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RSS SubscribeWednesday 1st March 2006
How did the EU do in research in 2004?
The EC recently published its Annual Report on the Community’s RTD activities. The report offers an overview of the developments and activities of 2004, the second year in the implementation of the Sixth Framework Programme (FP6). The main report is accompanied by a staff working document which includes further details of activities and a statistical annex. The implementation of FP6 was judged a success as indicated by almost 16,000 proposals received with more than 84,400 participants. Altogether nearly 2,100 contracts were signed in 2004 with a total EC contribution of more than €4.2 million. 2004 also saw the impact of the Marimon mid-term review of FP6 instruments, with corrective measures being taken and an action plan for rationalisation and acceleration of FP6 implementation. Other work related to FP6 included: setting up 25 Technology Platforms, the adoption of a Communication entitled “Towards a European Strategy for Nanotechnology”, a consensus on the location of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project at the Cadarache (France) site, and the launch of a new preparatory action on security research.
2004 also saw the publication of the “Europe and Basic Research” Communication, marking the first step towards establishing a European Research Council (ERC), while the Communication “Science and technology, the key to Europe’s future” started a political debate on the guidelines for future European research policy and activities, and on the development of the EC’s proposal on FP7, presented in April 2005. Several specific initiatives were undertaken with a view to attracting the best researchers in Europe, including entry and residence of third-country researchers, the Researcher’s Mobility Portal, the ERA-link network with European researchers in the US, and the ERA-MORE network of mobility centres for European researchers.
Further information
europa.eu/prelex/liste_resultats.cfm?CL=en&DocYear=2005&DocNum=517
