To see related records in other databases, click on the icons below (if any are shown) or on the links highlighted within the body of this record (if any are present).

Record Control Number: 699

Quality Validation Date: 2001-10-04

Update Date: 2001-10-11

Programme Acronym: FP6-STRUCTURING C

Description Acronym: Specific programme aimed at structuring the European Research Area within the multiannual framework programme 2002-2006.

Programme Type: 6th FWP (Sixth Framework Programme)

Short Title: Specific programme for research, technological development and demonstration aimed at structuring the European Research Area

Title: Specific programme 2002-2006 for research, technological development and demonstration aimed at structuring the European Research Area.

Subject Index : Scientific Research; Policies; Legislation, Regulations; Innovation, Technology Transfer; Social Aspects; Education, Training; Coordination, Cooperation

Objectives: To adopt a specific programme 2002-2006 for research, technological development and demonstration to remedy the structural weaknesses of European research. This will be achieved through a higher level of integration of research and innovation; improved mobility of researchers; coordinated planning and access to research infrastructures; and actions such as promoting ethics in science and public awareness of science.

Subdivisions of Programme: The programmes activities are based on 4 areas:

Research and innovation:
This activity is aimed at increasing integration between research and innovation, and working towards a more coherent and innovation-friendly policy and regulatory environment across the European Union.

Activities envisaged:
- Networking the players and encouraging interaction between them: the European networks involved in this activity will aim at encouraging interfaces between research and industry and between business and funding;
- Encouraging transregional cooperation by promoting exchanges of information or transfers of good practice for instance;
- Experimenting with new tools and approaches to developing new innovation concepts and methods;
- Putting services in place and consolidating them: the creation of an European Research Area (ERA) and the gradual integration of innovation systems in Europe will need to be achieved with the help of various services at the European level (CORDIS research and innovation information service, Innovation Relay Centres, etc.);
- Stepping up economic and technological intelligence: the activities to be carried out will center on the innovation players -SMEs, researcher-entrepreneurs and investors- and will mainly involve intermediaries as well as organizations with economic and technological intelligence expertise. They will concentrate on specific S&T themes or industrial sectors;
- Analyzing and evaluating Community research projects in order to establish the obstacles to innovation so as to overcome them.

Human resources and mobility
The objective of these activities is to provide support for the development of abundant and world-class human resources in all the regions of the Community, by promoting trans-national mobility for training purposes, the development of expertise or the transfer of knowledge in particular between different sectors; support for the development of scientific excellence; and helping to make Europe more attractive to third-country researchers.

Actions to be pursued:
Three main strands of actions will be implemented:
- Host-driven actions such as Marie Curie Research Training Networks, Marie Curie Host Fellowships for Early Stage Research Training, Marie Curie Fellowships for the Transfer of Knowledge, Marie Curie Conferences and Training Courses;
- Individually-driven actions such as Marie Curie Intra-European Fellowships, Marie Curie Outgoing International Fellowships, Marie Curie Incoming International Fellowships, Marie Curie re-integration Grants;
- Excellence Promotion and Recognition such as Marie Curie Excellence Grants, Marie Curie Excellence Awards, Marie Curie Chairs. Activities will also be financed to foster co-operation with Member States and Associated Countries and to create synergies with national and regional programmes. Some assistance will be provided in the Human Resources and Mobility activity with regard to the adoption of consistent criteria for the evaluation, selection and monitoring of actions in particular.

Research Infrastructures
The objective of this action is to develop research infrastructures at the highest level in Europe and to promote their optimum use on a European scale.
Five schemes for support will be implemented:
- Integrated Initiatives: it will promote the support of services to the research community at the European level and encourage the bridging of gaps that limit the potential for exploitation of research results by industry;
- Communication Network Development in particular by establishing a broadband communications network for all researchers in Europe;
- Transnational Access to the sponsorship of new opportunities for research teams (and individual researchers) to obtain access to individual major research infrastructures appropriate for their work;
- Designing studies to contribute on a case-by-case basis, to feasibility studies and technical preparatory work for those new infrastructures to be undertaken by one or a number of Member States, which have a clear European dimension and interest;
- Development of new infrastructures and other funding agencies.

