L 400/86 EN Official Journal of the European Union 30.12.2006 
 COUNCIL DECISION  
of 19 December 2006 
concerning the Specific Programme "Cooperation"  
implementing the Seventh Framework Programme  
of the European Community for research,  
technological development and demons tration activities (2007 to 2013)  
 
(Text with EEA relevance) 
 
(2006/971/EC) 
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, 
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the Euro pean Community, and in pa rticular Article 166(4) 
thereof, 
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission, Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament
1, 
Having regard to the opinion of the Eu ropean Economic and Social Committee2, 
                                                 
1 Opinion of 30 November 2006 (not yet published in the Official Journal). 
2 OJ C 185, 8.8.2006, p. 10. 
30.12.2006 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 400/87 
 Whereas: 
(1) In accordance with Article 166(3) of the Treaty, Decision No 1982/2006/EC of the 
European Parliament and of the Council of 20 December 2006 concerning the Seventh 
Framework Programme of the European Community for research, technological 
development and demonstra tion activities (2007-2013)* 1 (hereinafter referred to as "the 
Framework Programme") is to be implemente d through specific programmes that define 
detailed rules for their implementation, fi x their duration and provide for the means 
deemed necessary. 
(2) The Framework Programme is structured in  four types of activ ities: trans-national 
cooperation on policy-defined themes ("Cooperati on"), investigator-driven research based 
on the initiative of the resear ch community ("Ideas"), s upport of training and career 
development of researchers ("People"), and supp ort of research capacities ("Capacities"). 
Activities under "Cooperation" as  regards indirect actions sh ould be implemented by this 
specific programme. 
(3) The rules for the participation of undertakings, research centres  and universities and for the 
dissemination of research results, for the Fram ework Programme (hereinafter referred to as 
"the rules for participation and dissemination") should apply to this specific programme. 
                                                 
 
1 OJ L 412, 30.12.2006, p 1. 
L 400/88 EN Official Journal of the European Union 30.12.2006 
 (4) The Framework Programme should complement the activities carried out in the Member 
States as well as other Community actions that  are necessary for the overall strategic effort 
for the implementation of the Lisbon objectives , alongside in particular  those on structural 
funds, agriculture, education, training, cultu re, competitiveness and innovation, industry, 
health, consumer protection, employment,  energy, transport and environment. 
(5) Innovation and SME-related activities supporte d under this Framework Programme should 
be complementary to those undertaken  under the Framework Programme for 
Competitiveness and Innovation which will contri bute to closing the gap between research 
and innovation, and promote all forms of innovation. 
(6) Implementation of the Framework Program me may give rise to supplementary 
programmes involving the pa rticipation of certain Member St ates only, the pa rticipation of 
the Community in programmes undertaken by seve ral Member States, or the setting up of 
joint undertakings or other arrangements w ithin the meaning of Articles 168, 169 and 171 
of the Treaty. 
(7) This Specific Programme should provide a cont ribution to the European Investment Bank 
("EIB") for the constitution of a "Risk-Shari ng Finance Facility" in order to improve access 
to EIB loans. 
30.12.2006 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 400/89 
 (8) Appropriate involvement of SM Es through concrete measures and specific actions for their 
benefit should be supported under this Specifi c Programme, in complementarity with other 
Community programmes. 
(9) As provided for under Article 170 of the Trea ty, the Community has concluded a number 
of international agreements in the field of research a nd efforts should be made to 
strengthen international research cooperati on with a view to further integrating the 
Community into the world-wide research comm unity. Therefore, this Specific Programme 
should be open to the participation of countries  having concluded agreements to this effect 
and should also be open on the project level, and on the basis of mutu al benefit, to the 
participation of entities from third countries a nd of international organi sations for scientific 
cooperation. 
(10) Research activities carried out within this  programme should respect fundamental ethical 
principles, including those which are reflected in the Charter of  Fundamental Rights of the 
European Union. 
(11) The implementation of the Framework Progra mme should contribute towards promoting 
sustainable development. 
L 400/90 EN Official Journal of the European Union 30.12.2006 
 (12) Sound financial management of the Framewor k Programme and its implementation should 
be ensured in the most effective and user-f riendly manner possible, while ensuring legal 
certainty and the accessibility of the programme for all participants, in compliance with 
Council Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1605/2002 of 25 June 2002 on the Financial Regulation applicable to the genera l budget of the European Communities
1 and 
Commission Regulation (E C, Euratom) 2342/20022 laying down detailed rules for the 
implementation of that Financial Regulation and any future amendments. 
(13) Appropriate measures – proportionate to the European Communities' financial interests – 
should be taken to monitor both the effectiven ess of the financial support granted and the 
effectiveness of the utilisation of these funds  in order to prevent irregularities and fraud 
and the necessary steps should be taken to re cover funds lost, wrongly paid or incorrectly 
used in accordance with Council Regu lation (EC, Euratom) No 2988/95 of 
18 December 1995 on the protection of the Eur opean Communities' financial interests3, 
Council Regulation (Euratom, EC) No 2185/96 of 11 November 1996 concerning on-the-spot checks and inspections carried out by the Commission in order to protect the 
European Communities' financial interest s against fraud and other irregularities
4 and 
Regulation (EC) No 1073/1999 of the Europ ean Parliament and of the Council of 
25 May 1999 concerning investigations conduc ted by the European Anti-Fraud Office 
(OLAF)5. 
                                                 
1 OJ L 248, 16.9.2002, p. 1. 
2 OJ L 357, 31.12.2002, p. 1. Regulation as amen ded by Commission Regulation (EC, 
Euratom) No 1261/2005 (OJ L 201, 2.8.2005, p. 3). 
3 OJ L 312, 23.12.1995, p. 1. 
4 OJ L 292, 15.11.1996, p. 2. 
5 OJ L 136, 31.5.1999, p. 1. 
30.12.2006 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 400/91 
 (14) Since the measures necessary for the implem entation of this Decision are essentially 
management measures, they should therefor e be adopted by the management procedure 
provided for in Article 4 of Council Deci sion 1999/468/EC of 28 June 1999, laying down 
the procedures for the exercise of impl ementing powers conferred on the Commission1. On 
the other hand, research invol ving the use of human embryos and human embryonic stem 
cells raises specific ethical issues, as descri bed in Article 4 of this Decision. Moreover, 
RTD actions involving research  under the "Security" theme represent a new and very 
sensitive area, in particular with regard to potential threats and security incidents. 
Therefore, measures for the financing of such projects should be adopted by the regulatory 
procedure provided for in Article 5 of Decision 1999/468/EC. 
(15) Each thematic area should have its own budget li ne in the general budget of the European 
Communities. 
(16) In the implementation of this programme adequa te attention needs to be paid to gender 
mainstreaming, as well as to, inter alia, work ing conditions, transpar ency of recruitment 
processes, and career development as regard s the researchers recr uited on projects and 
programmes funded under the actions of this programme, for which the Commission Recommendation of 11 March 2005 on the Europ ean Charter for Researchers and on a 
Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Res earchers offers a reference framework, while 
respecting its voluntary nature, 
HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION: 
                                                
 
1 OJ L 184, 17.7.1999, p. 23. Decision as amended by Decision 2006/512/EC (OJ L 200, 
22.7.2006, p. 11). 
L 400/92 EN Official Journal of the European Union 30.12.2006 
 Article 1 
The Specific Programme "Cooperation" for Commun ity activities in the area of research and 
technological development, including demonstr ation activities, here inafter the "Specific 
Programme", is hereby adopted for the pe riod from 1 January 2007 to 31 December 2013. 
Article 2 
The Specific Programme shall support the activitie s for cooperation supporti ng the whole range of 
research actions carried out in trans-national cooperation in the following thematic areas: 
(a) Health; (b) Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, Bio-technology; (c) Information and Communication Technologies; (d) Nano-sciences, Nano-technologies, Mate rials and new Production Technologies; 
(e) Energy; 
(f) Environment (including Climate Change); (g) Transport (including Aeronautics); 
30.12.2006 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 400/93 
 (h) Socio-economic Sciences and Humanities; 
(i) Space; (j) Security. Implementation of this Specific Programme may gi ve rise to supplementa ry programmes involving 
the participation of certain Member States only, the participation of the Community in programmes 
undertaken by several Member States, or the setti ng up of joint undertakings or other arrangements 
within the meaning of Article s 168, 169 and 171 of the Treaty. 
The objectives and the broad lines of th ese activities are set out in Annex I. 
Article 3 
In accordance with Annex II of the Framework Pr ogramme, the amount deemed necessary for the 
execution of the Specific Programme shall be EU R 32 413 million, of which le ss than 6 % shall be 
for the Commission's administrative expenditure. An  indicative breakdown of this amount is given 
in Annex II. 
Article 4 
1. All the research activities car ried out under the Specific Programme shall be carried out in 
compliance with fundament al ethical principles. 
L 400/94 EN Official Journal of the European Union 30.12.2006 
 2. The following fields of research sha ll not be financed under this programme: 
– research activity aiming at human  cloning for reproductive purposes, 
– research activity intended to modify the genetic heritage of human beings which 
could make such changes heritable1, 
– research activities intended to create human embryos solely for the purpose of 
research or for the purpose of stem cell procurement, including by means of somatic 
cell nuclear transfer. 
3. Research on human stem cells, both adult and embryonic, may be financed, depending 
both on the contents of the scientific propos al and the legal framework of the Member 
State(s) involved. 
Any application for financing for research on human embryonic stem cells shall include, as 
appropriate, details of licensing and control meas ures that will be taken by the competent 
authorities of the Member States as well as de tails of the ethical approval(s) that will be 
provided. 
As regards the derivation of human embryonic stem cells, institutions, organisations and 
researchers shall be subject to  strict licensing and control in  accordance with the legal 
framework of the Member State(s) involved. 
                                                 
1 Research relating to cancer treatme nt of the gonads may be financed. 
30.12.2006 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 400/95 
 4. The fields of research set out above sha ll be reviewed for the second phase of this 
programme (2010-2013) in the light  of scientific advances. 
Article 5 
1. The Specific Programme shall be impl emented by means of the funding schemes 
established in Annex III to the Framework Programme.  
2. Annex III to this Specific Programme sets out the arrangements for a grant to the EIB for 
the establishment of a Risk -Sharing Finance Facility. 
3. Annex IV sets out an indicative list of possi ble Joint Technology Init iatives that could be 
the subject of separate decisi ons and an indicative list of initiatives for the possible joint 
implementation of national research programmes that could be the subject of a separate 
decision on the basis of Article 169 of the Treaty. 
4. The rules for participation and disseminati on shall apply to this Specific Programme. 
Article 6 
1. The Commission shall draw up a work progra mme for the implementation of this Specific 
Programme, setting out in great er detail the objectives and scientific and technological 
priorities set out in Annex I, the funding sc heme to be used for the topic on which 
proposals are invited, and the timetable for implementation. 
L 400/96 EN Official Journal of the European Union 30.12.2006 
 2. The work programme shall take  account of relevant research  activities carr ied out by the 
Member States, associated count ries and European and intern ational organisations, and the 
achievement of European added-value as we ll the impact on industrial competitiveness and 
the relevance for other Community policies.  It shall be updated where appropriate. 
3. Proposals for indirect actions under the fundi ng schemes shall be evaluated and projects 
shall be selected considering the criteria set out in Article 15(1a) of the rules for participation and dissemination. 
4. The work programme may identify: 
(a) organisations that receive subscriptions in the form of a membership fee; (b) support actions for the activiti es of specific legal entities. 
Article 7 
1. The Commission shall be responsible for th e implementation of the Specific Programme. 
2. The management procedure laid down in Arti cle 8(2) shall apply fo r the adoption of the 
following measures: 
(a) the work programme referred to in Artic le 6 including the funding schemes to be 
used, the content of the calls  for proposals as well as the evaluation and selection 
criteria to be applied; 
(b) any adjustment to the indicative breakdow n of the amount as set out in Annex II; 
30.12.2006 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 400/97 
 (c) the approval of the funding of actions under the thematic area s (a) - (g) and (i) 
referred to in Article 2, where the estimat ed amount of the Community contribution 
under this programme is equal to or more than EUR 1,5 million; 
(d) the approval of the funding of actions, other than those referred to in point (c) of this 
paragraph and the thematic area (j) referred to in Artic le 2, where the estimated 
amount of the Community contribution under this programme is equal to or more 
than EUR 0,6 million; 
(e) the drawing up of the terms of refere nce for the evaluations provided for in 
Articles 7(2) and 7(3) of the Framework Programme. 
3. The regulatory procedure laid down in Article  8(3) shall apply for the adoption of the 
following measures: 
(a) the work programme regarding the thematic  area referred to in point (j) of Article 2, 
and the approval of the funding of actions under that thematic area; 
(b) the approval of the funding of actions  involving the use of human embryos and 
human embryonic stem cells. 
Article 8 
1. The Commission shall be assisted by a Committee. 
L 400/98 EN Official Journal of the European Union 30.12.2006 
 2. Where reference is made to this paragra ph, Articles 4 and 7 of Decision 1999/468/EC shall 
apply. 
The period laid down in Article  4(3) of Decision 1999/468/EC sh all be set at two months. 
3. Where reference is made to this paragra ph, Articles 5 and 7 of Decision 1999/468/EC shall 
apply. 
The period laid down for in Article 5(6) of Decision 1999/468/EC shall be set at two 
months. 
4. The Commission shall regularly inform th e Committee of the overall progress of the 
implementation of the Specific Programme, a nd shall provide it with timely information on 
all RTD actions proposed or funded under this  programme as specified in Annex V. 
5. The Committee shall adopt its rules of procedure. 
Article 9 
The Commission shall arrange for the independent monitoring, assessment and review provided for 
in Article 7 of the Framework Programme to be conducted concerning the ac tivities carried out in 
the fields covered by the Specific Programme. 
30.12.2006 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 400/99 
 Article 10 
This Decision shall enter into force on the third day following its publication in the Official Journal 
of the European Union. 
This Decision is addressed to the Member States. Done at Brussels, 19 December 2006. 
 For the Council 
 The President 
 J. KORKEAOJA 
 
L 400/100 EN Official Journal of the European Union 30.12.2006 
 ANNEX I  
SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL OBJECTIVES,  
BROAD LINES OF THE TH EMES AND ACTIVITIES 
In this Specific Programme, support will be provi ded for trans-national cooperation at every scale 
across the European Union and beyond, in a number of  thematic areas corresponding to major fields 
of the progress of knowledge and technology, where research must be supported and strengthened 
to address European social, economic, public he alth, environmental and industrial challenges. 
The overarching aim is to contribut e to sustainable development w ithin the context of promoting 
research, the primary purpose of which is to increa se knowledge, at the highe st level of excellence. 
The ten themes determined for Co mmunity action are the following: 
1) Health; 
2) Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, Bio-technology; 
3) Information and Communication Technologies; 4) Nano-sciences, Nano-technologies, Mate rials and new Production Technologies; 
5) Energy; 6) Environment (including Climate Change); 
30.12.2006 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 400/101 
 7) Transport (including Aeronautics); 
8) Socio-economic Sciences and the Humanities; 9) Space; 10) Security. Each theme is described in terms of the objective, the approach to  implementation, and the activities 
including those involving large-scal e initiatives (as set ou t indicatively in Anne x IV), international 
cooperation, emerging needs a nd unforeseen policy needs. 
The principle of sustainable development will be duly taken into account. According to the 
European policy of equal opportuniti es between women and men, set out  in Articles 2 and 3 of the 
Treaty, the activities of the Specific Programme will ensure the implementation of appropriate 
measures to promote gender equality and the part icipation of women researchers. Furthermore, 
considerations of the ethical, so cial, legal and wider cultural as pects of the research to be 
undertaken and its poten tial applications, as well as socio- economic impacts of scientific and 
technological development and foresight, will where re levant form a part of the activities under this 
Specific Programme. 
L 400/102 EN Official Journal of the European Union 30.12.2006 
 Pluridisciplinary and cross-thematic research, including joint calls 
Special attention will be paid to  priority scientific and technological areas which cut across themes, 
such as marine sciences and technologies. Pl uridisciplinarity will be encouraged by joint 
cross-thematic approaches to res earch and technology subj ects relevant to more than one theme. 
Such cross-thematic approaches will be implemented, among others, through: 
– the use of joint calls between themes where a research topic is clear ly relevant to the 
activities under each of the respective themes, 
– the special emphasis within the "emerging needs" activity for cross-disciplinary research, 
– the use of external advice, in cluding from researchers, from  a broad range of disciplines 
and backgrounds for estab lishing the work programme, 
– regular reporting on cross-thematic research  areas as part of the overall monitoring, 
assessment and review of the programme, 
– for policy-relevant research, ensuring  coherence with Co mmunity policies. 
Coordination between the themes in this Speci fic Programme and the actions under other Specific 
Programmes of the Seventh Framework Programme, such  as those on research infrastructures in the 
"Capacities" Specific Programme, will be ensured by the European Commission1. 
                                                 
1 With a view to facilitating the implementa tion of the programme, fo r each meeting of the 
programme committee as defined in the ag enda, the Commission will reimburse, in 
accordance with its established guidelines, the expenses of one representative per Member 
State, as well as one expert/adviser per Me mber State for those agenda items where a 
Member State requires specific expertise. 
30.12.2006 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 400/103 
 Adaptation to evolving needs and opportunities 
The continued industrial relevance of the themes, and the continued partic ipation of industry in 
them, will be ensured by relying, among other so urces, on the work of the various "European 
Technology Platforms". This Specific Programme, together with the contributions made by 
industry, will thereby contribute to the implementa tion of relevant Strategic Research Agendas such 
as those established and developed by the Eur opean Technology Platform s where these present 
genuine European added value. The broad research needs identified in available Strategic Research 
Agendas are already well reflected across the te n themes. European Technology Platforms, with 
possible participation of regional re search-driven clusters, can play a role to facilita te and organise 
the participation of indus try, including SMEs, in research proj ects relating to their specific filed, 
including projects eligible fo r funding under the Framework Programme. The more detailed 
incorporation of their technical content will be refl ected subsequently when formulating the detailed 
work programme for specif ic calls for proposals. 
The continued relevance of the themes to the formulation, implementation and assessment of 
Community policies and regulations will also be en sured. This concerns policy areas such as those 
of health, safety, consumer protection, energy, the environment, development aid, fisheries, 
maritime affairs, agriculture, animal health and welfare, transport, education and training, 
information society and media, employment, social  affairs, cohesion, and the establishment of an 
area for freedom, security and justice, along with pre normative and co normative research relevant 
to improving interoperability and th e quality of standards and their implementation. In this context, 
platforms that bring together stakeholders with  the research community to consider strategic 
research agendas relevant to social, environmental or other policy areas may play a role. 
L 400/104 EN Official Journal of the European Union 30.12.2006 
 Under each theme, besides the activities defined, sp ecific actions to respond to "emerging needs" 
and "unforeseen policy needs" will be impl emented in an open and flexible way. The 
implementation of these actions will ensure a simple, coherent and coordinated approach throughout the Specific Programme a nd the funding of cross-disciplinar y research cutting across or 
lying outside the themes. 
• Future and Emerging Technologies:  through specific support for research proposals aiming at 
identifying or further exploring new scientific and t echnological opportunities in a given field 
and/or in their combination with other relevant  areas and disciplines th rough 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 ro admaps in particular linked with a potential for 
significant breakthroughs; adequate  coordination with the activiti es carried out under the "Ideas" 
programme will be guaranteed in order to avoid overlap and ensu re an optimum use of funding. 
This will be implemented through: 
– open, "bottom up" research on topics identifi ed by researchers themselves to develop 
new scientific and technologi cal opportunities ("A dventure" actions) or to assess new 
discoveries or newly-observ ed phenomena which could in dicate risks or problems to 
society ("Insight" actions), 
– initiatives focused on specific, highly ch allenging objectives in emerging scientific 
and technological fields that promise majo r advances and a large potential impact on 
economic and social developments, and may involve groups of complementary 
projects ("Pathfinder" actions). 
30.12.2006 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 400/105 
 • Unforeseen policy needs: to respond in a flexible way to ne w policy needs that arise during the 
course of the Framework Programme, such as un foreseen developments or events requiring a 
quick reaction like new epidemics, emerging concerns  in food safety, natu ral disaster responses 
or actions of solidarity. This will be implemen ted in close relationship with the relevant 
Community policies. The annual work  programme may be altered in the event of urgent research 
needs. 
Dissemination, knowledge transfer and broader engagement  
The dissemination and transfer of knowledge is a ke y added-value of European research actions and 
measures will be taken to increase the use and impact of results by industry, policy makers and society. Dissemination will be considered an integral  task under all thematic areas with appropriate 
restrictions for the security theme due to the c onfidentiality aspects of the activities, including 
through the funding of networ king/brokerage initiatives, seminars and events, assistance by external 
experts and electronic information services. This  will be implemented in each thematic area by 
means of: 
– integration of dissemination and knowledge transf er actions within projects and consortia, 
through suitable provisions in the financ ing schemes and reporting requirements, 
– offering targeted assistance to projects and c onsortia to provide them with access to the 
necessary skills to optimise the use of results, 
L 400/106 EN Official Journal of the European Union 30.12.2006 
 – specific dissemination actions which take a proactive approach to disseminating results 
from across a range of projects, includi ng those from previous Framework Programmes 
and other research programmes, and which target  specific sectors or se ts of stakeholders, 
with special emphasis on potential users, 
– dissemination to policy makers, including standard isation bodies, to fa cilitate the use of 
policy relevant results by the appropriate bodi es at international, European, national or 
regional levels, 
– CORDIS services to foster the dissemination of knowledge in a user-friendly way and the 
exploitation of research results, 
– initiatives to foster dialogue and debate on scientific issues  and research results with a 
broader public beyond the research commun ity, including civil society organisation. 
Coordination of dissemination and knowledge tr ansfer across the Framework Programme will be 
ensured. Complementary and synergies betw een this programme and other Community 
programmes will be ensured, in particular in the field of education with the aim of promoting 
careers in research. Actions to support innovation will be implemented by the Competitiveness and 
Innovation Programme. 
30.12.2006 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 400/107 
 SME participation 
The optimal participation of Small and Medium Si zed Enterprises (SMEs) w ill be facilitated across 
the thematic areas, in particular by improved fi nancial and administrativ e procedures, and more 
flexibility in choosing the appr opriate financial scheme. Furthermore, the research needs and 
potential of SMEs are duly taken into account in developing the conten t of the thematic areas of this 
Specific Programme, and areas which are of particul ar interest to SMEs will be identified in the 
work programme. Concrete measures, including suppor t actions to facilitate  SME participation, will 
be taken throughout 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 15 % of the funding available under this 
programme to go to SMEs. 
Specific actions to support research  for the benefit of SMEs or SME associations are included in the 
"Capacities" Specific Programme, and actions to promote SME participation across the Framework 
Programme will be funded under the Co mpetitiveness and Innovation Programme. 
L 400/108 EN Official Journal of the European Union 30.12.2006 
 Ethical aspects 
During the implementation of this Specific Programme and in the research activities arising from it, 
fundamental ethical principles are to be respected. These include, in ter alia, the principles reflected 
in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU , including the following:  protection of human 
dignity and human life, protecti on of personal data and privacy, as well as animals and the 
environment in accordance with Community law and th e latest versions of relevant international 
conventions, guidelines and codes of conduct, e.g. the Helsinki Declaration,  the Convention of the 
Council of Europe on Human Rights and Bio-medi cine signed in Oviedo on 4 April 1997 and its 
Additional Protocols, the UN Conve ntion on the Rights of the Child, the Universal Declaration on 
the human genome and human rights adopted by UNESCO, UN Biological and Toxin Weapons 
Convention (BTWC), Internationa l Treaty on Plant Genetic Resour ces for Food and Agriculture, 
and the relevant World Health Organisation (WHO) resolutions. 
Account will also be taken of the Opinions of  the European Group of Advisers on the Ethical 
Implications of Bio-technology ( 1991-1997) and the Opinions of th e European Group on Ethics in 
Science and New Technologies (as from 1998). 
In accordance with the principle of subsidiarity and the diversity of  approaches existing in Europe, 
participants in research projects must conform to current legisl ation, regulations and ethical rules in 
the countries where the research will be carried out. At all events, national provisions apply and no 
research forbidden in any given Member State or other country will be supported by Community 
funding to be carried out in th at Member State or country. 
30.12.2006 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 400/109 
 Where appropriate, those carrying out research proj ects must seek the approval of the relevant 
national or local ethics committees prior to the star t of the RTD activities. An ethical review will 
also be implemented systematically by the Co mmission for proposals dealing with ethically 
sensitive issues or where ethical aspects have not been adequately addressed. In specific cases an 
ethical review may take place during  the implementation of a project. 
No funding will be granted for research activities that are prohibited in all the Member States. 
The Protocol on protection and welfare of animals annexed to the Treaty re quires the Community to 
pay full regard to the welfare re quirements of animals in formulating and implementing Community 
policies including research. Council Directive 86/609/EEC of 24 November 1986 on the 
approximation of laws, regulations and administra tive provisions of the Member States regarding 
the protection of animals used for expe rimental and other scientific purposes1 requires that all 
experiments: 
– be designed to avoid distress and unnecessary  pain and suffering to the experimental 
animals,  
– use the minimum number of animals,  
– involve animals with the lowest degree of neurophysiological sensitivity, and  
– cause the least pain, suffering, distress or lasting harm.  
                                                 
