# C_2006075EN.01002201.xml

| 28.3.2006 | EN | Official Journal of the European Union | C 75/22 |
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28.3.2006

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 75/22

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Call for proposals for indirect RTD actions under the specific programme for research, technological development and demonstration: ‘Structuring the European Research Area’

Call title: PRO INNO Europe

Call identifier: FP6-2006-INNOV-10 (Strands 2-4) (1)

1

(2006/C 75/12)

| 1. | In accordance with Decision No 1513/2002/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council, of 27 June 2002, concerning the sixth framework programme of the European Community for research, technological development and demonstration activities contributing to the creation of the European Research Area and to innovation (2002 to 2006) (2), the Council adopted on 30 September 2002 the specific programme for research, technological development and demonstration: ‘Structuring the European Research Area’ (2002-2006) (3) (referred to as ‘the specific programme’).
  In accordance with Articles 5(1) of the specific programmes, the Commission of the European Communities (referred to as ‘the Commission’) adopted on 6 December 2002 a work programme for ‘structuring the European Research Area’ (4), which set out in greater detail the objectives and scientific and technological priorities of the specific programme, and the timetables for its implementation.
  In accordance with Article 9(1) of the Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council, of 16 December 2002, concerning the rules for the participation of undertakings, research centres and universities in, and for the dissemination of research results for, the implementation of the European Community Sixth Framework Programme (2002 to 2006) (5) (referred to as ‘the rules for participation’), proposals for indirect RTD actions should be submitted under the terms of calls for proposals. |
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1.

In accordance with Decision No 1513/2002/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council, of 27 June 2002, concerning the sixth framework programme of the European Community for research, technological development and demonstration activities contributing to the creation of the European Research Area and to innovation (2002 to 2006) (2), the Council adopted on 30 September 2002 the specific programme for research, technological development and demonstration: ‘Structuring the European Research Area’ (2002-2006) (3) (referred to as ‘the specific programme’).

2

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In accordance with Articles 5(1) of the specific programmes, the Commission of the European Communities (referred to as ‘the Commission’) adopted on 6 December 2002 a work programme for ‘structuring the European Research Area’ (4), which set out in greater detail the objectives and scientific and technological priorities of the specific programme, and the timetables for its implementation.

4

In accordance with Article 9(1) of the Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council, of 16 December 2002, concerning the rules for the participation of undertakings, research centres and universities in, and for the dissemination of research results for, the implementation of the European Community Sixth Framework Programme (2002 to 2006) (5) (referred to as ‘the rules for participation’), proposals for indirect RTD actions should be submitted under the terms of calls for proposals.

5

| 2. | The present call for proposals for indirect RTD actions (referred to as ‘the call’) comprises the present general part and the specific conditions that are described in the annex. The annex indicates in particular, the date of closure for the submission of proposals for indirect RTD actions, an indicative date for the completion of the evaluations, the indicative budget, the instruments and the areas concerned, the evaluation criteria for the evaluation of proposals for indirect RTD actions, the minimum number of participants, and any applicable restrictions. |
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2.

The present call for proposals for indirect RTD actions (referred to as ‘the call’) comprises the present general part and the specific conditions that are described in the annex. The annex indicates in particular, the date of closure for the submission of proposals for indirect RTD actions, an indicative date for the completion of the evaluations, the indicative budget, the instruments and the areas concerned, the evaluation criteria for the evaluation of proposals for indirect RTD actions, the minimum number of participants, and any applicable restrictions.

| 3. | Natural or legal persons fulfilling the conditions stated in the rules for participation and that do not fall under any of the exclusion cases in the rules for participation or in Article 114(2) of the Council Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1605/2002 of 25 June 2002 on the Financial Regulation applicable to the general budget of the European Communities (6) (referred to as ‘the proposers’) are invited to submit to the Commission proposals for indirect RTD actions subject to the conditions in the rules for participation and in the call concerned being fulfilled.
  The conditions of participation of the proposers will be verified within the framework of the negotiation of the indirect RTD action. Before that however, proposers will have signed a declaration stating that they do not fall under any of the cases given by Article 93(1) of the Financial Regulation. They will also have given the Commission the information listed in Article 173(2) of the Commission Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 2342/2002, of 23 December 2002, laying down detailed rules for the implementation of Council Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1605/2002 on the Financial Regulation applicable to the general budget of the European Communities (7).
  The European Community has adopted an equal opportunities policy and, on this basis, women are particularly encouraged to either submit proposals for indirect RTD actions or participate in the submission of proposals for indirect RTD actions. |
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3.

