Brussels, 30.5.2001
COM(2001)279 final

Proposals for COUNCIL DECISIONS

concerning the specific programmes implementing the Framework Programme 2002-2006 of the European Community for research, technological development and demonstration activities

concerning the specific programmes implementing the Framework Programme 2002-2006 of the European Atomic Energy Community for research and training activities (presented by the Commission)

Original document -  http://europa.eu.int/comm/research/pdf/com-2001-279-en.pdf
 
 
 
Structure of the Document IST related issues
Explanatory Memorandum and structure of the document

Specific Programmes 2002-2006 (EC)

  • Integrating and strengthening the European Research Area 
    • ANNEX I. Scientific and technological objectives and broad lines 0f the activities 
    • ANNEX II. Indicative breakedown of the amount 
    • ANNEX III. Means for implementing the Programme
  • Structuring the European Research Area 
  • Joint Research Centre activities (EC)
Specific Programmes 2002-2006 (Euratom)
  • Nuclear energy 
  • Joint Research Centre activities (Euratom)
 1.1.2 Information Society technologies

i) Applied IST research addressing major societal and economic challenges

  • Research on technologies for trust and confidence 
  • Research addressing societal challenges 
  • Research addressing work and business challenges 
  • Complex problem solving in science, engineering, businesses and for society 
ii) Communication and computing infrastructures
  • Communication and network technologies 
  • Software technologies, services and distributed systems 
iii) Components and microsystems
  • Micro, Nano and Opto-electronics 
  • Micro and Nano Technologies, Microsystems, Displays
iv) Knowledge and interface technologies
  • Knowledge technologies and digital content 
  • Intelligent interfaces and surfaces
1.1.7 Citizens and Governance in the European Knowledge-based society

i) Knowledge-based European Society

  • Improving the generation, distribution and use of knowledge and its impact on economic and social development. 
  • Options and choices for the development of a knowledge-based society serving the EU objectives set at the Lisbon summit 
  • The variety of paths towards a knowledge society. 
ii) Citizens, democracy and new forms of governance
  • The implications of European integration and enlargement for governance and the citizen: 
  • Articulation of areas of responsibility and new forms of governance: 
  • Security issues connected with the resolution of conflicts and restoration of peace and justice: 
  • New forms of citizenship and identities

EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM

For the implementation of the Framework Programme, a structure based on five specific programmes is proposed:

For the EC Framework Programme:

1) A specific programme on "Integrating and strengthening the European Research Area" for the two blocks of activities "Integrating research" and "Strengthening the foundations of the European Research Area" of the Framework Programme proposal.
2) A specific programme on "Structuring the European Research Area".
3) A specific programme for JRC activities. For the EURATOM Framework Programme: 4) A specific programme for all the indirect actions in the fields of nuclear fission and fusion.
5) A specific programme for JRC activities. First two programmes are treated as complimentary.

International Cooperation issues:

International cooperation represents an important dimension of the Framework Programme. Activities will be carried out in this field in various forms: in the specific programme on "Integrating and strengthening the European Research Area" on the one hand by opening up the networks of excellence and integrated projects to third country researchers and entities and, on the other hand, through certain specific activities; in the programme "Structuring the European Research Area" by means of support for the international mobility of European researchers and third country researchers. Efficient implementation Designed to help bring about the European Research Area, the Framework Programme 2002-2006 is based on three fundamental principles: concentration on a selected number of priorities; structuring effect by means of close liaison with the national efforts; simplification and streamlining of implementation conditions. The basic principles applying to the new instruments are described in Annex III to the specific programme proposals. The detailed rules for implementing them will be set out in the "Rules for participation and dissemination" taking account of the objectives of protecting the Communities' financial interests.
 
 

ANNEX I

Scientific and technological objectives and broad lines of the activities Introduction

1. Integrating research

1.1. PRIORITY THEMATIC AREAS OF RESEARCH

The priority thematic areas represent the bulk of expenditure under the framework programme 2002-2006.