1 OJ L 358, 18.12.1986, p. 1. Directive as amended by Directive 2003/65/EC and of the 
European Parliament and of the Council (OJ L 230, 16.9.2003, p. 32). 
L 400/110 EN Official Journal of the European Union 30.12.2006 
 Altering the genetic heritage of animals and cloning of animals may be considered only if the aims 
are ethically justified and the c onditions are such that the animal s' welfare is guaranteed and the 
principles of bio-diversity are respected. 
During the implementation of this programme, scie ntific advances and na tional and international 
provisions will be regularly monitored by the Commission so as to take account of any 
developments. 
Research on ethics related to scientific and technological developments will be carried out in the 
"Science in Society" part of th e "Capacities" Specific Programme. 
Collaborative research 
Collaborative research will const itute 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 at tract researchers and investments fr om Europe and the entire world, 
strengthening the European industrial and techno logical base and supporti ng Community policies. 
This will be achieved by supporting collaborative  research, which will include the active 
participation of industry, through th e range of funding schemes: colla borative projects, networks of 
excellence, and coordination/support actions. 
30.12.2006 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 400/111 
 Joint Technology Initiatives 
In a very limited number of cases, the scope of  a RTD objective and the scale of the resources 
involved justify setting up long-te rm public private partnerships in the form of Joint Technology 
Initiatives. These initiatives, mainly resulting fr om the work of European Technology 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 finance from the European Investment Bank. Each Joint 
Technology Initiative will be decide d individually, either on the ba sis of Article 171 of the Treaty 
(this may include the creation of a joint undertaki ng) or on the basis of a modification of this 
Specific Programme in accordance w ith Article 166(3) of the Treaty. 
Joint Technology Initiatives are iden tified in an open and transparent way on the basis of a series of 
criteria including: 
– inability of existing instruments to achieve the objective, 
– scale of the impact on industria l 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 re source commitment from industry, 
L 400/112 EN Official Journal of the European Union 30.12.2006 
 – importance of the contribution to broader pol icy objectives including benefit to society, 
– capacity to attract additional national suppor t and leverage current or future industry 
funding. 
The nature of the Joint Technology Initiatives must be  clearly defined, in part icular 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 Joint Technology Init iatives, strong efforts 
will be made to ensure their transparent operatio n and that any allocation of Community funding by 
the Joint Technology Initiatives will take place on the basis of the Framework Programme 
principles of excellence and competition. 
Particular attention will be paid to the ove rall coherence and coordination between Joint 
Technology Initiatives and national program mes and projects in the same fields1, while respecting 
their existing implementation procedures, as well as  to ensuring that the participation in their 
projects is open to a wide range of particip ants throughout Europe, a nd in particular SMEs. 
                                                 
1 In particular with the activities carried out  by the intergovernmental structure EUREKA. In 
addition, the experience gained by EUREKA cluste rs could be relevant to Joint Technology 
Initiatives in related areas.  
30.12.2006 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 400/113 
 An indicative list of Jo int Technology Initiatives is iden tified in Annex IV. Further Joint 
Technology Initiatives may be identified on the basis of the above criteria and be proposed during 
the implementation of the Seventh Framework Programme. 
Coordination of non-Community research programmes  
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 im plemented national research programmes (Treaty 
Article 169). The action will also be used to enha nce the complementarity and synergy between the 
Framework Programme and act ivities carried out in the framewor k of intergovernmental structures 
such as EUREKA, EIROforum and COST. Fi nancial support for the administration and 
coordination activities of COST w ill be provided so that COST can  continue to contribute to 
coordination and exchanges between nationally funded research teams. 
Where the actions are within the scope of one of the themes, they will be supported as an integral 
part of the activities under that theme. Where the actions are of a horizontal nature or not directly 
linked to the ten themes, they will be supporte d jointly across all of the relevant themes.1 
Where the actions are within the scope of another Specific Programme implementing the 
Seventh Framework Programme, they will be  supported under that Specific Programme. 
                                                 
1 This could include possible joint implementa tion of programmes in the field of Metrology. 
L 400/114 EN Official Journal of the European Union 30.12.2006 
 The ERA-NET scheme will develop and strength en 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 openi ng their programmes. Where appropriate, 
ERA-NETs could be applied for programme coordination between European regions and 
between Member States to enable their c ooperation with large- scale initiatives, 
– in a limited number of cases, providing a dditional Community financial support for 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 Commun ity in national 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 need s and/or interests. In well identified cases, 
such Article 169 initiatives will be launched in areas identified in close association with the 
Member States, including the possible cooperatio n with intergovernmental programmes, on the 
basis of the criteria defined in th e Seventh Framework Programme decision. 
An indicative list of initiatives for the joint implementation of national research programmes is 
identified in the description in Annex IV and could be the subject of a separate decision on the basis 
of Article 169 of the Treaty. Further initiati ves may be identified and proposed during the 
implementation of the Seventh Framework Programme. 
30.12.2006 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 400/115 
 International cooperation 
International cooperation actions, showing European added-value and being of mutual interest, will 
support an international Science and Technology po licy that has two interdependent objectives: 
– to support and promote European competitivenes s through strategic research partnerships 
with third countries including highly industr ialised and emerging economies in science and 
technology by engaging the best third country scientists to work in and with Europe, 
– to address specific problems that third countries  face or that have a gl obal character, on the 
basis of mutual interest  and mutual benefit. 
The international scientific cooperation polic y of the Community will stress and develop 
cooperation to generate, share a nd use knowledge through equitable research partnerships taking 
into account the international, country, regional and socio-economic context and knowledge base of 
partner countries. The strategic approach is to  enhance EU competitiveness and global sustainable 
development through such partnerships between the EU  and third countries at bilateral, regional and 
global levels based on mutual intere st and benefit. To this end the EU's role as a global player 
should be also promoted through mu ltilateral internationa l research programmes.  The international 
cooperation actions supported will be connected to mainstream po licy issues in order to support 
fulfilling international commitments of the EU and contribute to sharing European values, 
competitiveness, socio-economic progress, en vironmental protection and welfare under the 
umbrella of global sust ainable development. 
L 400/116 EN Official Journal of the European Union 30.12.2006 
 International cooperation will be implemented in th is Specific Programme in each thematic area and 
across themes through: 
• An enhanced participation of researchers and research institutions from all International 
Cooperation Partner countries and industrialised countries1 in the thematic areas, with 
appropriate restrictions for the security theme for all third co untries other than associated 
countries due to the confidentiality aspects. In  addition, there will be a particular emphasis to 
encourage third country participation in identified areas of mutual interest. 
• Specific cooperation actions in each thematic area  dedicated to third count ries in the case of 
mutual interest in cooperating on pa rticular topics to be selected on the basis of their scientific 
and technological level and needs. The identifi cation of specific needs and priorities will be 
closely associated with releva nt bilateral cooperation agreemen ts and with ongoing multilateral 
and bi-regional dialogues between the EU and these countries or groups of countries. Priorities 
will be identified based on the particular needs,  potential and level of economic development in 
the region or country. 
To this end, an international cooperation strategy and implementation plan will be developed with 
specific targeted actions within or  across the themes, e.g. in healt h, agriculture, sa nitation, water, 
food security, social cohesion, energy, environment,  fisheries, aquaculture and natural resources, 
sustainable economic policy and inform ation and communication technologies. 
                                                 
1 As defined in the Rules for Participation and Dissemination. 
30.12.2006 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 400/117 
 These actions will serve as privileged tools for implementing the cooperation between the 
Community and these countries. Such actions are, in particular, actions aiming at reinforcing the 
research capacities and cooperative capacitie s of candidate, neighbour hood, and developing and 
emerging countries. The actions will be the subject of targeted calls and particular attention will be 
paid to facilitating access  of the relevant third countries, notably developing countries, to the 
actions. 
These activities will be implemented in coordina tion with international cooperation actions under 
the "People" and the "Capacities" specific prog rammes. An overall strategy for International 
Cooperation within the Framework Pr ogramme will underpin this activity. 
 
THEMES 
1. Health 
Objective 
Improving the health of European citizens and increasing the competitiveness and boosting the 
innovative capacity of European health-related industries and businesses, while addressing global 
health issues including emerging epidemics. Em phasis will be put on tr anslational research 
(translation of basic discoveries in clinical applications includ ing scientific validation of 
experimental results), the development and vali dation of new therapies, methods for health 
promotion and prevention including promotion of child health, healthy agei ng, diagnostic tools and 
medical technologies, as well as sustainable and efficient health care systems. 
L 400/118 EN Official Journal of the European Union 30.12.2006 
 Approach 
This research will advance our understanding on how  to promote good health more efficiently, to 
reduce the health differences across Europe, to pr event and treat major diseases and to deliver 
health care. Basic bio-medical research will be an  integral part of this theme; multidisciplinary 
approaches are of particular im portance in the health theme. 
This research will help integrate the vast amount  of genomics, epidemiological, biological and 
bio-technology data and develop key technologies for health-relat ed industries with a view to 
developing knowledge and capacity fo r intervention. It will foster tr anslational health research, 
which is essential to ensure practical benefits  including the improvement of life quality from 
bio-medical research. It will allow Europe to cont ribute more effectively to international efforts 
combating diseases of global importance, as illustrated by the ongoing programme on "European 
and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partne rship" (EDCTP) for combating HIV/AIDS, malaria 
and tuberculosis (Article 169)1. It will reinforce health policy-driven research at the European level 
and especially the comparisons of the models, systems and data of national databases. The 
networking of relevant databases is part icularly important in this respect. 
                                                 
1 Other new important initiatives  regarding the coordination of  national research programmes 
may be supported where needed. 
30.12.2006 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 400/119 
 This research will help improve the competitiven ess of European health care bio-technology and 
medical technology sectors, where SMEs are th e main economic drivers, and pharmaceutical 
industries. It may include support fo r the European Technology Platform1 on Innovative Medicines, 
aiming at overcoming the research bottlenecks in the drug development pro cess. Special attention 
will be given to bridging the gap between resear ch activities and exploi tation by providing support 
for demonstrating proof of concept and clinical valid ation. This research will also contribute to the 
development of norms and standards for new a dvanced therapies (e.g. regenerative medicine) 
needed to help EU industry face worldwide compet ition. Global leadership in European research 
and innovation in the field of alternative testing st rategies, in particular non-animal methods, should 
be ensured. 
Gender aspects in research will be cons idered and integrated in the projects2 whenever appropriate. 
Special attention will be given to communicating research outcomes  and engaging in dialogue with 
civil society, in particular with patient groups, at  the earliest possible stag e, of new developments 
arising from bio-medical and gene tics research. A wide dissemina tion and use of the results will 
also be assured. 
                                                 
1 Strategic research agendas of other Eu ropean Technology Platforms may be supported 
where they are of major importan ce for health-related industries. 
2 Risk factors, biological mechanisms, causes,  clinical manifestation, consequences and 
treatment of disease and disorders  often differ between women and men. Therefore, all 
activities funded within this Th eme must reflect the possibility of such differences in their 
research protocols, methodologies  and analysis of results. 
L 400/120 EN Official Journal of the European Union 30.12.2006 
 The strategic issues, child health1 and the health of the agei ng population will receive specific 
attention and will have to be taken into account wh enever appropriate across all activities in this 
theme, with priorities highlighted in the work pr ogramme. Other multi-disciplinary areas will also 
be included. This will ensure a visible and cohere nt approach to these issues across the Theme, 
whilst avoiding duplication. 
Ethical, legal and socio-economic issues will be taken into account within each of the following 
activities2. 
Activities 
• Bio-technology, generic tools and medi cal technologies for human health  
This activity aims at developing and validating the necessary tools and technologies that will make 
possible the production of new knowledge  and its translation into prac tical applications in the area 
of health and medicine. 
– High-throughput research: to catalyse progr ess in developing new research tools for 
modern biology including fundamental genomic s that will enhance significantly data 
generation and improve data and specimen (bio-banks) standardisation, acquisition and 
analysis. The focus will be on new technol ogies for: sequencing; gene expression, 
genotyping and phenotyping; stru ctural and functional genomics; bio-informatics and 
systems biology; other "omics". 
                                                 
1 Support will in particular be given to specifi c clinical studies to provide evidence for the 
appropriate use of off-patent products currently used off label in paediatric populations. 
2 Specific research on ethical, legal and socio- economic issues will be undertaken in the 
Theme Socio-Economic Sciences and the Humanities under the Specific Programme 
"Cooperation", and in the Specific Programme "Capacities". 
30.12.2006 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 400/121 
 – Detection, diagnosis and monito ring: to develop visualisa tion, imaging, detection and 
analytical tools and technol ogies for bio-medical resear ch, for prediction, diagnosis, 
monitoring and prognosis of diseases, and for support and guidan ce of therapeutic 
interventions. The focus will be on a multidisciplinary approach integrating areas such as: molecular and cellular biology, physiology, ge netics, physics, chemistry, bio-medical 
engineering including nano- technologies, microsystems , devices and information 
technologies. Non- or minimally-invasive a nd quantitative methods and quality assurance 
aspects will be emphasised. 
– Predicting suitability, safety and efficacy of  therapies: to develop and validate the 
parameters, tools, methods and standards n eeded for bringing to the patient safe and 
effective new or improved bio-medicines
1. The focus will be on approaches such as 
pharmacogenomics, developing a nd validating biological marker s, targeting and delivery 
approaches, in silico, in vitro (including altern atives to animal testing) and in vivo methods 
and models2. 
– Innovative therapeutic approach es and interventions: to research, consolidate and ensure 
further developments in advanced therap ies and technologies with broad potential 
application. The focus will be on gene and cell therapy, regenerative medicine, transplantation, immunotherapy and vaccines, an d other medicines. Related technologies, 
such as advanced targeted delivery systems, advanced implants and prosthetics, and non- 
or minimally-invasive technology-assisted interventions will also be addressed. 
                                                
 
1 For conventional medicines (Pharmaceuticals an d Bio-pharmaceuticals), these issues could 
be addressed by a Joint Technology In itiative on Innovative Medicines. 
2 Replacement, refinement, reduction alternatives  to animal usage in biomedical research. 
L 400/122 EN Official Journal of the European Union 30.12.2006 
 • Translating research for human health  
This activity aims to increase knowledge of biol ogical processes and mechanisms involved in 
normal health and in specific disease situati ons, to transpose this knowledge into clinical 
applications including disease control and treat ment, and to ensure that clinical (including 
epidemiological) data guide further research. 
– Integrating biological data a nd processes: large-scale da ta gathering, systems biology. 
• Large-scale data gathering: to use high-throughput technologies to generate data for 
elucidating the function of genes and gene products and their inte ractions in complex 
networks in important biological proce sses. The focus will be on: genomics; 
proteomics, "RNA-omics"; population genetics; comparative, struct ural and functional 
genomics. 
• Systems biology: the focus will be on multidis ciplinary research that will integrate a 
wide variety of biological data and will develop and apply system approaches to 
understand and model biological pr ocesses in all relevant orga nisms and at all levels of 
organisation. 
30.12.2006 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 400/123 
 – Research on the brain and related di seases, human development and ageing. 
• Brain and brain-related diseases: to bette r understand the integrated structure and 
dynamics of the brain, and to study brain dis eases including relevant  age-related illness 
(e.g. dementia, Parkinson's disease) and search for new therapies. The focus will be on gaining a global understanding of the brai n by exploring brai n functions, from 
molecules to cognition including neuroinf ormatics, and brain dysfunction, from 
synoptic impairment to neurodegeneration. Research will addr ess neurological and 
psychiatric diseases and disorders, includi ng regenerative and restorative therapeutic 
approaches. 
• Human development and ageing: use of a wi de variety of methodol ogies and tools to 
better understand the process of life-long de velopment and healt hy ageing. The focus 
will be on the study of human and model system s, including interactions with factors 
such as environment, genetics, behaviour and gender. 
– Translational research in major infectious di seases: to confront major threats to public 
health. 
• Anti-microbial drug resistance including fungal pathogens: the focus will be on 
combining basic research on molecular mech anisms of resistance, microbial ecology 
and host-pathogen interactions with clinical research to wards new interventions to 
reduce the emergence and spread of multi-drug resistant infections. 
L 400/124 EN Official Journal of the European Union 30.12.2006 
 • HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis: the fo cus will be on developing new therapies, 
diagnostic tools, preventive tools such as v accines and chemical transmission barriers 
such as HIV microbicides. Research efforts will confront the three diseases at global 
level, but will also address specific European  aspects of the three diseases as well as 
Hepatitis. Preclinical and early clinical research activities will be emphasised, and where relevant (e.g. for HIV/AIDS vaccines)  collaboration with global initiatives is 
foreseen. 
• Potentially new and re-emerging epidemics: the focus will be on confronting emerging 
pathogens with pandemic potential in cluding zoonoses (e.g. SARS and highly 
pathogenic influenza). Where appropriate, prov isions will be made for rapidly initiating 
collaborative research aimed at expediting development of new diagnostics, drugs and 
vaccines for efficient prevention, treatmen t, and control of infectious disease 
emergencies. 
– Translational research in other major diseases
1 
• Cancer: the focus will be on disease aetiol ogy, new medicines and therapies; identifying 
and validating drug targets and biological markers that aid in the prevention, early 
diagnosis and treatment; and assessing the effectivene ss of preventive prognostic, 
diagnostic and therap eutic interventions. 
                                                 
1 Aspects of palliative medicine and the use of  active ingredients will be taken into account. 
30.12.2006 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 400/125 
 • Cardiovascular disease: the focus will be on diagnosis, prevention, treatment and 
monitoring of heart and blood vessel diseases  (including vascular aspects of stroke) 
using broad multidisciplinary approaches.  
• Diabetes and obesity: for the former, the focus will be on aetiologies of the different 
types of diabetes, and their related prevention and treatment. For the latter, the focus 
will be on multidisciplinary approaches incl uding genetics, life style and epidemiology. 
For both diabetes and obesity, special attenti on will be given to juvenile diseases and 
factors operating in childhood. 
• Rare diseases: the focus will be on Europe-wide studies of natural history, 
pathophysiology and on development of pr eventive, diagnostic and therapeutic 
interventions. This sector will include rare Mendelian phenotypes of common diseases. 
• Other chronic diseases: the focus will be on non-lethal diseases with a high impact on 
the quality of life at old age such as f unctional and sensory impairment and other 
chronic diseases (e.g. arthritis, rheumatic a nd musculo-skeletal dis eases and respiratory 
diseases including those induced by allergies). 
• Optimising the delivery of health care to European citizens  
This activity aims at providing the necessary ba sis both for informed policy decisions on health 
systems and for more effective and efficient eviden ce-based strategies of health promotion, disease 
prevention, diagnosis and therapy. 
L 400/126 EN Official Journal of the European Union 30.12.2006 
 – Translating the results of clin ical research outcome into c linical practice including better 
use of medicines, and appropria te use of behavioural and or ganisational interventions and 
new health therapies and technol ogies. Special attention will be given to patient safety 
including adverse effects of medi cation: to identify the best clinical practice; to understand 
decision making in clinical settings in pr imary and specialised care; and to foster 
applications of evidence-based medicine a nd patient empowerment. Focus will be on the 
benchmarking of strategies; i nvestigating outcomes of diff erent interventions including 
medicines, scientifically tested complementar y and alternative medicines, and new health 
therapies and technologies, taki ng into considerati on prescription strate gies, some aspects 
of pharmacovigilance evidence, sp ecificities of the patient (e. g. genetic susceptibility, age, 
gender and adherence) and cost benefits. 
– Quality, efficiency and solidarity of health  care systems including transitional health 
systems, to allow countries to learn from th e experience of other he alth systems and their 
sustainability, taking into account the impor tance of national contexts and population 
characteristics (ageing, mobility, migration, education, socioeconomic status and the 
changing world of work, etc). Focus will be on organisational, financial and regulatory aspects of health systems (assessing the cost , efficiency and benefits of different 
interventions including as regards patient sa fety), their implementation and their outcomes 
in terms of effectiveness, efficiency and e quity (including disadvantaged groups). Special 
attention will be paid to investment is sues and human resources including home care 
strategies. The question of independence, life  quality and mobility of the ageing population 
will be covered. 
30.12.2006 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 400/127 
 – Enhanced health promotion and disease preventi on: to provide evidence for the best public 
health measures in terms of life styles, work  and living circumstances and interventions at 
different levels and in different contexts. Focu s will be on the wider determinants of health 
and how they interact at both the individual and community le vel (e.g. diet, stress, tobacco, 
alcohol and other substances , physical activity, cultural context, socio-economic and 
environmental factors). In particular, mental  health will be addressed in a life-course 
perspective. 
International cooperation 
International cooperation is an inte gral part of the Theme and is of  particular importance for areas 
addressing global health problems, such as an ti-microbial resistance, HIV/AIDS, malaria, 
tuberculosis, neglected diseases and emerging pandemics. This may al so involve priority setting in 
the context of internatio nal initiatives, such as the Global HI V Vaccine Enterprise. Subject to the 
consolidation of a long-term sustainable partners hip in clinical resear ch between Europe and 
Developing countries and subject to the integration of national programmes or activities from 
participating countries, further support may be pr ovided to the European and Developing Countries 
Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP) in res ponse to its achievements and future needs1. The 
EDCTP programme will remain focused on advanced  clinical testing for the development of new 
vaccines, microbicides and drugs against the three di seases in sub-Saharan Africa. For this purpose, 
the Work Programme may foresee a Community contribution to the EDCTP-European Economic 
Interest Grouping for carrying out the programme  to be agreed by the Commission, including the 
reallocation of the Co mmunity contribution. 
                                                 
