topic Research

EU Research Framework Programme

The EU Research Framework Programme (RFP) is the largest funding programme for research projects in the world. The BMBF supports national efforts to ensure excellent research at European level. Various advisory services are offered to German applicants, eg by the Federal Government's National Contact Points for the Research Framework Programme (NCPs).

EU Research Framework Programme

On the basis of the Treaty of Amsterdam, all measures taken in the field of research funding and technological development are pooled in a Community Research Framework Programme.

The primary goal of the EU Research Framework Programme, which has a duration of four years as a rule, is to strengthen the scientific and technological basis for the Community's industry and to foster its international competitiveness as well as to support all research efforts which are considered necessary for other policies of the Community.

In addition to the EU's Research Framework Programme, which is administered centrally from Brussels and under which calls for proposals are issued for topics determined in a top-down approach, another two programmes (COST and EUREKA) serve to promote European research cooperation.

In addition to the Research Framework Programme, which is administered centrally from Brussels and under which calls for proposals are issued for the above topics in a top-down approach, support is provided fo research under the COST and EUREKA programmes.

The Seventh European Research Framework Programme

On 16 June 2004, the European Commission published its Communication entitled "Science and Technology, the key to Europe's future - Guidelines for future European Union policy to support research", which presents a first outline of the Commission's ideas concerning the Seventh Research Framework Programme.

In this Communication, the Commission defined six major objectives:

1. Creating European centres of excellence
2. Launching European technological initiatives
3. Stimulating the creativity of basic research through competition between teams at the European level
4. Making Europe more attractive to the best researchers
5. Developing research infrastructures  of European interest
6. Improving the coordination of national research programmes.

It is planned that a first official proposal for the next Research Framework Programme will be submitted by the European Commission in spring 2005. The Seventh Framework Programme is to be officially launched with an opening event in Bonn in January 2007.

The Sixth European Research Framework Programme (2002 - 2006)

The Sixth Framework Programme was adopted in late 2002 and endend 2006. It had a budget of approximately €20 billion (including the Euratom Framework Programme) for a period of four years. The main goal of the Sixth Framework Programme was the implementation of the European Research Area. This included, for example, the pooling of European research efforts and capacities in view of diverse challenges such as increasing the competitiveness of industry, mastering crossborder problems and crises (eg the mad cow disease) and realizing sustainable development as an important political goal of the EU.

The 6th Framework Programme was characterized by the following basic principles:

• concentration on a limited number of priority research areas with a European added value,
• structuring effect on the often heterogeneous research concepts and research projects in the European Research Area, and
• attempt at simplifying and streamlining the implementing regulations by means of new forms of funding and decentralized administrative procedures.

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  topic Research

  15.01.2007 - 16.01.2007

  The 7th EU Research Framework Programme - Europe on its way to the top

  The 7th EU Research Framework Programme - Europe on its way to the top.
  more (URL: http://www.bmbf.de/en/6351.php)
   
  
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  topic Research

  Das deutsche Portal zum Forschungsrahmenprogramm der EU

  Das Portal zum Forschungsrahmenprogramm der EU bündelt alle wichtigen Informationen und gibt Aukunft über laufende Ausschreibungen und das Netzwerk der Nationalen Kontakstellen.
  more (URL: http://www.bmbf.de/en/7457.php)