Seventh Framework Programme (FP7)

The EU Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) was launched by the European Commission in December 2006 with a budget of €50 billion.  FP7 runs between 2007 and 2013 and provides an excellent opportunity for Irish researchers to work alongside leading European companies and research organisations at the cutting edge of technology, with the support of EU funding.

FP7 provides funding to co-finance research, technological development and demonstration projects based on competitive calls and independent peer review of project proposals. Support is available for collaborative and individual research projects as well as for the development of research skills and capacity.

The broad objectives of FP7 have been grouped into four categories:

(1)  Cooperation

The core of FP7, representing two thirds of the overall budget, is the Cooperation programme. It fosters collaborative research across Europe and other partner countries through projects by transnational consortia of industry and academia. Research will be carried out in ten key thematic areas:

• Health 
• Food, agriculture and fisheries, and biotechnology
• Information and communication technologies 
• Nanosciences, nanotechnologies, materials and new production technologies
• Energy
• Environment (including climate change) 
• Transport (including aeronautics)
• Socio-economic sciences and the humanities 
• Space
• Security

(2)  Ideas

The Ideas programme will support "frontier research" solely on the basis of scientific excellence. Research may be carried out in any area of science or technology, including engineering, socio-economic sciences and the humanities. In contrast with the Cooperation programme, there is no obligation for cross-border partnerships. Projects are implemented by "individual teams" around a "principal investigator". The programme is implemented via the new European Research Council (ERC).  For more information, see http://erc.europa.eu

(3)  People

The People programme provides support for researcher mobility and career development, both for researchers inside the European Union and internationally. It is implemented via a set of Marie Curie actions, providing fellowships and other measures to help researchers build their skills and competences throughout their careers:

• Initial training of researchers - Marie Curie Networks
• Industry-academia partnerships
• Co-funding of regional, national and international mobility programmes
• Intra-European fellowships
• International dimension - outgoing and incoming fellowships
• International cooperation scheme, reintegration grants
• Marie Curie Awards

(4)  Capacities

The Capacities programme strengthens the research capacities that Europe needs if it is to become a thriving knowledge-based economy.  It covers the following activities:

• Research infrastructures
• Research for the benefit of SMEs
• Regions of Knowledge
• Research Potential
• Science in Society
• Specific activities of international cooperation