DEFINITION OF THE TYPE A PROJECTS AND THE IDENTIFICATION OF R AND D DOMAINS WITHIN WHICH TYPE B PROJECTS MAY BE INVITED IS DONE IN THE LIGHT OF THE OBJECTIVES TO BE PURSUED . IN PRINCIPLE , TOPICS THAT ARE PART OF A SPECIFIC TYPE A PROJECT COULD ALSO BE THE SUBJECT OF A TYPE B PROJECT IF , E . G . , THIS LATTER PROPOSES AN ALTERNATIVE OR COMPETITIVE APPROACH . WHENEVER TYPE B PROJECTS WILL BE PROPOSED IN SUCH CONDITIONS , HOWEVER , CARE MUST BE TAKEN TO VERIFY THAT SUCH " SUBSET OF TYPE A PROJECT " REMAINS MEANINGFUL IN ITSELF .
THE WORKPLAN CLEARLY INDICATES THE DISTINCTION BETWEEN TYPE A AND TYPE B , SO THAT THE PROPOSERS WILL BE ABLE AND WILL HAVE TO DECIDE BEFOREHAND TO GO EITHER FOR ONE OR THE OTHER . NO AMBIGUITY SHOULD THEREFORE BE POSSIBLE AS FOR THE CHARACTER OR " TYPE " OF ANY PARTICULAR PROPOSAL DURING THE SELECTION PHASE .
BOTH TYPES OF PROJECTS WILL BE PART OF THE SAME STRATEGIC EFFORT , PLANNED AND EXECUTED AS ONE SINGLE PROGRAMME .
4 . PILOT PROJECTS
THE CONTINUATION OF THE WORK STARTED UNDER THE PILOT PHASE IS POSSIBLE WITHIN THE ESPRIT PROGRAMME AND IS , IMPLICITLY OR EXPLICITLY , INCLUDED IN THE PROGRAMMES THAT ARE PRESENTED IN THE WORKPLAN . SUCH CONTINUATION WILL NOT , AS A RULE , BE SUBJECT TO A CALL IN THE STRICT SENSE BUT THE INFORMATION AND THE PROPOSALS GATHERED IN RESPONSE TO THE GENERAL CALL FOR PROPOSAL MAY GENERATE MODIFICATIONS , WIDENING OR RESTRICTION ( DOWN TO ZERO IN EXTREME CASES ) OF THE ACTIVITIES ORIGINALLY FORESEEN IN ORDER TO MAKE THE PROJECTS BEST SUITED TO MEET THE REVISED OBJECTIVES AS THEY EMERGE FROM THE WORKPLAN .
5 . VALIDITY OF THE WORKPLAN
IN ORDER TO FULFIL ITS PURPOSE THE WORKPLAN HAS TO SPAN OVER A REASONABLY LONG TIME , SUFFICIENT TO COVER THE WHOLE DURATION OF THE LONGER PROJECTS : FIVE YEARS WAS DEEMED TO OFFER A GOOD COMPROMISE BETWEEN AN ACCURATE AIMING ( THAT WOULD SUGGEST SHORT-TERM INDICATIONS ) AND DEVELOPMENT PERSPECTIVE THAT REQUIRE A WIDER TIME FRAMEWORK . SUCH FIVE-YEAR WORKPLAN SHALL BE REVIEWED EVERY YEAR .
IN THE LIGHT OF THE ABOVE , THE INTERMEDIATE OBJECTIVES THAT ARE SET IN THE WORKPLAN ARE SPECIFIED WITH LESS ACCURACY AND RELIABILITY AS ONE LOOKS FURTHER AHEAD AT THE YEARS TO COME AND IT MUST BE STRESSED THAT SINCE WE ARE AIMING AT A MOVING TARGET EVEN THE CLOSEST OBJECTIVES MAY HAVE TO BE CHANGED IN THE COURSE OF THE YEARLY REVISION , IN THE LIGHT OF THE PROGRESS WITHIN AS WELL AS OUTSIDE ESPRIT , IN EUROPE AND ELSEWHERE IN THE WORLD .
SUCH INTERMEDIATE OBJECTIVES ARE , HOWEVER , NECESSARY TO PROVIDE THE GENERAL FRAMEWORK AND AS REFERENCE FOR EVALUATION AND FURTHER REFINEMENTS . THEY HAVE THEREFORE BEEN INTRODUCED IN THE WORKPLAN AS THE BEST ESTIMATE OF HOW , AT THIS MOMENT IN TIME , THE OVERALL END-OBJECTIVES