1 The Commission will carry out an evaluation of the EDCTP. 
L 400/128 EN Official Journal of the European Union 30.12.2006 
 Specific cooperation actions will be implemented  in the areas formulated through bi-regional 
dialogues in third Countries/Regi ons and international fora, as well as within the context of 
Millennium Development Goals. Such priority  areas adapted to lo cal needs and through 
partnerships may include:  health policy research, health syst ems and health care service research, 
maternal and child health, reproduc tive health, control and survei llance of neglected communicable 
diseases and emerging unforeseen policy needs in those regions.  
An annual subscription to the international Human Frontier Sc ience Programme Organisation 
(HFSPO)1 will be made jointly with the "Informa tion and Communication Technologies" theme. 
This will allow EU non-G8 Member States to fully benefit from the Human Frontier Science 
Programme (HFSP) and provide increased visibility for European research. 
Responding to emerging needs and unforeseen policy needs 
Research on emerging needs will be implemente d on the basis of "bottom up" and "focussed" 
initiatives, in coordination with other Themes and this will incl ude a broad and inter-disciplinary 
research portfolio. Support for unforeseen policy needs may address, for example living and work 
conditions, health impact assessment, risk asse ssment, statistical indicators, management and 
communication in the public health domain, as well as obligations under intern ational health treaties 
including the Framework C onvention on Tobacco Control2 and the International Health 
Regulations3. This will complement the health policy-driven research supported above. 
                                                 
1 The European Community is a member of the HFSP Organisation (H FSPO) and has funded 
HFSP under previous Framework Programmes. 
2 Framework Convention on Tobacco  Control, Decision 2004/513/EC. 
3 International Health Regulations 2005 – Resolution 58.3 of the 58th World Health 
Assembly, 23 May 2005. 
30.12.2006 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 400/129 
 2. Food, Agriculture and Fisheries and Biotechnology 
Objective 
Building a European Knowledge Based Bio-Economy1 by bringing together science, industry and 
other stakeholders, to exploit new and emergi ng research opportunities that address social, 
environmental and economic challenges: the growing demand for safer, healthier, higher quality 
food and for sustainable use and production of re newable bio-resources, th e increasing risk of 
epizootic and zoonotic diseases and food related disorders; threats to the sustainability  and security 
of agricultural, aquaculture and fisheries produc tion; and the increasing demand for high quality 
food, taking into account animal welfare and rural and coastal c ontext and response to specific 
dietary needs of consumers. 
                                                 
1 The term "bio-economy" includes all industrie s and economic sectors that produce, manage 
and otherwise exploit biologi cal resources (and re lated services, supply or consumer 
industries), such as agriculture, food, fisheries, forestry, etc. 
L 400/130 EN Official Journal of the European Union 30.12.2006 
 Approach 
This theme will strengthen the knowledge base, de liver the innovations and provide policy support 
for building and developing a European Knowle dge Based Bio-Economy (KBBE). Research will 
focus on the sustainable management, production a nd use of biological res ources, in particular 
through life sciences and bio-technology and the convergence with other technologies, to provide 
new, safer, affordable, eco-efficient and competiti ve products from European agriculture, fisheries, 
aquaculture, feed, food1, health, forest based and related indus tries. Research will make important 
contributions to the implementation and formula tion of Community policies and regulations and 
specifically address or support: the Common Agricultural Policy; agriculture and trade issues; 
safety aspects of GMOs; food safety regulations; Community plant health legislation; Community 
Animal Health Policy, disease control and welf are standards; environm ent and bio-diversity; 
European Forestry Strategy; and the Common Fi sheries Policy aiming to provide sustainable 
development of fishing and aquaculture and the sa fety of seafood products. Research will also seek 
to develop new and existing indicators supporting analysis, development a nd monitoring of these 
policies. 
Recognising the multifunctional role  of agriculture, research w ill support the role and opportunities 
for rural economies to deliver su stainable development objectives. 
                                                 
1 Food includes seafood. 
30.12.2006 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 400/131 
 Agro-food industries, of which 90 % are SMEs, w ill particularly benef it from many research 
activities, including targ eted dissemination and technology transf er activities, in particular as 
regards the integration and uptak e of advanced eco-efficient technologies, methodologies and 
processes and the developm ent of standards. High-tech start-ups  from the bio-, nano- and ICT are 
expected to provide important cont ributions to the areas of plant breeding, improved crops and plant 
protection, advanced detection a nd monitoring technologies for en suring food safety and quality, 
and new industrial bio-processes.  
Several European Technology Platforms, covering th e areas of plant genomi cs and bio-technology, 
forestry and forest based industries, global anim al health, farm animal breeding, food, aquaculture 
and industrial bio-technology, can c ontribute in setting common resear ch priorities for this theme, 
in identifying possible future large-scale initiative s such as demonstration projects, and help ensure 
broad participation and integrati on of all stakeholders. Actions to enhance the coordination of 
national research programmes will be pursued wherever appropriate, in close coordination with ERA-Net projects, Technology Platforms and other re levant actors, such as the Standing Committee 
on Agricultural Research (SCAR) or any future Eu ropean maritime research coordination structure. 
Consideration of the social, ethi cal, gender, legal, environmen tal, economic and wider cultural 
aspects and potential risks and im pacts (foresight) of the scientific and te chnological development 
will form a part of the activities, where relevant. 
L 400/132 EN Official Journal of the European Union 30.12.2006 
 Activities 
• Sustainable production and manage ment of biological resources from land, forest, and aquatic 
environments1 
– Enabling research on the key long-term driver s of sustainable production and management 
of biological resources (micro-organisms, plan ts and animals) including the exploitation of 
bio-diversity and of novel bio- active molecules within these biological systems. Research 
will include 'omics' technologies, such as genomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and converging technologies, and their integration within systems biology approaches, as well 
as the development of basic tools and technolog ies, including bio-informatics and relevant 
databases, and methodologies for identif ying varieties within species groups. 
– Increased sustainability and competitiveness, while safeguarding consumer health, 
decreasing environmental impacts, and taking account of climate ch ange, in agriculture, 
horticulture, forestry, fisheries and aqu aculture through the development of new 
technologies, equipment, monitoring systems,  novel plants and production systems, crop 
management through selected plant breeding, plant health and optimised production systems, the improvement of the scientific and technical basis of fisheries management, 
and a better understanding of the interaction between different syst ems (agriculture and 
forestry; fisheries and aquaculture) across a whole ecosystem approach. Research into 
maintenance of autochthonous ecosystems, development of bio-control agents, and 
micro-biological dimension of bio-divers ity and metagenomics will be undertaken. 
                                                
 
1 Complementary research relating to sustaina ble management and conservation is addressed 
under "Environment including Climate Change". Re search on other tool s and technologies 
that support sustainable production and manage ment will be done under the relevant themes. 
30.12.2006 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 400/133 
 • For land-based biological resources, special  emphasis will be placed on low input 
(e.g. pesticides and fertilisers), and organi c production systems, improved management 
of resources and novel food and feeds, and novel plants (crops and trees) with respect to 
their composition, resistance to stress, eco logical effect, nutrient and water use 
efficiency, and architecture. This will be  supported through research into bio-safety, 
co-existence and traceability of novel plants  systems and products, and monitoring and 
assessment of impact of genetically modifi ed crops on environment and human health 
as well as the possibility of th eir broader benefit for society. 
• Plant health and crop protect ion will be improved thr ough better understanding of 
ecology, biology of pests, diseases, weeds a nd other threats of phytosanitary relevance 
and support to controlling dis ease outbreaks and enhancing sustainable pest and weed 
management tools and techniques. Improved methods will be developed for monitoring, 
preservation and enhancement of soil fertility. 
• For biological resources from aquatic environments, emphasis will be placed on 
essential biological functions, safe and envi ronmentally friendly production systems and 
feeds of cultured species and on fisherie s biology, dynamics of mixed fisheries, 
interactions between fisherie s activities and the marine ecosystem and on fleet-based, 
regional and multi-annual management systems. 
L 400/134 EN Official Journal of the European Union 30.12.2006 
 – Optimised animal health, production and we lfare, across agriculture, fisheries and 
aquaculture, inter alia through:  
• the exploitation of geneti c knowledge, new breeding met hods, improved understanding 
of animal physiology and behaviour; and  
• the better understanding and c ontrol of pests, parasites and infectious animal diseases 
and other threats to the su stainability and security of food production, including 
zoonoses.  
The latter will also be addressed by deve loping tools for monitoring, prevention and 
control, by underpinning and applied resear ch on vaccines and diagnostics, studying the 
ecology of known or emerging inf ectious agents and other th reats, including malicious 
acts, and impacts of different farming systems and climate.  
New knowledge for the safe disposal of an imal waste and improved management of 
by-products will also be developed. 
30.12.2006 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 400/135 
 – Providing the tools needed by policy make rs and other actors to support the 
implementation of relevant strategies, policies and legislation and in particular to support 
the building of the European Knowledge Based Bio-Economy (KBBE) and the needs of 
rural and coastal development. The Common Fisheries Policy will be supported through 
the development of adaptive approaches supporti ve to a whole ecosystem approach for the 
harvesting of marine resources. Research  for all policies, including the Common 
Agricultural Policy, will in clude socio-economic studies and cost-benefit analysis, 
comparative investigations of different farming systems including multifunctional ones, cost-effective fisheries management systems, th e rearing of non-food an imals, interactions 
with forestry and studies to im prove rural and co astal livelihoods. 
• Fork to farm: Food (including seafood), health and well being  
– Understanding consumer behaviour and consumer  preferences as a major factor in the 
competitiveness of the food industry and the im pact of food on the health, and well-being 
of the European citizen. The focus will be on consumer perception and attitudes towards 
food, including traditional food, understanding societal and cultural trends, and identifying determinants of food choice and consumer access to food. The research will include the 
development of data bases on food and nutrition research. 
L 400/136 EN Official Journal of the European Union 30.12.2006 
 – Understanding beneficial and ha rmful dietary factors as well as the specific needs and 
habits of population groups as a major contro llable factor in the development and reduction 
of occurrence of diet-related diseases and di sorders including obesity and allergies. This 
will involve the investigation of new dietary st rategies, the development and application of 
nutrigenomics and systems biology, and the stud y of the interacti ons between nutrition, 
physiological and psychological functions. It could lead to reformulation of processed 
foods, and development of novel foods and ingr edients, dietetic foods and foods with 
nutritional and health claims. The investigati on of traditional, local, and seasonal foods and 
diets will also be important to highlight the impact of certain foods and diets on health, and 
to develop integrated food guidance. 
– Optimising innovation in the European food i ndustry through the integration of advanced 
technologies into traditional food producti on including fermented food, tailored process 
technologies to enhance the functionality, qu ality and nutritional value of food including 
organoleptic aspects in f ood production including new foodstuffs. Development and 
demonstration of high-tech, eco-efficient pro cessing and packaging systems, smart control 
applications and more effici ent valorisation and management  of by-products, wastes, water 
and energy. New research will also develop su stainable and novel technologies for animal 
feed, including safe feed processing formulations, and for feed quality control. 
30.12.2006 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 400/137 
 – Assuring chemical and micro-bi ological safety and improving quality in the European food 
supply. This will include understanding the links between microbial ecology and food 
safety; developing methods and models addressi ng the integrity of the food supply chains; 
new detection methods, traceability and its furthe r development, technologies and tools for 
risk assessment, including emerging risks,  management, and communication, as well as 
enhancing the understanding of risk percep tion. This will also include science based 
methods for risk benchmarking in  the field of food safety. 
– Protecting both human health and the envi ronment through a better understanding of the 
environmental impacts on and of food/feed chains. This will involve study of food 
contaminants and health outcomes, monito ring of environmental effects, developing 
enhanced tools and methods for the asse ssment and management of impacts on, and 
resistance of, food and feed ch ains to global changes in part icular to the environment. 
Assuring quality and the integrity of the f ood chain requires new models for commodity 
chain analysis and total food chain manageme nt concepts, including consumer aspects. 
L 400/138 EN Official Journal of the European Union 30.12.2006 
 • Life sciences, bio-technology and bio-chemis try for sustainable non-food products and 
processes  
– Strengthening the knowledge base  and developing advanced t echnologies for terrestrial or 
marine bio-mass production for applications  in industrial processes and in energy 
production. This will include plant, animal a nd microbial genomics and metabolomics to 
improve the productivity and composition of raw materials and bio-mass feedstocks for 
optimised conversion to high added-value products including bi ological resources 
utilisable in pharmaceutical industry and medi cine, while exploiting natural or enhanced 
terrestrial and aquatic organisms as novel sour ces. This will fully incorporate life cycle 
analysis of bio-mass production practices, transportation, and storage and market 
deployment of bio-products. 
– Addressing the application of industrial bio-t echnologies within whole crop and forest 
bio-mass chains to realise the full potential of the bio-refinery approach (e.g. green 
chemicals), including socioeconomic, agronomic , and ecological and consumer aspects. 
This will be enhanced by an increased understanding and control of plant and microbial metabolism at the cellular and sub-cellular leve l, and how this is integrated into whole 
system performance in the production of hi gh value commodities deploying bio-processes 
with increased yield, quality and purity of conversion products, incl uding bio-catalytic 
process design. 
30.12.2006 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 400/139 
 – Using or developing bio-t echnologies for novel and improved high quality, high 
added-value and renewable forest-based products  and processes to increase sustainability 
of wood and wood production, including timbe r, renewable materials and bio-energy 
stocks. 
– Addressing the potential of bio- technology to detect, monitor, prevent, treat and remove 
pollution. 
– Maximising the economic value of waste a nd by-products through new and potentially 
energy-saving bio-processes, alone or in comb ination with plant systems and/or chemical 
catalysts. 
International cooperation 
International cooperation is a prio rity aspect for Food, Agriculture and Bio-technology research and 
will be strongly encouraged throughout the entire ar ea. Research of specific interest for developing 
countries and emerging economies will be supported, taking into account Millennium development 
goals and already ongoing activities. Specific actions  will be undertaken to foster cooperation with 
priority partner regions and count ries - particularly those involv ed in bi-regional dialogues and 
bilateral S&T agreements as well as nei ghbourhood countries and emerging economies and 
developing countries. 
L 400/140 EN Official Journal of the European Union 30.12.2006 
 Furthermore, multilateral cooperation will be carr ied out to address either challenges requiring 
broad international efforts, such as the dimension and complexity of systems biology in plants and 
micro-organisms, or to address global challenge s and EU international commitments (security and 
safety of food and drinking water, global spread of  animal diseases, equitable use of bio-diversity, 
the restoration, in cooperation with the UN Food a nd Agriculture Organisation, of world fisheries to 
Maximum Sustainable Yield by 2015 and th e influence of/on climate change). 
Responding to emerging needs and unforeseen policy needs  
Research on emerging needs may address, for example, the development of new concepts and 
technologies, such as on crisis management systems and the integrity of the food chain. 
A flexible response to unforeseen policy needs will take particular account of relevant policies for 
building a European Knowledge Based Bio-Economy. 
30.12.2006 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 400/141 
 3. Information and Communication Technologies 
Objective 
Improve the competitiveness of European industry and enable Europe to master and shape the 
future developments of Information and Communi cation Technologies (ICT) so  that the demands of 
its society and economy are met. ICT is at the ve ry core of the knowledge-b ased society. Activities 
will strengthen Europe's scientific and technology base  and ensure its global leadership in ICT, help 
drive and stimulate product, service and pro cess innovation and creativity through ICT use and 
ensure that ICT progress is rapi dly transformed into benefits fo r Europe's citizens, businesses, 
industry and governments. These activities will al so help reduce the digital divide and social 
exclusion. 
Approach 
Information and communication t echnologies (ICT) play a unique , proven role in fostering 
innovation, creativity and competitiveness of all industr y and service sectors. They are essential for 
addressing key societal challenges  and modernising public services  and they underpin progress in 
all science and technology fields. Europe must ther efore master and shape the future developments 
of ICT and ensure that ICT-based services a nd products are taken up and used to deliver the 
maximum possible benefits for citizens and businesses. 
These are the targets of the Community's Info rmation Society policy, as highlighted in the 
i2010 initiative, aiming at a competitive converge nt information economy in Europe, a significant 
rise in European investment in ICT research and innovation and a very high level of accessibility in 
the Information Society. 
L 400/142 EN Official Journal of the European Union 30.12.2006 
 New ICT technologies will open up  many new opportunities for higher- value products and services, 
many of which are in areas where Europe already enjoys industrial and technological leadership. 
Partnering at European level is th e optimal approach to ICT invest ment. ICT research activity based 
on "open source" development model is proving its utility as a source of  innovation and increasing 
collaboration. More than ever before, such efforts are needed to keep pace with soaring research costs in an era of global competition, and incr easingly complex and interdependent technologies. 
The ICT theme prioritises strategic research ar ound key technology pillars, ensures end-to-end 
integration of technologies and provides the knowle dge and the means to develop a wide range of 
innovative ICT applications. The activities will leve rage industrial and tec hnological advance in the 
ICT sector and improve the competitive edge of  important ICT-intensive sectors – both through 
innovative high-value ICT-based products and se rvices and from new or improved organisational 
processes in businesses and administrations alike. The theme will also support other policies of the 
Community, such as health and environmental protection, by mobilising IC T to meet public and 
societal demands, in particular demands of people with special n eeds including the ageing 
population and the disabled. 
Activities will cover collaboration and networki ng actions and could support Joint Technology 
Initiatives
1 and national programme coordination initiatives2. The priorities of the activities will 
include topics relying, among other sources, on the work of European Technology Platforms. 
Thematic synergies will also be developed with related activities in other Specific Programmes. 
                                                 
