Next EU funding round to release EUR 658 million for health and food research
With the next calls for proposals for research
activities funds of the European Union for the areas of life sciences,
genomics, biotechnology, food quality and food safety amount to EUR 658
million. These large calls within the EU's Sixth Research Framework Programme
(FP6, 2002-2006) are the last major research funding round before the next
Framework Programme (FP7), which is to be adopted in 2006. At the occasion of
its participation at the international BIO 2005 International Convention (19 to
22 June, Philadelphia, USA) the European Commission gives an outlook on the
forthcoming areas of research funding.
Draft versions of the latest annual work programmes are
already available online to indicate the specific areas that will receive
funding. The publication of the final version of the work programmes, which are
approved by EU Member States and the European Commission is planned later in
June 2005 together with the related calls for proposals. The calls are expected
to have a deadline of November 2005 (and February 2006 for some parts of the
food research calls). Full details and all final texts of the calls for
proposals can be found on the CORDIS web pages, after the legal texts have been
published in the Official Journal of the EU (series C).
What is an FP6 research project?
Research funds from the EU's Research Framework Programmes are made
available during different funding rounds ("calls for proposals")
over the course of each multi-annual framework programme. After publication of
the call, teams of European and non-EU researchers can submit their research
proposals before the deadline. Each eligible proposal will then be evaluated by
a panel of independent expert evaluators. Successful proposals will need to
negotiate a contract with the European Commission before EU funds are released.
In the current programme FP6, a typical EU funded research project in the life
sciences involves eight participants and an average financial EU support of
around EUR 2.4 million - some of the larger integrated projects receiving EU
funds of around EUR10 million.
Health research: EUR 533 million for life sciences,
genomics, biotechnology
The next health research call will award EUR 533 million. The objectives
of EU-funded health research are to exploit the potential of genome information
and to bring basic knowledge through to the application stage, to enable
coordinated progress in medicine and improve the quality of life. This call is
intended to stimulate the participation of small and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs ). EUR 171 million of this budget is earmarked for SME-driven projects,
where small businesses should take a leading role in the design and management
of the project and secure 30-50% of the budget. For topics not under this
scheme, 15% SME participation remains a priority.
Key topics in health research are:
·
fundamental
knowledge and basic tools for functional genomics in all organisms (EUR 108
million),
·
application of
knowledge and technologies in the field of genomics and biotechnology for
health (EUR 133 million),
·
application-orientated
genomics approaches to medical knowledge and technologies (EUR 145 million),
·
combating cancer
(EUR 74 million),
·
confronting the
major communicable diseases linked to poverty (EUR 67 million), and
·
strategic
Specific Support Actions across the thematic priority (EUR 6 million).
Food research: EUR 125 million for food quality and
safety
The objective of EU-funded agro-food research is to improve the health
and well-being of citizens through higher quality food and improved control of
food production and related environmental factors. A total amount of EUR 125
million is allocated via the next call in the area of food quality and safety
which will be published later this June. This call for proposals will allocate
two thirds of the budget for integrated projects and networks of excellence and
has also been designed to enhance involvement from industry and, in particular,
from SMEs - at least 15% of the budget of the call is targeted at SME
participation. The calls will have two deadlines to accept research proposals:
one deadline will be in late September/early October while the deadline for the
second stage will be in February 2006.
Topics of the food call include
·
the total food
chain,
·
epidemiology of
food-related diseases and allergies,
·
impact of food
on health,
·
traceability
processes along the production chain,
·
methods of
analysis, detection and control,
·
safer and
environmentally friendly production methods and technologies and healthier food
stuffs,
·
impact of animal
feed on human health, and
·
environmental
health risks.
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Further information
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Contacts Directorate Health, Research DG, European Commission Directorate Biotechnology, Agriculture & Food, Research DG, European
Commission Michael H. Wappelhorst |
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