Natural or legal persons fulfilling the conditions stated in the rules for participation and that do not fall under any of the exclusion cases in the rules for participation or in Article 114(2) of the Council Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1605/2002 of 25 June 2002 on the Financial Regulation applicable to the general budget of the European Communities (6) (referred to as ‘the proposers’) are invited to submit to the Commission proposals for indirect RTD actions subject to the conditions in the rules for participation and in the call concerned being fulfilled.

6

The conditions of participation of the proposers will be verified within the framework of the negotiation of the indirect RTD action. Before that however, proposers will have signed a declaration stating that they do not fall under any of the cases given by Article 93(1) of the Financial Regulation. They will also have given the Commission the information listed in Article 173(2) of the Commission Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 2342/2002, of 23 December 2002, laying down detailed rules for the implementation of Council Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1605/2002 on the Financial Regulation applicable to the general budget of the European Communities (7).

7

The European Community has adopted an equal opportunities policy and, on this basis, women are particularly encouraged to either submit proposals for indirect RTD actions or participate in the submission of proposals for indirect RTD actions.

| 4. | The Commission makes available to proposers guides for proposers relating to the call which contain information on the preparation and the submission of a proposal for an indirect RTD action. The Commission also makes available Guidelines on Proposal Evaluation and Selection Procedures (8). These guides and guidelines, as well as the work programme and other information relating to the call, can be obtained from the Commission via the following addresses:





  European Commission |
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| The FP6 Information Desk |
| Directorate General RTD |
| B-1049 Brussels |
| Internet address: www.cordis.lu/fp6 |

4.

The Commission makes available to proposers guides for proposers relating to the call which contain information on the preparation and the submission of a proposal for an indirect RTD action. The Commission also makes available Guidelines on Proposal Evaluation and Selection Procedures (8). These guides and guidelines, as well as the work programme and other information relating to the call, can be obtained from the Commission via the following addresses:

8

European Commission

The FP6 Information Desk

Directorate General RTD

B-1049 Brussels

Internet address: www.cordis.lu/fp6

Internet address:

| 5. | Proposals for indirect RTD actions are invited to be submitted only as an electronic proposal via the web-based Electronic Proposal Submission System (EPSS (9)). In exceptional cases, however, a co-ordinator may request permission from the Commission to submit on paper in advance of a call deadline. This should be done by writing to the following address: entr-info-innov-fp6@cec.eu.int. The request must be accompanied by an explanation of why the exception is being sought. Proposers wishing to use paper submission take the responsibility for ensuring that such requests for exemption and the associated procedures are completed in time for them to meet the call deadline.
  All proposals for indirect RTD actions must contain two parts: the forms (Part A) and the content (Part B).
  Proposals for indirect RTD actions may be prepared off-line or on-line and submitted on-line. Part B of proposals for indirect RTD actions can only be submitted in PDF (‘portable document format’, compatible with Adobe Version 3 or higher with embedded fonts). Compressed (‘zipped’) files will be excluded.
  The EPSS software tool (for off-line or on-line usage) is available via the Cordis website www.cordis.lu.
  Proposals for indirect RTD actions that are submitted on-line and which are incomplete, illegible or contain viruses will be excluded.
  Versions of proposals for indirect RTD actions submitted on a removable electronic storage medium (eg, CD-rom, diskette), by email or by fax will be excluded.
  Any proposal for indirect RTD actions that has been allowed to be submitted on paper and which is incomplete will be excluded.
  Further details on the various proposal submission procedures are given in Annex J of the Guidelines on Proposal Evaluation and Selection Procedures. |
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5.

