eunbil · GT0N1604 · 2006-07-14 00:00:00 — The Seventh Framework Programme will be carried out to pursue the general objectives described in Article 163 of the Treaty to strengthen industrial competitiveness and meet the research needs of other Community policies and thereby AM 68 contributing towards the creation of a knowledge-based society, on a Area and complementing activities at a national and regional level AM 68. It shall promote excellence in scientific and technological research, development and demonstration AM 69 through the following four programmes: cooperation, ideas, people and capacities. In this part of the 7th Framework Programme, support will be provided to trans-national cooperation in different forms across Union and beyond, in a number of thematic areas corresponding to major fields of the progress of knowledge and technology, where the highest quality AM 70 research must be supported and strengthened to address European social, economic, environmental and industrial challenges. The bulk of this effort will be directed towards improving industrial competitiveness, with a research agenda that reflects the needs of users throughout Europe. The overarching aim is to contribute to sustainable development. The ten themes determined for Community action are the following: Food, Agriculture and Biotechnology; Nano-sciences, Nano-technologies, Materials and new ; Environment (including Climate Change); Transport (including Aeronautics); Socio-economic Sciences and the Humanities; Space; AM 71 These themes are broadly defined at relatively high level, such that they can adapt to evolving needs and opportunities that may arise during the lifetime of the 7th Framework Programme. For each of them, a series of activities have been identified which indicate the broad lines envisaged for Community support. These have been identified on the basis of their contribution to Community objectives, including the transition to a knowledge society, the relevant European research potential and the added value of Community level intervention for these subjects. Special attention will be paid to ensuring there is effective coordination between the thematic areas and to AM 72 priority scientific areas which cut across themes, such as forestry research, cultural heritage, sciences and technologies. Multidisciplinarity will be encouraged by joint cross-thematic approaches to research and technology subjects relevant to more than one theme, with joint calls being an important inter-thematic form of cooperation. In the case of subjects of industrial relevance in particular, the topics have been identified relying, among other sources, on the work of different "Platforms" set up in fields where Europe"s competitiveness, economic growth and welfare depend on important research and technological progress in the medium to long term. Platforms bring together stakeholders, under industrial leadership, to define and implement a Agenda This Framework Programme will contribute to the realisation of these Agendas where these present true European added value. Platforms can play a role to facilitate and organise the participation of industry, including SMEs, in research projects relating to their specific field, including projects eligible for funding under the Framework Programme. AM 80, 82 The ten themes also include research needed to underpin the formulation, implementation and assessment of Community policies, such as in the areas of health, safety, consumer protection, energy, the environment, development aid, fisheries, affairs, agriculture, animal welfare, transport, education and training, employment, social affairs, cohesion, and the creation of an Area of Freedom, Security and , along with pre-normative and co-normative research relevant to improving interoperability and AM 75 the quality of standards and their implementation. Under each theme, beside these activities, two types of opportunities will be addressed in an open and flexible way: Future and : to support research aiming at identifying or further exploring new scientific and technological opportunities in a given field and/or in their combination with other relevant areas and disciplines through specific support for spontaneous research proposals, including by joint calls; to nurture novel ideas and radically new uses and to explore new options in research roadmaps in particular linked with a potential for significant breakthroughs; adequate coordination with the activities carried out under the Ideas programme will be guaranteed in order to avoid overlap and ensure an optimum use of funding. Unforeseen policy needs: to respond in a flexible way to new policy needs that arise during the course of the Framework Programme, such as unforeseen developments or events requiring a quick reaction like, the new epidemics, emerging concerns in food safety or natural disaster response. The dissemination and transfer of knowledge is a key added value of European research actions, and measures will be taken to increase the use of results by industry, policy makers and society. AM 78 Dissemination will be considered an integral task under all thematic areas with appropriate restrictions for the security theme due to the confidentiality aspects of the activities, including through the funding of networking initiatives, seminars and events, assistance by external experts and information and electronic services in particular . Complementarity and synergy between this programme and other Community programmes will be ensured. AM 79, 84 Actions to support innovation will be taken under the Competitiveness and Innovation Programme. Particular attention should be paid to assure an adequate participation of SMEs , in particular knowledge-intensive SME in transnational cooperation. Concrete measures, including support actions to facilitate SME participation, will be