1 These could include selected aspects of re search in the areas of Nanoelectronics 
Technologies, Embedded Computing Systems.  
2 This could include possible joint implem entation of programmes in the field of 
Ambient-Assisted Living. 
30.12.2006 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 400/143 
 The active participation of sma ll and medium-sized enterprises and other small entities in the 
activities is essential given thei r role in promoting innovation. They play vital roles in the 
development and nurturing of new visions in ICT a nd their applications an d in transforming them 
into business assets. 
Activities 
• ICT Technology Pillars:  
– Nano-electronics, photonics and integrated mi cro/nano-systems: process, device, design 
and testing technologies and me thodologies to improve size,  density, performance, energy 
efficiency, manufacturing a nd cost-effectiveness for components, systems-on-a-chip, 
systems-in-a-package and integrated systems; basic photonic components for wide range of 
applications including ultra fast com ponents; radio frequency (RF) systems; 
high-performance/high-density data storage sy stems; very large area/highly integrated 
display solutions; sensing, actuating, vision a nd imaging devices; ultr a low power systems, 
power components, alternative ener gy sources/storage; heterogeneous 
technologies/systems integration; smart systems; multi-functional integrated micro-nano-bio-info-systems; large-area electronics; integrat ion in different 
materials/objects; interfacing with living orga nisms; (self-)assembly of molecules or atoms 
into stable structures. 
L 400/144 EN Official Journal of the European Union 30.12.2006 
 – Ubiquitous and unlimited capacity communication networks: cost-effectiv e, reconfigurable 
and flexible mobile and broadband networ k technologies, system s and architectures, 
including terrestrial and satellite networks a nd optical switching and other technologies for 
high speed end-to-end connectiv ity; convergence of different fixed, mobile, wireless and 
broadcasting networks and serv ices spanning from the person al area to the regional and 
global area; interoperability  of wired and wireless co mmunications services and 
applications, management of networked res ources, service reconfi gurability; complex 
networking of ad-hoc intelligent multim edia devices, sensors and microchips. 
– Embedded systems, computing and control: mo re powerful, secure, distributed, reliable 
and efficient hardware/software systems that  can perceive, contro l and adapt to their 
environment while optimising the use of resources; methods and tools for system 
modelling, analysis, design, engineering and validation to master complexity; open 
composable architectures and scale-free plat forms, middleware and distributed operating 
systems to enable truly seamless collaborativ e and ambient intelligent environments for 
sensing, actuation, computing, communication, st orage, and service delivery; computing 
architectures incorporating heterogeneous, networked and reconfigurable components 
including compilation, programming and run-ti me support, high performance systems and 
services; control of large-scale,  distributed, uncertain systems. 
30.12.2006 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 400/145 
 – Software, Grids, security and dependability : technologies, tools and methods for dynamic 
and trusted software, architectures and middleware syst ems that underpin 
knowledge-intensive services, including their provision as utilities; service-oriented, 
interoperable and scale-free infrastructures, gr id-like virtualisation of  resources, including 
domain-specific platforms, ne twork-centric operating systems;  open source software; open 
standards platforms and collaborative appr oaches for development and validation of 
software, services and systems; compos ition tools including programming languages; 
mastering emergent behaviours of comple x systems; improving dependability and 
resilience of large-scale, distributed and in termittently connected systems and services; 
secure and trusted systems and services, including privacy-aware access control and 
authentication, dynamic security and trust po licies, dependability and trust meta-models. 
– Knowledge, cognitive and learni ng systems: methods and techni ques to acquire, create and 
interpret, represent and personalise, navigate  and retrieve, share and deliver knowledge, 
recognising the semantic relationships in content for use by humans and machines; 
artificial systems that perceive, interpret and evaluate information a nd that can cooperate, 
act autonomously and learn; theories and experiments that move beyond incremental 
advances benefiting from insights into na tural cognition, in part icular learning and 
memory, also for the purpose of a dvancing systems for human learning. 
L 400/146 EN Official Journal of the European Union 30.12.2006 
 – Simulation, visualisation, inte raction and mixed realities: tools for modelling, simulation, 
visualisation, interaction, virtual, augmente d and mixed reality and their integration in 
end-to-end environments; tools for innovativ e design and for creativity in products, 
services and digital audio-visual media; more  natural, intuitive and easy-to-use interfaces 
and new ways to interact with technology, mach ines, devices and other artefacts; language 
technology including multilingual and automa tic machine translation systems. 
– New perspectives in ICT drawing on ot her science and tech nology disciplines 
(mathematics and physics, materials, bio-tec hnologies, life-sciences, chemistry, cognitive 
and social sciences, the humanities, etc.) ar e provided in the whole of the ICT theme. 
These are bringing breakthroughs that lead to innovation in ICT and to entirely new 
industry and service sectors. They span from  miniaturisation of ICT devices to sizes 
compatible and interacting with living organisms (lik e novel ICT components and 
computing systems based on synthetic bio-mol ecular structures), to new computing and 
communication sciences inspired by the living world, to fully eco-compatible ICT devices 
inspired by natural systems, and to modelli ng and simulation of the living world (like 
simulation of human physiology acro ss several biological levels). 
• Integration of Technologies: 
– Personal environments: integration of mu ltimodal interfaces, sensing techniques and 
micro-systems, personal communication and co mputing devices, ICT systems embodied in 
personal accessories, wearable systems and impl ants and their connection to services and 
resources, placing emphasis on integrating all facets of a person's presence and identity. 
30.12.2006 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 400/147 
 – Home environments: communica tion, monitoring, c ontrol and assistance of the home, 
buildings and public spa ces; seamless interoperability and use of all devices taking account 
of cost efficiency, affordability, usability and safety; new services and new forms of 
interactive digital content and services incl uding entertainment; access to information and 
management of knowledge. 
– Robotic systems: flexible and dependab le robot systems operating in human and 
unstructured environments and cooperating with people; networked and cooperating 
robots; miniaturised robots; humanoid tec hnologies; modular design and modelling of 
integrated robotic systems. 
– Intelligent infrastructures: ICT tools making critical infrastructures more efficient and 
user-friendly, easier to adapt and maintain, more  robust to usage and resistant to failures; 
data integration tools; ICT for systemic ri sk assessment, early warning and automated 
alerts, planning and decision support. 
• Applications Research: 
– ICT meeting societal challenges: To ensure that all European citizens can reap the 
maximum benefit from ICT products and services, to improve inclusiveness, seamless access and interactivity of services of public in terest, and to strengthen the innovation role 
of public sector services, improving th eir efficiency and effectiveness. 
L 400/148 EN Official Journal of the European Union 30.12.2006 
 – For health: personal non-obtrusive systems that  enable citizens to manage their well-being 
such as wearable or implantable monito ring devices and autonomous systems for 
supporting a healthy state; emer ging techniques such as molecular imaging for improved 
prevention and individualised medicine; he alth knowledge discovery, management and 
application in clinical pract ice; modelling and simulation of  organ functions; micro- and 
nano-robotic devices for minimally invasive  surgical and therap eutic applications. 
– For governments at all levels: use of ICT in  an interdisciplinary approach in public 
administrations combined with organisational change and new skills in order to deliver 
innovative, citizen-centric services for all; a dvanced ICT based research and solutions to 
improve democratic and participatory processe s and the performance and quality of public 
sector services, interactio n with and between administrations and governments, and 
support legislative and policy development processes in all stages of democracy. 
– For inclusion: to empower individuals and their communities and improve equal 
participation of all citizens in the informati on society, while preventi ng digital divides due 
to disability, low skills, pove rty, geographic isolation, culture,  gender or age, inter alia 
through support to assistive technology, prom oting independent living, increasing e-skills, 
and developing products and services designed-for-all. 
30.12.2006 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 400/149 
 – For mobility: integrated ICT-based safety systems for vehicles based on open, secure and 
dependable architectures and in terfaces; interoperable coopera tive systems for efficient, 
safe and environment-friendly transport, ba sed on communication between vehicles and 
with the transport infrastructure and in tegrating accurate a nd robust location and 
navigation technologies; personalised, locat ion-aware info-mobility and multi-modal 
services, including intelligent service solutions for tourism. 
– In support of the environment, risk manage ment and sustainable development: risk and 
emergency management; smart sensor networ ks to improve hazard forecasting, natural 
resources management including systems for reduction of pollutants; increasing energy 
efficiency; managing human response to environmental stresses and to sustain 
bio-diversity; alert systems and timely and re liable public safety communication; assistive 
technologies and support systems for operation under harsh, hazardous or  risky conditions; 
eco-efficient and sustainable production of IC T including electronics;  advanced data and 
information management for environmental monitoring and risk assessment, contributing to INSPIRE; GMES and GEOSS. 
– ICT for content, creativity and personal development: 
• novel forms of interactive,  non-linear and self-adaptive content including for 
entertainment and for design; creativity a nd enriched user-experience; cross-media 
content customisation and delivery; comb ining all-digital content production and 
management with emerging semantic technol ogies; user-oriented use, access to and 
creation of content; 
L 400/150 EN Official Journal of the European Union 30.12.2006 
 • technology-enhanced learning systems, tools a nd services, adapted to different learners 
in different contexts; issues  underlying human learning incl uding pedagogical theories 
when the process is mediated by using ICT; improving people's abilities to become active learners; 
• intelligent services for access to cultural heri tage in digital form; access to and use of 
scientific resources; tools for communities to create new cultural memory based on 
living heritage; methods and tools for preser vation of digital c ontent; making digital 
objects usable by future users whilst keeping authenticity and integrity of their original 
creation and context of use. 
– ICT supporting businesses and industry: 
• dynamic, network-oriented business systems, including their monitori ng in real time, for 
product and service creation and delivery; de centralised control and management of 
intelligent items; digital business ecosystems , in particular software solutions (also 
based on grids) adaptable to the needs of  small- and medium-sized organisations; 
collaboration services for distributed context-aware workspaces; augmented group 
presence, group management and sharing s upport; knowledge shari ng and interactive 
services; 
30.12.2006 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 400/151 
 • manufacturing including traditional industr y: networked intelligent controls for 
high-precision manufacturing a nd low-resource utilisation;  wireless automation and 
logistics for rapid plant reconfiguration;  integrated environments for modelling, 
simulation, optimisation, presentation and virtual producti on; manufacturing 
technologies for miniaturised ICT systems a nd for systems interwoven with all kinds of 
materials and objects. 
– ICT for trust and confidence: 
• tools supporting the trust and confidence of ICT and its applications; multiple and 
federated identity management systems; au thentication and author isation techniques; 
systems meeting privacy needs deriving from  new technological de velopments; rights 
and asset management; tools to protect agains t cyber threats, in c oordination with other 
themes, in particular the "Security" theme. 
International cooperation  
International cooperation will be en couraged in the ICT theme to a ddress issues of common interest 
aiming at interoperable solutions with strategic part ners with high mutual benefits, and to contribute 
to the spread of the information society in em erging economies and devel oping countries. Specific 
actions will be identified for the countries or regions with which Europe needs to focus collaboration, with a particular emphasis on coop eration with emerging ec onomies and developing 
countries and neighbourhood countries. 
L 400/152 EN Official Journal of the European Union 30.12.2006 
 A subscription will be made available jointly wi th theme 1 "Health" to the international Human 
Frontier Science Programme (HFSP) to promote in terdisciplinary research and novel collaborations 
between scientists from different fields, and prov ide the possibility for non-G8 Member States to 
fully benefit from the programme. 
Activities under this Theme s upport the Intelligent Manufacturi ng Systems (IMS) scheme, which 
allows RTD cooperation between its member regions1. 
Responding to emerging needs and unforeseen policy needs  
A Future and Emerging Technologies activity will a ttract and foster trans- disciplinary research 
excellence in emerging ICT-re lated research domains. Foci  include: exploring the new 
miniaturisation and computing frontiers including for example the exploitation of quantum effects; 
harnessing the complexity of networked compu ting and communication systems including software; 
exploring new concepts of and experimenting with intelligent systems for new personalised 
products and services. 
Research that aims at better understanding trends and impacts of  ICT on society and the economy 
may include, for example: impacts of ICT on produc tivity, employment, skills and wages; ICT as a 
driver for innovation in public and business services; obstacles to wider and faster innovation and 
use of ICT; new business models and exploitation paths, in coordination w ith other themes where 
ICT will play an important role in changing th e approach to production and services; usability, 
utility and acceptability of ICT-based solutions; privacy, security  and trust of ICT infrastructures; 
ethical issues of ICT developments; links to  ICT-related legal, regulatory and governance 
frameworks; analyses of ICT support t o, and impact on, Community policies. 
                                                 
1 The agreement for scientific and technical cooperation in the domains of IMS concluded 
between the European Community and the Unite d States of America, Japan, Australia, 
Canada, Korea and the EFTA States of Norway and Switzerland. 
30.12.2006 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 400/153 
 4. Nano-sciences, Nano-technologies, Materi als and new Production Technologies 
Objective 
Improve the competitiveness of European industry and generate knowledge to ensure its 
transformation from a resource-intensive to a knowledge-intensive indus try, by generating step 
changes in knowledge and implemen ting decisive knowledge for new a pplications at the crossroads 
between different technologies a nd disciplines. This will benefit both new, high-tech industries and 
higher-value, knowledge-based tradit ional industries, with a speci al focus to the appropriate 
dissemination of RTD results to SMEs. These ac tivities are primarily concerned with enabling 
technologies which impact all industrial sector s and many other Seventh Framework Programme 
Themes. 
Approach 
To enhance its competitiveness, European industry needs radical innovations. It must concentrate its 
capabilities on high added-value pr oducts, related proce sses and technologies to meet customer 
requirements, as well as environmental, health and other societal expectations . Research is integral 
to meeting these competing challenges. The compet itiveness of the industry of the future will 
largely depend on nano-technologies and their applications. RTD in nano-sciences and 
nano-technologies taken up by several areas can a ccelerate European industry's transformation. The 
EU has recognised leadership in fields such as  in nano-sciences, nano-te chnologies, materials and 
production technologies which must be strengthened in order to secure and increase the EU position 
in a highly competitive global context. The compet itiveness of more matu re industries is also 
largely dependent on their capacity to integrate new technologies. 
L 400/154 EN Official Journal of the European Union 30.12.2006 
 A key element of this theme is the effective in tegration of nano-technolo gy, materials sciences, 
design and new production methods so as to achie ve and maximise the impacts for industrial 
transformation and, at the same time, supporting sustainable production and consumption. In this 
respect, materials with new properties are in partic ular important for the future competitiveness of 
European industry and the basis for technologic al progress in many areas. The theme will support 
industrial activities operati ng in synergy with other themes. App lications in all sectors and areas 
will be supported including materials sciences and technologies, high performance manufacturing 
and process technologies, nano-bi o-technology and nano-electronics. 
The medium-term approach is to focus on a c onvergence of knowledge and skills drawn from 
different disciplines exploiting appl ication-driven scientif ic and technological s ynergies. In the long 
term the theme aims to capitalise on the e normous prospects of nano-sciences and 
nano-technologies for th e creation of a true knowledge-based  industry and economy. In both cases 
it will be essential to ensure uptake of the know ledge generated through effective dissemination and 
use of the results. 
Strong contributions to industrial needs and co mplementarities through initiatives and funded 
projects will be ensured in pa rticular through activities like the European Technology Platforms 
(e.g. in the potential areas of sustainable chemistry, energy, new manufacturing, power generation, 
industrial safety, nano-medicine, st eel, textiles, ceramics, forest-b ased sector, etc) and possible 
support to Joint Technology Initiatives. 
30.12.2006 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 400/155 
 The theme is particularly relevant to SMEs due to their needs and role in advancing and using 
technologies. Areas of particular relevance include: nano-instruments,  -tools, and -devices as well 
as aero-space systems (due to th e concentration of high-growth, know ledge-intensive SMEs in these 
sectors); technical textiles includi ng their coating, (typical  of a traditional s ector undergoing a rapid 
transformation process affecting many SMEs); m echanical industries (e.g. machine tools- where 
European SMEs are world leader s); high added-value chemicals, as well as other sectors which 
involve many SMEs that will benefit from the in troduction of new business models, materials and 
products. 
Specific actions to coordinate programmes and jo int activities conducted at  national and regional 
level will be carried out through the ERA-NET a nd ERA-NET PLUS schemes so as to promote 
convergence of research programmes, and to rein force critical mass and synergies within the 
European Technology Platforms. Industrial research  will also benefit from the coordination of 
activities in areas such as metrology, toxicology, standards and nomenclature. 
Activities 
• Nano-sciences and nano-technologies  
The objective is to create materi als and systems with pre-define d properties and behaviour, based 
on increased knowledge and experience with matter at the nano-scale. This  will lead to a new 
generation of high added-value, co mpetitive products and services with superior performance across 
a range of applications, while mi nimising any potential adverse envi ronmental and health impacts. 
Interdisciplinarity, integrating theoretical a nd experimental approaches, will be promoted. 
L 400/156 EN Official Journal of the European Union 30.12.2006 
 The focus will be: 
– new knowledge of the interactions of atoms, molecules and their aggregations with both 
natural and artificial entities, 
– the realisation of nano-structures, syst ems or materials using this knowledge, 
– activities aiming at understandi ng or imitating the natural processes at nano-metric scale, 
– processes for nano-fabricati on, surface functionalis ation, thin layers, self assembling 
properties, 
– methods and processes for measuring and characterisation. 
The research will also address the relevant inst ruments, tools, pilot lines and demonstration 
activities required for highly novel approaches to nano-technology-ba sed manufacturing in the most 
promising industrial sectors. 
Moreover, the activity will focus on  related challenges and the societal context and acceptance of 
nano-technology. This will include research on all aspects of risk assessment (e.g. nano-toxicology 
and eco-toxicology), as well as safety, nomencla ture, metrology and standards which are becoming 
increasingly important to pave the way for industr ial applications. Specific actions may also be 
launched for establishing dedicate d centres of knowledge and expert ise as well as a focal point to 
implement the Commission's integrated and resp onsible approach towards nano-technology as 
outlined in the associated Action Plan1. 
                                                 
1 Commission Communication, Na nosciences and Nanotechnologies: an action plan for 
Europe 2005-09 – COM(2005) 243. 
30.12.2006 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 400/157 
 • Materials 
New advanced materials and surfaces with highe r knowledge content, ne w functionalities and 
improved performance are increasingly critical for industrial competitiveness and sustainable 
development. According to the new models of manufacturing industr y, it is the materials 
themselves which are becoming the first step in increasing the value of products and their 
performance, rather than the processing steps. 
Research will focus on developing new knowledge-b ased multifunctional surfaces and materials 
with tailored properties and predic table performance for new products  and processes as well as for 
their repair. The emphasis will be on high perfor mance multifunctional materials with a wide range 
of applications. 
This requires the control of intrinsic propertie s and performance, processing and production, and 
taking into account potential imp acts on health and the environmen t throughout their entire life 
cycle. Emphasis will be placed on new advanced materials and systems obtained using the potential 
of nano-technologies and bio-tec hnologies and/or "learning from na ture", in particular higher 
performance nano-materials, bio-materials, hybr id materials and artifi cial materials with 
electro-magnetic propertie s not found in nature. 
L 400/158 EN Official Journal of the European Union 30.12.2006 
 A multidisciplinary approach will be fostered, in volving chemistry, physics, engineering sciences 
including computationa l modelling and increasingly the biological sciences. Materials 
characterisation, design and simula tion are also essential to bett er understand materials phenomena, 
in particular the structure-propert y relationships at different scales; to improve materials assessment 
and reliability including resistan ce to ageing, and to extend the c oncept of virtual materials for 
materials design. The integration of nano-molecu lar-macro levels in chemical and materials 
technologies will be supported for developing new c oncepts and processes such as in catalysis, and 
process intensification a nd optimisation. Issues related to process development and scaling up and 
industrialisation of new materi als will also be addressed. 
• New Production 
A new approach to manufacturing is required for th e transformation of EU industry from a resource 
intensive to a sustainable knowle dge-based industrial environmen t and will depend on the adoption 
of totally new attitudes towards the continued acquisition, deployment, protection and funding of 
new knowledge and its use, including towards su stainable production and consumption patterns. 
This entails creating the right conditions for industry to enga ge in continuous innovation (in 
industrial activities and production systems, including design, c onstruction, devices, and services) 
and for developing generic productio n "assets" (technologies, organisa tion and producti on facilities 
as well as human resources) while also mee ting safety and environmental requirements. 
30.12.2006 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 400/159 
 The activities will focus on: 
– the development and validation of new industria l models and strategies covering all aspects 
of product and process life-cycle; 
– adaptive production systems that overcome ex isting process limitati ons and enable new 
manufacturing and processing methods, 
– networked production to develop tools and methods for cooperative and value-added 
operations at a global scale, 
– tools for the rapid transfer and integration of new tec hnologies into the design and 
operation of manufacturing processes, 
– the exploitation of mu ltidisciplinary research networks  and of the convergence of the 
nano-, micro-, bio-, geo-, info-, optical and cognitive technologies to develop new 
added-value hybrid technologies, products and e ngineering concepts and the possibility of 
new industries. 
Particular attention should be  paid to promoting activities which support the adaptation and 
integration of SMEs to the new needs of the suppl y chain as well as to giving an impulse to the 
creation of high tech SMEs. 
L 400/160 EN Official Journal of the European Union 30.12.2006 
 • Integration of technologies for industrial applications 
The integration of knowledge and technologies of the three areas of research above is essential in 
order to speed up the transformation of European  industry and its economy, while adopting a safe, 
socially responsible and sustainable approach. 
The research will focus on new applications and novel, step-change solutions responding to major 
challenges, as well as to the RTD needs includi ng those identified by the different European 
Technology Platforms. The integration of ne w knowledge from nano-, materials-, and 
production-technologies will be supporte d in sectoral and cross-sectoral  applications such as health, 
food, construction and building includ ing cultural heritage, aero-spa ce industry, transport, energy, 
chemistry, environment, information and commu nication, textiles, clothing and footwear, 
forest-based industry, steel, mechan ical and chemical engineering, as  well as in the generic subjects 
of industrial safety and measurement and testing. 
International cooperation 
The increasingly international dimension of i ndustrial research requi res a well-coordinated 
approach to working with third countries. Intern ational cooperation will therefore be important 
across the theme. 
30.12.2006 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 400/161 
 Specific actions may include: activities with indu strialised countries a nd those having signed a 
S&T cooperation agreement in the fields of th e Theme; specific ini tiatives with emerging 
economies and developing countries to secure their access to knowledge; dialogue with major 
countries on a "code of conduct" for the responsib le and safe development of nano-technology; and 
the Intelligent Manufacturing Systems (IMS) sche me, which allows RTD cooperation between its 
member regions1. Initiatives to coordinate and exchange research data will be encouraged (such as 
in environmental and health safety issues fo r nano-technologies), paving the way for a common 
understanding of regulatory needs by  policy makers across the world. 
Responding to emerging needs and unforeseen policy needs 
Research on emerging needs will be implemente d notably to develop and consolidate European 
capabilities in specific emerging and interdisciplin ary research areas with high potential for the 
future. Any unforeseen policy needs will be addre ssed in a flexible way and may, for example, 
relate to standardisation, to s upport the safe transformation toward s a knowledge based industry, or 
to potential environmental and health impacts arisi ng from nano-technologies. 
                                                 
1 The agreement for scientific and technical cooperation in the domains of IMS is between the 
European Community and the United States of  America, Japan, Australia, Canada, Korea 
and the EFTA States of Norway and Switzerland. 
L 400/162 EN Official Journal of the European Union 30.12.2006 
 5. Energy 
Objective 
Adapting the current energy system into a more sustainable one, less dependent on imported fuels 
based on a diverse mix of energy sources, in particular renewables, energy carriers and 
non-polluting sources; enhancing en ergy efficiency, including by ra tionalising use and storage of 
energy; addressing the pressing challenges of se curity of supply and climate change, whilst 
increasing the competitiveness of Europe's industries. 
Approach 
Current projections in the EU and worldwide show most of the cr ucial energy indicators 
(e.g. energy consumption, fossil fuel dependency, the finite nature of conventional oil and natural 
gas reserves, import dependency, CO 2 emissions, energy prices) to be moving away from a 
sustainable and reliable energy system. Energy re search will facilitate reversing these trends, 
striking a balance between increasing the efficien cy, affordability, acceptability and security of 
existing technologies and sources  of energy, whilst simultaneously aiming at a longer-term 
paradigm shift in the way Europe generates and consumes energy. Energy research will thus 
directly contribute to the success of Community policy and, in  particular, the achievement of 
current and future EU energy a nd greenhouse gas reduction targets. 
30.12.2006 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 400/163 
 Following a broad technology portfolio approach , in accordance with the conclusions of the 
2000 Green Paper "Towards a European stra tegy for the security  of energy supply"1, the 
2005 Green Paper on Energy Efficiency2 and the 2006 Green Paper on a European strategy for 
sustainable competitive and secure energy3, research will focus on the identification and 
development of cost-effective technologies for a more sustainable energy economy for Europe (and 
world-wide), based on affordable energy costs for our citizens and industries, and allow European 
industry to compete successfully on the global stage. Activities will address all time horizons, 
separately or in combination, and embrace the whol e chain from fundamental and applied research 
and technological development through to larg e-scale technology demo nstration, underpinned by 
cross-cutting and socio-economic research to vali date research results an d to provide a rational 
basis for policy decisions and market framework development. 
Wherever possible, an integrated approach will be adopted, stimulating the necessary feedback and 
cooperation between the various stakeholders con cerned. Integrated actions  that cut across or 
exploit the synergies between different research areas will be encouraged. 
Strengthening the competitiveness of the Europe an energy sector, in th e face of severe global 
competition, is an important objective of this Theme, providing the capability for European industry to maintain and develop its world leadership in key energy generation and energy efficiency 
technologies and materials. This will require larg e R&D efforts and international collaboration. In 
particular, SMEs are important actors in the energy sector play a major role in the energy chain and 
will be key to promoting innovation. Their strong participation in research and demonstration 
activities is essential and will be actively promoted. 
                                                
