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PURPOSE:
adoption of the EU’s 7th Framework Programme (2007-2013). LEGISLATIVE
ACT: Decision 1982/2006/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council
concerning the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Community, for
research, technological development and demonstration activities (2007-2013). CONTENT: the 7th
Framework Programme seeks to strengthen the EU’s industrial competitiveness
and to respond to the research needs of SME’s, research undertakings and
universities. The overriding aim of the programme is to contribute towards
the EU becoming the world’s leading research area. In order to implement
these objectives five specific programmes have been established, namely:
Co-operation, Ideas, People , Capacities and funding for the
Joint Research Centre. Each of the Specific Programmes is the subject of a
separate legislative act. (See: Co-operation: CNS/2005/0185 ;Ideas: CNS/2005/0186;People: CNS/2005/0187 ; Capacity:CNS/2005/0188). - Co-operation: The
purpose of this specific programme is to support the whole range of research
actions carried out in trans-national co-operation according to the following
themes: Health; Food, Agriculture and Fisheries; Biotechnology; Information
and Communication Technologies; Nano-sciences, nanotechnologies, Material and
New Production Technologies; Energy; Environment (including Climate Change);
Transport; Socio-economic Sciences and Humanities; Space; and Security. - Ideas: The purpose of
this specific programme is to support “investigator-driven” research carried
out across all fields by individual national or transnational teams in
competition at the European level. - People: The purpose of
this specific programme is to strengthen, quantitatively and qualitatively,
the human potential in research and technological development in Europe, as well as encouraging mobility. - Capacities: The
purpose of this specific programme is to support key aspects of European
research and innovation such as research infrastructures; regional driven
clusters; the development of a full research potential in the Community’s
convergence and outmost regions; research for the benefit of SME’s; “Science
in Society”; support to the coherent development of policies; and horizontal
activities of international co-operation. - JRC: In addition, the
7th Framework Programme will also support the non-nuclear direct
scientific and technical actions carried out by the Joint Research Centre. The 7th
Framework Programme introduces a new approach which allows the political
objectives of Community research policy to be reached more easily, more flexibly
and more efficiently. To this end the new programme offers: - smaller and simplified funding schemes; - enhanced co-ordination between industry, private
investors and researchers; - researchers (under some actions)
to identify topics for future funding; - the setting up of a Risk-Sharing
Facility to improve access to EIB loans for large scale European actions and - the establishment of a European
Research Council under the Ideas initiative; - new management methods of the
framework programme by introducing improved efficiency drives through the
externalisation of administrative tasks to an executive agency; - a clearer presentation of
evaluation criteria; and - streamlined procedures for
approving projects. The 7th
framework programme will contribute towards promoting growth, sustainable
development and environmental protection, including that of climate change.
All research activity carried out under the 7th Framework programme
will be carried out in compliance with fundamental ethical principles. The
following research topics will, as a result, not be financed: - human cloning for reproductive purposes; - research intended to modify the genetic heritage of human
beings which could make such changes heritable; and - research intended to create embryos solely for the
purpose of research or for the purpose of stem cell procurement including by
means of somatic cell nuclear transfer. Research on human
stem cells, both adult and embryonic, may be financed depending on the
contents of the scientific proposal and the legal framework of the Member State involved. Any application for financing on human embryonic stem cells must
include details of licensing and control measures. Institutions,
organisations and researchers will be subject to strict licensing and control
in accordance with the legal framework of the Member Stat(e)s involved. No later than
2010, the Commission will carry out, with the assistance of external experts,
an evidence based interim evaluation of the 7th Framework
programme. The maximum
overall amount for Community financial participation will be EUR 50 521
million. For further details on the financial aspect of the Regulation
refer to the financial summary below. ENTRY INTO
FORCE: 2 January 2007.
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