Research, Technological Development and Demonstration Framework Programme is the main European R+D financing programme and is in keeping with the Lisbon Strategy and the European Research Area. The FP7 runs from 2007-2013 and its main objective is to enhance competitiveness chiefly by means of financing activities in the fields of research, technological development, demonstration and innovation carried out within the framework of crossborder collaboration between research companies and institutions belonging to the European Union, Associated States and non-European third countries.
The FP7 is divided into four large programmes: Cooperation, Ideas, People and Capacities.
It has a total budget of 50,521 billion euro, for the seven-year period, and has another 2.7 billion Euro for the EURATOM programme, due to last for five years.
General Information about the Programme:
Calls for proposals from companies wishing to participate in the Framework Programme are made once or twice a year. Participants generally receive 50% of the actual costs of the activities involved in their projects, and, in the case of SMEs and researchers, including technological centres, 75% in addition to the advance given when the contract is signed.
The cooperation programme is subdivided into ten priority areas. The SMEs can participate in this programme by presenting projects in collaboration with other European research companies and entities, and can obtain a subsidy of up to 75% of the total amount of the project. The Community Research and Development Information Service (CORDIS) has set up the to help applicants find the best research partners for their project.
Research for the benefit of SMEs
The SMEs in Europe represent 99% of all enterprises and they play an essential role in the private sector's contribution to innovation and employment.
In the 7th Framework Programme, the active participation of the SMEs is essential, and this was made clear by the decision to dedicate at least 15% of the budget for the Cooperation Programme to SMEs, and to provide several different mechanisms and tools to encourage and facilitate SME participation.
In addition, within the Capacities Programme, there is a specific area dedicated to Research for the benefit of SMEs [es], which covers the entire range of science and technology and is aimed at companies with limited research capacities. Two types of tool have been considered:
- Research projects for the benefit of SMEs (along the lines of the Cooperative Research of the 6th Framework Programme - CRAFT),
- Research projects for the benefit of SME associations (known as Collective Research in the VI Framework Programme), which has a wider scope and targets industrial SME associations or groupings acting on behalf of the business group as a whole.
In both cases, R+D will be outsourced to third parties, and the SMEs will benefit from the results of this research. Up to 75% of the total cost of the project will be funded.
The Directorate-General of SME Policy (DGPYME) is the National Point of Contact for SMEs for the 7th Framework Programme. As a result, it helps and provides guidance to the SMEs to ensure these can properly participate in the European Programme. Queries can be made by phoning 900 19 00 92 or by sending an email to the following address: infopyme@ipyme.org
