N°6, 09 June 2009
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Seventh Research Framework Programme (FP7)
Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP)
Tenders Electronic Daily (TED)
The Swedish EU Presidency has identified the question of the governance of the European Research Area (ERA) as one of its priorities in the field of R&D policy.
On June 24th the incoming Swedish Presidency is hosting a workshop on "ERA Instruments" at which key stakeholders - "programme owners", "intergovernmental organisations", and "research performers" - have been invited to give their views and proposals on ERA policy, ERA instruments and ERA governance.
EARTO has been invited in the "research performer" category and will present its proposals for a European Strategic Technological and Applied Research Council (ESTARC) which were launched at the EARTO Annual Conference in Paris on May 6th.
The ESTARC proposals are available here.
If you are currently experiencing an ex-post audit of your FP6 projects by the European Commission, or have been informed that you will be audited shortly, you may wish to contact the EARTO Secretariat for advice.
EARTO continues to monitor with the greatest attention the issue of ex-post FP6 audits, which threaten serious financial harm to many RTOs (see previous issues of EARTO News).
A high-level Task Force of senior legal and financial officers from affected RTOs is monitoring this issue with support from the EARTO Secretariat.
Contacts are being established with industry and other affected parties in order to share information and to coordinate responses towards the Commission. Additionally, information is being provided to Member State governments in order to gain their support.
For further information, please contact Christopher John Hull.
This service gives EARTO members a simple-to-use tool for comparing how well they are doing in FP7 compared with other RTOs. It is a benchmarking database in which you record the numbers of proposals you have submitted (or in which you are a participant), how many have passed the evaluation threshold, and how many have been accepted for funding. You can make comparisons with other RTOs according to size category and in different FP7 thematic priority areas. Submitted data are treated confidentially and are presented anonymously.
Access to the service is via the members' area of the EARTO website.
For further information, please contact Pauline Bastidon.
In 2007 the Commission initiated a study to take stock of the “Research Performing Organisations” and “Intergovernmental Research Organisations” in Europe and to assess the need for, and to explore ways to foster, cross-border cooperation among them.
The study concentrates on large public research organisations in 36 countries affiliated with the European Research Area (ERA). Several EARTO members have contributed to the study and have also actively participated in follow-up discussions with the Commission.
EARTO will hold a meeting on June 22nd to discuss possible follow-up proposals for workshops and seminars to be organised around the main findings from the study.
For more information on the EARTO meeting or the Commission's study, please contact Mikael Kekkonen.
As part of the European Economic Recovery Plan, the Commission is launching three Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) in close cooperation with industry on "Factories of the Future", "Energy-efficient Buildings" and "Green Cars" to provide EUR 3.2 billion of support for long-term "smart" research investment in the manufacturing, construction and automotive sectors.
To meet the need for a rapid start-up, the initiatives will be implemented in the first instance through a series of cross-thematic Coordinated Calls under the Work Programme 2010 between the relevant FP7 themes. The total European Commission budget in 2010 for these calls is €268 million. The Calls are planned to be published in July 2009, with the first research projects expected to start in the spring of 2010.
In order to support the preparation of proposals, the Directorates General for Research, Information Society and Energy and Transport of the European Commission are holding a Joint Information Day on Research PPPs on 13 July 2009 in Brussels, in the Charlemagne building, rue de la Loi 170.
You are cordially invited to attend this event, which will be an opportunity to gain information about the PPPs and the calls.
For registration to this event, please visit the European Commission's website.
Participation may also help you to get in contact with other potential proposers and possible project partners.
A preliminary agenda of the event and more information about this networking/brokerage opportunity can be found here.
Joint Programming (JP) is now firmly on the European research agenda. The basic idea is that groups of Member States with a common interest in a major societal issue join forces to find solutions. JP is thus:
o voluntary and on the basis of variable geometry
o …in the definition, development and implementation of common strategic research agendas
o …based on a common vision on how to address major societal challenges
The first JP initiative is expected to be one targeted at neurodegenerative diseases. Further initiatives will be prepared by a special group of high-level national representatives working within the framework of CREST. Their approximate timetable is:
o proposals for themes in summer 2009
o selection of themes
o recommendations from Council in 2010
o joint implementation starts by the end of 2010
The members of the CREST high-level group are met to consult widely with national stakeholders in order to identify themes
The general specifications for JP indicate that peer review evaluation is to be used, which would seem to imply the use of calls for proposals.
