Brussels, 09/07/2012 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission on Monday 9 July announced the “final and biggest ever” set of calls for proposals for research in 2013 under its 7th Framework Programme (FP7): the final call as the FP7 is coming to an end, to be replaced by the Horizon programme which will run from 2014 to 2020, and the biggest as it will have a budget of €8.1 billion, more than €1bn more than the 2012 funding. The announcement comes only a few days after the European Council highlighted the importance of research and innovation on the pact for growth and jobs.
European Research, Innovation and Science Commissioner Máire Geoghegan-Quinn suggested that knowledge is the key to competitiveness: “Knowledge is the currency of the global economy”. She went on: “If Europe wants to continue to compete in the 21st century, we must support the research and innovation that will generate growth and jobs, now and in the future”.
The set of calls for proposals, which will be officially launched on Tuesday 10 July, comprises two main categories. €4.8 billion will go to “thematic research priorities”, such as industrial innovation and sustainable development in the marine and maritime sectors (the “oceans of the future”) and urban environment (“smart cities and communities”). Special attention will be given to the programmes designed to attract the best foreign researchers. Individual grants will come from the European Research Council (€1.75 billion) and Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions (€963 million) for research training and mobility. The call will cover all areas of research and the Commission is ready to become involved in “high risk, high gain” projects. A slice of the cake, of up to €1.2 billion, will go to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
The remainder of the general budget, €3.3 billion will go to distinct sectors of activity. Health, new technologies (ICT), energy, security, the bio-economy, social and human sciences, space and the environment will all see their potential funding increase, compared with the 2012 set of calls for proposals. Only transport will suffer a cut, down from €313 billion in 2012 to €299 billion in 2013.
The programme will contain a significant innovation: a pilot project, “European Research Area (ERA) Chairs”. A €12 million pilot call will select a total of five ERA Chairs. The main criterion for selection is promotion of research excellence in the less developed regions of five different member states. To host an ERA Chair, institutions must demonstrate their ability to support excellence through providing the “necessary facilities” and complying with “European Research Area principles such as open recruitment”.
The €8.1 billion announced is expected to leverage an additional €6 billion of public and private investment in research, and to increase employment by 210,000 in the short-term and generate an additional €75 billion in growth over a 15-year period. (JK/OL/transl.rt)