The priority thematic areas of research are:

1.1.1 Genomics and biotechnology for health

The sequencing of the human genome and many other genomes heralds a new age in human biology, offering unprecedented opportunities to improve human health and to stimulate industrial and economic activity. In making its contribution to realising these benefits, this theme will focus on integrating post-genomic research into the more established biomedical and biotechnological approaches, and will facilitate the integration of research capacities (both public and private) across Europe to increase coherence and achieve critical mass.

Integrated multidisciplinary research, which enables a strong interaction between technology and biology, is vital in this theme for translating genome data into practical applications.

This thematic priority area will stimulate and sustain multidisciplinary basic research to exploit the full potential of genome information to underpin applications to human health.

Research priorities

i) Fundamental knowledge and basic tools for functional genomics

The strategic objective of this line is to foster the basic understanding of genomic information, by developing the knowledge base, tools and resources needed to decipher the function of genes and gene products relevant to human health (including animal and plant model genomes and microbial genomes) and to explore their interactions with each other and with their environment. Research actions will encompass the following:

ii) Applications of genomics and biotechnology for health iii) Applications in medicine and public health iv) Confronting the major communicable diseases linked to poverty
 
 

1.1.2 Information Society technologies

Information society technologies (IST) are transforming the economy and society. Not only are they creating new ways of working and new types of business, but provide solutions to major societal challenges such as healthcare, environment, safety, mobility and employment, and have far reaching implications on our everyday life. The IST sector is now one the most important of the economy, with an annual turnover of EUR 2000 billion, providing employment for more than 12 million people in Europe.

The IST thematic priority will contribute directly to realising European policies for the knowledge society as agreed at the Lisbon Council of 2000, the Stockholm Council of 2001, and reflected in the e-Europe Action Plan. It will ensure European leadership in the generic and applied technologies at the heart of the knowledge economy. It aims to increase innovation and competitiveness in European businesses and industry and to contribute to greater benefits for all European citizens.

Successes, like those achieved in Europe in mobile communications or consumer electronics, will not be repeated unless a real effort is made to achieve critical mass in key domains of IST research. … Research will focus on the future generation of technologies in which computers and networks will be integrated into the everyday environment, rendering accessible a multitude of services and applications through easy-to-use human interfaces. This vision of "ambient intelligence" places the user, the individual, at the centre of future developments for an inclusive knowledge-based society for all.

The IST priority in support of the eEurope action plan, will help build an information and knowledge based society across Europe, encouraging the participation of least developed regions. It will also include activities linking the EU effort to the international context.

Research priorities

i) Applied IST research addressing major societal and economic challenges

The objective is to extend the scope and efficiency of IST-based solutions addressing major societal and economic challenges, and to make them accessible in the most trusted and natural way, anywhere and anytime to citizens, businesses and organisations.

Research will focus on basic security mechanisms and their interoperability, dynamic security processes, advanced cryptography, privacy enhancing technologies, technologies to handle digital assets and technologies for dependability to support business and organisational functions in dynamic and mobile systems. Research will focus on new computational models, including computing and information GRIDs, peer-to-peer technologies and the associated middleware to make use of large scale highly distributed computing and storage resources and to develop scalable, dependable and secure platforms. It will include novel collaborative tools and programming methods supporting interoperability of applications and new generations of simulation, visualisation and datamining tools. ii) Communication and computing infrastructures

The objectives are to consolidate and further develop European strengths in areas such as mobile communications, consumer electronics and embedded software, and to improve the performance, cost-efficiency, functionality and adaptive capabilities of communications and computing technologies.

Work on terrestrial and satellite based, mobile and wireless systems and networks beyond 3G will focus on the next generation of technologies, ensuring co-operation and seamless inter-working at service and control planes of multiple wireless technologies over a common IP (Internet Protocol) platform as well as novel spectral efficient protocols, tools and technologies, to build wireless re-configurable IP enabled devices, systems and networks.

Research in all optical networks will focus on the management of optical wavelength channels enabling flexibility and speed in service deployment and provisioning and solutions for fibre to the LAN. Research on interoperable network solutions, including end-to-end network management will support generic services provision and interworking, and interoperation between heterogeneous networks and platforms. It will include programmable networks to provide adaptive and real-time allocation of network resources and enhanced service management capabilities by customers.

