Support for training and mobility of researchers to continue under the Fourth Framework Programme
The Commission is currently preparing the development of a new specific programme under the Fourth Framework Programme to succeed the Human Capital and Mobility programme. The main activities of the present programme, including individual fellowships, networks, access to large-scale installations and Euroconferences, will continue to underpin the next programme. However, the institutional fellowships scheme is to be discontinued on account of the cumbersome nature of the two-stage approval procedure. In the case of support for research networks, the Commission intends to concentrate resources on relatively small networks (5-10 nodes). More funding should be available for each laboratory in a network (ECU 70,000 per year on average, compared with an average of ECU 15,000 per year under the 1990-1994 programme). The indicative budget, which has not yet been finalized, is as follows: - Training (ECU 223 to 298 million); - Networks (ECU 298 to 372 million); - Large-scale facilities (ECU 97 to 126 million); - Accompanying measures (including Euroconferences) (ECU 30 to 45 million). While the programme will continue to address basic research, efforts are being made to increase the number of projects which include the participation of industrial laboratories.