taken throughout the "Cooperation" part of the programme in the framework of a strategy to be developed under each theme. These strategies will be accompanied by quantitative and qualitative monitoring against the objectives set. The aim will be to enable at least of the funding available under the "Cooperation" part of the programme to go to SMEs. AM 73, 77, 334 Support will also be provided to initiatives aimed at engaging the dialogue on scientific issues and research results with the broadest possible public beyond the research community, and in the field of scientific communication and education, including the involvement, where appropriate, of civil society organisations or networks of such organisations. AM 278 The integration of the gender dimension and gender equality will be addressed in all areas of research. Raising competitiveness of European research requires that the potential lying within the whole Area is fully unlocked. Projects, aiming at providing scientific excellence, should be managed optimally with particular regard to the use of resources. Across all these themes, support to trans-national cooperation will be implemented through: Co-ordination of research programmes; Collaborative research will constitute the bulk and the core of Community research funding. The objective is to establish, in the major fields of advancement of knowledge, excellent research projects and networks able to attract researchers and investments from Europe and the entire world. This will be achieved by supporting collaborative research through a range of funding schemes: Collaborative projects, Networks of Excellence, Co-ordination/support actions (see ). In a very limited number of cases, the scope of a RTD objective and the scale of the resources involved could justify setting up long term public private partnerships in the form of Initiatives. These initiatives, mainly resulting from the work of Platforms and covering one or a small number of selected aspects of research in their field, will combine private sector investment and national and European public funding, including grant funding from the Research Framework Programme and loan and guarantee finance from . Initiative will be decided individually, either on the basis of Article 171 of the Treaty (this may include the creation of a joint undertaking) or on the basis of Specific Programme Decisions in accordance with Article 166(3) of the Treaty. Initiatives will be identified in an open and transparent way on the basis of an evaluation using a series of criteria: AM 85, 87 - Inability of existing instruments to achieve the objective. - Scale of the impact on industrial competitiveness and growth. - Added value of European-level intervention. - The degree and clarity of definition of the objective and deliverables to be pursued. - Strength of the financial and resource commitment from industry. - Importance of the contribution to broader policy objectives including benefit to society. - Capacity to attract additional national support and leverage current and future industry funding. The nature of the Initiatives must be clearly defined, in particular with regard to matters concerning: - Financial commitments; - Duration of the commitment of the participants; - Rules for entering and exiting the contract; - Intellectual property rights. Considering the particular scope and complexity of the Initiatives, strong efforts will be made to ensure their transparent operation and that any allocation of Community funding by the Initiatives will take place on the basis of the Framework Programme principles of excellence and competition. Particular attention will be paid to the overall coherence and coordination between Initiatives and programmes and projects in the same fields , while respecting their existing implementation procedures, as well as to ensuring that the participation in their projects is open to a wide range of participants throughout Europe, and in particular SMEs. The action undertaken in this field will make use of two main tools: the ERA-NET scheme and the participation of the Community in jointly implemented national research programmes (Treaty Article 169). The action may cover subjects not directly linked to the ten themes in as far as they have a sufficient European added value. The action will also be used to enhance the complementarity and synergy between the Framework Programme and activities carried out in the framework of intergovernmental structures such as EUREKA and COST . The ERA-NET scheme will develop and strengthen the coordination of national and regional research activities by: - Providing a framework for actors implementing public research programmes to step up the coordination of their activities. This will include support for new ERA-NETs as well as for the broadening and deepening of the scope of existing ERA-NETs, e.g. by extending their partnership, as well as mutually opening their programmes. Where appropriate, ERA-NETs could be applied for programme coordination between European regions and Member States to enable their cooperation with large-scale initiatives. - In a limited number of cases providing additional Community financial support to those participants that pool resources for the purpose of joint calls for proposals between their respective national and regional programmes ("ERA-NET PLUS"). The participation of the Community in research programmes jointly implemented on the basis of Article 169 is especially relevant to European cooperation on a large scale in "variable geometry" between Member States sharing common needs and/or interests. In well-identified cases such Article 169 initiatives could be launched in areas to be identified in close association with the Member States, including the possible cooperation with intergovernmental programmes, on the basis of a series of criteria: - Relevance