Research will also address the enabling technologies for personalised access to networked audio-visual systems and applications as well as cross-media service platforms and networks, trusted digital TV architectures and appliances able to process, encode, store, sense and display hybrid 3D multimedia signals and objects

 Research will focus on new technologies for software, systems and services, that address composability, scalability, reliability and robustness as well as autonomous self-adaptation. It will address middleware for the management, control and use of fully distributed resources. Work on multifunctional service creation environments and new component frameworks will aim at the development of service functionality, including meta-information, semantics and taxonomy of the building blocks. New strategies, algorithms, and tools for systematic and accurate design, prototyping and control of complex distributed systems will be addressed e.g. with embedded controllers and ubiquitous computing resources. Work will include cognitive techniques for generic object and event recognition. iii) Components and microsystems iv) Knowledge and interface technologies

The objective is to improve usability of IST applications and services and access to the knowledge they embody in order to encourage their wider adoption and faster deployment.

Work will focus on technologies to support the process of acquiring and modelling, representing and visualising, interpreting and sharing knowledge. These functions will be integrated in new semantic-based and context-aware systems including cognitive and agent-based tools. Work will address extensible knowledge resources and ontologies so as to facilitate service interoperabilitiy and enable next-generation Semantic-web applications. Research will also address technologies to support the design, creation, management and publishing of multimedia content, across fixed and mobile networks and devices, with the ability to self-adapt to user expectations. The aim is to stimulate the creation of rich interactive content for personalized broadcasting and advanced trusted media and entertainment applications. Research will focus on interfaces and interactive surfaces that are natural, adaptive and multi-sensorial, for an ambient landscape that is aware of our presence, personality and needs, and which is capable of responding intelligently to speech or gesture. The aim is to hide the complexity of technology by supporting a seamless human interaction with devices, virtual and physical objects and the knowledge embedded in everyday environments.

Work will also address technologies for multilingual and multicultural access and communication that support timely and cost effective provisions of interactive information-rich services meeting the personal, professional and business requirements of all members of linguistically and culturally diverse communities.

 1.1.3 Nanotechnologies, intelligent materials and new production processes

The twofold transition toward a knowledge-based society and of sustainable development demands new paradigms of production and new concepts of product-services. European production industry as a whole needs to move from resource-based towards knowledge-based approaches, from quantity to quality, from mass produced single-use products to manufactured-on-demand multi-use, upgradable product-services; from "material and tangible" to "intangible" value-added products, processes and services.

Research priorities

i) Nanotechnologies

ii) Intelligent Materials

New, high knowledge-content materials, providing new functionalities and improved performance, will be critical drivers of innovation in technologies, devices and systems, benefiting sustainable development and competitiveness in sectors such as transport, energy, medicine, electronics, and construction.

Research will focus on: long-term, trans-disciplinary and high industrial risk activities to design and develop new structures with defined characteristics; development of supra-molecular and macromolecular engineering, focusing on the synthesis, exploitation and potential use of novel highly complex molecules and their compounds. Research will focus on: new materials,; engineered and self-repairing materials; crosscutting technologies including surface science and engineering. iii) New Production Processes

1.1.4 Aeronautics and space

Over the last decades, Europe’s outstanding technological and industrial capabilities in aeronautics and the exploitation of space have made many and various contributions to the standard of living of its citizens and the development and growth of its economies, as well as to those outside Europe.

Research priorities

i) Aeronautics

In their report "Vision 2020 ", leaders of the sector in Europe have highlighted the need to optimise the Community and national research efforts around a common vision and a strategic research agenda. Consistent with this, research will concentrate on the following 4 main strands. The scope of the research action will be medium and large sized commercial aircraft including their systems and components, as well as the on-board and ground-based elements of air-traffic management systems.

ii) Space

The aim is to contribute to the implementation of the European Strategy for Space, notably by targeting and focusing efforts with ESA and Member States on a small number of joint actions of common interest. Emphasis will be put on activities complementing those of space agencies (integration of terrestrial and space systems/services and demonstration of end-to-end services). This will include the following areas of activity:

1.1.5 Food Safety and health risks

This priority area is aimed at assuring the health and well-being of European citizens through a better understanding of the influence of food intake and environmental factors on human health and to provide them with safer and health-promoting foods, including seafoods, relying on fully controlled and integrated production systems originating in agriculture and fisheries.

