eunbil · GT0N1604 · 2006-07-14 00:00:00 — The JRC"s priorities will be in fields which are strategically important for the Union and where its input provides high added value. Scientific and technical support to Community policies will continue to be delivered in core areas such as sustainable development, climate change, food, energy, transport, chemicals, alternative methods to animal testing, research policy, information technologies, reference methods and materials, biotechnology, risks, hazards and socio-economic impacts. Growth will be in areas of key concern for the Community: Prosperity in a knowledge-intensive society To carry out and develop advanced econometric modelling and analysis techniques in the context of policy definition and monitoring such as the follow-up of the agenda, the Internal Market and the Research and Education Policies. To develop models to support a new balance between sustainability objectives and competitiveness in a responsible way. To provide its scientific/technical support to the development of risk assessment and management procedures as a tool for decision making process. Solidarity and responsible management of resources To become a recognised S&T reference centre on sustainable agriculture focusing on food quality, traceability and safety (including GM food and feed), spatial management and cross-compliance and to support the implementation of the CAP. To provide S&T support to the Common Fisheries Policy. To enhance the provision of harmonised European geo-referenced data and spatial information systems (support to INSPIRE) and to continue developing new approaches to global environmental and resources monitoring (support to GMES). To provide expertise and play a role in the GMES research activities and in the development of new applications in this field. To support the implementation of the EU Action Plan on Environment and Health including providing support to on-going activities to establish a Community integrated Environment and Health information system. To promote and enhance the development and validation of alternative strategies, and in particular non-animal methods, in all relevant areas of research (safety assessment, vaccine testing, health and biomedical research etc.). Freedom, security and To develop activities contributing to the of the area of freedom, security and , especially in areas related to protection against terrorism, organised crime and fraud, border security and prevention of major risks, in cooperation with relevant bodies. To support the Community response to natural and technological disasters. Europe as world partner To strengthen support to Community external policies in specific areas such as external aspects of internal security, development cooperation and humanitarian aid. INDICATIVE BREAKDOWN AMONG PROGRAMMES The indicative breakdown among programmes is as follows (in EUR million): Cooperation * , 32365 Health 6050 Food, Agriculture and Biotechnology 1935 Information and 9110 Nano-sciences, Nano-technologies, Materials and new 3500 Energy 2300 Environment (including Climate Change) 1900 Transport (including Aeronautics) 4180 Socio-economic Sciences and the Humanities 610 Space 1430 Security 1350 Ideas 7460 People 4728 Capacities 4217 Research Infrastructures * 1850 Research for the benefit of SMEs 1336 Regions of Knowledge 126 Research Potential 370 Science in Society 280 Coherent development of research policies 70 Activities of International Cooperation 185 Non-nuclear actions of the 1751 TOTAL 50521 The activities supported by the 7th Framework Programme will be funded through a range of "Funding schemes". These schemes will be used, either alone or in combination, to fund actions implemented throughout the Framework Programme. The decisions for specific programmes, work programmes and calls for proposals will specify, as and when appropriate: The type(s) of scheme(s) used to fund different actions; The categories of participants (such as research organisations, universities, industry, SMEs, public authorities) which can benefit from it; The types of activities (such as research and technological development, demonstration, management, training, dissemination, and other related activities) which can be funded through each of them. Where different funding schemes can be used, the work programmes may specify the funding scheme to be used for the topic on which proposals are invited. The funding schemes are the following: a) To support actions which are primarily implemented on the basis of calls for proposals: Support to research projects carried out by consortia with participants from different countries, aiming at developing new knowledge, new technology, products, demonstration activities or common resources for research. The size, scope and internal organisation of projects can vary from field to field and from topic to topic. Projects can range from small or medium-scale focused research actions to large-scale integrating projects for achieving a defined objective. Projects may also be targeted to special groups such as SMEs. Support to Joint Programme of Activities implemented by a number of research organisations integrating their activities in a given field, carried out by research teams in the framework of longer term cooperation. The implementation of this Joint Programme of Activities will require a formal commitment from the organisations integrating part of their resources and their activities. Coordination and support actions Support to activities aimed at coordinating or supporting research activities and policies (networking, exchanges, trans-national access to research infrastructures, studies, conferences, etc). These actions may also be implemented by means other than calls for proposals. Support for "frontier" research Support to projects carried out by individual national or transnational research teams. This scheme will be used to support investigator-driven "frontier" research projects funded in the framework of . Support for training and career development of researchers Support for training and career development of researchers, mainly used for the implementation of the actions. Research for the benefit of specific groups (in particular SMEs) Support to research projects where the bulk of the research and technological development is carried out by universities, research centres or other legal entities, for the benefit of specific groups, in particular SMEs or associations of SMEs. Efforts will be undertaken to mobilise additional financing from the EIB and other financial organisations. b) To support actions implemented on the basis of decisions by the Council and Parliament (or by the Council in consultation with Parliament), based on a proposal from the Commission, the Community will provide financial support to multi-financed large-scale initiatives. A financial contribution from the Community to the joint implementation of well identified national research programmes, on the basis of Article 169 of the Treaty. This joint implementation will require the or existence of a dedicated implementation structure. Community financial support will be provided subject to the definition of a financing plan based on formal commitments from competent national authorities. A financial contribution from the Community to the implementation of Initiatives to realise objectives that cannot be achieved through the funding schemes identified in part a) above. Initiatives will mobilise a combination of funding of different nature and from different sources, private and public, European and national. This funding can take different forms and can be allocated or mobilised though a range of mechanisms: support from the Framework Programme, loans from , support to risk capital. Initiatives may be decided and implemented on the basis of Article 171 of the Treaty (this may include the creation of joint undertakings) or through the Specific Programme Decisions. Community support will be provided subject to the definition of an overall blueprint of financial , based on formal commitments from all parties concerned. A financial contribution from the Community to the development of new infrastructures of European interest. This contribution may be decided on the basis of Article 171 of the Treaty or through the Specific Programme Decisions. The development of new infrastructures will mobilise a combination of funding of different nature and origin: national funding, Framework Programme, Structural funds, loans from and others. Community support will be provided subject to the definition of an overall financial plan based on a commitment from all parties concerned. The Community will implement the funding schemes identified in part a) above in compliance with the provisions of the regulation to be adopted pursuant to Article 167 of the Treaty, the relevant State Aid instruments, in particular the Community framework for state aid to research and development, as well as international rules in this area. In compliance with this international framework, it will be necessary to be able to adjust the scale and form of financial participation on a case-by-case basis, in particular if funding from other public sector sources is available, including other sources of Community financing such as (). In addition to direct financial support to participants in RTD actions, the Community will improve their access to debt finance through the "Facility" by providing a contribution to the EIB. The Community grant shall be used by the EIB, which will be a risk sharing partner, to contribute to the provisioning and capital allocation for loan and guarantee financing from its own resources. There will be no further liability for the Community budget. Subject to and in accordance with modalities to be established by the regulation adopted pursuant Article 167 of the Treaty and the Council decisions adopting the specific programmes, this mechanism will enable the EIB to increase the amount of financing of European RTD actions (such as joint technology initiatives, large projects-including Eureka projects, and new research infrastructures and projects run by SMEs AM 313) to help overcome market deficiencies. In the case of participants to an indirect action established in a region lagging in development (convergence regions and outermost regions ), complementary funding from the will be mobilised wherever possible and appropriate. In the case of participation of entities from the candidate countries, an additional contribution from the pre-accession financial instruments could be granted under similar conditions. As regards actions in the "research infrastructures" part of the "capacities" programme of the 7th Framework Programme, the detailed funding arrangements for these will be defined with a view to ensuring that there is effective complementarity between community research funding and other Community and national instruments, notably the . The Community will undertake activities implemented by the , which are referred to as direct actions. concerning the Seventh Framework Programme of Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) for nuclear research and training activities (2007 to 2011) * THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, Having regard to the Treaty establishing Atomic Energy Community, and in particular Article 7 thereof, Having regard to the proposal from the Commission , Having regard to the opinion of Parliament , Having regard to the opinion of Economic and , (1) Joint national and European efforts in the area of research and training are essential to promote and ensure economic growth and citizen"s wellbeing in Europe. (2) The Seventh Framework Programme complements other EU actions in the area of the research policy that are necessary for the implementation of the strategy, alongside in particular those on education, training, competitiveness