SMEs go LifeSciences
The "SMEs go LifeSciences" consortium attended once more numerous researchers and SMEs in submitting competitive research project proposals for the last call of Thematic Priority 1 "Life Sciences, Genomics and Biotechnology for health" of the 6th EU-Framework Programme (FP6). More than 60 research consortia, preparing an FP6 project proposal and looking for SME partners, used the possibility to register their project idea into the well-accepted Life Sciences database and the assistance offered by the "SMEs go LifeSciences" experts in finding appropriate SMEs for their research projects under preparation. The project database gives SMEs the opportunity to present their companies’ expertise and know-how in order to increase their visibility among Europe’s research community in Life Sciences and maximise their chance to be identified as potential research partners for EU funded projects. It is currently offering more than 450 SME profiles with expertise in the area of Life Sciences in 36 countries. As from now the consortium is reorienting its tasks and support activities towards the 7th European Framework Programme (FP7). A series of workshops and information sessions will be organised Europe-wide in order to prepare researchers and SMEs for FP7 in due time and to give them a competitive advantage for research project submission in FP7. In this context "SMEs go LifeSciences" will organise a European Information Event at the occasion of the European International Conference on Biomedicine in Rome, on 12-14 June, 2006. The event will be followed by a partnering opportunity organised by the Innovation Relay Center (IRC) with support of the "SMEs go LifeSciences" experts. In the course of the last project year 2006, important focus of the initiative will be the identification of Competitive Calls by running research projects and the dissemination of relevant information to suitable SMEs. Relevant Competitive Calls for incorporating further project partners will be published on the project homepage. Currently, an FP6 Policy oriented research Call for proposals is open on several Public Health issues (FP6-2005-SSP-5A) and on Avian Influenza (FP6-2005-SSP-5-B-INFLUENZA). Deadline for research project submission is 22 March 2006. Furthermore, a trans-national call is open in the framework of EUROTRANS-BIO, an ERA-Net initiative in biotechnology. It is funding industrial research projects of biotech SMEs in Austria, Finland, France, Germany and Spain (Basque Country), with the deadline for submitting the pre-proposals being 28 February 2006. The "SMEs go LifeSciences" national experts are providing advice and information on how to succeed in project proposal submission. "SMEs go LifeSciences" has become a key platform for supporting SMEs interested in research cooperations within the Life Sciences related areas of the EU-Framework Programme. Close contact and collaboration for exploiting synergies is given with related initiatives, networks and platforms, such as the Emerging Biopharmaceutical Enterprises (EBE), Europabio, Eurotransbio, the Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI) and Passport. For further information please visit http://www.smesgolifesciences.org(s’ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre) Alternatively you may contact your national expert or the coordinator: FFG-Austrian Research Promotion Agency, European and International Programmes (EIP) Donau-City-Strasse 1, A-1220 Vienna, Austria Birgit Steininger, birgit.steininger@ffg.at