to Community objectives. - The clear definition of the objective to be pursued and its relevance to the objectives of this Framework Programme. - Presence of a pre-existing basis (research programmes existing or envisaged). - European added value. - Critical mass, with regard to the size and the number of programmes involved, the similarity of activities they cover. - Efficiency of Article 169 as the most appropriate means for achieving the objectives. International cooperation actions, showing European added value and being of mutual interest, AM 93,94 under this part of the Framework Programme will be: An enhanced participation of researchers and research institutions from third countries, with appropriate restrictions for the security theme due to the confidentiality aspects, AM 93 in the thematic areas, with a strong effort to encourage them to seize this opportunity. Specific cooperation actions in each thematic area dedicated to third countries in the case of mutual interest in co-operating on particular topics to be selected on the basis of their scientific and technological level and needs. Closely associated with the bilateral cooperation agreements or multilateral dialogues between the EU and these countries or groups of countries, these actions will serve as privileged tools for implementing the cooperation between the EU and these countries. Such actions are, in particular: actions aiming at reinforcing the research capacities of candidate countries as well as neighbourhood countries; cooperative activities targeted at developing and emerging countries, focusing on their particular needs in fields such as health, agriculture, fisheries and environment, and implemented in financial conditions adapted to their capacities. This part of the Framework Programme covers the international cooperation actions in each thematic area and across themes. They will be implemented in coordination with those under the "People" and the "Capacities" part of the Framework Programme. An overall strategy for International Cooperation within the Framework Programme will underpin this activity. Improving the health of European citizens and increasing the competitiveness and boosting the innovative capacity AM 96 of European health-related industries and businesses, while addressing global health issues including emerging epidemics. Emphasis will be put on translational research (translation of basic discoveries in clinical applications including scientific validation of experimental results), the development and validation of new therapies, methods for health promotion and prevention including promotion of healthy ageing, diagnostic tools and technologies, as well as sustainable and efficient healthcare systems. The sequencing of the human genome and the recent advances in post-genomics have revolutionised research into human health and diseases. Integrating the vast amounts of data and understanding underlying biological processes and developing key technologies for health-related bio-industries AM 97 requires bringing together critical masses of various expertises and resources that are not available at a national level, with a view to developing knowledge and capacity for intervention. Significant advances in translational health research, which is essential to ensure that biomedical research provides practical benefits and improves life quality, also requires multidisciplinary and pan-European approaches involving different stakeholders. Such approaches allow Europe to contribute more effectively to international efforts to combat diseases of global importance. Clinical research on many diseases (e.g. cancer, cardiovascular and infectious diseases, mental and neurological diseases, in particular those linked with ageing, such as Alzheimer and Parkinson diseases) relies on international multi-centre trials to achieve the required number of patients in a short time-frame. Epidemiological research requires a large diversity of populations and international networks to achieve significant conclusions. Developing new diagnostics and treatments for rare disorders as well as performing epidemiological research on those disorders also require multi-country approaches to increase the number of patients for each study. And performing health policy-driven research at level enables comparisons of the models, systems, data, and patient material held in national databases and biobanks. A strong biomedical research will help strengthen the competitiveness of healthcare biotechnology, technology and pharmaceutical industries. EU collaboration with developing countries will allow those countries to develop research capacities. AM 99 The EU also has to play an role in creating an environment conducive to innovation in the public and AM 99 pharmaceutical sector which address public health needs, AM 99 in particular to maximise the success of clinical research. SMEs are the main economic drivers of the healthcare biotechnology and technology industries. Although Europe now has more Biotechnology companies than US, most of them are small and less mature than their competitors. Public-private research efforts at the EU level will facilitate their development. EU research will also contribute to the development of new norms and standards to set up an appropriate legislative framework for new technologies (e.g. regenerative medicine). Global leadership in European research and innovation in the field of alternative testing strategies, in particular non-animal methods, should be ensured. The activities that will be addressed, which include research essential to policy requirements, are set out below. The strategic issues, child health, health of the ageing population will receive specific attention across the activities. Long-term research agendas such as those established by Platforms, such as the one on innovative medicines, will