Research priorities

1.1.6 Sustainable development and global change

The Treaty confirms Sustainable Development as a central objective of the European Community. Climate change, energy security, sustainable transport, protection of nature, and their interaction with human activities motivate this research action. The activities carried out within this priority area aim to strengthen the scientific and technological capacities needed for Europe to be able to implement a sustainable development model and make a significant contribution to the international efforts to understand and control global change and preserve the equilibrium of ecosystems.

1.1.6.1 Technologies for Sustainable Development

Strategic objectives address the reduction of greenhouse gases and pollutant emissions, the security of energy supply, the balanced use of the various transport modes, as well as to achieve an enhanced competitiveness of European industry. Achieving these objectives in the short term requires a large-scale research effort to encourage the deployment of technologies already under development and to help promote changes in energy consumption behaviour and transport demand patterns. The longer term implementation of sustainable development requires an equally strong RTD effort to assure the economically attractive availability, and overcome the potential barrier to adoption, of renewable energy sources, hydrogen and fuel cells that are intrinsically clean.

Research priorities

i) Research activities having an impact in the short and medium term

ii) Research activities having an impact in the longer term Research will focus on : cost reduction in fuel cell production and in applications for buildings, transport and de-centralised electricity production; advanced materials related to low and high temperature fuel cells for the above applications. Research will focus on : clean cost-effective production of hydrogen from fossil fuels (including CO2 capture and underground storage); cost-effective hydrogen production by electrolysis from renewable and nuclear energy; hydrogen infrastructure including transport, distribution, storage and utilisation. Research will focus on : (photovoltaics) the whole production chain from basic material to the PV system, as well as integration of PV in habitat and large scale MW-size PV systems for production of electricity; (biomass) barriers in the biomass supply-use chain in the following areas : combustion technologies, gasification technologies for electricity and H2/syngas production and biofuels for transport. 1.1.6.2 Global Change

Global Change encompasses the complex dynamic changes over different time-scales in the physical, chemical and biological components of the Earth system (i.e. atmosphere, oceans and land) in particular those influenced by human activities.

Research priorities

1.1.7 Citizens and Governance in the European Knowledge-based society

The Lisbon European Council recognised that the transition towards a European knowledge based society will affect every aspect of people’s lives. The overall objective is to provide a sound knowledge base for the management of this transition, which will be conditioned by national, regional and local policies, programmes and actions, as well as informed decision making by individual citizens, families and other societal units.

Research priorities

i) Knowledge-based European Society

The building of a European knowledge society is a clear political objective for the European Community. The research aims to provide the basis of understanding needed to ensure this takes place in a manner which accords with specific European conditions and aspirations.

Research will focus on: characteristics of knowledge and its functioning in relation to the economy, society and innovation; and the transformation of economic and social institutions; the dynamics of knowledge production, distribution and use, role of knowledge codification and impact of ICTs ; the importance of territorial structures and social networks in these processes. Research will focus on: features of a knowledge based society in line with European social models and the need to improve the quality of life; social and territorial cohesion, gender and intergenerational relations and social networks; implications of changes to work and employment; access to education and training, and life-long learning. Research will focus on: globalisation in relation to pressures for convergence; the implications for regional variation; challenges to European societies from a diversity of cultures and increased sources of knowledge; the role of the media in this context. ii) Citizens, democracy and new forms of governance

The work will identify the main factors influencing changes in governance and citizenship, as well as the impacts of these changes and the possible options to enhance democratic governance, resolve conflicts, protect human rights and take account of cultural diversity and multiple identities.

1.2. ANTICIPATING THE EU’S SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL NEEDS

Activities under this heading will have the following overall objectives:

i) Policy-orientated research and leading edge topics

ii) Specific research activities for SMEs include

Collective Research in a form of research undertaken by RTD performers on behalf of industrial associations or industry groupings in order to expand the knowledge base of large communities of SMEs and thus improve their general standard of competitiveness. Collective research projects could cover, for example :

Co-operative Research to outsource the required research to an RTD performer, while retaining ownership of the results.

iii) Specific international co-operation activities

The general objective of the international cooperation activities carried out under the Framework Programme is to help open up the European Research Area to the rest of the world. These activities represent the particular contribution of the Framework Programme to this opening-up process, which will require a joint effort by the Community and the Member States.

