New Information and Communication Technologies service for FP7 on CORDIS
CORDIS, the EU's official information service on research, technological development and innovation, has launched a new service supporting information and communication technologies (ICT) research under the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7). The new ICT service is the first thematic section on CORDIS devoted entirely to actions under FP7. It corresponds broadly to the ISTWeb service for the Sixth Framework Programme (FP6) and is intended to provide users with information on programmes, projects and funding related to the advancement of ICT in Europe. The CORDIS ICT service is a comprehensive gateway to information about the research programme on information and communication technologies, which is part of FP7's specific programme 'Cooperation'. In addition to a general introduction to ICT research under FP7, the service provides detailed information about the ICT work programme and its seven 'Challenges', which reflect issues of particularly important strategic interest for European society. Providing help and assistance to prospective participants in ICT research projects is also an important aspect of the new ICT service. To this end, there is a selection of calls for proposals that are relevant for ICT research, as well as a checklist of the necessary procedures to put together a proposal. Partner search facilities are also available, using the CORDIS Partners Service as well as other sources for support and information, such as the National Contact Points or the IDEALIST project. The results of ICT projects in FP7, as well as information on ongoing projects, will be provided in a special Projects section of the new ICT service. This service will, however, only be available after the launch of FP7 in 2007. Until then, the information given in this section will concentrate on IST projects and results under FP6. Finally, the new ICT service has an extensive calendar of past and future events and a newsroom with a separate Library section to keep users up to date with the latest developments in EU research in information and communication technologies.