Introduction to FP7
FP7 in a nutshell
FP7 is the short name for the Seventh Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development. This is the EU’s main instrument for funding research in Europe and it will run from 2007 to 2013. The European Commission’s budget for the next seven years is €50.5 billion and the Euratom budget for the next five years is €2.7 billion. FP7 is also designed to respond to Europe’s employment needs and competitiveness. FP7 supports research in selected priority areas — the aim being to make, or keep, the EU as a world leader in those sectors.
Questions about FP7
- How is FP7 made up?
- Why participate?
- Opportunities offered by FP7
- How to participate?
- Can I participate in FP7 if I am based in Australia?
- Can I coordinate a FP7 project if I am based in Australia?
- Can I receive EU research funding if I am based in Australia?
- Contractual issues
- Become an evaluator for FP7
- Links
How is FP7 made up?
The main objectives of FP7
The Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) bundles all research-related EU initiatives together under a common roof playing a crucial role in reaching the European Union’s Lisbon Strategy to become the “most dynamic competitive knowledge-based economy in the world”. The ‘knowledge triangle’ — research, education and innovation — is a core factor in European efforts to meet the ambitious Lisbon goals.
The objectives of FP7 have been grouped into 4 categories: Cooperation, Ideas, People and Capacities. For each objective, a specific programme corresponds to the main areas of EU research policy. All specific programmes work together to promote and encourage the creation of European poles of (scientific) excellence in the European Knowledge Society.
FP7 is made up of 4 main blocks of activities forming 4 specific programmes plus a specific programme on nuclear research and for the Joint Research Centre (JRC):
- Cooperation — Collaborative research (61% of the budget)
- Ideas — European Research Council, frontier research actions (14%)
- People — Human Potential, Marie Curie actions (9%)
- Capacities — Research capacities (8%)
- Euratom — Nuclear research and training (5%)
- Joint Research Centre (3%)
Why participate?
Australian participation in past Framework Programmes is an ongoing success story: in FP6 more than 100 project involved Australian partners. The European Framework Programme is Europe’s largest funding opportunity for research and development in all scientific domains. The motivation for participating in FP7 projects varies. SMEs, universities, public authorities, associations, research centres,… all find good reasons to participate:
- Involvement in leading-edge research projects
- Information about future trends in research
- Access to knowledge and technologies of pan-European consortia
- Potential new contacts, networks and markets
- Intellectual property rights
- Contact with promising young researchers and potential new employees
- Networking (the opportunity to participate in further projects)
Sources: Access to borderless knowledge (EUresearch) pp 30–31.
For examples of Australian participation in FP6, check our project database.
The July 2007 edition of the UK Department of Trade and Industry’s (DTI) FP7UK Health News newsletter contained an article about UK participants’ perspectives on the Framework Programme. See, UK participants’ view of the EU’s Framework Programme: Benefits of participating, challenges and recommendations.
Opportunities offered by FP7
For universities and research centres
- Targeted research within multi-partner consortia
- Individual basic research projects
- Applied research for the benefit of SMEs
- Scientific networks (exchange, coordination and integration)
- Research by public-private partnerships
- Incoming and Outgoing Fellowships
- Access to research infrastructures, co-financing of new, unique research infrastructures at the European level
- Conferences, studies and exchange of best practice
- Evaluation of FP7
For SMEs
- Targeted research within multi-partner consortia
- Funding of research and development projects outsourced to competent research partners
- Incoming and Outgoing Fellowships
- Conferences, studies and exchange of best practice
For large-scale industry groups
- Targeted research within multi-partner consortia
- Individual basic research projects
- Research by public-private partnerships
- Incoming and Outgoing Fellowships
- Access to research infrastructures and co-financing of new and unique research infrastructures of pan-European interest
For associations and NGOs
- Targeted research within multi-partner consortia
- Conferences, studies, exchange of best practice
For public agencies and governments
- Multinational coordination of national research programmes
- Exchange of best practice
How to participate?
The submission of a European research project must adhere to a process involving a number of stages that are strictly regulated by the European Commission.
Can I receive EU research funding if I am based in Australia?
The short answer is ‘no’, but…
Industrialised third countries (such as Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the USA) can participate in FP7, but with their own funding. EU funding is only granted in exceptional cases, generally when specifically set out in the relevant work programme.
Partners from Candidate Countries (scheduled to join the EU) and Associated States (countries that contribute to the budget of FP7) can participate on similar terms to participants from the EU Member States. Organisations from an international cooperation partner country (ICPC, lower income, developing countries) can also receive funding.
Get funding from the EU: limited exceptions
Get funding in Australia to participate in FP7
- Australian-European Union Health Research Grants
- The NHMRC has a limited fund to assist Australian participation in projects selected for funding under FP7. Only successful proposals submitted to the European Commission under the thematic priority ‘Health’ will be considered by the NHMRC for funding. Australian researchers must be part of the original application submitted to the European Commission.
- International Science Linkages programme (ISL)
- The competitive grants element of the International Science Linkages programme provides support from DEST, on a competitive basis, for researcher-initiated international science and technology cooperation and related activities and which meet the objectives of the ISL programme, including collaboration on projects supported by the European Union Framework Programme.
Contractual issues
- Grant Agreement
- Consortium Agreement
- Reporting
- Financial aspects
- Intellectual Property Rights (IPR)
- Dissemination of results
Become an evaluator for FP7
The Commission draws on a wide pool of evaluators (circa 50,000 in FP6). The call for evaluators for FP7 has been launched and registration of individuals and organisations is open on CORDIS: cordis.europa.eu/emmfp7.
