Transnational access and integrating activities
The European Commission has published a call for proposals for transnational access and integrating activities under the Sixth Framework Programme's 'Support for research infrastructures' activity of the 'Structuring the European Research Area' specific programme. For transnational activities (area 3.2.1 of the work programme), the specific support action funding instrument will be used, and for integrating activities (area 3.2.2 of the work programme), the integrated infrastructure initiative and coordination actions will be used. The overall objective of the infrastructures activity is to promote the development of a fabric of research infrastructures of the highest quality and performance in Europe, and their optimum use on a European scale based on the needs expressed by the research community. Specifically this will aim at: - ensuring that European researchers may have access to the infrastructures they require to conduct their research, irrespective of the location of the infrastructure; - providing support for a European approach for the development of new research infrastructures, also at the regional and transregional level, and for the operation and enhancement of existing infrastructures, including where appropriate facilities of world-wide relevance not existing in Europe. The objective of the transnational scheme is to sponsor new opportunities for research teams (including individual researchers) to obtain access to individual major research infrastructures they require for their work. Such infrastructures must be rare in Europe, must provide a world-class service essential for the conduct of top quality research, and must typically have investment or operating costs that are relatively high in relation to those costs in their particular field. The infrastructures must also be able to provide adequate scientific, technical and logistic support to external, particularly first-time, users. The objective of the integrating activities scheme is to support the integrated provision of infrastructure related services to the research community at a European level. It is also intended to have a structuring effect on the fabric of European research by promoting the coherent use and development of infrastructures in the fields it covers. That end, the main characteristic of integrating activities will be their capacity to mobilise a large number of stakeholders in a given class of infrastructure The total indicative budget for this call is 190 million euro.For further information, please visit: http://fp6.cordis.lu/fp6/call_details.cfm?CALL_ID=49(opens in new window)