Proposals for indirect RTD actions are invited to be submitted only as an electronic proposal via the web-based Electronic Proposal Submission System (EPSS (9)). In exceptional cases, however, a co-ordinator may request permission from the Commission to submit on paper in advance of a call deadline. This should be done by writing to the following address: entr-info-innov-fp6@cec.eu.int. The request must be accompanied by an explanation of why the exception is being sought. Proposers wishing to use paper submission take the responsibility for ensuring that such requests for exemption and the associated procedures are completed in time for them to meet the call deadline.

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All proposals for indirect RTD actions must contain two parts: the forms (Part A) and the content (Part B).

Proposals for indirect RTD actions may be prepared off-line or on-line and submitted on-line. Part B of proposals for indirect RTD actions can only be submitted in PDF (‘portable document format’, compatible with Adobe Version 3 or higher with embedded fonts). Compressed (‘zipped’) files will be excluded.

The EPSS software tool (for off-line or on-line usage) is available via the Cordis website www.cordis.lu.

Proposals for indirect RTD actions that are submitted on-line and which are incomplete, illegible or contain viruses will be excluded.

Versions of proposals for indirect RTD actions submitted on a removable electronic storage medium (eg, CD-rom, diskette), by email or by fax will be excluded.

Any proposal for indirect RTD actions that has been allowed to be submitted on paper and which is incomplete will be excluded.

Further details on the various proposal submission procedures are given in Annex J of the Guidelines on Proposal Evaluation and Selection Procedures.

| 6. | Proposals for indirect RTD actions have to reach the Commission at the latest on the closure date and at the time specified in the call concerned. Proposals for indirect RTD actions arriving after this date and time will be excluded.
  Proposals for indirect RTD actions not satisfying the conditions relating to the minimum number of participants indicated in the call concerned will be excluded.
  This also applies regarding any additional eligibility criteria given in the work programme. |
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6.

Proposals for indirect RTD actions have to reach the Commission at the latest on the closure date and at the time specified in the call concerned. Proposals for indirect RTD actions arriving after this date and time will be excluded.

Proposals for indirect RTD actions not satisfying the conditions relating to the minimum number of participants indicated in the call concerned will be excluded.

This also applies regarding any additional eligibility criteria given in the work programme.

| 7. | In the case of successive submissions of the same proposal for an indirect RTD action, the Commission will examine the last version received before the closure date and time specified in the call concerned. |
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7.

In the case of successive submissions of the same proposal for an indirect RTD action, the Commission will examine the last version received before the closure date and time specified in the call concerned.

| 8. | If foreseen in the relevant call, proposals for indirect RTD actions could be evaluated in the framework of a future evaluation. |
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8.

If foreseen in the relevant call, proposals for indirect RTD actions could be evaluated in the framework of a future evaluation.

| 9. | In all correspondence relating to a call (e.g. when requesting information, or submitting a proposal for an indirect RTD action), proposers are invited to cite the relevant call identifier. |
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9.

In all correspondence relating to a call (e.g. when requesting information, or submitting a proposal for an indirect RTD action), proposers are invited to cite the relevant call identifier.

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(1)  Strand 1 will be developed under the Trendchart contract 15.12.2003 — 14.1.2008

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(2)  OJ L 232, 29.8.2002, p. 1.

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(3)  OJ L 294, 29.10.2002, p. 44.

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(4)  Commission Decision C(2002)4791, as amended by Commission Decisions C(2003)635, C(2003)998, C(2003)1951, C(2003)2708, C(2003)4571, C(2004)48, C(2004)3330, C(2004)4726, C(2005)969, C(2005)1447, C(2005)3190, C(2005)4206, C(2005)5735, and C(2006)336 all unpublished.

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(5)  OJ L 355, 30.12.2002, p. 23.

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(6)  OJ L 248, 16.9.2002, p. 1.

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(7)  OJ L 357, 31.12.2002, p. 1.

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(8)  C(2003)883 of 27/3/2003, as last modified by C(2004)3337 of 1.9.2004.

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(9)  The EPSS is a tool to assist proposers to develop and submit their proposals electronically.

