A/ Seventh Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development (FP7) and Horizon 2020
FP7 is the short name for the Seventh Framework
Programme for Research and Technological Development. This is the EU's
main instrument for funding research in Europe and it will run from
2007-2013. FP7 is also designed to respond to Europe's employment needs,
competitiveness and quality of life.
The broad objectives of FP7 have been grouped into four categories: Cooperation, Ideas, People and Capacities.
For each type of objective, there is a specific programme corresponding
to the main areas of EU research policy. All specific programmes work
together to promote and encourage the creation of European poles of
(scientific) excellence. The non-nuclear research activities of the
Joint Research Centre (JRC) are grouped under a specific programme with
individual budget allocation.
(http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/)
Horizon 2020 is the
financial instrument implementing the Innovation Union, a Europe 2020
flagship initiative aimed at securing Europe's global competitiveness.
Running from 2014 to 2020 with an €80 billion budget, the EU’s new
programme for research and innovation is part of the drive to create new
growth and jobs in Europe.
(http://ec.europa.eu/research/horizon2020/)
B/ Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP)
With small and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) as its main target, the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework
Programme (CIP) supports innovation activities (including
eco-innovation), provides better access to finance and delivers business
support services in the regions. It encourages a better take-up and use
of information and communication technologies (ICT) and helps to
develop the information society. It also promotes the increased use of
renewable energies and energy efficiency.
The CIP runs from 2007 to 2013 with an overall budget of € 3621 million.
The CIP is divided into three operational programmes:
each programme has its specific
objectives, aimed at contributing to the competitiveness of enterprises
and their innovative capacity in their own areas, such as ICT or
sustainable energy:
- The Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (EIP)
- The Information Communication Technologies Policy Support Programme (ICT-PSP)
- The Intelligent Energy Europe Programme (IEE)
(http://ec.europa.eu/cip/)
C/ Programmes of Transnational Territorial Cooperation
In 2007 – 2013 European Cohesion Policy
period Slovenia is eligible for cooperating in four different programmes
of Objective 3 – European transnational territorial cooperation,
namely:
The
Alpine Space Programme is the EU transnational cooperation programme
for the Alps. Partners from the seven Alpine countries work together to
promote regional development in a sustainable way. For
the period 2007-2013, the Community Initiative INTERREG has been
upgraded to the "European Territorial Cooperation Objective", which
underlines the importance the European Commission and the Member States
attach to the added value of transnational cooperation.
During the period 2007-2013, the programme is investing 130 Mio €
in impact-oriented projects in which key actors develop shared solutions
on specific Alpine issues as laid down in the programme objectives:
Priority 1: Competitiveness and Attractiveness
Priority 2: Accessibility and Connectivity
Priority 3: Environment and Risk Prevention
(http://www.alpine-space.eu/)
Central
Europe is a European Union programme that encourages cooperation among
the countries of central Europe to improve innovation, accessibility and
the environment and to enhance the competitiveness and attractiveness
of their cities and regions. CE invests €231 million to provide funding
to transnational cooperation projects involving public and private
organisations from Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Italy,
Poland, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia and Ukraine. The programme is
financed by the European Regional Development Fund and runs from 2007 to
2013.
CE provides funding for cooperation projects covering four thematic areas:
Priority 1: Facilitating innovation across Central Europe
Priority 2: Improving accessibility to, and within, Central Europe
Priority 3: Using our environment responsibly
Priority 4: Enhancing competitiveness and attractiveness of cities and regions
(http://www.central2013.eu/index.php)
The South East
Europe Programme aims to develop transnational partnerships on matters
of strategic importance, in order to improve the territorial, economic
and social integration process and to contribute to cohesion, stability
and competitiveness of the region. For this purpose, the Programme seeks
to realize high quality, result oriented projects of strategic
character, relevant for the programme area. The SEE Programme helps to
promote better integration between the Member States, candidate and
potential candidate countries and neighbouring countries. Regional
cooperation in South East Europe is essential, regardless of the
different stage of integration of the various countries. The stability,
prosperity and security of the region are of significant interest to the
EU.
Transnational
cooperation programmes encourage a sustainable and balanced development
of the European territory. The establishment and development of
transnational cooperation is part of the European Territorial
Cooperation objective of EU Regional Policy. In the new framework of
Cohesion Policy, the "European Territorial Cooperation" Objective has
become an objective of its own, on an equal footing with the
"Convergence" and "Regional Competitiveness and Employment" Objectives.
