EU Policy Areas

Research

EU initiatives in the field of research are primarily aimed at creating a European Research Area (ERA), to promote research collaboration at a European level.

In December 2002 the Commission launched the Sixth Framework Programme (FP6) for research & development, which is specifically designed to help in the creation of the ERA. FP6 covers community activities in the field of research, technological development and demonstration (RTD). It will run from 2002-2006 and after this will be replaced by the Seventh Framework Programme.

FP7 has a proposed budget of €73 billion and will run from 2007-2013. It will contain four main programmes:

1. Cooperation - collaborative trans-national research activities
2. Ideas - basic research implemented through a European Research Council (ERC)
3. People - Marie Curie actions and other initiatives
4. Capacities - support to research infrastructures, regions of knowledge and small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs)