The European Parliament has confirmed the proposals of the Commission concerning the Fifth Framework Programme of the European Community for research, technological development and demonstration activities in principle at the 18^th of December 1997 and the European Council on the 23^rd of March 1998. According to the decision the research works should be concentrated on the most important socio-economic needs of the Union through multi-disciplinary measures within thematical programmes.

The main aim of the Fifth Framework, that is planned to start at the beginning of 1999, is to concentrate EU-research on improving the industrial ability for competition of European citizens and to guarantee continuity in European research. Besides, a better coordination of research projects on national, European and international levels and therefor a higher effectiveness in research should be reached; new impulses for research should be given (as already demanded in the Agenda 2000). The Commission demands 16,3 billion ECU for this expansion of research activities.

The Fifth RTD Framework Programme will be opened up to the 11 countries which have launched negotiations to join the EU under proposals recently adopted by the European Commission. It is hoped that negotiations on the proposals can be concluded in time for the launch of the Fifth Framework Programme, opening up a huge range of new cooperation possibilities for EU scientists planning to participate in the new Programme. One of the main problems thrown up by the participation of these countries is the financial contributions required. It is proposed therefore, that they may pay reduced contributions in the early years, and in addition that some funding may be made available through the national PHARE programmes. It is also envisaged, in order to ensure maximum participation from these countries, to promote awareness of the new opportunities offered through a series of measures such as conferences, training seminars, brochures and information on the World Wide Web.

The Framework is supposed to be adopted to the scientific and technological developments during the four years and therefor the activities of the boards of the different programmes (that consist of deputies of the member countries) had to be newly defined. The boards of the different programmes deal with strategic questions, while the Commission is responsible for the management of the programmes. The Commission inspects the state of the programme and makes proposals for adoption if necessary, arranges an external evaluation of the programme and develops a working programme (which contains the provisional timetable, coordination modalities, and their application). The Commission will inform the boards of the programmes regularly of the economical and social effects of the programmes and measures.

Specific actions of the programme of international cooperation contain:

1. Cooperation with certain groups of non-EU countries

1. Candidate countries
2. The independent states of the former Soviet Union and middle- and east-European countries, that are no candidates for EU-membership
3. partner countries in the Mediterranean area
4. Research for Development
5. Threshold and Industrial countries

B. Training of scientists

C. Coordination.

Firms, research centres and universities can participate in this programme. The organisation of the programme contains also measures and mechanisms to increase, spread and use the results of the programme, especially for SMEs; as well as measures to promote mobility and training of scientists. The research activities of the Fifth Framework should be concentrated stronger on innovation than the former Framework Programmes.

For the carrying out of this specific programme financial means up to 491 million ECU are thought to be necessary. Of this sum, 70 million ECU are intended for the years 1998-1999 and 421 million ECU for the years 2000-2002.

To confirm the international role of Community research, following aims are envisaged: to promote international scientific and technological cooperation, to extend the capacity of the Community in the fields of science and technology, to further the achievement of a top scientific level and to support the foreign policy of the EU especially on the background of the accession of the new member countries.

Specific actions of the other specific programmes contain the improvement of training possibilities for scientists and securing coordination with other programmes of the Framework and with other measures and initiatives of the union and on the international level.

1. Promotion of training and mobility of scientists
2. Improvement of accession to research infrastructures
3. Promotion of scientific and technological top achievements
4. Leading action: Improving the socio-economic knowledge base
5. Measures to plan scientific and technological policies in Europe.

Firms, research centres and universities can participate in this programme. The organisation of the programme contains also measures and mechanisms to increase, spread and use the results of the programme, especially for SMEs; as well as measures to promote mobility and training of scientists. The research activities of the Fifth Framework should be concentrated stronger on innovation than the former Framework Programmes.

For the carrying out of this specific programme financial means up to 1402 million ECU are thought to be necessary. Of this sum, 288,5 million ECU are intended for the years 1998-1999 and 1113,5 million ECU for the years 2000-2002. Of the total 1402 Million ECU, 10% are intended for the leading action "Improving the socio-economic knowledge base".

The knowledge potential of the Union (the quality of it's researchers, engineers and technicians) should be kept and developed through better support for training and mobility of the researchers and easier access to research infrastructures. General aims are the extension of the human resource potential and the improvement of the socio-economic knowledge base.

A European "research room" shall be created by offering incentives for the training of young scientists through research, transnational cooperation between research teams (networking at common research projects) shall be promoted and incentives to cooperate, interact and mobilize people be given (especially between academic research and industrial research).

