RESEARCH

Overview                                                              

 

All research and innovation activities of the EU are grouped in Framework Programme (FP). Research framework programmes are the EU's main financial and legal instruments to implement the European Research Area (ERA).  ERA is now high on the policy agenda and part of the strategy for meeting the goal of increasing investment to three per cent of the EU's total GDP by 2010 as laid out by the Barcelona Summit in March 2002. It is also a legal and political obligation stemming from the Amsterdam Treaty.

Conducting European research policies and implementing European research programmes is in the first instance a legal and political obligation resulting from the Amsterdam Treaty. The Treaty includes a whole chapter on research and technological development (RTD), so as to underline that RTD is an essential element in the functioning of industrialised countries, such as EU Member States: the competitiveness of companies and the employment they can provide depend to a great extent on RTD; and RTD is also essential for the support of other policies such as consumer protection or the protection of the environment. In short: the individual and collective wellbeing of citizens depends on the quality and relevance of RTD.

 

The European Research Area

The ERA creates a unified research area in Europe: the aim was to enable researchers mobility and interactions in world-class infrastructures, build excellent networks of research institutions, share knowledge effectively for social, business and policy purposes, optimise and open European, national and regional research programmes, and coordinate these programmes to address major challenges together. The ERA also intends to develop strong links with partners around the world so that Europe. 

 

Milestones

  • New ethical guidelines  for FP7 projects were published in March 2007

  • The European Research Council (ERC) was officially launched on 27 February 2007.

  • Competitiveness Council, 28-29 November 2005

  • Proposal for a Council Decision concerning the specific programme: “Ideas”, COM(2005) 441 final, 21 September 2005

  • “Commission Proposal for Decision of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning the seventh framework programme of the European Community for research, technological development and demonstration activities (2007-2013)”, COM(2005)119 final, 6 April 2005

  • Competitiveness Council, 26 November 2004

  • “Science and technology, the key to Europe’s future – Guidelines for future European Union policy to support research”, COM (2004) 353, 16 June 2004

  • Spring European Council, 25-26 March 2004

  • Competitiveness Council, 11 March 2004

  • The Dublin Symposium, 16-17 February 2004

  • “Europe and basic research” COM(2004)9, 14 January 2004

  • ERCEG - the European Research Council Expert Group, December 2003 

  • Creation of the European Research Area (ERA), 2000

 

»