Ministry of Telecommunications and Information Society

The Seventh Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development – FP7 is the European Union’s largest research and development programme, and it is the basic mechanism for funding research in the period 2007-2013. The Seventh Framework Programme’s goal is to contribute towards meeting the goals of the Lisbon Strategy and developing the European Union’s economy as the most dynamic, globally competitive knowledge-based economy. The FP7 is also the main instrument for the creation of a single European Research Area (European Research Area - ERA).

The Seventh Framework Programme’s budget totals over EUR 50bn.

The FP7 is structured into four main programme blocks:

· Cooperation,

· People,

· Ideas,

· Capacities

Funds from the Seventh Framework Programme are also allocated for

· the European Atomic Energy Community - Euratom

· the European Commission Joint Research Centre - JRC

The largest funds beneficiary is the Cooperation programme block, receiving a total of EUR 32.413bn. Cooperation covers ten thematic research fields, of which the thematic field of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) receives the highest allocation of funds – EUR 9bn. The European Commission has thus recognised this thematic area of research as the most important and most promising for the EU’s further economic development. Development capacities in the area of ICT research have also been significantly supported through Capacities.

Applying for projects and obtaining funds is organised through invitations for projects that contain detailed information on the objectives of the research covered in the invitations (within so-called working programmes), forms of financing, and final deadlines for submission of proposals.

Participants in the FP7 is open to research groups at universities, research institutes, individual researchers, small and medium-sized companies, large companies, as well as other governmental, non-governmental and private organisations and institutions engaged in research activities.

In June 2007Serbia signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the European Union thus obtaining the status of an Associate Member and allowing it became a fully-fledged participant in the Seventh Framework Programme. This means that Serbian research organisations and companies can propose projects, be involved in project consortiums, and act as partners or coordinators in projects under the same conditions as EU member-states.

In order to hasten the involvement of Serbian research organisations and companies in the Seventh Framework Programme for the ICT thematic area, the Ministry of Telecommunications and Information Society will support all relevant and interested stakeholders through a series of activities.

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