Science and Society
The following actions are aimed at encouraging the development in Europe of harmonious relations between science and society and openness to innovation as a result of establishing new relationships and an informed dialogue between researchers, industrialists, policy makers and citizens. It will be implemented by means of networks, benchmarking, exchange of best practices, developing and promoting awareness of methodologies, studies and the bringing together of national efforts. In specific cases, where appropriate, dedicated research will be supported.
Within the European Research Area, the Science and Society issues have been re-grouped into the following priorities:
- Science and governance;
- Scientific advice and reference systems;
- Ethics;
- Uncertainty, risk and implementing the precautionary principle;
- Public understanding;
- Science and Technology awareness especially for young people;
- Women and science to mobilize women scientists and to boost their participation in the private sector.

The activities carried out within this programme are applicable to all fields of research and technology. The "Structuring the European Research Area" programme will ensure coherence with the other programmes and in particular the programme "Integrating and strengthening the European Research Area". This complementary relationship will be reflected in improved provisions for human resource development and knowledge transfer, as well as the use of consistent methods and tools for promoting innovation through research and reconciling research with the concerns of society. Participation of the candidate countries in this programme will be encouraged.

Programme Relationship(s)
Framework programme(s) :	FRAMEWORK 6C

Implementation: The Commission, assisted by a committee composed of representatives of the Member States and chaired by a representative of the Commission, shall be responsible for the implementation of the specific programme.

The Commission shall draw up a work programme setting out in greater detail the objectives, scientific and technological priorities, and timetable for implementation.
The work programme shall take account of relevant research activities carried out by the Member States, Associated States and European and international organizations.

The Commission shall regularly report on the overall progress of the implementation of the specific programme. The Commission shall also arrange for the independent assessment -provided for in Article 5 of the framework programme- of the activities carried out in the fields covered by the specific programme.

The new programme will be implemented with the following instruments:
_ Experimental projects relating to innovation aimed at experimenting with, validating and disseminating on a European scale new innovation concepts and methods in the area of "Research and innovation";
_ Specific targeted projects in order to carry out research or demonstration activities in the area of "science and society";
_ Integrated initiatives relating to infrastructure, combining activities that are essential for strengthening and developing research infrastructures for the provision of services on a European scale, in the area of "Research infrastructures";
_ Mobility and training actions implementing certain Marie Curie activities such as research training networks, conferences and training courses and individual training fellowships in the area of "Human resources and mobility";
_ Specific coordination and support actions in order to achieve the objectives identified in the areas of the programme;
_ Accompanying actions by way of additional measures to achieve the objectives of the programme or to prepare future activities in the context of the Communitys research and technological development policy.

Remarks: The programme acronym has been generated by CORDIS for the internal management of its databases. No official acronyms currently exist for the programme.

URL: http://www.cordis.lu/rtd2002/

General Information: Following the Commissions Communication presented in January 2000 encouraging the development of an European Research Area (ERA), the Commission has proposed 5 new research programmes which are scheduled to be implemented in 2002.

The new framework programme for 2002-2006 is set up in order to achieve 3 objectives:
_ Strengthening the scientific and technological bases of community industry,
_ Encouraging it to become more competitive,
_ Promoting research activities.

To achieve these objectives, the framework programme will be restructured around 3 targets:
_ Integrating European research,
_ Structuring the European Research Area,
_ Strengthening the foundations of the European Research Area.

The following proposal for a decision is one in a series of five new proposals presented by the Commission concerning specific programmes under the new framework programme for 2002-2006.
Further information on the new framework programme is available on the CORDIS RTD Beyond 2002 Web service at the following address:
http://www.cordis.lu/rtd2002/

Number of Projects: 0 (Project information for this programme is currently not available in the CORDIS Projects database)

Start Date: 2002-01-01

End Date: 2006-12-31

Duration: 60 months

Programme Status: Proposed

Programme Funding: 3050.00 million euro

Contract Types: Research grants (individual fellowships); Bursaries, grants, fellowships; Preparatory, accompanying and support measures

Commission Service: Research DG