à training nets in the field of research:

• Marie-Curie-Scholarships for staying in structural weak regions: Financed with means of the Union.
  Selection criterions: relevance and degree of the expert knowledge and the compatibility of the new competence with the competences of the host facility; suitable size of the host facility to guarantee good working conditions for the students and the international character of the research work. The students will be selected by their scientific competence and the compatibility of their research experience with the needs of the host facility.
• Marie-Curie-Scholarships for experienced scientists: promote the exchange of knowledge and technology between industry and universities and use the research experience in disadvantaged regions; promoted are stays of experienced researchers from industrial enterprises at universities and the other way round or at a research institute in disadvantaged regions. Financed with means of the EU.
  Selection criterions: top scientific achievements; relevance of the project and relevance, use and effects of the whole scholarship.
• Stays in Marie-Curie-Training-Centres: Students, who take their doctor's degree shall get the possibility to do a part of their studies at such a training centre. This is a research facility, which consists of at least one research group or a more research groups, which cooperate. The stay at the training centre has to be part of the doctor's studies. Short-time stays (up to one academic year) can be financed by the Union.
  Selection criterions: quality of research at the training centre; ability to offer training through research; proof, that international doctor's studies had been organized successfully in the past; suitable size of the host facility to guarantee good working conditions. The students are selected by their scientific achievements and by the suitability of the training centre for their specific studies.

   

  2.2 Improvement of accession to research infrastructures:

  Facilities, that offer important services to scientists, for example big research facilities, collections, libraries and data services etc.

  à border-crossing access to bigger research infrastructures:

  Access for researchers and research teams to infrastructures, that are very important for their work, regardless of where they are located. The research infrastructures must offer: service of highest international standard, they have to be seldom in Europe, their investment- or running costs have to be comparably high and they have to offer suitable scientific, logistical and technical support for external users. The EU wants to guarantee access which is free of charge. The financial support covers travel- and living costs.

  Selection criterions: quality of the infrastructure; quality of the research work, that can be done their; the quality of scientific, logistical and technical support, that is offered for external users.

  à networking of operators of research infrastructures:

  This networking should function as catalyst for the self-coordination of infrastructure-operators and cause the pooling of their resources (efficiency). Participants can be: Operators of research infrastructures, research teams at universities, at research centres or in industry, deputies of infrastructure users and producers of equipment.

  Selection criterions: the capacity to improve access to infrastructures and their services and the ability of the participants to guarantee a effective coordination of network activities.

   

  à research projects to improve access:

  Support of cooperative research works.

  Selection criterions: scientific quality of the project; quality of the research method and the working plan; ability of the project to improve the offers of infrastructure-operators of this kind in Europe and the expressed interest.

   

  2.3. Promotion of scientific and technological top achievements:

  à high-level scientific conferences:

  Promote scientific exchange and offer a possibility for top scientist to transfer their knowledge to the younger generation. Examples: Euro-conferences, -courses, -workshops or summer courses, but also electronic conferences. The financing of the Union shall cover the expenses for the meeting and the participation of speakers or lectors partly and the expenses for the participation of young scientists completely.

  Selection criterions: relevance of the topic for science; quality of the conference programme; relevance for the training of young scientists.

  à awards for extraordinary research work:

  Selection criterions: scientific quality and relevance of the projects; age and scientific achievements are taken into consideration.

  à improving the awareness of the public:

  Transfer of research results and spreading of information on current scientific and technological topics.

  Selection criterions: topic of common interest for Europe; projects, where different partners from different states take part in, are preferred.

  2.4 Leading action: Improving the socio-economic knowledge base:

  The aim of this leading action is to improve awareness for the structural changes in European society. Measures should be taken on the following fields:

   

  ¦ Tendencies in society and structural changes

  ¦ Technology, society and employment

  ¦ Governance and role of the citizens

  ¦ new models with emphasis on growth and employment.

   

  2.5 Measures to plan scientific and technological policies in Europe

  This should be reached by collecting research works on the national and European level. The results shall be summed up and analysed on the European level.

  à strategic analysis of certain political questions:

  Technological change, globalization, competition etc.

  à common stock of indicators for science, technology and innovation:

  to create a common European fund of indicators for science, technology and innovation and work out suitable statistics to provide a coherent data base.

   

  One of the main functions of the programme of improving human research potential and the socio-economic knowledge base is the coordination of comparable actions of the Fifth Framework. Marie-Curie-Scholarships should also be granted in connection with the thematical programmes; common modalities exist.

   

  Timetable

   

  03. 06. 1998 Parliament report on proposed rules for participation in Fifth RTD Framework Programme - 28. 05. 1998

  03. 06. 1998 Ministerial Colloquium on the management of Community in English and French - 28. 05. 1998

  19. 06. 1998 Specific Programme Proposals now available ...

  19. 06. 1998 EU calls for new research advisory groups

  19. 06. 1998 Parliament's second Opinion on the Fifth Framework

  22. 06. 1998 MEPs maintain demands for ECU 16,3 million for Fifth Framework Programme

  24. 06. 1998 Browse full text version of specific programme proposals in English

  24. 06. 1998 Council makes progress on Fifth Framework Programme - Luxembourg 22. 06. 1998

  29. 06. 1998 Browsable versions of the French and German versions of the specific programmes now available

  11. 08. 1998 The commission plans opening of Fifth Framework Programme to candidate countries

  27. 08. 1998 Call for a Certification Service Provider for electronic signatures for the Community Research Programme open procedure