Seventh Framework Programme

The 7th Framework Programme - will be organised in four specific programmes, corresponding to four major objectives of European research policy:

Cooperation

Support will be given to the whole range of research activities carried out in transnational cooperation, from collaborative projects and networks to the coordination of research programmes. International cooperation between the EU and third countries is an integral part of this action.

Ideas

An autonomous European Research Council will be created to support investigator driven "frontier research" carried out by individual teams competing at the European level, in all scientific and technological fields, including engineering, socioeconomic sciences and the humanities.

People

The activities supporting training and career development of researchers, referred to as "Marie Curie" actions, will be reinforced with a better focus on the key aspects of skills and career development and strengthened links with national systems.

Capacities

Key aspects of European research and innovation capacities will be supported: research infrastructures; research for the benefit of SMEs; regional research driven clusters; unlocking the full research potential in the EU's "convergence" regions; "Science in Society" issues; horizontal" activities of international co-operation. Through these four specific programmes, the aim is to allow for the creation of European poles of excellence.

In addition, there will be a specific programme for the non-nuclear actions of the Joint Research Centre.
The programme on Cooperation will be organised into sub-programmes, each of which will be operationally autonomous as far as possible while at the same time demonstrating coherence and consistency and allowing for joint, cross-thematic approaches to research subjects of common interest.

The nine themes identified for the "Cooperation" part are:

• Health;
• Food, Agriculture 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;
• Security;
• Space.