and innovation, industry, employment, and environment. (3) This Framework Programme builds on the achievements of its predecessor towards the creation of Research Area, and them further towards the development of the knowledge economy and society in Europe. (5) The Commission a European strategy for energy supply" highlights the contribution of nuclear power in reducing emissions of greenhouse gases and in reducing Europe"s dependence on imported energy. (6) With reference to the Council Decision of amending the directives of negotiations on ITER , the realisation of ITER in Europe, in a broader approach to fusion energy, will be the central feature of the activities on fusion research carried out under the Seventh Framework programme. (7) Implementation of the Seventh Framework Programme may give rise to the setting up of joint undertakings within the meaning of Title II, Chapter 5 of the Treaty. (8) Research activities supported by this Framework Programme should respect fundamental ethical principles, including those reflected in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of Union. The opinions of Group on Ethics in Science and are and will be taken into account. (9) This act establishes a financial framework for the entire duration of the programme which is to be the principal point of reference for the budgetary authority, within the meaning of point 37 of the Interinstitutional Agreement of between Parliament, the Council and the Commission on budgetary discipline and sound financial management. (10) On 24/08/2005 , the Commission submitted the conclusions of the external assessment of the implementation and results of the Community activities carried out in the five years preceding that assessment, accompanied by its observations. (11) It is important to ensure sound financial management of the Seventh Framework Programme and its implementation in the most effective and user-friendly possible, as well as ease of access for all participants. (12) Under the Seventh Framework Programme due regard will be paid to the role of women in science and research with a view to further enhancing their role in research. (13) has an important role in providing customer-driven scientific and technological support for the , development, implementation and monitoring of Community policies. In this regard, it is useful that the JRC continues to function as an independent reference centre of science and technology in the EU in the areas of its specific competence. (14) The international and global dimension in European research activities is important in the interest of obtaining mutual benefits. The Seventh Framework Programme is open to the participation of countries having concluded the necessary agreements to this effect, and is also open, on the project level and on the basis of mutual benefit, to the participation of entities from thirds countries and of international organisations for scientific cooperation. (15) The Seventh Framework Programme should contribute to enlargement by bringing scientific and technological support to the candidate countries for the implementation of Community acquis and for their integration into Research Area. (16) Appropriate measures should also be taken to prevent irregularities and fraud and the necessary steps should be taken to recover funds lost, wrongly paid or incorrectly used in accordance with Council Regulations (EC, Euratom) No 2988/95 of on the protection of Communities financial interests , (EC, Euratom) No 2185/96 of concerning on-the-spot checks and inspections carried out by the Commission in order to protect Communities" financial interests against fraud and other irregularities and Council Regulation (Euratom) No 1074/1999 of 25 concerning investigations conducted by Anti-Fraud Office () . (17) The Scientific and has been consulted by the Commission and has delivered its opinion. Adoption of the research and training Framework Programme A multiannual Framework Programme for nuclear research and training activities, hereinafter referred to as the "Seventh Framework Programme" is hereby adopted for the period from 1 January, 2007 to , 2011. The Seventh Framework Programme shall pursue the general objectives set out in Article 1 and Article 2(a) of the Treaty, while contributing towards the creation of a knowledge-based society, on a Area. The Seventh Framework Programme shall comprise Community research, technological development, international cooperation, dissemination of technical information and exploitation activities as well as training, to be set out in two specific programmes: The first programme shall cover the following: Fusion energy research, with the objective of developing the technology for a safe, sustainable, environmentally responsible and economically viable energy source; Nuclear fission and radiation protection with the objective of enhancing in particular the safety performance, resource efficiency and cost-effectiveness of nuclear fission and other uses of radiation in industry and medicine. The second programme shall cover the activities of the in the field of nuclear energy. The broad lines of the programmes are described in . Maximum overall amount and shares assigned to each programme The overall amount for the implementation of the Seventh Framework Programme for the period 2007 to 2011 shall be million. That amount shall be distributed as follows (in EUR million): Fusion energy research 1947 Nuclear Fission and radiation protection 287 Nuclear Activities of the 517 2. The detailed rules for Community financial participation in this Framework Programme are set out in . Protection of the Communities" financial interests For the Community actions financed under this Decision, Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 2988/95 and Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 2185/96 shall apply to any infringement of a provision of Community law, including