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New and Improved:
the Seventh Framework Program
The new program is longer, more
ambitious and better funded,
according to Janez Potočnik
Israel’s inclusion in the European Framework Programme for
Research and Technological Development is the outcome of years
of deliberation, political dialogue and timing. Discussions about
enhancing trade began in the late 1980s, but it was only in 1993,
after the signing of the Oslo accords, that the European Commission
accepted Israel as a full partner in the European R&D program.
Despite the agreement, Israel's status was still debated, but in
1995, Europe finally accepted Israel’s request for researchers to
be included in management committees with the same standing
as other European Union member countries, and thus Israel was
integrated into the Fourth Programme.
Fruitful partnership
The participation of countries in the Framework program is
contingent on the payment of a fee based on the ratio between a
country’s gross national product and that of Europe. In 1995, Israel
joined the Fourth Programme, which had begun a year earlier,
and paid a participation fee of 100 million euros. In return, Israel
attained 50 million euros in grants to Israeli companies. Israel
joined the Fifth Programme from the start, paying participation
fees of 154 million euros, and was awarded 167 million euros
worth of grants. Over the course of the Sixth Programme, which
ends this year, Israel paid 190 million in participation fees and
expects to receive some 203 million euros in grants.
The Seventh Framework Programme will have an expanded
time frame, 2007 - 2013. In keeping with the EU's decision to
bolster Europe’s competitiveness, the programme’s budgets have
been increased by 40 percent, and will total an estimated 54
billion euros - including the EURATOM budget to which Israel
is not a partner.
The Framework Programme is conducted by the EU and does
not replace national R&D budgets. Thus, for example, the Sixth
Programme’s budget totaled 17.5 billion euros - representing only
5.4 percent of total public funding for civilian research in EU
countries. Most budgets are consumed nationally. In the context
of the Seventh Programme an effort will be made to change this.
A mechanism will be established to promote exchange of ideas
and coordination among the national support organizations and the
EU, with the aim of influencing budgeting trends, and increasing
the overlap between individual nations and EU proprieties.
Priorities in cooperation
The Seventh Programme is being organized in coordination
with four main programs. The programs address the four main
components of European R&D:
Cooperation - joint research efforts among research organizations
from different countries, whose aim is to achieve the leading edge
in an essential field in science or technology. This is Israel's largest
and most important program, and its budget is expected to total
32.26 billion euros.
Ideas – support for new ideas in basic research. In practice,
this will be done by the European Research Council, established
as a new scientific foundation similar to the American National
Science Foundation. Its budget will be 7.46 billion euros.
People – improving human resources, to be conducted by the
Marie Curie Actions framework, responsible for varied programs.
The combined budget is 4.73 billion euros.
Capacities - support focused on research infrastructures and
studies for the small and medium enterprise (SME) sector. The
budget is anticipated to be about 4.22 billion euros.
Since the Framework Programme’s overarching goal is to
strengthen ties between industry and academia in advancing R&D,
projects within the Framework Programme are undertaken mainly
by consortia - collaborations among a number of organizations from
diverse institutions and countries, for the benefit of all residents
of the EU. The criteria for evaluating a project for the Seventh
Programme are: scientific and technological excellence; degree
of influence and the quality of the consortium and management
of the project.
Most of the activity is conducted in two formats: large projects,
consisting of 10-20 partners for 36-60 months, with an average
budget of 10 million euros (in practice, between 4 million and 25
million euros). Small projects, consisting of 6-15 partners operating
for 18-36 months, have an average budget of 1.9 million euros
(effectively 0.8-3.0 million euros).
Another significant area of activity for the Seventh Programme is
the establishment of platforms in cooperation with major European
industries and other interested parties who together will draft the
European strategic agenda for R&D. Some of these platforms
will issue calls for proposals, combining national financing with
funding from the Framework Programme.