The European Commission's Directorate-General for Research has recently published 51 calls for proposals under the the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7). This is the EU’s main instrument for funding research in Europe and it runs from 2007 to 2013. The EC budget for seven years is € 50.5 billion. Participation is open through four different specific programs:
'Cooperation': Collaborative research top down program, which supports all types of research activities carried out by different research bodies in trans-national cooperation and aims to gain or consolidate leadership in key scientific and technology areas. Its budget is over €32 billion between 2007 and 2013. The calls come under the following 10 themes which cover a wide variety of topics:
- Health
- Food, Agriculture and Biotechnology
- Information and Communication Technologies
- Nanosciences, Nanotechnologies, Materials and new Production Technologies
- Energy
- Environment (including Climate Change)
- Transport (including Aeronautics)
- Socio-Economic Sciences and the Humanities
- Security
- Space
They are implemented through different types of tools:
- Collaborative projects and networks
- Joint Technology Initiatives
- Co-ordination of national research programmes (ERA-NET)
- International Co-operation
- Joint initiatives with third countries, such as Russia and Japan,
- strengthening cooperation with Europe's neighbours and joint science and technology centres in third countries.
- Public Private Partnerships (such as Green Cars, Internet for the future)
In principle all third countries can participate in FP7-projects: Countries that are not EU Member States, Candidate or Associated Countries. However, only International Cooperation Partner Countries (ICPC), which are lower-income, low-income, lower-middle-income and upper-middle-income countries targeted by the European Commission to increase research cooperation, can get funding from the European Union. Other countries only in special cases if there is EU interest, justified in terms of the enhanced contribution to the objectives of FP7.
More information: http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/cooperation
'People' it aims to improve the quality of the human resources in European R&D and increase the number of employees working in the European R&D sector, through the Marie Curie Actions. Its budget is over €4 billion during the period from 2007 to 2013.
It aims to achieve its goals by promoting a career path in research, encouraging European researchers to stay in Europe and making Europe more attractive to the best researchers from around the world. At the same time, training and career development of researchers is actively supported.
The major part of actions are addressed to experienced researchers, i.e. researchers who are either in possession of a doctoral degree (independently of the time taken to acquire it) or have at least four years of full-time equivalent research experience.
Countries that are not EU Member States can paticipate through the international dimension actions which include: Incoming fellowships for highly talented researchers outside the EU, Outgoing international fellowships; Exchange of researchers between European organisations and organisations from third countries.
More information: http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/people/home_en.html
'Ideas' : Basic research at the frontier of knowledge carried out by individual teams. Bottom-up program, no pre-defined topics, which budget is €7.5 billion from 2007 to 2013. It fosters Investigator-driven ‘frontier research’, within the framework of activities commonly understood as ‘basic research’, and is a key driver of wealth and social progress, as it opens new opportunities for scientific and technological advance, and is instrumental in producing new knowledge leading to future applications and markets. The objective is to reinforce excellence, dynamism and creativity in European research and improve the attractiveness of Europe for the best researchers from both European and third countries, as well as for industrial research investment, by providing a Europe-wide competitive funding structure, in addition to and not replacing national funding, for ‘frontier research’ executed by individual teams. The sole criterion for selection is excellence. Communication and dissemination of research results is an important aspect of this programme. It is implemented through the European Research Council (ERC) and consists of two individual grant schemes:
- Starting Grants.
- Advanced Grants.
The ERC actions are open to researchers of any nationality
Grants are awarded through open competition to projects headed by young and established researchers, from any nationality, who intend to establish and conduct their research activity in any EU Member State or Associated Country. The PI may be of any age and nationality and may reside in any country in the world at the time of the application.
More information: http://erc.europa.eu
'Capacities' It aims to enhance research capacities throughout Europe and ensure their optimal use. Its worth over €4 billion from 2007 to 2013. It is made up of the following broad areas: Research Infrastructures; Research for the Benefit of SMEs; Regions of Knowledge; Research Potential for the Benefit of Convergence Regions; Science in Society; Support to Coherent Development of Research Policies; and International Co-operation.
International Co-operation covers three objectives
- support European competitiveness through strategic partnerships with non-EU countries in selected fields of science and by engaging the best scientists from such countries to work with and in Europe;
- enhance the production of knowledge and scientific excellence by enabling European universities, research institutions and firms to establish contacts with their partners in such third countries, thereby facilitating access to research environments outside Europe and promoting synergies on a global scale;
- address specific problems that third countries face, or that have a global character, on the basis of mutual interest and mutual benefit.
Countries that are not EU Member States can paticipate but only International Cooperation Partner Countries (ICPC), can get funding from the European Union. Other countries only in special cases if there is EU interest, justified in terms of the enhanced contribution to the objectives of FP7.
More information: http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/capacities
The budgets vary from call to call as the conditions for eligibility and deadlines.
To see the full details of the calls, please consult the following web address:
http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/calls/
Further information on participation:
http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/participate_en.html
Practical guide to EU funding:
http://cordis.europa.eu/eu-funding-guide/home_en.html
