CORDIS launches Austrian Presidency R&D and innovation information service
CORDIS, the Community Research and Development Information Service, has launched a new online service covering the research and innovation activities of the Austrian Presidency of the European Union (1 January - 30 June 2006). Highlighting the latest news and most relevant developments in research policy during this period, the Austrian Presidency Service is one of the national services available on CORDIS for every EU Member State, as well as some associated countries. The CORDIS Austrian Presidency Service includes a Presidency R&D news and highlights service, as well as extensive information on events organised or sponsored by the Presidency. There will also be special news, interviews and documents on the Competitiveness Council meetings (scheduled for March, April, May and June). Users who are interested in receiving regular news updates can subscribe to a new e-mail news alert service, which will draw their attention to any new article relating to the Austrian Presidency that is published on CORDIS. Particular emphasis is also placed on the research and innovation priorities of the Austrian Presidency, including several items that will shape research and development policies in Europe in the years to come. During the first half of 2006, Austrian R&D policy in Europe will work towards successfully completing the negotiations on the budget and implementation mechanisms of the Seventh Framework Programme for research (FP7). The aim is to ensure a smooth and timely transition from the current Sixth Framework Programme (FP6) to FP7. Furthermore, Austria will closely monitor and promote the 3 per cent Action Plan, which aims to encourage EU Member States to increase total R&D expenditure to 3 per cent of GDP by 2010. Other priorities of the Austrian Presidency include the creation of a suitable legal environment for the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), to be constructed in Caderache in France, as well as the promotion of the policy debate on GMES (Global Monitoring for Environment and Security) and a future European Space Programme. In addition, the CORDIS Presidency Service provides a presentation of Austrian R&D and innovation policy and of the research environment in Austria. General introductions on various aspects of the Austrian R&D landscape are complemented by a comprehensive links list to relevant national and European institutions, networks and research and innovation actors. In this context, the overview and analysis of Austrian participation in EU-funded R&D projects is of particular relevance. Included for the first time in a CORDIS Presidency service, this section aims to give researchers, EU project participants and professionals in the field of European research cooperation an overview of the participation rates of Austrian research actors in the EU's R&D framework programmes. Data is provided for the complete period of Austria's involvement in FP5 (from 1991 onwards). Annual data for more recent years under FP6 is also provided via the Commission's Annual RTD Reports. Other CORDIS services, such as the FP6 'Find a Project' Service, the database on exploitable R&D results and the technological offers page, complete the overview of Austria's involvement in EU R&D initiatives. There are also project showcases of particularly important or successful initiatives such as the Proviso project, an Austrian programme intended to collect and analyse data on participation in the EU Framework Programmes. The showcase pages on the CORDIS Austrian Presidency Service provide an in-depth overview and act as a gateway to further sources of information on each featured project. The Austrian Presidency service on CORDIS was developed jointly by CORDIS and the Austrian Federal Ministry for Education, Science and Culture. It is available in English and German and aims to assist all interested users in following the latest policy developments, news and events related to the R&D activities of the Austrian EU Presidency. In addition, it provides an up to date summary of the R&D environment in Austria and in the EU, and allows users to easily locate and access information about research actors in Austria and the EU.
Countries
Austria