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ANNEX

1)   Specific Programmes: ‘Structuring the European Research Area’

2)   Activities: Research and Innovation

3)   Call title: PRO INNO Europe

4)   Call identifier: FP6-2006-INNOV-10 (Strands 2-4) (1)

5)   Date of publication:

6)   Closure date: 28 June 2006, at 17h00 (Brussels local time)

7)   Total indicative budget: EUR 5,75 million

8)   Areas called, instruments and indicative budget per Area:

| Area | Instruments (2) | Indicative budget |
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| 1.2.2.3 | Strand 2: INNO-Policy Watch | SSA | Strand 2: EUR 4,5 million |
| Strand 3: INNO-Views | Strand 3: EUR 0,75 million |
| Strand 4: INNO-Appraisal | Strand 4: EUR 0,5 million |

Area

Instruments (2)

Indicative budget

1.2.2.3

Strand 2: INNO-Policy Watch

SSA

Strand 2: EUR 4,5 million

Strand 3: INNO-Views

Strand 3: EUR 0,75 million

Strand 4: INNO-Appraisal

Strand 4: EUR 0,5 million

9)   Minimum number of participants (3):

| Instrument | Minimum number of participants |
| --- | --- |
| SSA | 1 legal entity from a MS or AS |

Instrument

Minimum number of participants

SSA

1 legal entity from a MS or AS

10)   Restriction to participation: Strand 2: none

Strand 3: none

Strand 4: none

11)   Consortia agreements: In case of consortia, participants in Specific Support Actions resulting from 2, 3 and 4 of this call are required to conclude a consortium agreement.

12)   Evaluation procedure:

| — | The evaluation shall follow a single stage procedure. |
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The evaluation shall follow a single stage procedure.

| — | Proposals will not be evaluated anonymously. |
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Proposals will not be evaluated anonymously.

| — | A merger of successful proposals could be proposed by the Commission, if necessary. |
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A merger of successful proposals could be proposed by the Commission, if necessary.

13)   Evaluation criteria and weighting: See annex B to the work programme for the specific programme ‘Structuring the European Research Area’ for the applicable criteria per instrument.

For strands 2, 3 and 4 the following weights will be applied:

| Criteria/ weighting | Strand 2 | Strand 3 | Strand 4 |
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| 1. | Relevance |

Criteria/ weighting

Strand 2

Strand 3

Strand 4

1.

Relevance

15 %

15 %

15 %

| 2. | Quality of the support action |
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2.

Quality of the support action

30 %

30 %

30 %

| 3. | Potential impact |
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3.

Potential impact

10 %

10 %

10 %

| 4. | Quality of the management |
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4.

Quality of the management

25 %

25 %

25 %

| 5. | Mobilisation of resources |
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5.

Mobilisation of resources

20 %

20 %

20 %

The following thresholds will apply to the three strands of this call:

Quality of the support action 3 out of 5; Quality of the management: 3 out of 5; Mobilisation of resources: 3 out of 5.

Further information will be given in the Guides for Proposers and in the Guide for Evaluators.

14)   Indicative evaluation and contractual timetable:

| — | Evaluation results: estimated to be within 3 months after the relevant closure date mentioned under point 6. |
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Evaluation results: estimated to be within 3 months after the relevant closure date mentioned under point 6.

| — | Contract signature: it is estimated that the first contracts related to this call will come into force 6 months after the relevant closure date mentioned under point 6. |
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—

Contract signature: it is estimated that the first contracts related to this call will come into force 6 months after the relevant closure date mentioned under point 6.

15)   Review Procedure: No midterm preview is foreseen for these strands.

16)   Financial modalities: For strands 2, 3 and 4: The EC contribution can be up to 100 % of the eligible project costs.

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(1)  Strand 1 will be developed under the Trendchart contract 15.12.2003 — 14.1.2008

(2)   CA = Coordination actions; SSA = Specific Support Actions

(3)  MS = Member States of the EU; AS (incl. ACC) = Associated States; ACC = Associated candidate countries. Any legal entity established in a Member State or Associated State and which is made up of the requested number of participant may be the sole participant in an indirect action.

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