Under this heading, the activities in question have the following particular objectives:

Carried out in support of the Community’s foreign policy and development aid policy, these specific activities will concern three groups of countries: the Mediterranean third countries, Russia and the CIS countries, and the developing countries.

They will be carried out in such a way as to complement the participation of researchers and entities in those countries in the networks of excellence and integrated projects which are open to them and in which they will participate in a variable way depending on the themes and countries.

The research priorities in this category of activities are defined on the basis of the interests and objectives of the Community’s political partnership with the different groups of countries, as well as their particular economic and social needs.

They will therefore cover more particularly:

These activities will be carried out by means of research, technological development and demonstration projects of a limited scale, actions to coordinate national efforts and, where necessary, specific support measures.

Cooperation activities with Russia and the CIS will be carried out in particular through the INTAS structure set up jointly by the Community and the Member States.

In all three cases, one of the major objectives is to help strengthen, stabilise, develop or adapt the local research systems.

Accordingly, the Framework Programme activities will endeavour to strengthen coordination and complementarity with activities carried out by means of financial instruments such as, in the case of the Mediterranean third countries, the MEDA Programme, in the case of Russia and the CIS countries the Tacis Programme and in the case of the developing countries the EDF (European Development Fund) and the ALA (Latin America/Asia) Fund. These activities can help to promote the development in those countries of human resources for research, research infrastructures and capabilities relating to innovation and exploitation of results.
 
 

ANNEX II

INDICATIVE BREAKDOWN OF THE AMOUNT
 
Types of activities  Amount (EUR million)
INTEGRATING RESEARCH  12 05521
Priority thematic areas of research  10 425
  • Genomics and biotechnology for health 
 2 000
  • Information Society technologies
 3 600
  • Nanotechnologies, intelligent materials, new production processes
 1 300
  • Aeronautics and space
 1 000
  • Food safety and health risks
 600
  • Sustainable development and global change
 1 700
  • Citizens and governance in the European knowledge-based society
 225
Anticipating the EU’s scientific and technological needs  1 630
  • Policy orientated research and leading edge topics
 880
  • Specific research activities for SMEs
 450
  • Specific international cooperation activities
 300
STRENGTHENING THE FOUNDATIONS OF THE EUROPEAN RESEARCH AREA  450
  • Support for the co-ordination of activities
 400
  • Support for the coherent development of policies
 50
Total  12 505

Overall multiannual estimate of expenditure:

Schedule of commitment appropriations/payment appropriations (in € million)
 
  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 +  Total
Commitments  2 706.400  2 904.300  3 053.300  3 153.200  -  11 817.200
Payments  376.100 1  627.900 2  278.900  2 679.300  4 855.000  11 817.200

 
 
 

ANNEX III – MEANS FOR IMPLEMENTING THE PROGRAMME

In order to implement the specific programme, and in accordance with the Decisions of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning the multiannual Framework Programme 2002-2006 of the European Community for research, technological development and demonstration activities aimed at contributing towards the creation of the European Research Area (2002/…/EC) and with the rules for the participation of undertakings, research centers and universities and for the dissemination of research results (2002/…/EC), the Commission will use various instruments.

The Commission will evaluate the proposals in accordance with the evaluation criteria set out in the above mentioned Decisions in order to verify their relevance with regard to the objectives of the programme, their scientific and technological excellence, their Community added value and the participants' management capacity.

A. NEW INSTRUMENTS

A.1 Networks of excellence

Networks of excellence are implemented in the seven priority thematic areas of the Framework Programme and, in duly justified cases, in research areas meeting the needs of Community policies and as well as in new and emerging areas.

The objective of this instrument is to strengthen European scientific and technological excellence by means of a progressive and lasting integration of research capacities existing or emerging in Europe at both national and regional level. Each network will aim at advancing knowledge in a particular area by assembling a critical mass of skills.