Some themes which have already been indicated as possibly relevant for JP are:
o Climate change
o Ageing population
o Securing the supply of energy
o Securing water supply
o Ensuring food quality and availability
o Monetary economy
o Safeguarding citizen security
The DESCA Model Consortium Agreement for FP7 is a joint initiative by ANRT, the German CA Team, EARTO, Eurochambres and UNITE to provide a standard but adaptable consortium agreement for FP7 contractors. While other FP7 model consortium agreements have also appeared, DESCA appears to be the most commonly used model.
The DESCA "Core Group", comprising the five partners listed above, meets from time to time to review usage of DESCA and to consider possible changes and additions to the core model agreements. The group will meet again on June 16th for its next review meeting.
Any proposals for modifying the present DESCA texts are welcome and should be sent to Pauline Bastidon as soon as possible.
To visit the DESCA website, click here.
EARTO gives space in this newsletter to members who would like to publish their job vacancies. Please contact Pauline Bastidon.
November 8 - 9, 2010
ESWIRP first workshop, Cologne, Germany
October 27, 2010
EARTO Innovation Prize - ceremony
October 11 - 15, 2010
2nd European Innovation Summit
September 23, 2010
DESCA Consultation Group Meeting
September 22, 2010
DESCA Core Meeting
September 16, 2010
EARTO Communication Task Force, Brussels
September 15, 2010
EARTO Innovation Prize Jury Meeting, Brussels
As indicated in the previous edition of EARTO News, the three Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) – “factories of the future”, “energy-efficient buildings”, and “green cars – announced late last year...
The National Contact Point for Life Sciences, Germany, has just launched a Partnering Platform dedicated to the Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI). The IMI Partnering Platform will allow potential...
A clarification note on the IP policy of IMI is now available on the IMI website. The note covers a variety of points, from the definitions of background, foreground and sideground to the definitions...
Europe-wide collaborative research projects between businesses, research institutions and higher education have made the protection of IP crucial. A soundly developed set of contracts for research...
The Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking has launched its new website, with information on ongoing and new calls, governance of the joint undertaking and forthcoming events.
The Fuel Cells...
A new report says Europe is 'lagging behind' the US and Japan in terms of innovation. This is particularly so, it claims, in the pharmaceutical sector.
"In this domain, this trend is quite visible...
The European Commission Directorate General for Research will soon publish new figures about the participation of Small and Medium sized Enterprises (SMEs) in the Cooperation Programme of the 7th...
The European Union has failed in its effort to become the world's most innovative region under the so-called Lisbon Agenda, Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt said on 2 June.
"Even if progress...
The European Commission has published a Q&A document on its proposal for a legal framework for European Research Infrastructures.
The European Commission has welcomed the agreement reached today, by the Council, on its proposal for a regulation for a community legal framework for European Research Infrastructures consortium...
An EU study of future agricultural research challenges reveals that there is general consensus on the concerns, but disagreement over how best to address them. It stresses the need to conduct...
All new legislation should be vetted to ensure it does not make life difficult for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), according to industry ministers from across Europe meeting in Brussels...
European research ministers are expected to take a significant step towards introducing a Community patent when they meet tomorrow (28 May) in Brussels to discuss ways of improving competitiveness....
Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg offered European Union countries some €140 million (1 bn kroner) to support the development of carbon capture and storage projects - an experimental and...
This new site comprises a collection of 40 successful projects from the Sixth Framework Programme. It is the online version of a printed brochure which is available in four languages - English,...
The 24-25 June 2009 OECD Ministerial Meeting is putting recovery from the global economic crisis on its agenda. The Interim Report on the OECD Innovation Strategy (15 May 2009) reiterates the role of...
In its recent plenary session, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) acknowledged that the Single Market has helped remove a number of legal barriers to EU competitiveness, stressing...
The EARTO meeting room is available to members for meetings of 12 (14 absolute maximum), including light refreshments (coffee, tea, etc.) and the use of a projector, at €250 per day. Lunch arrangements are extra.
Members needing a larger meeting room are welcome to contact the Secretariat for assistance.
For further information, please contact Sylvia Lopomo at the EARTO Secretariat: +32-2-5028698.
To subscribe or unsubscribe to this newsletter, please send an e-mail to Pauline Bastidon.