Resources made available to the Agency in 2009

The Union shall have the objective of strengthening its scientific and technological bases by achieving a European research area in which researchers, scientific knowledge and technology circulate freely, and encouraging it to become more competitive, including in its industry. For this purpose the Union shall encourage undertakings, including SMEs, research centres and universities in their research and technological development activities of high quality; it shall support their efforts to cooperate with one another, aiming, notably, at permitting researchers to cooperate freely across borders and at enabling undertakings to exploit the internal market potential to the full, (…) the definition of common standards and the removal of legal and fiscal obstacles to that cooperation. In pursuing these objectives, the Union shall carry out the following activities, complementing the activities carried out in the Member States: (a) implementation of research, technological development and demonstration programmes, by promoting cooperation with and between undertakings, research centres and universities; (b) promotion of cooperation in the field of Union research, technological development and demonstration with third countries and international organisations; (c) dissemination and optimisation of the results of activities in Union research, technological development and demonstration; (d) stimulation of the training and mobility of researchers in the Union. (Articles 179 and 180 of the TFEU)

Objective The objective of the Agency is to manage the Programmes entrusted to it under FP7 (the People Programme, the SME actions of the Capacities Programme, and the Space and Security themes of the Cooperation Programme) efficiently and effectively, to deliver efficient and effective services to the research community and to provide centralised FP7 support services to the respective Commission services for all areas of the Cooperation, Capacities and People Specific Programmes. With regard to the efficient and effective Programmes implementation, the Agency — as promoter of the European Research Area — aims at improving project management, establishing close contact with final beneficiaries and providing a high visibility of the European Union.

Tasks With regard to the management of projects, the Agency concludes and manages grant agreements, involving the following operations: — preparation and publication of calls for proposals, — evaluation of proposals, — preparation and signature of grant agreements, — monitoring the implementation of projects including acceptance of reports and other deliverables, — payments, recoveries, and application of sanctions within the meaning of Article 114(4) of the general Financial Regulation, notably when errors in declared costs have been identified following ex-post audits at the level of the final beneficiaries, — ex-post publicity and dissemination of results. With regard to FP7 Support Services, the Agency performs the following tasks: — administrative support for call publication, — management of the electronic reception of proposals, — support for remote and on-site evaluations, — support to the preparation of appointment letters and payments for experts, — management of the Central FP7 participants database (Unique Registration Facility — URF), including support for financial capacity checks of selected beneficiaries, — management of the Research Enquiry Service.

1 — Steering Committee Comprises five members appointed by the Commission. It adopts the Agency's organisation chart and its Annual Work Programme after approval by the Commission. In addition, it adopts the administrative budget of the Agency and its Annual Activity Report. 2 — Director Appointed by the European Commission, manages the agency together with the Steering Committee, implements the administrative budget, sets up management and internal control systems adapted to the tasks entrusted to the agency and prepares the reports which the executive agency must present to the Commission. 3 — External audit Court of Auditors. 4 — Discharge authority Parliament, acting on recommendation from the Council.

Operational Budget 811,2 million euro of commitment appropriations and 679,5 million euro of payment appropriations. The Agency implements the Commission's operational budget under a delegation decision of the Commission. Administrative Budget 21,6 million euro. The Agency implements the administrative budget autonomously. Staff at 31 December 2009 TA posts: 88 listed in the establishment plan of which 72 occupied. Contract staff: 261 staff planned of which 238 were in place as of 31 December 2009. Total staff Responsible for — Programme management: 169 — FP7 Support Services: 73 — Administrative functions: 69