A.2 Integrated projects

Integrated projects will be implemented in the seven priority thematic areas of the Framework Programme and, in duly justified cases, in research areas meeting the needs arising from the implementation of Community policies as well as in new and emerging areas.

The objective of this instrument is to strengthen European competitiveness or contribute to resolve major societal problems by mobilising a critical mass of research and technological development resources and skills existing in Europe.

A.3 Collective research projects

Implemented across the whole field of science and technology, these projects will be carried out by research entities for the benefit of industrial associations or groupings, in areas and on subjects of interest to a large number of SMEs confronted with common problems.

B OTHER INSTRUMENTS

In order to implement the programme, la Commission may also have recourse to:

5. DESCRIPTION AND GROUNDS

5.1. Need for Community intervention

5.1.1 Objectives pursued

As recognised at the highest political level by the European Council in Lisbon, Feira, Nice and again recently in Stockholm, research is a central component of the knowledge-based economy and society developing worldwide. However, Europe still has structural weaknesses where research is concerned. These can be summed up in four main points:

I. Insufficient and dispersed investment in research and technological development and more generally in knowledge

II. Insufficient human resources in research.

III. A limited capacity to translate scientific breakthroughs into innovative and competitive products and services, despite high-quality scientific production.

IV. A fragmentation of research policies in Europe. The EU has

The Commission has proposed funding for the framework programme totalling EUR 17.5 billion, corresponding to the previous level of funding plus inflation and growth. The plan is to implement the framework programmes by five specific programmes, three of which come under the European Community Treaty and two under the European Atomic Energy (Euratom) Treaty. Each specific programme is identified according to the nature of the instruments deployed, reflecting the objectives and organisation of the framework programme:

There is a clear correspondence between the first two programmes and the four activities mentioned in Article 164 of the EC Treaty.

The objectives of the specific programme on "Integrating and strengthening the European Research Area" are set out below by action areas, together with their justification and the European added value that they can provide.

1. INTEGRATING THE EUROPEAN RESEARCH AREA

1.1. Priority thematic areas

1.1.1.Genomics and biotechnologies for health

1.1.2. Information society technologies (IST)

The actions carried out in this area, in line with the conclusions of the European Council in Lisbon and the objectives of the e-Europe initiative, are intended to stimulate the development in Europe of technologies and applications at the centre of the construction of the Information Society in order to increase the competitiveness of European industry and allow European citizens in all EU regions the possibility of benefiting fully from the development of the knowledge-based society.

Justification and European added value

1.1.3.Nanotechnologies, intelligent materials, and new production processes

1.1.4.Aeronautics and space

1.1.5.Food safety and health risks

1.1.6.Sustainable development and global change

1.1.6.1. Technologies for sustainable development

1.1.6.2. Global change

1.1.7.Citizens and governance in the European knowledge-based society

1.2. Anticipating the EU's scientific and technological needs

1.2.1.Policy-oriented research and leading edge topics

1.2.2.Specific research activities for SMEs

1.2.3.Specific international cooperation activities

5.2. Actions envisaged and means of budget intervention

The actions envisaged for the specific programme on "Integrating and strengthening the European Research Area" are set out below presented by detailed action areas. This presentation makes it possible to highlight the estimated results expected, the contributions to the overall objectives of the framework programme or of the Community or potential performance parameters associated with these. These indications are intended as yardsticks and not definitively adopted goals.

A correspondence between the action areas and the types of instruments used is given further on in the form of a table.

1. INTEGRATING THE EUROPEAN RESEARCH AREA

1.1. Priority thematic areas

1.1.2. Information Society technologies

i) Applied IST research addressing major societal and economic challenges

(Research on technologies for trust and confidence, Research addressing societal challenges, Research addressing work and business challenges, Complex problem solving in science, engineering, business and for society)

ii) Communication and computing infrastructures

(Communication and network technologies, Software technologies, services and distributed systems)

iii) Components and microsystems

(Micro, Nano and Opto-electronics, Micro and Nano Technologies, Microsystems, Displays)

iv) Knowledge and interface technologies

(Knowledge technologies and digital content, Intelligent surfaces and interfaces)

Expected results, contributions to overall objectives or potential performance parameters