infringement of a contractual obligation stipulated on the basis of the programme, resulting from an act or omission by an economic operator, which has, or would have, the effect of prejudicing the general budget of Communities or budgets managed by them, by an unjustified item of expenditure. All the research activities carried out under the Seventh Framework Programme shall be carried out in compliance with fundamental ethical principles. Monitoring, assessment and review The Commission shall continually and systematically monitor the implementation of the Framework Programme and its Specific Programmes and regularly report and disseminate the results of this monitoring. Not later than , the Commission shall carry out, with the assistance of external experts, an evidence-based interim evaluation of this Framework Programme and its specific programmes upon the ex-post evaluation of the Sixth Framework Programme. This evaluation shall cover the quality of the research activities under way, as well as the quality of implementation and management, and progress towards the objectives set. Following the completion of this framework programme, the Commission shall carry out an external evaluation by independent experts of its rationale, implementation and achievements. The Commission shall communicate the conclusions thereof, accompanied by its observations, to Parliament, the Council, Economic and and . SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL OBJECTIVES, THEMES AND ACTIVITIES The 7th Framework Programme is organised in two parts corresponding to the ""indirect" actions on fusion energy research and nuclear fission and radiation protection, and the "direct" research activities of the . Developing the knowledge base for, and realising ITER as the major step towards, the creation of prototype reactors for power stations which are safe, sustainable, environmentally responsible, and economically viable. There are serious shortcomings in Europe"s energy supply with respect to near, medium, and long-term considerations. In particular, measures are needed to address the issues of security of supply, climate change, and sustainable development, while ensuring that future economic growth is not threatened. In addition to the efforts which the EU is making in the field of research into renewable energies, fFusion has the potential to make a major contribution to the realisation of a sustainable and secure energy supply for the EU a few decades from now after the market penetration of commercial fusion reactors.AM 10 Its successful development would provide energy which is safe, sustainable and environmentally friendly. The long-term goal of European fusion research, embracing all the fusion activities in the Member States and associated third countries, is the joint creation, in approximately thirty or thirty-five years and subject to technological and scientific progress, AM 10 of prototype reactors for power stations which meet these requirements, and are economically viable. The strategy to achieve the long-term goal entails, as its first priority, the construction of ITER (a major experimental facility which will demonstrate the scientific and technical feasibility of fusion power), followed by the construction of DEMO, a "demonstration" fusion power station. This will be accompanied by a dynamic programme of supporting R&D for ITER and for the developments in fusion materials, technologies and physics required for DEMO. This would involve European industry, the fusion Associations and third countries, in particular Parties to the ITER Agreement. The realisation of ITER This includes activities for the joint realisation of ITER (as an international research infrastructure), in particular for site preparation, establishing the and Joint Undertaking for ITER, management and staffing, general technical and administrative support, construction of equipment and installations and support to the project during construction. R&D in preparation of ITER operation A focused physics and technology programme will exploit the relevant facilities and resources in the fusion programme, i.e. JET and other magnetic confinement devices, existing, future or those under construction (Tokamaks, Stellarators, RFPs). AM12 It will assess specific key ITER technologies, consolidate ITER project choices, and prepare for ITER operation through experimental and theoretical activities. Technology activities in preparation of DEMO This entails the vigorous development of fusion materials and key technologies for fusion, including blankets, and the of a dedicated project team to prepare for the construction of the International Fusion Materials Irradiation Facility (IFMIF) to qualify materials for DEMO. It will include irradiation testing and modelling of materials, studies of the DEMO conceptual design, and studies of the safety, environmental and socio-economic aspects of fusion energy. R&D activities for the longer term The activities will include further development of improved concepts for magnetic confinement schemes with potential advantages for Fusion power stations (focussed on the completion of the construction of the W7-X stellarator device), theory and modelling aimed at a comprehensive understanding of the behaviour of fusion plasmas and co-ordination, in the context of a keep-in-touch activity, of Member States" civil research activities on inertial confinement. Human resources, education and training In view of the immediate and medium term needs of ITER, and for the further development of fusion, initiatives aimed at ensuring that adequate human resources will be available, in terms of numbers, range of skills and high level training and experience will be pursued, in particular in relation to the physics and of fusion. The construction of the international fusion energy research project ITER will be an element of the new research infrastructures with a strong European dimension.