The Community Initiatives The Education and Training Programmes We aim to make our presentations of real practical value and will prepare them to your specific needs. Using our contacts in the European Commission and elsewhere, we can often provide prestigious keynote speakers to enhance training events. Under Framework V, the European Union's Research and Development programme, special measures have been designed for the benefit of small and medium sized companies, or SMEs. Co-operative research allows a consortium of companies with limited or no research capability to commission a university or research centre to investigate a development problem of commercial interest to them. The SMEs specify the research programme and own the intellectual property generated.
Details differ in some cases, but the basic features apply throughout.
A two stage application procedure allows a preliminary outline proposal to be submitted by at least two SMEs from two different member states. If successful, the SMEs receive a grant for expanding the consortium, commissioning feasibility studies and preparing a detailed proposal. An open call operates for the duration of Framework V, allowing proposals to be submitted at any time. The new European Community Framework V programme for Research and Technological Development shows an increased emphasis on industrial relevance, with the introduction of an Exploitation Plan into project proposals. Successful projects must include a well planned analysis of the exploitation potential, marketing and dissemination strategy in the proposal and an allowance for continued re-assessment during the life of the project.