be supported where relevant. To respond to new policy needs, additional actions may be supported for example in the areas of health policy issues and occupational health and safety. Ethical, legal and socio-economic issues will be taken into account within each of the following activities. Biotechnology, generic tools and technologies for human health To catalyse progress in fundamental genomics (genome and post-genome) AM 101 and biomedical research by enhancing data generation, standardisation, acquisition and analysis. Detection, diagnosis and monitoring. With emphasis on non-invasive or minimally invasive approaches and technologies such as new preventive tools for regenerative medicine (e.g. through molecular imaging and diagnostics). AM 101, (156) Predicting suitability, safety and efficacy of therapies. To develop and validate biological markers, in vivo and in vitro methods and models, including simulation, pharmacogenomics, targeting and delivery (AM 156) approaches and alternatives to animal testing. Innovative therapeutic approaches and intervention. To research, AM 104, consolidate and ensure further developments in advanced therapies and technologies with potential application in many diseases and disorders such as new therapeutic tools for regenerative medicine. Translating research for human health Integrating biological data and processes: large-scale data gathering, systems biology (including modelling of complex systems). AM 106 To generate and analyse the vast amount of data needed to understand better the complex regulatory networks of thousands of genes and gene-products controlling important biological processes in all relevant organisms and at all levels of organisation. Research on the brain and related diseases, human development and ageing. To explore the process of healthy ageing and the way genes and environment interact with brain activity, under normal conditions as well as in brain diseases and relevant age-related illness (e.g. dementia). Translational research in infectious diseases. To address drug resistance, the global threats of HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis as well as Hepatitis C and potentially new and re- AM 109 emerging epidemics (e.g. SARS and highly pathogenic influenza). Translational research in major diseases: cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes/obesity; rare diseases; other chronic diseases including rheumatoid diseases, AM 110 arthritis and musco-skeletal diseases AM 111. To develop patient-oriented strategies from prevention to diagnosis with particular emphasis in treatment including clinical research. Aspects of palliative medicine will be taken into account. Optimising the delivery of health care to European citizens Translating clinical outcome into clinical practice. To create the knowledge base for clinical decision-making and how to translate outcomes of clinical research into clinical practice and especially addressing patient safety and the better use of medicines (including some aspects of pharmacovigilance and scientifically tested complementary and alternative medicines) as well as AM 115 he specificities of children, women and the elderly population. Quality, efficiency and solidarity of health care systems including transitional health care systems and home care strategies. To translate effective interventions into management decisions, to assess the cost, efficiency and benefits of different interventions including as regards patient safety AM 113 , to define the needs and conditions for an adequate supply of human resources, to analyse factors influencing equity of access to high quality health care (also by disadvantaged groups), AM 113 including analyses of changes in population (e.g. ageing, mobility and migration, and the changing workplace). Enhanced disease prevention and better use of medicines. To develop efficient public health interventions addressing wider determinants of health (such as stress, diet, lifestyle AM 111 or environmental factors and their interaction with medication) AM 114. To identify successful interventions in different health care settings for improving the prescription of medicines and improving their use by patients (including pharmacovigilance aspects and interactions of medicines). Appropriate use of new health therapies and technologies. Long-term safety and effectiveness assessment AM 115 and monitoring of large scale use of new technologies (including devices) and advanced therapies ensuring a high level of protection and benefit for public health. Food, Agriculture and Biotechnology a European Knowledge Based Bio-Economy by bringing together science, industry and other stakeholders, to exploit new and emerging research opportunities that address social, environmental AM 119 and economic challenges: the growing demand for safer, healthier, higher quality food and for sustainable use and production of renewable bio-resources; the increasing risk of epizootic and zoonotic diseases and food related disorders; threats to the sustainability and security of agricultural, aquaculture AM 119 and fisheries production; and the increasing demand for high quality food, taking into account animal welfare and rural and AM 119 contexts and response to specific dietary needs of consumers. Innovations and advancement of knowledge in the sustainable management, production and use of biological resources (micro-organism, plants, animals), will provide the basis for new, sustainable, safe, eco-efficient and competitive products for agriculture, fisheries, feed, food, health, based and related industries. In line with strategy on life sciences and biotechnology , this will help increase the competitiveness of European agriculture and AM 120 biotechnology, seed AM 120 and food companies, in particular high tech SMEs, while improving social welfare and well-being.