 
1 COM(2002) 279, 29.11.2000. 
2 COM(2005) 265. 
3 COM(2006) 105. 
L 400/164 EN Official Journal of the European Union 30.12.2006 
 The strategic research agendas and deploymen t strategies developed by European Technology 
Platforms are an important input for the research  priorities in the Theme. Such platforms are 
established on hydrogen and fuel cells and photovo ltaics and the concept is being extended to 
bio-fuels, zero emission power generation and future  electricity networks and other energy-related 
areas. Actions to enhance the coordination of national programmes will be pursued wherever appropriate. 
Increasing efficiency throughout the energy system, from source to user, is  essential and underpins 
the whole of the Energy Theme. Recognising their important contribution to  future sustainable 
energy systems, renewables and end-use energy effici ency will be the major part of this Theme. 
Particular attention will be pa id to stimulating research, development and demonstration and 
promoting capacity building in this area. Synerg ies with the Intelligent Energy-Europe Programme 
component of the Competitiveness and Innovation Pr ogramme will be fully exploited in this regard. 
The potential for future large-s cale initiatives integrating funding from various sources (e.g. JTI) 
will also be explored. 
In order to strengthen the diffusion and use of  the output of researc h, the dissemination of 
knowledge and transfer of results, including to po licy makers, will be supported in all areas. 
30.12.2006 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 400/165 
 Activities 
• Hydrogen and fuel cells  
The integrated research and deployment strate gy developed by the European Hydrogen and Fuel 
Cell Technology Platform provides the basis for a st rategic, integrated pr ogramme for transport, 
stationary and portable applic ations, aimed at providing a st rong technological foundation for 
building a competitive EU fuel cell and hydrogen supply and equipment industry. The programme 
will comprise: fundamental and applied research  and technological development; demonstration 
projects at an appropriate scale to validate re search results and provide feedback for further 
research; cross-cutting and socio-economic research  activities including infrastructure issues to 
underpin sound transition strategi es and provide a rational basis for policy decisions and market 
framework development. 
The industrial applied research, demonstration and cross-cutting ac tivities of the programme could 
be implemented through a Joint Technology Initiativ e. This strategically managed, goal-oriented 
action will be complemented and closely coordina ted with more upstream collaborative research 
effort aimed at achieving breakth rough on critical materials, pr ocesses and emerging technologies. 
L 400/166 EN Official Journal of the European Union 30.12.2006 
 • Renewable electricity generation  
Research into, development and demonstration of integrated technologies fo r electricity production 
from renewables, suited to di fferent regional conditions where sufficient economic and technical 
potential can be identified, in order to provide  the means to raise substantially the share of 
renewable electricity production in the EU. Research should incr ease overall conversion efficiency, 
cost efficiency, significantly drive down the cost of electricity pr oduction from indigenous 
renewable energy resources including  bio-degradable fraction of wast e, enhance process reliability 
and further reduce the environmental impact and eliminate existing obstacles. Emphasis will be on 
photovoltaics, wind and bio-mass including CHP. Furt hermore, research will aim at realising the 
full potential of other renewable energy sources: geothermal, therma l solar, ocean (e.g. wave, tidal 
power) and hydropower. 
• Renewable fuel production  
Research into, development and demonstration of  improved fuel production systems and conversion 
technologies for the sustainable production and supply chains of solid, liquid and gaseous fuels 
from bio-mass (incl. bio-degradable fraction of  waste). Emphasis should be on new types of 
bio-fuels in particular for tr ansport and electricity as well as on new production, storage and 
distribution routes for existing bi o-fuels, including the integrat ed production of energy and other 
added-value products through bio-re fineries. Aiming to deliver "sour ce to user" carbon benefits, 
research will focus on improving energy efficiency, enhancing tec hnology integration and use of 
feedstock. Issues such as feedst ock logistics, pre-normative resear ch and standardisation for safe 
and reliable use in transport and st ationary applications will be incl uded. To exploit the potential for 
renewable hydrogen production, bio-mass, renewable electricity and solar en ergy driven processes 
will be supported. 
30.12.2006 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 400/167 
 • Renewables for heating and cooling  
Research into, development and demonstration of a portfolio of technologie s and devices including 
storage technologies to increase the potential of  active and passive heating and cooling from 
renewable energy sources to contribu te to sustainable energy. The aim is to achieve substantial cost 
reductions, increase efficiencies, further reduce environmental impacts and optimise the use of technologies in different regional conditions wher e sufficient economic and technical potential can 
be identified. Research and demonstration s hould include new systems and components for 
industrial applications  (incl. thermal seawater desalination), district and/or dedi cated space heating 
and cooling, building integration and energy storage. 
• CO
2 capture and storage technologies for zero emission power generation  
Fossil fuels will inevitably continue to contribute a significant share of the energy mix for decades 
to come. To make this option compatible with th e environment, particular ly as regards climate 
change, drastic reductions in th e adverse environmental impacts of fossil fuel use are needed, 
aiming at highly efficient and cost-effective power a nd/or heat generation w ith near zero emissions. 
The research into, development and demonstration of efficient, cost e ffective and reliable CO 2 
capture and storage technologies, in particular underground storage, are crucial across different 
types of CO 2 geological reservoirs, aiming at decreasing the cost of CO 2 capture and storage to less 
than EUR 20/tonne, with capture rates above 90 %, as well as proving the long-term stability, safety 
and reliability of CO 2 storage. 
L 400/168 EN Official Journal of the European Union 30.12.2006 
 • Clean coal technologies  
Coal fuelled power plants remain the workhorse of electricity generati on worldwide, but have 
considerable potential for further efficiency gains and emissions reductions, particularly concerning 
CO 2. To maintain competitiveness and contribut e to the conservation of resources and the 
management of CO 2 emissions, the research into, developmen t and demonstration of clean coal and 
other solid hydrocarbons conversion technologies w ill be supported, both for existing and future 
power plants. Conversion technologies, including ch emical processes, producing secondary energy 
carriers (including hydrogen) and liquid and gase ous fuels will also be supported. This will 
significantly increase plant efficiency and reli ability, minimise pollutant emissions and reduce 
overall costs, under various ope rating conditions. Looking toward s future zero emission power 
generation, these activities will be  linked to and prepare for CO 2 capture and storage technologies 
and co-utilisation of bio-mass. 
30.12.2006 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 400/169 
 • Smart energy networks  
To facilitate the transition to a more sustaina ble energy system, a wide-ranging R&D effort is 
required to increase the efficienc y, flexibility, safety, reliability  and quality of the European 
electricity and gas systems and networks notably w ithin the context of a more integrated European 
energy market. For electricity networ ks, the goals of transforming the current electricity grids into a 
resilient and interactive (customers/operators) se rvice network, controlling the real time flows and 
removing the obstacles to the larg e-scale deployment and effective integration of renewable energy 
sources and distributed generation (e.g. fuel cel ls, micro turbines, reciprocating engines), will 
necessitate the research, development and demonstration of key enabling technologies 
(e.g. innovative ICT solutions, storage techno logies for RES, power electronics and 
superconducting devices) including the development of new control and reliability tools for 
electricity systems. For gas networks, the objective is to demonstrate more intelligent and efficient 
processes and systems for gas transport and dist ribution, including the e ffective integration of 
renewable energy sources and the use of  bio-gas in the existing networks. 
L 400/170 EN Official Journal of the European Union 30.12.2006 
 • Energy efficiency and savings  
The vast potential for final and primary energy consumption savings and improvements in energy 
efficiency1 need to be harnessed through the rese arch into, optimisa tion, validation and 
demonstration of new concepts, optimisation of proved and new concepts and technologies for 
buildings, services and industry. Th is incorporates the combination of sustainable strategies and 
technologies for increased energy efficienc y, the use of renewable energy and co- and 
poly-generation and the integration of demand management measures and devices at large scale in 
cities and communities, and the demonstration of minimum climate impact buildings (eco-buildings). These la rge-scale actions may be supported by  innovative R&D addressing specific 
components or technologies, e.g. for poly-generation and eco-buildi ngs (including li ghting). A key 
aim is the optimisation of the local community energy system, balancing a significant reduction in 
energy demand with the most affordable and sustai nable supply solution, including the use of new 
fuels in dedicated fleets
2. 
• Knowledge for energy policy making  
Development of tools, methods and models to assess the main economic  and social issues related to 
energy technologies. Activities will include the buildi ng of databases and scenarios for an enlarged 
EU and the assessment of the impact of energy and energy-related policie s on security of supply, 
environment, society, competitiveness of the ener gy industry and issues of public acceptability. Of 
particular importance is the impact of technolog ical progress on Community policies. Activities will 
include scientific support  for policy development. 
                                                 
1 As recognised by the Green Paper on Ener gy Efficiency or "Doing More for Less" – 
COM(2005) 265, 22.6.2005. 
2 Building upon the experience of the CONCER TO and CIVITAS initiatives supported in the 
6th Framework Programme. 
30.12.2006 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 400/171 
 International cooperation 
Given the global nature of the chal lenges, threats and opportunities, in ternational collaboration is an 
increasingly important element of energy res earch. Specific actions wi ll support strategically 
important multi-lateral cooperati on initiatives, such as the Inte rnational Partnership for the 
Hydrogen Economy (IPHE), the Carbon Sequestration Leadership Forum (CSLF) and the Johannesburg Renewable Energy Coalition (JREC). Other specific actions will be supported, addressing issues such as the environmental consequences of energy policies, energy supply 
inter-dependency, technology transfer and capac ity building and will engage emerging economies 
with significant energy needs. 
International Scientific Cooperation in the fiel d of energy will also support the aim of the 
EU Energy Initiative for poverty eradication and su stainable development (EUEI) launched at the 
World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD), namely to contribute to the achievement of 
the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) through th e provision of reliable and affordable access 
to sustainable energy for the poor. 
Responding to emerging needs and unforeseen policy needs 
Research on emerging needs will help to identif y and explore new scientific and technological 
opportunities in the domain of energy supply, co nversion use and sustainability, often in 
combination with other areas and disciplines,  such as bio-technology and new materials and 
production processes. Unforeseen policy needs for which a quick react ion might be required 
include, for example, the developm ents of international climate change actions and the response to 
severe disruptions or instabilit ies in energy supply or price. 
L 400/172 EN Official Journal of the European Union 30.12.2006 
 6. Environment (including Climate Change)  
Objective 
Sustainable management of the environment and its resources through advancing our knowledge of 
the interactions between the clim ate, biosphere, ecosystems and human activities, and developing 
new technologies, tools and services , in order to address in an in tegrated way global environmental 
issues. Emphasis will be put on prediction of clim ate, ecological, earth and ocean systems changes, 
on tools and on technologies for monitoring, pr evention, mitigation of and adaptation to 
environmental pressures and risks in cluding on health, as well as for th e sustainability of the natural 
and man-made environment. 
30.12.2006 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 400/173 
 Approach 
Protecting the environment is essential for the qual ity of life of current and future generations as 
well as for economic growth. Given that the Earth's natural resources and the man-made 
environment are under pressure from growing population, urbanisation, construction, continuous 
expansion of the agriculture, aquaculture and fish eries, transport and ener gy sectors, land use as 
well as climate variability and warming at local, regional and global scales, the challenge facing the 
EU is to ensure continuous and sustainable growth while at the same time reducing negative 
environmental impacts. EU-wide cooperation is motiv ated by the facts that  countries, regions and 
cities face common environmental problems and that critical mass is needed given the scale, scope 
and high level of complexity of environmental re search. Such cooperation also facilitates common 
planning, use of connected and inter-operable databases, and the development of common 
indicators, of assessment methodologies and of cohe rent and large-scale ob servation and forecasting 
systems. Furthermore international cooperation is  necessary for the completion of knowledge and 
the promotion of better management at a global level. 
L 400/174 EN Official Journal of the European Union 30.12.2006 
 Research under this topic1 will contribute to the implementation of international commitments of 
EU and Member States such as the United Na tions Framework Convention on Climate Change, 
Kyoto and Montreal protocols, post-Kyoto protocol initiatives, the UN C onvention on Biological 
Diversity, the UN Convention to Combat Desertif ication, the Stockholm C onvention on persistent 
organic pollutants and the World Summit on Sustainable Development 2002, including the 
EU Water Initiative (as well as promoting sustaina ble production and consum ption). It will also 
contribute to the Intergovernm ental Panel on Climate Change, Group on the Earth Observation 
(GEO) initiative and take  into account the Millennium Ecos ystem Assessment. In addition, it will 
support the research needs arising from existing and emerging Community legislation and policies 
(e.g. Natura 2000, Reach), the implementation of  the 6th Environmental Action Programme, 
associated thematic strategies (e.g. marine, soil strategies) and other emer ging strategies (e.g. the 
mercury strategy), and the acti on plans on Environmental Technol ogies and on Environment and 
Health. 
The promotion of innovative environmental technol ogies will contribute to  achieving sustainable 
use of resources, to mitigating and adapting to clim ate change, and to protecting the ecosystems and 
the man-made environment. Research will also cont ribute to technological developments that will 
improve the market positioning of European enterpri ses, in particular of SMEs, in areas such as 
environmental technologies. European Technology Platforms, such as those on water supply and 
sanitation, sustainable chemistry, construction, and forestry, confir m the need for EU level action 
and the implementation of relevant parts of their research agendas will be supported in the activities 
below. 
                                                 
1 Complementary research relating to the pr oduction and use of biological resources is 
addressed under the "Food, Agricu lture and Biotechnology" theme. 
30.12.2006 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 400/175 
 Coordination of national programmes will be rein forced by broadening and deepening the scope of 
existing ERA-NETs in environmental research1. 
Specific attention will be paid to strengthening the dissemination of Community research outcomes 
– also through the expl oitation of synergies with complementary f unding mechanisms at 
Community and Member State leve ls – and to stimulating their uptake by relevant end-users, 
targeting in particular policy makers. 
Where relevant, integrated concepts, tools and ma nagement strategies will  be developed under the 
activities below. Coordinati on with cross-cutting issues2 will be ensured. Activities will take the 
socio-economic aspects of policies and technologies into account where relevant. 
                                                 
1 This could include joint implementation of programmes in Baltic Sea research, and new 
ERA-NETs. 
2 As regards environmental technologies, coor dination with CIP is particularly important. 
L 400/176 EN Official Journal of the European Union 30.12.2006 
 Activities 
• Climate change, pollution, and risks  
– Pressures on environment and climate 
Integrated research on the functi oning of climate and the earth and marine system, including the 
polar regions, is needed in order to observe and analyse how these systems evolved in the past and 
predict their future evolution in cluding observations, experimental  studies and advanced modelling 
and taking into account the anthropogenic forcing. This will enable the development of effective 
adaptation and mitigation measures to climate cha nge and its impacts. Advanced climate change 
models from the global to the local scale will be  developed and validated. These models will be 
applied to assess changes, potenti al impacts and critical thresholds  (e.g. for ocean acidity). Changes 
in atmospheric composition and in the water cycle w ill be studied and risk based approaches will be 
developed taking into account ch anges in droughts, storms and fl oods patterns. Quantification and 
study of carbon and greenhouse gases (including aeros ols) budget will be undertaken. Pressures on 
environmental quality and on climate from natural and anthropogenic pollution of the air, water and 
soil will be investigated as well as the interactio ns between the atmosphere , the stratospheric ozone 
layer, land surface, ice and oceans. Consideration w ill be given to feedback mechanisms and abrupt 
changes (e.g. ocean circulation), and to impact s on bio-diversity and ecosystems, including the 
effects of sea level rise on coas tal zones, and impacts on sensitiv e areas such as mountain regions. 
30.12.2006 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 400/177 
 – Environment and health 
Multidisciplinary research on interactions of en vironmental and climate risk factors and human 
health is needed to support th e Environment and Health  action plan and the integration of public 
health concerns and disease char acterisation related to emerging e nvironmental risks. Research will 
focus on the impact of global change (climate ch ange, land use, globalisation) multiple exposures 
via different exposure routes , identification of pollution sources and new or emerging 
environmental stressors and vectors (e.g. indoor a nd outdoor environment, issues related to urban 
environment, air pollution, electr omagnetic fields, noise and exposur e to toxic substances including 
development of integrated risk assessment and methodologies for hazardous substances), and their 
potential health effects. Research will also ai m at integrating resear ch activities on human 
bio-monitoring regarding scientific  aspects, methodologies and tool s to develop a coordinated and 
coherent approach. It will include  European cohort studies, with  attention to vul nerable population 
groups, and methods and tools for improved risk ch aracterisation, assessment and comparisons of 
risks and health impacts. Research will develop bio-markers and modelling tools taking into account combined exposures, variations in vulnera bility and uncertainty. It will also deliver 
advanced methods and decision support tools (indicat ors, data bases, cost-benefit and multi-criteria 
analyses, health impact assessment, burden of diseas e and sustainability anal ysis) for risk analysis, 
validation and linkage of models and systems, and for management and communication which are 
supporting policy development, assessment and monitoring. 
L 400/178 EN Official Journal of the European Union 30.12.2006 
 – Natural hazards 
Managing natural disasters requires a multi risk approach, combining risk specific needs with 
comprehensive planning. There is a need fo r improved knowledge, methods and integrated 
framework for the assessment of hazards, vul nerability and risks. Furthermore, mapping, 
prevention, detection and mitigati on strategies including consider ation of economic and social 
factors need to be developed. Disa sters related to climate (such as  storms, droughts, forest fires, 
landslides, avalanches, floods and other extrem e events), and geological hazards (such as 
earthquakes, volcanoes and tsunamis) and their impact  will be studied. This research will allow the 
underlying processes to be better understood. It w ill also allow for the detection, prediction and 
forecasting methods to be improved on the basis of deterministic and probabilistic approaches. It 
will underpin the development of early warning a nd information and rapid response systems aiming 
also to reduce the vulnerability of human settlements. Societal repercussions of major natural 
hazards will be quantified, incl uding impacts on ecosystems. 
30.12.2006 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 400/179 
 • Sustainable Management of Resources  
– Conservation and sustainable management of natural and man-made resources and 
bio-diversity 
Research activities will be targ eted to improve the knowledge basi s and develop advanced models 
and tools needed for the sustainable management  of resources and the creation of sustainable 
consumption patterns. This will enable the pred iction of the behaviour of ecosystems and their 
restoration, and the mitigation of  degradation and loss of importa nt structural and functional 
elements of ecosystems (for bio-diversity, water, soil and marine resources). Research on ecosystem 
modelling will take account of protection and co nservation practices. Innovative approaches to 
develop economic activities from ecosystem services  will be promoted. Integrated approaches will 
be developed to prevent and combat desertif ication, land degradation and erosion (including 
rational use of water), to stop bio-diversity loss and to mitigate negative consequences of human 
interference. Research will also address sustaina ble use and management of forests, landscape and 
urban environment including post-industrialised zones addressing in particular planning, and 
sustainable waste management.  The research will benefit from a nd contribute to the development of 
open, distributed, inter-operable data manageme nt and information systems and will underpin 
assessments, foresight, and services relate d to natural resources and their use. 
L 400/180 EN Official Journal of the European Union 30.12.2006 
 – Management of marine environments 
Specific research is required to  improve our understanding of the impacts of human activities on the 
ocean and seas and on the resources of the ma rine environment, including the pollution and 
eutrophication of regional seas and coastal areas.  Research activities in aquatic environments 
including coastal, regional and deep sea ecosyst ems and seabed, will be carried out in order to 
observe, monitor and predict the behaviour of th is environment and enhance understanding of the 
sea and the sustainable use of ocean resources. The impact of human activities on the ocean will be 
assessed through integrated approaches taking into account marine bio-diversity, ecosystem 
processes and services, ocean circulation and s eabed geology. Development of concepts and tools 
for the support of strategies for the sustainable us e of the ocean and its re sources will be undertaken. 
This will include methodologies, information system s and databases, assessment tools of policies 
and instruments. 
30.12.2006 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 400/181 
 • Environmental Technologies  
– Environmental technologies for observation, simulation, prevention, mitigation, adaptation, 
remediation and restoration of the natural and man-made environment 
New or improved environmental technologies are n eeded to reduce the environmental impact of 
human activities, protect the environment and mana ge resources more effi ciently and to develop 
new products, processes and services more beneficial  for the environment than  existing alternatives. 
Research will target in particular: technologies  preventing or reducing environmental risks, 
mitigating hazards and disasters, mitigating c limate change and the loss of bio-diversity; 
technologies promoting sustainabl e production and consumption; tec hnologies for managing natural 
resources or treating pollution more  efficiently, in relation to wate r, soil, air, marine and other 
resources including urban environment and wast e (including waste recy cling). Cross-cutting 
coordination will be ensured with other related themes. 
– Protection, conservation and enhancement of cultural heritage, incl uding human habitat 
Technologies for the environmentally sound a nd sustainable management of the human 
environment including the built environment, urban areas, landscape, as well as for the protection, 
conservation and restoration of cultural her itage from environmental pollution, including 
environment impact assessment, models and tools for risk evaluation, advan ced and non-destructive 
techniques for damage diagnosis, new products and methodologies for restoration, mitigation and 
adaptation strategies for the sustainable mana gement of both movable and immovable cultural 
assets. 
L 400/182 EN Official Journal of the European Union 30.12.2006 
 – Technology assessment, verification and testing 
Research will focus on the risk and performance assessment of technologies, including processes 
products and services, and the further developmen t of related methods su ch as the life cycle 
analysis. Moreover, focus will be given to: long-term opportunities, market potential and 
socio-economical aspects of environmental tech nologies; forest based sector technology, water 
supply and sanitation Platform, sustainable chemistr y Platform; chemicals risk assessment focusing 
on intelligent testing strategies and methods for minimising animal testing, risk quantification techniques; and research support to the development of the European Environmental Technologies 
Verification and Testing system, complemen ting third party assessment instruments. 
• Earth observation and assessment t ools for sustainable development 
– Earth and ocean observation systems and monitoring methods for the environment and 
sustainable development 
Research activities will be devoted to the development and integration of the Global Earth 
Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) for envi ronment and sustainable development issues in 
the framework of the GEO initiative
1 to which Global Monitoring for Environment and Security 
(GMES) is complementary. Interoperability betw een observation systems, information management 
and data sharing, and optimisation of information for understanding, modelling and predicting environment phenomena and related human activities will be addressed. These activities will focus 
on natural hazards, climate change, weather, ecosy stems, natural resources, water, land use, 
environment and health, and bio-diversity (inclu ding the aspects of risk assessment, forecasting 
methods and assessment tools) in order to produce  advances for the GEOSS societal benefit areas 
and contribute to GMES. 
                                                
 
1 Including financial support for the GEO secretariat. 
30.12.2006 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 400/183 
 – Forecasting methods and assessment tools for su stainable development taking into account 
differing scales of observation 
Tools are needed to quantitatively assess the environmental and research policy contribution to 
competitiveness and sustainable development, including assessments of market-based and regulatory approaches as well as  the impacts of current trends in production and consumption 
patterns. Such tools will include  models that consider the link s between the economy, environment 
and society and hence beneficial and efficient strategies of adaptation and prevention. Overall 
assessment of the global environmental change including interaction be tween ecosystems and 
socio-economic systems will be part of this interdisciplinary research. Research will also seek to improve existing indicators and develop new ones to assess sustainable development policy 
priorities, and to analyse the linkages between them, taking into account  the existing set of 
EU sustainable development indicators. The an alysis of technology, socio-economic drivers, 
externalities and governance, sustainability impact assessment as well as foresight studies, will be 
included. Areas of application include land use and marine po licies, urban development, 
bio-diversity and the economic, political and social conflicts related to climate change. 
L 400/184 EN Official Journal of the European Union 30.12.2006 
 International cooperation 
Environmental problems have invariably a tr ansboundary, regional or global dimension and 
international cooperation will be an  important aspect in this them e. Particular areas relate to 
EU international commitments, such as Climat e Change, Bio-diversity, Desertification, Water 
Resource Management and chemicals and wastes c onventions as well as the Johannesburg Summit 
decisions on sustainable development as well as other regional conventions. Attention will also be 
given to relevant research actio ns stemming from EU environmen tal strategies and action plans1. 
Scientific and technological pa rtnerships with developing countries and emerging economies will 
contribute to the Millennium Development Goals in several fields (e.g. prevention and mitigation of 
the impact of climate change and natural disast ers, reverse the loss of environmental resources, 
improvement of water management, supply and sanitation, prevention and combat of 
desertification, sustainable produc tion and consumption and facing th e environmental challenges of 
urbanisation), areas where SMEs could also play a ke y role. Particular attent ion will be given to the 
relation between global environm ental issues and the regional and local development problems 
relating to natural resour ces, bio-diversity, ecosystems, land use, natural and man-made hazards and 
risks, climate change, environm ental technologies, environment and health as well as on policy 
analysis tools. Cooperation with industrialised countries  will enhance access to global research 
excellence; scientists from devel oping countries should be actively involved in particular regarding 
better scientific unders tanding of sustainable development aspects. 
                                                 
