From cutting-edge technologies to gender equality

The Framework Programmes for the European Community provide the EU’s central research funds. Over the last 20 years they have financed research into everything from gender equality to cutting-edge medical technologies.

The 7th Framework Programme (FP7) was proposed last year to cover the seven-year period 2007-13. Previous framework programmes were for shorter periods.

The European Commission originally proposed doubling the framework programme research budget to €1 billion a year until 2013. The framework programmes are officially linked to the EU’s Lisbon Agenda for jobs and growth and publication was accompanied by a fanfare of claims about the importance of research in a healthy economy.

Research Commissioner Janez Potoc?nik pointed to figures showing that an extra 1% invested in research and development (R&D) can mean an increase in productivity of 0.17% of gross domestic product. Public R&D investment would also attract business investment, according to Commission statistics.

There has been much concern voiced over the ‘brain drain’ of European researchers to better ­university facilities and more attractive research contracts in the US and Japan. The surge in ­cutting-edge research from China is also a worry for Europe.

And with unemployment in the 25 EU member states at 8% this April, there is widespread agreement that something has to change.

But getting politicians to back the Commission’s ambitious proposal, at a time when EU spending is being cut across the board, has proved more difficult.

The first research framework programme, FP1, was published in 1984. The areas of research eligible for funding have remained relatively consistent ever since, ranging from health and energy to new technologies.

FP7 introduced one new theme: security and space, which governments agreed this summer to split into two separate themes.

The current ten themes were selected as broad areas where research is most likely to make a difference.

FP7 also proposes the creation of a new European Research Council (ERC), along with programmes to improve the mobility and training of researchers (the Marie Curie Actions). Several sub-areas will look at the practicalities of improving European research, from setting up research infrastructures to supporting small- and medium-sized enterprises.

The ten primary research themes are all labelled Co-operation, while the rest of the money is available under the categories of Ideas, People and Capacities (see table).

Funds for these four primary categories, along with €1.8bn for the non-nuclear actions of the ERC, bring the total budget currently up for discussion to €50.5bn.

This is significantly less than the €70bn originally proposed by the Commission in April last year. But national governments in December cut billions off the entire EU 2007-13 budget, with knock-on effects for FP7.

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) lost most out of the ten themes, but remains the area with the largest individual budget. The Ideas, People and Capacities programmes lost a total of more than €10bn.

MEPs managed to grab a few million back for the research programme and supporters point out that the €50.5bn currently being discussed would still leave Europe with a greatly increased annual research budget. But MEPs in particular have been disappointed not to get closer to the original figure.

For historical reasons, the framework programmes also set aside money to fund nuclear research and training activities under the European Atomic Energy Community (EURATOM). FP7 now proposes €2.7bn for spending under EURATOM over five years, 2007-11.

The nuclear money has stirred up its own controversies, with renewable energy advocates saying the funds should instead be targeted at developing wind or solar power.

The new FP7 package is due for a second reading in the European Parliament next month, with a final deal hoped for from ministers in December.

The Framework Programmes for the European Community provide the EU’s central research funds. Over the last 20 years they have financed research into everything from gender equality to cutting-edge medical technologies.