is to select the best initiatives and to provide lasting support at a level which allows concerted effort towards a grand ambition. FET Flagships are envisioned to run for at least 10 years, on a budget which may be in the order of 100 M€ per year and per initiative. This scale can obviously not be achieved by the Commission alone, thus it is essential to align with national research priorities, integrating along the gravity of a unifying scientific challenge. The federation of efforts will involve the research community and its institutions, national and regional funding agencies; where appropriate, with the participation of global partners and industry. As new public-public partnerships, FET Flagships will represent a powerful new instrument in shaping and building the European Research Area. Consultation with representatives of the Member and Associated States, and the assessment of FET Flagship ideas and proposals with regard to relevant national research agendas is an essential element of the setup process.

Mission and Scope

The Working Group is established with the view to:

• Support the interaction of Member and Associated States' RTD authorities and funding agencies with the scientific community and with the EC in the setup process of the FET Flagship Initiatives
• Investigate how FET Flagship initiatives could be a means to achieve joint programming and alignment of the Member States' research policies in long-term fundamental research
• Identify how Flagship ideas could contribute to research priorities of Member States, funding agencies, EU and where appropriate, industry
• Identification of potential contribution sources from the National programmes
• Assess which proposed funding instruments (existing or new) would be most suitable for implementing FET Flagship initiatives. Input into discussions on implementation / governance schemes
• Facilitate dialogue between stakeholders, promote the sharing of relevant information, European cooperation and identification of synergies
• Expand the group beyond ICT to cover other relevant areas of national research programmes

Composition

The WG is composed of representatives of Member and Associated States principal research authorities. As FET Flagships are nucleated from the ICT Programme, the WG is based on the National ICT Directors or their representatives, but is expected to expand to include national representatives of other research areas which are relevant to the FET Flagship candidates such as life sciences, social and economical sciences, materials, energy, or health. Necessary frequency of meetings is estimated around two to three times per year.