1 Examples are the Killarney recommendations for Biodiversity Research Priorities for the 
2010 Target (Malahide conferen ce in 2004), the EU Action Plan on Climate Change in the 
Context of Development Cooperation (2004), pr iority actions identified by the Committee 
for Science and Technology of the UNCCD, EU and global strategies addressing chemicals 
and pesticides safe management, etc. 
30.12.2006 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 400/185 
 The establishment of the GEOSS for Earth observa tion will promote interna tional cooperation for 
understanding Earth systems and sust ainability issues, and coordinate d data collection for scientific 
and policy purposes with the involvemen t of public and private stakeholders. 
Responding to emerging needs and unforeseen policy needs 
Research on emerging needs in this theme may addr ess questions such as th e interactions between 
people, ecosystems and the biosphere or new risks related to natural, man induced and 
technologically i nduced disasters. 
Support to respond to unforeseen environmental policy needs could, for example, relate to 
sustainability impact assessments of new policies such as in environment, maritime policy, standards and regulations. 
7. Transport (including Aeronautics)  
Objective 
Based on technological and operation al advances and on the Europ ean transport policy, develop 
integrated, safer, "greener" and "smarter" pan-European transport systems for the benefit of all 
citizens, and society and climate policy, respec ting the environment and natural resources; and 
securing and further developing the competitivene ss attained by the Europ ean industries in the 
global market. 
L 400/186 EN Official Journal of the European Union 30.12.2006 
 Approach 
The European transport system is a vital element to European economic and social prosperity. It 
serves key roles in the transportation of people a nd goods in a local, regiona l, national, European 
and international context. This theme will addres s some of the ongoing challenges, as recognised in 
the White Paper on Transport1, in improving the contributions th at transport systems make to 
society and industrial competitiveness within an  enlarged EU, whilst minimising the negative 
impacts and consequences of transport in relation to the environment, energy usage, security and 
public health. 
A new integrated approach will be taken whic h links all transport modes, addresses the 
socio-economic and technological dimensions of  research and knowledge development, and 
encapsulates both innovation and the policy framework. 
The various Technology Platforms set up in this fi eld (ACARE for aeronautics and air transport, 
ERRAC for rail transport, ERTRAC for road tr ansport, WATERBORNE for waterborne transport, 
Hydrogen and Fuel cells) have elab orated long-term visions and St rategic Research Agendas (SRA) 
which constitute useful inputs to the definition of  this theme and complement the needs of policy 
makers and expectations of soci ety. Selected aspects of the SR As may justify setting up Joint 
Technology Initiatives. ERA-NET activities present opportunities to facilitate  further trans-national 
coordination for specific topics within the Tr ansport sector and will be pursued wherever 
appropriate. 
                                                 
1 "European Transport Policy for 2010: time to decide" – COM(2001) 370. 
30.12.2006 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 400/187 
 Activities of particular relevance to SMEs includ e efforts to ensure robus t technology-driven supply 
chains in the various sectors; en abling SMEs to access research initiatives; and facilitating the role 
and start-up of high-tech SMEs , particularly in the advan ced transport technologies and 
'services-related' activities specific to transpor t as well as the development of systems and 
applications in satellite navigation domains. 
Existing policy needs as well as the developmen t, assessment and implementation of new policies 
(for example Maritime Policy and the implemen tation of the European Single Sky), will be 
addressed within and across the different activity lines. The work will incl ude studies, models and 
tools that deal with strategic monitoring and fo recasting and integrate knowledge relating to the 
main economic, social, safety, security and environm ental issues for transport. Activities supporting 
cross-cutting thematic topics will  focus on transport specificities, fo r example security aspects as an 
inherent requirement to the transport system; the use of alternative energy  sources in transport 
applications; and monitoring of environmental eff ects of transport, incl uding climate change; and 
measures to improve the economic integration. Environmental research should cover ways of 
reducing the adverse impact of  transport and optimising tra ffic and should include boosting 
transport efficiency. 
Support will also be given to disse mination and exploitation activities and impact assessments, with 
particular attention to the specific user needs including those of the disadvantaged and policy 
requirements in the transport sector. 
L 400/188 EN Official Journal of the European Union 30.12.2006 
 Activities 
• Aeronautics and air transport 
Activities will contribute to key Community policie s as well as to the implementation of the 
ACARE Strategic Research Agenda. The quantita tive objectives correspond to the 2020 time 
horizon of this Agenda. The scope of the research includes all aircraft, passe nger travel and airside 
related aspects of the air transport system. 
– The greening of air transport:  Developing technologies to reduce  the environmental impact 
of aviation with the aim to ha lve the emitted carbon dioxide (CO 2), cut specific emissions 
of nitrogen oxides (NOx) by 80 % and halve the perceived noise. Research will focus on furthering green engine technol ogies including alternative fu els technology as well as 
improved vehicle efficiency of  fixed-wing and rotary wing ai rcraft (including helicopters 
and tiltrotors), new intelligent low-weight st ructures, and improved aerodynamics. Issues 
such as improved aircraft operations at the ai rport (airside and lands ide) and air traffic 
management, manufacturing, maintenance, a nd recycling processes will be included. 
30.12.2006 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 400/189 
 – Increasing time efficiency: R ealising a step-change in avia tion in order to accommodate 
the projected growth of three times more aircraft movements by improving punctuality in 
all weather conditions and re ducing significantly the time spent in travel-related 
procedures at airports while maintaining sa fety. Research will develop and implement an 
innovative Air Traffic Management (ATM) sy stem within the context of the SESAR1 
initiative, by integrating air, ground and sp ace components, together with traffic flow 
management and more aircraft autonomy. Desi gn aspects of aircraft to improve handling 
of passengers and cargo, novel solutions for efficient airport use and connecting air 
transport to the overall transport system w ill also be addressed. The most efficient 
coordination of the development of ATM syst ems in Europe will be ensured through the 
SESAR initiative2. 
– Ensuring customer satisfaction and safety:  Introducing a quantum leap in passenger choice 
and schedule flexibility, whilst achieving a five-fold reduction in accident rate. New technologies will enable a wider choice of ai rcraft/engine configur ations ranging from 
wide body to smaller size vehicles including ro torcraft, increased levels of automation in 
all the elements of the system, including the piloting. Focus will also be on improvements 
for passengers' comfort, well being and new serv ices, cabin logistic systems and active and 
passive safety measures with special em phasis on the human element. Research will 
include the adaptation of airport and air traffic operations to di fferent type of vehicles and 
24-hour utilisation at acceptab le community noise levels. 
                                                
 
1 SESAR (Single European Sky ATM Research) – European air traffic control infrastructure 
modernisation related to the Si ngle European Sky implementation. 
2 For this purpose, the establishment of a Joint Undertaking for the coordination of 
ATM activities is envisaged. 
L 400/190 EN Official Journal of the European Union 30.12.2006 
 – Improving cost efficiency: Fostering a co mpetitive supply chain able to halve the 
time-to-market, and reduce product development and operational costs, resulting in more 
affordable transport for the citizen. Resear ch will focus on improvements to the whole 
business process, from conceptual design to  product development, manufacturing and 
in-service operations including the integrati on of the supply chain. It  will include improved 
simulation capabilities and automation, technol ogies and methods for the realisation of 
innovative and zero-maintenance, including repair  and overhaul, aircraft, as well as lean 
aircraft, airport and air tr affic management operations. 
– Protection of aircraft and pa ssengers: Preventing hos tile action of any ki nd to incur injury, 
loss, damage or disruption to travellers or ci tizens due to the effects of aircraft misuse. 
Research will focus on the relevant elements of the air transport system including security 
measures in cabin and cockpit designs, au tomatic control and la nding in the case of 
unauthorised use of aircraft, protection against ex ternal attacks, as well as security aspects 
of airspace management and airport operations. 
– Pioneering the air transport of the future: Exploring more radical, environmentally 
efficient, accessible and innova tive technologies that might facilitate the step change 
required for air transport in the second ha lf of this century and beyond. Research will 
address aspects such as new propulsion and lif ting concepts, new ideas  for the interior 
space of airborne vehicles including design, ne w airport concepts, new methods of aircraft 
guidance and control, alternative methods of air transport system operation and its 
integration with other transport modes. 
30.12.2006 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 400/191 
 • Sustainable surface transport (rail, road and waterborne) 
– The greening of surface transport: Devel oping technologies and knowledge for reduced 
pollution (air including greenhouse gases, wate r and soil) and environmental impact on 
such areas as climate change, health, bio-di versity and noise. Research will improve the 
cleanliness and energy-efficien cy of power-trains (e.g. hybrid -solutions) and promote the 
use of alternative fuels, incl uding hydrogen and fuel cells as  mid- and long-term options, 
taking into account cost-efficiency and ener gy efficiency considerations. Activities will 
cover infrastructure, vehicles, vessels a nd component technologi es, including overall 
system optimisation. Research in developm ents specific to transport will include 
manufacturing, construction, operations, mainte nance, diagnostics, repair, inspection, 
dismantling, disposal, recycling, end of life strategies and inte rventions at sea in case of 
accident. 
L 400/192 EN Official Journal of the European Union 30.12.2006 
 – Encouraging and increasing modal shif t and decongesting transport corridors1. Developing 
and demonstrating seamless door-to-door tr ansport for people and goods as well as 
technologies and systems to ensure effective intermodality, including in the context of rail 
and waterborne transport competitiveness. This includes activities addressing the interoperability and operational optimisation of local, regional, national and European 
transport networks, systems and services and th eir intermodal integration in an integrated 
approach. The activities will aim at Eur opean-wide strategies, optimised use of 
infrastructure including terminals and specialis ed networks, improved transport, traffic and 
information management, enhanced freight logistics, passenger intermodality and modal 
shift strategies to encourage energy efficient means of transport. Intelligent systems, new 
vehicle/vessel concepts and t echnologies includi ng loading and unloading operations as 
well as user interfaces will be develope d. Knowledge for policy making will include 
infrastructure pricing and charging, assessmen ts of Community transport policy measures 
and trans-European networ ks policy and projects. 
                                                
 
1 In view of the objective to re-establish the modal split of 1998 activities addressing one 
single mode will concentrate on rail and waterborne transport. 
30.12.2006 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 400/193 
 – Ensuring sustainable urban mobility for all citizens, including the disadvantaged: Focusing 
on the mobility of people and goods by research on the 'next generation vehicle' and its market take-up, bringing together all elemen ts of a clean, energy efficient, safe and 
intelligent road transport system. Research on new transport and mobility concepts, innovative organisational and mobility mana gement schemes and high quality public 
transport will aim at ensuring access for al l and high levels of intermodal integration. 
Innovative strategies fo r clean urban transport
1 will be developed a nd tested. Particular 
attention will be paid to  non-polluting modes of tran sport, demand management, 
rationalisation of private transport, and info rmation and communication strategies, services 
and infrastructures. Tools and models suppor ting policy development and implementation 
will cover transport and land use planning in cluding the relationship with growth and 
employment. 
                                                 
1 Building upon the experiences of the CIVITAS Initiative. 
L 400/194 EN Official Journal of the European Union 30.12.2006 
 – Improving safety and security: Developing techno logies and intelligent systems to protect 
vulnerable persons such as drivers, riders, passengers, crew, and pedestrians. Advanced 
engineering systems and risk analysis methodol ogies will be developed for the design and 
operation of vehicles, vessels and infrastructu res. Emphasis will be placed on integrative 
approaches linking human elements, structural  integrity, preventive, passive and active 
safety including monitoring systems, rescue and crisis management. Safety will be considered as an inherent component of the total transport system embracing 
infrastructures, freight (goods and containers), transport user s and operators, vehicles and 
vessels and measures at policy and legisl ative levels, includi ng decision support and 
validation tools; security will be addressed wher ever it is an inherent requirement to the 
transport system. 
– Strengthening competitiveness: Improving the competitiveness of transport industries, 
ensuring sustainable, efficient and affordable transport services and creating new skills and 
job opportunities by research and developments. Technologies for advanced industrial 
processes will include design, manufacturing, assembly, construction and maintenance and 
will aim at decreasing life cycle costs and development lead-times. Emphasis will be 
placed on innovative and improved product and sy stem concepts and transport services 
ensuring higher customer satisfaction. New production organisation including the supply 
chain management and distribution systems will be developed. 
30.12.2006 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 400/195 
 • Support for the European global satellite navigation system (G alileo and EGNOS) 
The European Global Satellite Navigation system , encompasses Galileo and EGNOS, and provides 
a worldwide positioning and timing infrastructure1. 
– Exploiting the full potential: promoting growth in the use of the services ranging from 
open to commercial access, safety-of-life to  "search and rescue" and public regulated 
service; transport management applications  including freight and hazardous materials 
transportation; exploiting by-product services; de monstrating the benefits and efficiencies 
of satellite navigation. 
– Providing the tools and creating the appropriate environment: en suring safe and secure use 
of services, mainly through certification in  key application domains; preparing and 
confirming the adequacy of services to ne w policies and legislation, including their 
implementation; addressing public regulated se rvices according to the approved policy of 
access; developing essential digital topology, cartography, geodesy data and systems for 
use in navigation applications; addressing sa fety and security needs and requirements. 
– Adapting receivers to requirements and upgrad ing core technologies : improving receiver 
performances, integrating low-power cons umption and miniaturisation technologies, 
completing in-door navigation coverage, coupl ing with radio fre quency identification 
devices, exploiting software receiver technology, combining with other functions such as 
telecommunication, supporting key navigation gr ound-based infrastructure technology to 
ensure robustness and flexibility. 
                                                 
1 The research activities will be managed by the European GNSS Supervisory Authority. 
L 400/196 EN Official Journal of the European Union 30.12.2006 
 – Supporting infrastructure evolution: prepar ing second generation system, adapting to 
evolving user demands and market forecas ts, taking advantage of infrastructure 
internationalisation to addre ss global markets and devel oping world-wide standards. 
International Cooperation 
International cooperation is an important component of the RTD activities in this field, and will be 
encouraged where there are intere sts for industry and policy-makers. Broad topic areas for specific 
actions will be considered where there is market attraction (for example global trade development and connecting networks and services at continen tal and intercontinental level); opportunities to 
access and acquire science and technology that is complementary to the current European 
knowledge and of mutual benefit; and where Europe responds to gl obal needs (for example climate 
change) or contributes to  international standards and global sy stems (for example applied logistics 
and satellite navigation infrastructure). 
Responding to emerging needs and unforeseen policy needs 
Initiatives under emerging needs will support res earch that responds to critical events and 
challenges of future transportation systems for example novel transport and vehicle concepts, 
automation, mobility or organisation. 
Unforeseen policy needs that may require specific  transport-related research could include broad 
societal issues such as the changes in the demogr aphics, lifestyles and exp ectations of society for 
transport systems; as well as emerging risks or  problems of high importance to European society. 
30.12.2006 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 400/197 
 8. Socio-Economic Sciences and the Humanities 
Objective 
Generating an in-depth, shared  understanding of complex and interrelated socio-economic 
challenges Europe is confronted with, such as growth, employment and competitiveness, social cohesion, social, cultural and e ducational challenges in an enlarged EU, sustainability, 
environmental challenges, demographic change, migra tion and integration, quali ty of life and global 
interdependence, in particular with the view of providing an imp roved knowledge base for policies 
in the fields concerned. 
Approach 
The research priorities address key societal, eco nomic and cultural challenge s facing Europe and the 
world now and in the future. The proposed research agenda constitutes a coherent approach to 
addressing these challenges. The development of  a socio-economic and humanities knowledge base 
on these key challenges will make a significant c ontribution to promoting shared understanding 
across Europe and to the resoluti on of wider international problems.  The research priorities will 
help improve the formulation, implementati on, impact and assessment of policy including 
regulatory measures in many Community policy areas  at the European, nati onal, regional and local 
levels, and a substantial international perspec tive is included in mo st of the research. 
L 400/198 EN Official Journal of the European Union 30.12.2006 
 In addition to socio-economic and socio-cultural research and foresight an emphasis will be placed 
on humanities research, which will provide different perspectives and make an essential contribution across the theme on, for example, the historical, cultural and philosophical aspects, 
including relevant language, id entity and values questions. 
The work could also build upon relevant nati onal research programmes, complementing the 
research activities below, and taking advantage of the ERA-NET scheme and the possible use of 
Article 169. For certain issues, use may also be made of social platforms to discuss future research 
agendas; these would involve the research  community and societal stakeholders. 
The research will be facilitated by research infrastructures which generate new research data, 
including through surveys (both qua ntitative and qualitative), make  available existing data for 
international comparative research, and provide a ccess to source materials and advanced research 
tools as well as to the results of existing research in many fields. Some of these actions will be 
carried out through the Infrastructures element of the Capacities programme and others by projects 
under this theme. The research will rely on access to  and the use of official statistics. 
Specific dissemination actions targeted at part icular groups and the general public will be 
undertaken, including workshops and conferences for researchers to exchange views with 
policy-makers and other stakeholders, and th e diffusion of results using various media. 
Appropriate coordination of socio-economic and hu manities research and foresight elements across 
the Cooperation and other specif ic programmes will be assured. 
30.12.2006 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 400/199 
 Activities 
• Growth, employment and competitiv eness in a knowledge society 
This will aim to develop and integrate research on the issues affecting growth, employment and 
competitiveness in order to provide an improved and integrated understanding of these issues for the continued development of a knowledge soci ety. It will benefit policy and support progress 
towards achieving these objectives. The research  will integrate the following aspects of the 
question: 
– The changing role of knowledge throughout th e economy, including the role of different 
types of knowledge, skills and competences on a global scale, formal and informal 
education and lifelong learning, and intangible goods and investment. 
– Economic structures, structural change includ ing spatial aspects such as regionalisation 
and internationalisation, and pr oductivity issues, including the ro le of the services sector, 
of finance, demographics, demand and the processes of long-term change. 
– Institutional and policy questions, including m acroeconomic policy, labour markets, social 
and welfare systems, national and regional inst itutional contexts, and policy coherence and 
coordination. 
L 400/200 EN Official Journal of the European Union 30.12.2006 
 Research will address important new challenges and opportunities from in creased globalisation, 
emerging economies, relocation, and EU enlargement; as well as socio-economic stability, the role 
of technology and intern ational transfer of technology, vari ous forms of innovation and economic 
renewal, outsourcing and insourcing, yout h and youth policy, economic and social 
entrepreneurship, and the economic potential of Eur opean cultural heritage and the creative sector. 
Employment questions will include unemployment and underemployment. 
• Combining economic, social and environmenta l objectives in a European perspective 
This aims to support the societal goal of combin ing economic, social and environmental objectives 
and so improve the basis for sustainable developmen t. The research in this  activity will address two 
interrelated issues: 
– How European socio-economic models and thos e outside Europe have fared in combining 
the objectives, the conditions under which this occurred incl uding the role of dialogue, 
social partnership, sectoral tr ansformation, institutional change and their ability to confront 
new challenges. 
– Economic cohesion between regions and urban a nd regional development in an enlarged 
EU; and social cohesion (including inequalitie s, social protection and social services, 
taxation policies, ethnic rela tions and migration, educati on and social exclusion, and 
health) as well as its rela tion to social problems such as poverty, housing, crime, 
delinquency and drugs. 
30.12.2006 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 400/201 
 – In addressing these issues, consideration will be given to 
– the existence of trade-offs or synergies between the economic, social, environmental 
objectives in the world context, 
– the interaction between environment1, energy and society, 
– long-term sustainability, 
– issues for developing countries, 
– spatial aspects including urban planning, th e role of cities, metropolitan and other 
city regions and related governance issues, 
– cultural issues; and the socio-economic impact  of European policies and legislation. 
The question of welfare states as a developmen t resource, and the employment and housing of 
migrants and their descendant s, will also be addressed. 
                                                 
