Framework Programme 7
General Information:
The EU's largest ever funding programme for research and technological development, the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7), was launched on 1 January 2007.
There are lots of great opportunities with this programme and some information and links are available below. For the most up to date information there is now the FP7UK Information website.
Although FP7 will operate in largely the same manner as FP6, there are a number of significant differences in key areas, such as the names of some of the main types of projects, the levels of funding (particularly for SMEs), financial liability rules, the cost models which can be used and the evaluation procedure.
Many people are also aware that the budget has been greatly increased (almost double that of FP6 pro rata) and the priority themes have been increased from 7 to 10. Many of the key priority themes match areas of key importance to the Scottish economy. The largest amount of research funding available, €9bn, is allocated to ICT and Health gets over €6bn which offers an opportunity for Scottish life science companies. Other key sectors of interest to Scotland are Energy with €2.3bn, Nanotechnology (including Photonics) gets €3.5bn and Food Agriculture and Biotechnology has €1.94bn.
FP7 therefore offers a great opportunity for Scottish companies to participate in cutting edge R & D projects and to participate in international partnerships offering access to new markets for their new technologies.
However, even for people with previous experience of applying to the Framework Programme, it can still be a daunting experience preparing a proposal and putting together an effective transnational consortium.
Given below are a number of links to key sources of information on FP7:
New in FP7:
One of the main differences between Framework Programme 6 and the new FP7 has been the creation of the European Technology Platforms (ETPs). These technology platforms bring together stakeholders, under industrial leadership, to define and implement a Strategic Research Agenda (SRA). In most areas, the ETPs have had a major influence on the content of the first calls for proposals announced for FP7, giving these calls a more practical, industry focus. Currently there are around 30 ETPs covering most of the main priority themes of FP7. A summary of all of the Technology Platforms currently active is available here.
FP7 Partner Search Service:
When putting together a consortium for an FP7 project, it is essential to have a well balanced mix of the right partners.
Enterprise Europe Scotland will be offer its highly effective partner search facility for FP7 which can help Scottish SMEs find partners or link up with projects or consortia without having to trawl through lots of other databases.
Companies can also specify in which areas they wish to receive partner requests.
DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS: There are a number of forthcoming calls covering Health, SMEs and others. Further information can be found by contacting Enterprise Europe Scotland or checking also see news link for more information.
If you wish to find out more about FP7, how to become a partner in an FP7 project or FP7 support projects such as EPISTEP and Secure Force see the For the most up to date information there is now the FP7UK Information website.
Scottish Proposal Assistance Fund (SPAF) for FP7
Grant support for Scottish companies preparing proposals for the EU's Framework Programme 7 (FP7) is now available again. The Scottish Proposal Assistance Fund (SPAF) provides financial assistance to small and medium sized companies (SMEs) based in Scotland.
The grant (of up to 50% of eligible costs) can be used to engage a consultant to assist in the preparation of an application and/or to contribute towards travel costs to meet potential consortium partners.
The new scheme differs in certain aspects from the one which operated during FP6 e.g. it now includes a strand to assist with concept development. Get funding to develop your proposal with SPAF assistance!
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