1 Global environment change will be main ly dealt in the Theme Environment. 
L 400/202 EN Official Journal of the European Union 30.12.2006 
 • Major trends in society and their implications 
The aim is to understand and assess the causes and im plications of particular  key trends in society 
that have major consequences for European citizens, their quality of life and for policies, and thus to 
provide an underpinning for many policy areas. Em pirical and theoretical research will address 
initially three major trends: 
– Demographic change including ageing, fertil ity and migration. The broad societal and 
economic implications and issues will be addressed, including societal and economic 
potential of active ageing, the effects on pens ion systems, the challenges of migration and 
integration and the implicatio ns for urban development. 
– Changes in the related aspects of lifestyle s, families, work, consumption (including 
consumer protection aspects) , health and quality of lif e including child, youth and 
disabilities issues a nd reconciliation of work and family life. 
– Cultural interactions in an international pers pective including tradi tions from different 
societies, diversity of populations including ethnic groups, multicultu ral issues, differing 
identities, languages and religious practices, a nd possible issues in th is context including 
discrimination, racism, xenophobia and intolerance. 
Gender issues, inequalities and changing values will be included. In addition, changes in criminality 
and crime perception will be examined, as will  changes in corporate social responsibility. 
30.12.2006 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 400/203 
 • Europe in the world 
The aim is to understand changing interactions  and interdependencies between world regions 
including emerging and developi ng regions and their implicati ons for the regions concerned, 
especially for Europe, and the related issue of addressing emerging threats and risks in a world 
context and their connection to human rights, fr eedoms and well-being. The research will involve 
two related tracks: 
– Flows of trade, finance, investment, migr ation and their impact; uneven development, 
poverty and sustainability; economic and pol itical relations, global governance including 
international institutions. This will explor e cultural interactions including media and 
religions and distinctive non-European approaches. 
– Conflicts, their causes and resolution, and fo stering peace; the relation between security 
and destabilising factors such as poverty, cr ime, environmental degradation, resource 
scarcity, uneven development, financial inst ability and debt; terrorism, its causes and 
consequences; security-related policies and pe rceptions of insecurity and civil-military 
relations. 
In both, Europe's role in the world, the developm ent of multilateralism and international law, the 
promotion of democracy and fundamental rights incl uding different notions of these, and Europe as 
seen from outside, will be addressed. 
L 400/204 EN Official Journal of the European Union 30.12.2006 
 • The citizen in the European Union 
In the context of the future development of the EU , the aim is to improve understanding of, first, the 
issues involved in achieving a sens e of democratic "ownership" and active participa tion by citizens 
as well as effective and democratic governance at all levels includi ng innovative governance 
processes to enhance citizens' pa rticipation and the cooperation be tween public and private actors, 
and, second, Europe's diversities and commonalities in terms of culture, relig ion, institutions, law, 
history, languages and values. The research will address: 
– Participation (including youth, minorities and gender aspects), representation, 
accountability and legitimacy; the European pub lic sphere, media and democracy; various 
forms of governance in the EU including ec onomic and legal governance and the role of 
the public and private sectors, policy processes and opportunities to shape policies; the role 
of civil society; citizenship and rights; the im plications of enlargement; and related values 
of the population. 
– European diversities and commonalities, includi ng their historical or igins and evolution; 
differences in institutions (including norms, practices, laws ); cultural heritage; various 
visions and perspectives for European integr ation and enlargement including the views of 
the populations; identities including European identity; approaches to multiple coexisting 
cultures; the role of language, the arts  and religions; attitudes and values. 
30.12.2006 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 400/205 
 • Socio-economic and scientific indicators 
With a view to improving the use of indicators in policy, the aim is to develop a more profound 
understanding of their use in policy developmen t and implementation and to propose improvements 
in indicators and methods for their use. The research will address: 
– How indicators are used in policy objectives, policy development and implementation, in a 
variety of fields and from macro to micro le vels, the adequacy of existing indicators and 
their use, techniques to analyse them a nd proposals for new indicators and sets of 
indicators. 
– How evidence-based policy might be better s upported by indicators a nd methods for their 
use; indicators for policy with multiple objectives, for policy coordination and for regulation; support by official st atistics for such indicators. 
– Use of indicators and related approaches fo r evaluation of research programmes including 
impact assessment. 
L 400/206 EN Official Journal of the European Union 30.12.2006 
 • Foresight activities  
The aim is to provide national, regional and Co mmunity policy-makers and others with foresight 
knowledge for the early identification of long-term  challenges and areas of common interest that 
can help them formulate policy. Four types of activities will be covered: 
– Wide socio-economic foresight on a limited num ber of key challenges and opportunities 
for the Community, exploring issues such as  the future and implications of ageing, 
migration, globalisation of the production a nd dissemination of knowledge, changes in 
crime and major risks. 
– More focused thematic foresight on the developments in emerging research domains or 
those cutting across existing domains, as well as on the future of scientific disciplines. 
– Foresight on research systems and policies in Europe and elsewhere and on the future of 
key actors involved. 
– Mutual learning and cooperation between national and/or re gional foresight initiatives; 
cooperation between EU, third country and international foresi ght initiatives. 
30.12.2006 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 400/207 
 International cooperation 
Given the strong international dimension of th e research, international cooperation will be 
developed in all areas of the theme. Specific inte rnational cooperation actions  will be undertaken on 
a number of selected subjects on a multilateral and bilateral basis identified on the basis of the 
needs of the partner countries as well as those of Europe. 
Responding to emerging needs and unforeseen policy needs 
Research on emerging needs will offer a space fo r researchers to identif y and address research 
challenges not specified above. It will encour age innovative thinking about challenges facing 
Europe not being widely discussed up to now or other relevant combin ations of issues, perspectives 
and disciplines. Research to respond to unfores een policy needs will also be undertaken, in close 
consultation with those involved in policy. 
9. Space 
Objective 
Supporting a European Space Programme focusing on app lications such as GMES with benefits for 
citizens and for the competitiveness of the Europe an space industry. This will contribute to the 
development of a European Space Policy, complementing efforts by Member States and by other key players, including the European Space Agency (ESA). 
L 400/208 EN Official Journal of the European Union 30.12.2006 
 Approach 
In this field, the Community will contribute to the definition of common objectives based on user 
requirements and policy objectives; to the coordi nation of activities, to the avoidance of 
duplications, to the facilitation of interoperability and to the improvement of cost-effectiveness. It 
will also contribute to the definition of standards. The European Space Policy1 will serve the 
objectives of the public authorities  and decision-makers while streng thening the competitiveness of 
the European industry. It will be implemente d through a European Space Programme, and the 
Seventh Framework Programme will contribut e to support or complement research and 
technological development actions provided by othe r stakeholders, public a nd private, in Europe. 
Actions in this theme will support Community polic y objectives, for example in the fields of 
agriculture, forestry, fisheries, environment, te lecommunications, security, development, health, 
humanitarian aid, transport, scie nce, education as well as ensuri ng that Europe is involved in 
regional and international cooperation. Space tools are also foreseen to contribute to law 
enforcement in some of these fields. 
With particular focus on the use of  existing capabilities in Europe, the activities set out in this 
priority aim primarily at: the exploitation of space assets for the implementa tion of applications, in 
particular GMES (Global Monitoring for Environm ent and Security) which together with Galileo 
represents the flagship of the European Space Policy, as well as  space exploration efforts; and  
enabling technologies supporting the stra tegic role of the European Union. 
                                                 
1 "European Space Policy: Preliminary Elements" – COM(2005) 208. 
30.12.2006 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 400/209 
 Application-oriented activities ar e expected to be complementary to actions carried out under other 
themes in the "Cooperation" Specific Programme ( notably those carried ou t under "Environment" in 
connection with earth observat ion and GEOSS, and those carri ed out under "Information and 
Communication Technologies"). Thema tic synergies will also be developed with related activities 
in other specific programmes. Complementary actions are envisa ged through the Competitiveness 
and Innovation Framework Programme and the Education and Training Programme. 
Research and technology transfer activities in the theme could be particularly appealing for SMEs 
developing innovative technologies, needing fa miliarisation with new space technology 
opportunities (spin-in), or developing application for their own space technol ogies to other markets 
(spin-off). 
Management of certain parts of the space activities could be entrusted to existing external entities, 
such as ESA1, and other entities and agencies at European  or national level. In the case of GMES, 
research activities could be implemented through a Joint Tec hnology Initiative (see Annex III). 
                                                 
1 Within the terms of the Framework Agreem ent between the European Community and the 
European Space Agency (OJ L 261, 6.8.2004, p. 64). 
L 400/210 EN Official Journal of the European Union 30.12.2006 
 Activities 
• Space-based applications at the se rvice of the European Society  
– Global Monitoring for Environm ent and Security (GMES) 
The objective is to develop appr opriate satellite based monitoring and early warning systems, 
including for the safety of citizen s, as unique and globally available data sources and to consolidate 
and stimulate evolution of their operational use. This programme will also provide support to the 
development of operational GMES services, which enable decision-makers to better anticipate or 
mitigate crisis situations and issues relating to th e management of the environment and security and 
the handling of natural disasters, starting with "fast-track" services on Emergency Response, Land 
Monitoring and Marine Services. Re search activities should mainly contribute to maximise the use 
of GMES data collected from sp ace-borne sources and to integrati ng these with data from other 
observation systems in complex products designed to  deliver information and customised services 
to end-users through an efficient data integrat ion and information management. Other satellite 
technologies (e.g. Communication, Navigation) will be integrated, where necessary, into the 
development of GMES services. Research activit ies should also contribute to enhance monitoring 
techniques and associated instrument technologie s, to develop where necessary new space-based 
systems or improve the interoperability of existing  ones, and to enable their use in (pre-)operational 
services responding to specific types of dema nd. Research should support the development of 
sustainable space-based and in situ  (including ground-based and airborne) systems in particular: for 
land monitoring, ocean monitoring and crisis mana gement, with frequent, high-resolution imagery 
for zones of high importance, including sensitive,  urban and rapidly evolving zones; for risk 
prevention and risk management and all kinds  of emergency, enhancing convergence with 
non-space systems. 
30.12.2006 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 400/211 
 • In the environmental domain, the demands incl ude the acquisition of independent knowledge on 
the state and evolution of sustainable use of rene wable resources (such as vegetation and forests), 
wetlands, desertification, land cover including snow and ice, and land use, the food supply, 
agricultural environment and fi shing, carbon sinks and stocks ; atmospheric processes and 
chemistry; and conditions of seas. The EC 6t h Environmental Action Plan on environmental 
policies monitoring climate change, air, so il and water quality will be considered. 
• In the security domain demands include improvi ng acquisition, access and ex change of data and 
information needed in the cont ext of emergency relief response and management. Support is to 
be given for prevention/mitigation, monitoring, ri sk management and assessment of natural and 
technological hazards as well as to humanitarian aid for the purpose of proper need assessment 
and emergency planning in the context of natura l disasters (such as forest fires, floods and 
earthquakes) and humanitarian crises (refugees, inte rnally displaced persons, etc.). Support is 
also to be considered for the implementation of the Community policies such as the establishment of an area of freedom, securi ty and justice, and in the domain of border 
surveillance. 
L 400/212 EN Official Journal of the European Union 30.12.2006 
 – Security aspects (complementary to secu rity research and to GMES activities) 
The EC SPASEC Report1 underlined that space services play su ch a key role in the well-being of 
European society that protection of critical infrastr ucture in the space sector is a priority. This may 
need services and capabilities for surveillance of  space based assets as well as protection for 
terrestrial infrastructure. The space surveillance system could for example provide information 
concerning the main characteristics of satellites (e .g. orbital parameters, activity status), the main 
characteristics of potentially th reatening debris (e.g. trajectory, physical parameters) and pertinent 
information  related to space weather and N ear Earth Objects. Feasibilit y studies and the financing 
of demonstration projects can be foreseen in this area. 
– Applications of Sate llite Communications 
The objective is to support innova tive satellite communica tion applications and services, seamlessly 
integrated in global electronic co mmunication networks, for citizens and enterprises in application 
sectors encompassing civil protec tion, security, e-government, teleme dicine, tele-education, search 
and rescue, tourism and leisure activities, tr ansport including fleet management and personal 
navigation, agriculture, forestry and meteorology. Research emphasis will be on the development of 
new applications and the deployment of demonstr ation missions and pre-operational systems where 
satellite communications represen t an efficient response to th ese needs in terms of GMES 
downstream services. 
                                                 
1 Report of the Panel of Experts on Space and Security (March 2005). 
30.12.2006 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 400/213 
 • Exploration of space 
– The objective is to provide R&D support and maximise scientific added-value 
through synergies with initiatives of ESA or other entities and agencies at European 
or national level in the field of space exploration, including related technology 
transfer implications, and to facilitate access by the scientific community to 
results/data acquired during exploration missions undertak en in the frame of the 
European Space Programme. Research activitie s will be carried out, in particular, 
through supporting actions, feasibility studies and pre-operational projects. 
Additional dimensions will have to be considered: the intrinsic international 
cooperation opportunities a nd the importance of keeping awareness and 
disseminating results. 
– Supporting actions and feasibility studies ar e also envisaged as a means to better 
coordinate efforts for the development of  space-borne telescopes and detectors as 
well as for data analysis in space sciences. Actions in this context will complement relevant national and international program mes (notably by ESA) and will aim at 
examining international cooperation opportunities. 
• RTD for strengthening space foundations 
– Space technology 
In general the objective is to support the increase of the compet itiveness, cost-effectiveness 
and independent access of the Europ ean space technology sector at large. 
L 400/214 EN Official Journal of the European Union 30.12.2006 
 In particular that objective could be met through space research and the development for 
long-term needs including space transportation, for example by: assessing the long-term 
needs; contributing to system studies taki ng into account the end-user requirements; 
contributing to upstream technology resear ch for the next generation of space 
transportation and propulsion systems. 
– Space sciences 
The objective is to contribute to the developmen t of advanced technologies to be used in 
space sciences.  Space sciences not only provide deep insights into the structure of the 
universe, improved understanding of Planet  Earth and the Solar System, and a new 
approach to bio-medicine a nd life and physical sciences, th ey are also a strong driving 
force for new technology developments with ma ny subsequent applicat ions of benefit to 
society. The Seventh Framework Programme should complement the ongoing scientific 
programmes where gaps are iden tified and be in support of sc ientific activities including 
on-board the International Space Station (ISS) . Supporting activities aiming at facilitating 
access to scientific data in cluding those obtained from pr evious missions are also 
envisaged. 
International cooperation 
Exploitation and exploration of sp ace are, by nature, gl obal ventures. Effectiv e international space 
cooperation will help to raise th e Union's political standing in th e world, strengthen its economic 
competitiveness and enhance its reputation for scien tific excellence. Cooperat ion in the space sector 
will also support Community's external policy objectives (e.g. support for developing countries, 
neighbourhood countries). 
30.12.2006 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 400/215 
 In this respect, focus will be on developing an ov erall strategy in international space cooperation as 
well as an efficient coordination mechanism involving all relevant European players. 
Space has to be considered a privileged sector for de veloping international activities, in particular in 
cooperation with main and emerging space powers, such  as Russia, the United States, China, India, 
Canada, Japan, Ukraine and other count ries carrying out space activities. 
Efforts will be pursued to promote the use of space-based solutions in support of sustainable 
development and prevention of risks in the contex t of natural disasters an d humanitarian crises, 
particularly in Africa. This is coherent with th e global approach taken by GMES with regard to the 
monitoring of the environment1 and security. 
To provide better opportunities for efficient collaboration and to en sure that best international 
expertise in the space field is integrated in the European Spac e Programme, specific cooperation 
actions will be used for bi-or multilateral proj ects, international and global initiatives and 
cooperation with emerging economies and developing countries. Activities will include assessing 
and monitoring of international commitments. 
Responding to emerging needs and unforeseen policy needs 
Research on emerging needs will enable innovative soluti ons to technological developments in the 
space research area, and possible adaptations and applications in other fields (e.g. resources 
management, biological processes, and new materi als). Research to respond to unforeseen policy 
needs may address topics such as providing sp ace based solutions in support of developing 
countries, developing new space-observation and communication tools and methods related to 
relevant Community policies and co ntributions to social inclusion. 
                                                 
1 For example, the Kyoto Protocol, United Na tions Convention to Co mbat Desertification, 
UN Biodiversity Convention, 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development conclusions 
and 2005 G-8 Summit conclusions. 
L 400/216 EN Official Journal of the European Union 30.12.2006 
 10. Security 
Objective 
To develop the technologies and knowledge for bu ilding capabilities needed to  ensure the security 
of citizens from threats such as terrorism, natural disast ers and crime, while respecting fundamental 
human rights including pr ivacy; to ensure optimal and concer ted use of available and evolving 
technologies to the benefit of civi l European security, to stimulate the cooperation of providers and 
users for civil security solutions, improving the co mpetitiveness of the European security industry 
and delivering mission-orient ed research results to  reduce security gaps. 
Approach 
Security in Europe is a precondition of prosperity  and freedom. The Security Research theme has an 
exclusively civil application fo cus and it supports the implementation of Community policies and 
initiatives relevant to security such as the establ ishment of an area of freedom, security and justice, 
transport, health (including th e EU Health Security Programme1), civil protection (including natural 
and industrial disasters), energy, environment and external policies. Through this, the theme will contribute to growth and employme nt and the competitiveness of the European security industry. It 
will facilitate the various national and internatio nal actors to cooperate an d coordinate in order to 
avoid unnecessary duplication and to explore synergie s wherever possible. It will be aimed at filling 
capability gaps and will provide clear added-value to security needs in Europe. The respect of privacy and civil liberties will be  a guiding principle throughout th e theme. It will not work on any 
technology for lethal and/or destructive weapons. 
                                                
 
1 With the objective to improve preparedness and response to deliberate releases of biological 
and/or chemical agents. 
30.12.2006 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 400/217 
 The special requirements concerning  confidentiality are to be enfo rced but the transparency of 
research findings is not to be unnecessary restri cted. In addition, areas are to be identified that 
permit the present transparen cy of research findings. 
These non-defence activities at Community level will address four civil security mission areas 
which have been identified in response to spec ific challenges of high political relevance and 
European added-value with regard to threats and potential security  incidents, and three areas of 
cross-cutting interest. Each mission area covers si x phases which vary in time and emphasis. These 
six phases are: identify (i ncident-related), prevent (threat-related), protect (target-related), prepare 
(operation-related), respond (crisis- related) and recover (consequence- related); they describe what 
efforts to undertake in the respectiv e phases. The first four phases refer to efforts of avoiding an 
incident and mitigating its potential negative impacts, the last two refer to efforts of coping with the 
incident situation and longer-term consequences. 
For each phase of the individual mission areas, a specific group of capabilities becomes relevant 
which those responsible for the secu rity of the citizens need to posse ss in order to effectively cope 
with threats and incidents. The capabilities indicate how the efforts would be undertaken and will in 
several cases contribute to more than one phase a nd/or mission area. Acquir ing the capabilities is 
based on a combination of knowledge, technologies  and organisational measures. This theme will 
also address ways of ensuring an effective connection between the enhanced knowledge and 
technologies, better use of common ICT-systems in the fields of different operations, and processes 
developed and their actual implementation by th e various end-users, in order to achieve 
improvements in European security capabilities. 
L 400/218 EN Official Journal of the European Union 30.12.2006 
 Research will in particular focus on filling capab ility gaps by developing technologies and skills 
required by the specific mission area and identified  by a "top-down" approa ch guided by a dialogue 
with end-users, in conformity w ith objectives and priorities. As e nd-users of the security research, 
public authorities, the private sector and EU citizen s will be fully involved in the identification of 
the security research requirements to be addres sed. A "System Analysis" approach will be adopted 
to conduct an analysis of civil security gaps and their R&D requirements in each mission area. The 
activities will include the analysis of the security requirements of civil busine ss. This identification 
of research requirements should be continuously an important el ement of research under this 
Theme. 
This capability gap driven approach will be complemented by a "bottom-up" approach which 
scopes and examines technologies in order to as sess how they could be utilised to enhance 
European security. An important aspect is to draw on the excellence of the supply side 
(e.g. industry, universities, resear ch centres) to bring forward innovative security solutions. 
Research will be multidisciplinary and mission- oriented, it will range from technology and 
methodology development, to technology and system s integration, demonstr ation and validation. 
A multi-purpose nature of technologies is encouraged  to maximise the scope for their application, 
and to foster cross-fertilisati on and take-up of available and ev olving technologies for the civil 
security sector. The Security Research theme will aim at preparing medium to long-term effective 
solutions which are sufficiently adaptable and innova tive to defy relevant threats. It will also 
complement and integrate the technology- and more systems-oriented resear ch relevant to civil 
security which is carried out in other themes. 
30.12.2006 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 400/219 
 Security research needs specific im plementation rules to take into ac count its special nature with the 
aim of protecting sensitive information related to  security, and to providing sufficient information 
on the results for the Member States and end-users. 
Research will be focussed exclusively on civil se curity applications. R ecognising that there are 
areas of dual use technology relevant to both ci vilian and military applications, a suitable 
framework will be established to coordinate with  the activities of the European Defence Agency 
(EDA). Moreover, to provide mutual information and to avoid unnecessary duplication of funding a 
coordination of security research  with other activities at nation al and European level will be 
established. 
The involvement of small and medium-sized enterp rises (SMEs) in the ac tivities is as strongly 
encouraged as that of authoritie s and organisations responsible for the security of the citizens. The 
longer term research agenda elaborated by the European Security Res earch Advisory Board 
(ESRAB)1 will support the definition of the content and structure of the resear ch in this theme. 
                                                 
1 Established in the course of the three year s Preparatory Action for Security Research 
(PASR 2004-2006). 
L 400/220 EN Official Journal of the European Union 30.12.2006 
 Activities 
Activities will address the following mission areas: 
• Security of citizens:  Activities will concentrate on threat aspects of potential incidents of a 
transnational importance, such as offenders, equipment and resources used by them or as 
mechanisms of attack. A series of capabilities are required to cope with this mission area, many 
of which primarily relate to the phases "iden tify", "prevent" and "pre pare" and "respond". The 
ambition is both to avoid an incident and to m itigate its potential conseq uences. To build up the 
required capabilities with the aim of providing civil protectio n, including bio-security and 
protection against risks arising from crime and te rrorist attacks, emphasis will be on issues such 
as: threat (e.g. Chemical, Bi ological, Radiological and Nu clear, CBRN) awareness (e.g. 
intelligence gathering, collection, exploitation, sh aring; alerting), detection (e.g. hazardous 
substances, explosives, agents B or C, individuals or groups, su spect behaviour), identification 
and authentification (e.g. of persons, type and amount of subs tances), preventi on (e.g. control of 
access and movements, with respec t to financial resources, control of financial structures), 
preparedness (e.g. risk assessment; CBRN protection, control of intentionally  released biological 
and chemical agents; assessment of levels for strategic reserves such as manpower, skills, 
equipment, consumables; with respect to large- scale events, etc.), neutralisation (e.g. missiles, 
communications, vehicles, non-destructive systems)  and containment of effects of terrorist 
attacks and crime, law enforcement data processing. 
30.12.2006 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 400/221 
 • Security of infrastructures and utilities: Activities will concentrate on ta rgets of an incident or 
disaster of transnational importan ce, examples for infrastructures include large-scale event sites, 
significant sites of political (e.g. parliament buildings) or symbo lic (e.g. particular monuments) 
value and utilities being those fo r energy (including oil, electr icity, gas), water, transport 
(including air, sea, land), communication (inclu ding broadcasting), financial, administrative, 
public health, etc. A series of capabilities are required to cope  with this mission area, many of 
which primarily relate to the phases "protect" bu t also "prepare". The am bition is both to avoid 
an incident and to mitigate its potential conse quences. To build up the required capabilities, 
emphasis will be on issues such as: analysing, modelling and assessing vulnerabilities of 
physical infrastructure and its operations; securing existing and future public and private critical 
networked infrastructures, systems and services  with respect to their physical, logical and 
functional side; control and alert systems to allow for quick res ponse in case of an incident; 
protection against cascading effects of an incident, defining and de signing criteria to build new 
secure infrastructures and utilities. 
L 400/222 EN Official Journal of the European Union 30.12.2006 
 • Intelligent surveillance and border security:  Activities will deal with issues relevant to all the 
consecutive tiers of European bor der security strategy, starting w ith visa application procedures 
in embassies and consular posts (1st level), cross-border cooperat ion (2nd level), measures at the 
border crossing points at land bor ders, harbours and airports as  well as between the border 
crossing points at green and blue borders (3rd le vel) and finally activitie s inside the European 
external borders (4th level) such as exchange  of information, compensatory measures, Schengen 
Information System (SIS), Judicial and Police,  Customs and Border Guard cooperation (PCB). A 
series of capabilities are require d to cope with this mission area,  many of which primarily relate 
to the phases "identify", "prevent" and "protect". The ambition is  both to avoid an incident and to 
mitigate its potential consequences.  To build up the required capab ilities, emphasis will be on i ssues such as: enhancing the 
effectiveness and efficiency of all security releva nt systems, equipment, tools and processes used 
at border crossing points (e.g. id entification of acce ssing people, non-invasive detection of 
people and goods, tracking of substances, samp ling, spatial recognition including data capture 
and analysis, etc.); improving the security of  Europe's land and sea borders (e.g. through non 
invasive and underwater de tection of vehicles, tracking of ve hicles, spatial recognition including 
data capture and analysis, surveillance, remote operations, etc.); maritime security; assessment and management of (illegal) migration flows. A suitable framework will be established to 
coordinate with the activities  of the European Agency for the Management of Operational 
Cooperation at the External Borders. 
30.12.2006 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 400/223 
 • Restoring security and safe ty in case of crisis: Activities will focus on technologies providing 
an overview of, and support for diverse emergency management operations, such as in civil 
protection (including natural disa sters and industrial accidents) , humanitarian aid and rescue 
tasks. A series of capabilities are required to cope with this mission area, many of which 
primarily relate to the phases "prepare", "res pond" and "recover". The ambition is to mitigate the 
consequences of the incident. To build up the requ ired capabilities, emphasis will be on issues 
such as: general organisational and operational prep aredness to cope with security incidents (e.g. 
inter-organisational c oordination and emergency communica tion, assessment of strategic 
reserves, strategic inventories, etc.), crisis management (e.g. integrated means of alert and 
management, assessment of the incident and prior ity requirements, integr ation of heterogeneous 
actors and resources, evacuation and isolation, neutralisation a nd containment of effects of 
terrorist attacks and crime, etc.), intervention in hostile environment, emergency humanitarian 
aid and the management of the consequences and cascading effects of a security incident 
(e.g. the functioning of the public health care system, business continuity, confidence building 
measures, restoring the disrupted or de stroyed functioning of society, etc.). 
L 400/224 EN Official Journal of the European Union 30.12.2006 
 The above areas will be supported by activities in the following ar eas of cross-cu tting interest: 
• Security Systems Integration, inte rconnectivity and interoperability: Activities related to 
intelligence, information gathering and civil security will enable and/or contribute to the 
performance of technology required for building up the above listed capabilities, thus focusing 
on cross-cutting issues such as: enhancing th e interoperability and intercommunication of 
systems, equipment, services and processes, including law enforcement, fire fighting, civil 
defence and medical information infrastructures,  while ensuring their re liability, protection of 
confidentiality and integrity of  information, traceability of  all transactions and their 
processing, etc. Activities will also address stan dardisation and training matters (including such 
with respect to cultural, human a nd organisational interoperability). 
30.12.2006 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 400/225 
 • Security and society:  Activities are of a cross-cutting nature a nd should be conducted by 
interacting between natural scienc es, technology and other sciences, in  particular political, social 
and human sciences. The focus will be on targeted cultural and socio-economic, as well as systemic risk analyses, scenario building and other research activities related to subjects such as: 
Security as an evolving concept (comprehensive an alyses of security-related needs, in order to 
define the main functional requirements to address the fluctuating security landscape); interdependencies, vulnerabilities due to disaster s and new threats (e.g. in the field of terrorism 
and organised crime); the attitude of citizens in crisis situations (e.g. perception of terrorism and 
crime, behaviour of crowds, public understandi ng of civil rights and socio-cultural forms of 
protection and acceptance of security (and safety) controls); preparedness and readiness of the 
citizen in case of terrorist attacks; issues related to communication between authorities and 
citizens in crisis situations; raising public awaren ess for threats; citizens'  guidance on the internal 
security advisory and assistance systems in the Member States and at EU level; behavioural, psychological and other relevant an alyses of terrorist offenders; et hical issues with respect to 
personal data protection and integrity of inform ation. Research will also be directed into 
developing statistical indicators on crime to permit assessments of changes in criminality. 
• Security Research coordination and structuring: This area provides the platform for activities 
to coordinate and structure nati onal, European and international security research efforts, to 
develop synergies between civil, security and defence research as  well as to coordinate between 
the demand and the supply side of security research. Activities will also focus on the improvement of relevant lega l conditions and procedures. 
L 400/226 EN Official Journal of the European Union 30.12.2006 
 International cooperation 
International cooperation in the Security Resear ch activities wi ll be implemented in line with 
internal and external aspects of Community policies.  Due to the particular sensitivity of this area, 
international cooperation will be co nsidered on a case-by-case basis with respect to the countries 
involved. Particular requirements and criteria for international c ooperation may be specified in the 
work programme. 
Specific international cooperation acti ons will be considered where ther e is mutual benefit, such as 
research relating to security ac tivities of global app licability, e.g. manageme nt of large-scale 
disasters. 
Responding to emerging needs and unforeseen policy needs 
The Security Research theme is by nature and design flexible. Activities will allow the 
accommodation of as yet unknown future security th reats including disasters, and related policy 
needs that may arise. This flexibility will compleme nt the mission-oriented character of the research 
activities set out above. 
 
30.12.2006 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 400/227 
 ANNEX II  
INDICATIVE BREAKDOWN OF THE AMOUNT 
The indicative breakdown is as follows (in EUR million): 
 Health 6 100 
 Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, Bio-technology 1 935  Information and Communication Technologies 9 050  Nano-sciences, Nano-technol ogies, Materials and new Pr oduction Technologies  3 475 
 Energy 2 350  Environment (including Climate Change) 1 890  Transport (including Aeronautics) 4 160  Socio-economic Sciences and the Humanities 623  Space 1 430  Security 1 400 
  
TOTAL
1, 2, 1, 2 32 413 
                                                 
1 Including Joint Techno logy Initiatives (includi ng financial plan, etc.) and the part of the 
coordination and international cooperation ac tivities to be funded within the themes. 
2 The aim will be to enable at least 15 % of  the funding of the programme to go to SMEs. 
L 400/228 EN Official Journal of the European Union 30.12.2006 
  
                                                                                                                                                                  
1 Including a contribution of up to EUR 800 million  to the European Investment Bank for its 
Risk-Sharing Finance Facility, as referred to  in Annex III. The themes will contribute on a 
proportional basis, except the Socio-Economic Sciences and the Humanities theme, which 
does not contribute to RSFF. An amount of the order of EUR 400 million will be committed in annual instalments for the 
period 2007-2010. 
2 Of which at least EUR 210 million and up to  EUR 250 million for COST, subject to the 
mid-term evaluation. This financial support wi ll be provided through a grant which will be 
paid on the basis of a grant agreement be tween the Commission and a legal entity 
designated by COST as its implementing ag ent and communicated to the Commission by 
the General Secretariat of  the Council and identified in the Work Programme.  
30.12.2006 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 400/229 
 ANNEX III  
Risk-Sharing Finance Facility 
In accordance with Annex II, the Community will provide a contribution (coordination and support 
action) to the European Investment Bank (EIB) which will be a risk-s haring partner for the 
Risk-Sharing Finance Facility (RSFF). RSFF, wh ich will be co-funded by the Community and the 
EIB, is aimed at fostering private sector inve stment across Europe in research, technological 
development and demonstration (RTD) as well as innovation. 
The Community contribution will increase the capac ity of the Bank to manage risk, thus allowing 
for (i) a larger volume of EIB lending and guara ntee operations for a certain level of risk, and 
(ii) the financing of riskier European RTD actions that woul d not be possible without such 
Community support, thus helping overcome market deficiencies. It will aim at: 
• adding value in areas where the market cannot provide the required funding; and 
• providing catalytic eff ect in leveraging private investment. 
The Community contribution will be committed to  RSFF in line with the provisions set out in 
Annex II. 
The EIB will lend funds raised from  international financial market s and provide guarantees to its 
financing partners in accordance with its st andard rules, regulations and procedures. 
L 400/230 EN Official Journal of the European Union 30.12.2006 
 It will use this contribu tion on a "first come, first served basis" , as provisions and capital allocation 
within the Bank to cover part of  the risks associated with it s operations supporting eligible 
European RTD actions. 
Based on its financial evaluation, the EIB will asse ss the level of financial risks and decide the 
value of the provision and capital allocation. 
The risk assessment and grading, and the resulti ng decisions on provisioni ng and capita l allocation, 
will follow standard procedures of the Bank, under its Structured Finance Facility, approved and 
monitored by its shareholders and as updated and modified from time to time. They will not be 
altered as a result of the Community contribution. 
The risk to the Community budget is limited to th e amounts paid or committed to be paid. There 
will be no contingent liability for the Community budge t, as any remaining risk is borne by the EIB. 
The Community contribution will be disbursed annually based on a multi-annual plan and taking 
into account the evolution of demand. The annual amount will be established in the Work Programme, on the basis of the activity report and forecasts presented by the EIB. 
The multi-annual plan will be funded from each of  the contributing themes and, if appropriate, 
adapted in accordance with the pr inciple of proportional contributions. 
30.12.2006 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 400/231 
 The agreement to be concluded with the EIB, fo llowing close consultations with Member States, 
will establish terms and conditions under which th e Community funds can be  used as provisions 
and capital allocation. It w ill include, inter alia, the following terms and conditions: 
• The eligibility of Community RTD actions. "J oint Technology Initiatives", Collaborative 
Projects, Networks of Excellence and Resear ch for the benefit of SMEs funded by the 
Community shall be automatically eligible provide d their objectives fall within the scope of the 
contributing themes of this Specific Programme. Legal entities established in third countries 
other than Associated Countries are also eligible if they participate in FP7 indirect actions and 
their costs are eligible  for Community funding. 
 Other European actions (such as EUREKA) shall be eligible provided they concern research, 
technological development or demonstration acti vities within the scope  of the contributing 
themes responding to European research princi ples and criteria and that the borrowers or 
guarantee beneficiaries are legal en tities established in Member St ates or Associated Countries. 
 RSFF will be offered in all Member States and asso ciated countries in order to ensure that all 
legal entities, irrespective of size (including SMEs and research or ganisations, including 
universities) in all Member States, may benef it from this facility for the funding of their 
activities in eligible actions.  Innovation activities of a commercial nature are e ligible for RSFF only via the use of the EIB's 
own contribution.  
 
         
L 400/232 EN Official Journal of the European Union 30.12.2006 
 In accordance with the Regulation on Rules for Part icipation adopted pursuant to Article 167 of 
the Treaty, the agreement will also establish pr ocedures for the Community to object, in duly 
justified cases, to the use of the Community contribution by the EIB. 
 The rules for defining the share of the financial risk that wi ll be covered by the Community 
contribution and the risk threshold beyond which the EIB can use the Comm unity contribution as 
well as sharing of corresponding income.  The level of the Community contribution for eac h operation shall depend on the financial risk 
evaluation carried out by the EIB. The level of  total provisioning and capital allocation for the 
majority of RSFF operations is expected to fall  within the range of 15 %-25 % of the nominal 
value of such operations. In no case shall the le vel of total provisioning  and capital allocation 
amounts of the Community contribution exceed 50 % of the nominal loan or guarantee value. 
There will be risk sharing under each operation.  The arrangements by which the Community will monitor the EIB lending and guarantee 
operations related to the Community cont ribution, including operations through the 
EIB financing partners. 
The EIB may only use the Community  contribution for operations a pproved between the date of 
entry into force of this Specific Programme and 31 December 2013. 
30.12.2006 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 400/233 
 Interests and incomes generated by the Community contribution duri ng this period shall be reported 
annually by the EIB to the Commission, which sha ll inform the European Parliament and the 
Council. In accordance with Article 18(2) of the financial regulation, they shall be considered as 
assigned revenues to the RSFF and entered into the budget. 
When adopting the Work Programme, the Commission may decide to reallocate, for the purpose of 
any other indirect actions of th e contributing themes of this Sp ecific Programme, any amount not 
used by RSFF and, therefore, recovered from the EI B, after the mid-term evaluation referred to in 
Annex II of the Framework Programme. The mid- term evaluation will include an external 
assessment of the impact of the RSFF. 
The Commission will closely monitor the effectiv e use of the Community Contribution, including 
ex-post assessments of the successful features of  the action, and regularly report to the programme 
committee. In addition, the Commission will include main findings in this respect to the annual 
report on research and technological development activities which it will send to the European 
Parliament and the Council pursuant  to Article 173 of the Treaty. 
 
L 400/234 EN Official Journal of the European Union 30.12.2006 
 ANNEX IV  
Joint Technology Initiatives and Coordina tion of non-Community research programmes 
Joint Technology Initiatives1 
The research areas for an indicative list of Join t Technology Initiatives are identified below based 
on the criteria set out in  Annex I. These Joint Technology Ini tiatives address a diverse range of 
challenges. Accordingly, structures  must be designed on a case-by-ca se basis so that they address 
the particular characteristics of the research area in question. In each case, a specific structure 
would be identified for the purpose of implementi ng the agreed research agenda of the Joint 
Technology Initiative and bring together the necessary public and private investments and 
coordination of European efforts. The Community could grant an amount for the implementation of 
the research agenda on the basis of separate proposals. Further Joint Technology Initiatives may be 
identified on the basis of the criteria specified in Anne x I and be proposed during the 
implementation of the Seventh Framework Programme. 
• Innovative Medicines Initiative 
The Innovative Medicines Joint Technology Initiative aims at increasing the competitiveness of the 
European Pharmaceutical sector by providing a coordinated appro ach to overcome the research 
bottlenecks in the drug development process, redu cing drug development time and clinical attrition 
rate for new medicines. This will enable faster access to more targeted medicines and an earlier 
return on research investment and thus leverage  more private investment  for further research. 
                                                 
1 The list of proposed JTIs is so lely indicative and could be adju sted in the light of future 
developments. Each JTI will be decided indivi dually (see Annex I, Chapter "Scientific and 
technological objectives, broad lines of the themes and activities"). 
30.12.2006 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 400/235 
 Pre-competitive research, as defined through th e Strategic Research Agenda (SRA) of the 
Innovative Medicines Initia tive will include: development of tool s and methods to better predict the 
suitability, safety and efficacy of drugs, intell igent infrastructures for data integration and 
knowledge management through close cooperation betw een industry, academia and clinical centres 
at all necessary steps. It will also address educati on and training gaps to ensure that Europe has the 
skills to translate research results into benef its for the patient. Close cooperation between the 
European Community and the Industry and other stakeholders, such as regulatory agencies, 
patients, academia, clinicians, etc., will be ensured, as well as the mobilisation of public and private 
funds. The implementation of the SRA will be carri ed out via the Innovative  Medicines Initiative 
(IMI), the appropriate pub lic-private partnership structure to be established especially for this 
purpose. 
• Nano-electronics Technologies 2020 
Nano-electronics is of high strategic importance for European competitiveness because its products 
are key enablers for innovation in other sectors (multimedia, telecommunications, transport, health, 
environment, industrial processing, etc.). It requ ires that R&D and innova tion efforts are better 
structured, optimised and integrated into a larger process involving all acto rs crucial to achieving a 
successful outcome in the domain. 
The initiative will address the needs for silicon-based technologies throughout four technology 
domains: (i) the shrinking of l ogic and memory devices to increase performance and reduce costs, 
(ii) the development of value-added functions, in clude sensing, actuating and packaging functions, 
and their embedding with logic and memory to form complex System-on-Chip or System-in-Package solutions, (i ii) equipment and materials, and (iv) design automation. 
L 400/236 EN Official Journal of the European Union 30.12.2006 
 • Embedded Computing Systems 
Embedded computing systems - the i nvisible electronics and software  that impart intelligence to 
products and processes - are of st rategic importance to the competitiveness of important European 
industrial sectors such as  automotive, avionics, consumer el ectronics, telecomm unications, medical 
systems and manufacturing. Furthermore, the in creasing connectivity of these devices creates 
potential for entirely new markets and societal applications in whic h Europe must be well placed to 
benefit from. 
The Joint Technology Initiative on Embedded Compu ting Systems will pull together and focus the 
research effort, leveraging private and public investment to share th e high risks and maintain a high 
level of ambition. The initiativ e will address the design, de velopment and deployment of 
ubiquitous, interoperable and cost-effective, yet po werful, safe and secure electronic and software 
systems. It will deliver reference designs that o ffer standard architectural approaches for given 
ranges of applications, middlew are that enable seamless connectivity and interoperability, 
integrated design software tools and methods for rapid development and prototyping, as well as new 
approaches for interaction between  computers and the real world. 
• Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Initiative 
Hydrogen and fuel cells are energy technologies that can bring about  a paradigm shift in the way 
Europe produces and uses energy, offering ma ssive development potential towards long-term 
independent sustainable energy supply and providi ng Europe with a crucial competitive edge. The 
transition to a hydrogen-oriented economy implies large research and capital investment in the 
creation of new industries, new supply chain st ructures, infrastructure  and human resources. 
30.12.2006 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 400/237 
 The Joint Technology Initia tive will define and execute a target -oriented European programme of 
industrial research, tech nological development and demonstra tion to deliver robust hydrogen and 
fuel cell technologies developed to  the point of commer cial take-off. The main themes of the 
JTI research agenda will be: fuel cell development for all application sector s and ranges; sustainable 
hydrogen supply, including production, distribution, storage and deliver y; integrated, large-scale 
demonstration of maturing and a dvanced technologies in a real  operational context; and, market 
framework preparatory activities. This will be implemented on the basis of a sound and 
continuously developing EU technology roadmap a nd business case, detailing transition strategies 
and long-term goals and implementation milestones. 
• Aeronautics and Air Transport 
Europe must remain at the forefront of key technol ogies if it is to have su stainable, innovative and 
competitive aeronautics and air transport industrie s in the future. The development of green 
technologies is key to ensuring the competitivene ss of the entire air tran sport sector. Innovative 
technologies are of paramount importance in or der to maintain competitiveness in areas of 
increasing competitive pressure and to regain competitiveness in areas where Europe has the potential for establishing a substantial market  share, such as regional transport. As an 
RTD-intensive industry, the existing competitiveness of  the European aeronaut ical and air transport 
companies in world markets has been built on significant private research investments (typically 13-15 % of the turnover) over many decades. Gi ven the specificities of the sector, new 
developments often depend on effective cooperati on between the public and the private sector. 
L 400/238 EN Official Journal of the European Union 30.12.2006 
 Certain aspects of the ACARE Strate gic Research Agenda require a scal e of effect and continuity of 
purpose which requires a Joint Technology Initia tive focusing on a coherent and dedicated 
programme of research on advan ced technologies and fostering aspects such as integration, 
large-scale validation, and demonstration. 
In the field of Aeronautics and Air Transport,  different areas would be addressed, such as 
environmentally friendly and cost efficient ai r transport system ("The Green Air Transport 
System"), and air traffic management in s upport of the Single European Sky policy and 
SESAR initiative. 
• Global Monitoring for Environm ent and Security (GMES) 
Europe needs autonomous capability based on a European standard for global monitoring. This will 
considerably help Europe and its industries in this area, where its  competitors are investing heavily 
in the development of standards for global monitoring systems. 
GMES has to respond to the political mandate expressed in  the Council Resolution of 
13 November 2001 on the launch of the initial period of global monitoring for environment and security (GMES)
1 that followed the June 2001 Gothenburg Summit, the Action Plan on GMES 
presented in February 20042, and its inclusion in the "Initiativ e for Growth" and the "Quick-start" 
list. 
                                                 
1 OJ C 350, 11.12.2001, p. 4). 
2 "Global Monitoring for Environment and Secu rity (GMES): Establishing a GMES capacity 
by 2008 - (Action Plan (2004-2008)" – COM(2004) 65, 3.2.2004. 
30.12.2006 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 400/239 
 The future of GMES depends on si gnificant long-term investments by both users and infrastructure 
providers (both public and private). For this it is essential that GMES  assert its a clear and coherent 
image of itself, which can be easily identifi ed by users, public authorities and industry. 
Independently of the specific application areas of GMES, this will involve a set of accepted standards, validation mechanisms and policie s, under a single po litical responsibility. 
To that purpose a GMES management structure in  the form of a Joint Technology Initiative (JTI) 
could be set up to bring together all relevant players with their re sources, notably us er organisations 
at both national and European level. 
A JTI for GMES should ensure a strong coordina tion of GMES-related activ ities, including through 
the following functions: 
– consolidation of user requirements for each application area of GMES, 
– overseeing and supporting of the development of GMES operational se rvices, associated 
capacities and infrastructures, 
– validation of such serv ices, where appropriate, 
– development of mechanisms aiming at ensuri ng long-term access to data ("data buying"). 
L 400/240 EN Official Journal of the European Union 30.12.2006 
 A GMES JTI would also be an effective vehicle to promote an active involvement of the private 
sector, in that it would act as  a coordinating and funding agent for industry (including SMEs) and 
other potential contractors wish ing to contribute to the impl ementation of GMES through the 
relevant competitive processes. 
GMES will give Europe leadership in an area of  management and use of major infrastructures, 
including strategic space capacities. It could also provide a basis fo r an efficient exploitation of 
finite natural resources by both public and private en tities. It will, thus, help  to improve productivity 
in many sectors which have a need for coherent  and up-to-date information on available assets. 
Coordination of non-Community research programmes1 
An indicative list of initiatives for the joint implementation of national research programmes are 
identified below and could be the subject of a se parate decision on the basis of Article 169 of the 
Treaty. Further initiatives may be identified and proposed during the implementation of the 
Seventh Framework Programme. 
In the case of each decision, if and when adopted , a dedicated implementation structure would be 
set up, together with the organisational structur e and appropriate governance bodies necessary for 
the implementation of the action. In accordance with Annex II, the Community could provide 
financial support to the initiative s and could participate actively in  the implementation by the means 
which are most appropriate for the action. 
                                                 
1 The list is solely indi cative and the proposed initiatives ar e subject of sepa rate decisions on 
the basis of Article 169 (see Annex I, Chapte r "Scientific and technological objectives, 
broad lines of the themes and activities"). 
30.12.2006 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 400/241 
 • Article 169 initiative in the fi eld of Baltic Sea Research 
The aim will be to launch and implement a joint R&D programme integrating a number of national 
programmes in the field of marine science and sust ainable development of the Baltic Sea. In line 
with a number of international, European and regi onal conventions dealing with the Baltic Sea, this 
initiative will enable the creation of a platform  for synthesising and disseminating findings in the 
field and will create the necessa ry R&D to support sustainable development of the Baltic Sea. 
• Article 169 initiative in the fiel d of Ambient Assisted Living 
A joint R&D programme on Ambient Assisted Li ving will aim at bri nging together national 
research efforts to address how ICT can enhance th e quality of life of elde rly people and extend the 
time they can live independently in their home environment and their surroundings. This includes 
for example assistance to carry out daily activities,  facilitating social cont acts, health and activity 
monitoring and enhancing safety and security. Focus will be the integration of devices, systems and 
services into cost-effective, reliable and trusted solutions. This initiative will aim at a large-scale 
European cooperation with sufficient cr itical mass and long-term commitment. 
• Article 169 initiative in the field of Metrology 
The aim will be to launch and implement a cohesive joint metrology R&D programme integrating a 
number of national programmes, wh ich will enable Europe to re spond to the growing demands for 
cutting-edge metrology as a tool for innovation, supporting scientific rese arch and policy. The 
initiative will support, in part icular, the objectives of the Eur opean National Measurement Systems 
delivered via the National Me trology Laboratory networks. 
 
L 400/242 EN Official Journal of the European Union 30.12.2006 
 ANNEX V  
Information to be provided by the Co mmission in accordance with Article 8(5) 
1. Information on individual proj ects, enabling the monitoring of  the entire lifetime of each 
proposal, covering in particular: 
– submitted proposals, 
– evaluation results for each proposal, 
– grant agreements, 
– completed projects. 
2. Information on the outcome of each call and project implementation, covering in 
particular: 
– results of each call, 
– outcome of negotiations  on grant agreements, 
– project implementation, including paym ent data and outcome of projects. 
3. Information on programme implementation, incl uding relevant information at the level of 
the Framework Programme, the Specific Programme and each theme. 
This information (in particular , on proposals, their evaluation and grant agreements) should be 
provided in a uniform structured electronically-readable and treata ble format accessible through an 
IT-based information and reporting system  which readily enables data analysis.