It replaces the Community Initiative INTERREG III. |
|
Priority 1 : Facilitation of innovation and entrepreneurship
Priority 2: Protection and improvement of the environment
Priority 3: Improvement of the accessibility
Priority 4: Development of transnational synergies for sustainable growth areas
(http://www.southeast-europe.net/hu/)
Mediterranean Cooperation (MED):
The MED programme is a
transnational programme of European territorial cooperation. It is
financed by the European Union as an instrument of its regional policy
and of its new programming period. It continues the tradition of the
European programmes for cooperation (previously named Interreg). The
transnational setup allows the programme to tackle territorial
challenges beyond national boundaries, such as environmental risk
management, international business or transport corridors.
Programme objectives are: to
improve the area's competitiveness in a way that guarantees growth and
employment for the next generations (Lisbon strategy) and to promote
territorial cohesion and environmental protection, according to the
logic of sustainable development (Goteborg strategy).
Priority 1: Strengthening innovation capacities
Priority 2 : Environmental protection and promotion of a sustainable territorial development
Priority 3 : Improvement of mobility and of territorial accessibility
Priority 4 : Promotion of a polycentric and integrated development of the MED space
(http://www.programmemed.eu/index.php?id=5175&L=1)
The past results are putting great
expectations into a future Objective 3 cooperation aiming to address
territorial development needs and problems, bringing a more concrete
results and outputs as in the past.
D/ Programmes of Territorial Cross-border Cooperation
The European Union cohesion policy intends
to strengthen the Community’s economic and social cohesion in order to
promote a harmonious, balanced and sustainable development of the
Community, while at the same time reducing the economic, social and
territorial disparities. In view of the central geo-political level and
the fact that the majority of Slovenia’s population lives in the border
area, the European territorial cooperation (Objective 3) remains one of
the key instruments for encouraging development of the border regions
and herewith of the whole country.
E/ Lifelong Learning Programme (LLP)
The European Commission’s Lifelong
Learning Programme enables people at all stages of their lives to take
part in stimulating learning experiences, as well as helping to develop
the education and training sector across Europe. Projects are intended
not only for individual students and learners, but also for teachers,
trainers and all others involved in education and training. LLP is the
successor to the Socrates and Leonardo da Vinci (2000-2006). It supports
learning opportunities from childhood to old age in every single life
situation.
It is an umbrella programme integrating various educational and
training initiatives. LLP is divided in four sectorial sub programmes
and four so called 'transversal' programmes.
The sectorial sub programmes focus on different stages of education and training and continuing previous programmes:
• Comenius for schools:
The Comenius programme focuses on the
first phase of education, from pre-school and primary to secondary
schools. It is relevant for all members of the education community:
pupils, teachers, local authorities, parents associations,
non-government organisations, teacher training institutes, universities
and all other educational staff.
• Erasmus for higher education
Erasmus is the EU's flagship
education and training programme in the field of higher education. The
Erasmus programme not only supports mobility (for students, professors,
or other higher education staff / enterprises wishing to study, teach
and work abroad), but also provides co-funding to higher education
institutions working together through transnational cooperation
projects.
• Leonardo da Vinci for vocational education and training
Leonardo da Vinci focuses on vocational
education and training, other than at tertiary level. It addresses both
the learning and teaching needs in the sector, and is therefore aimed at
all parties involved, namely trainees in vocational education, teachers
and trainers, institutions and educational bodies, enterprises,
associations, social partners and bodies relating to either lifelong
learning or the labour market.
• Grundtvig for adult education
The Grundtvig programme focuses on the
teaching and study needs of those in adult education and alternative
education streams, as well as the institutions and organisations
delivering these services.
OTHER CURRENT PROGRAMS:
The
Culture Programme (2007 – 2013) has been established to enhance the
cultural area shared by Europeans, which is based on a common cultural
heritage, through the development of cooperation activities among
cultural operators from eligible countries, with a view to encouraging
the emergence of European citizenship.
The Programme is aimed at three specific objectives:
- promotion of the trans-national mobility of people working in the cultural sector;
- support for the trans-national circulation of cultural and artistic works and products;
- promotion of inter-cultural dialogue.
The Programme has a flexible,
interdisciplinary approach and is focussed on the needs expressed by
cultural operators during the public consultations leading up to its
design. The activities supported within the Programme belong to three
main typologies, which correspond to the strands of the Programme. They
are outlined in Part Two of this guide, which lists all criteria and
application requirements.
TEMPUS
is the European Union’s programme which supports the modernisation of
higher education in the EU's surrounding area. Tempus promotes
institutional cooperation that involves the European Union and Partner
Countries and focuses on the reform and modernisation of higher
education systems in the Partner Countries of Eastern Europe, Central
Asia, the Western Balkans and the Mediterranean region. The Tempus
programme is implemented in close coordination with the Erasmus Mundus
programme which provides scholarships to third country students allowing
them to participate in top-level Master courses and Doctorate
programmes outside the EU.
The
LIFE programme is the EU’s funding instrument for the environment. The
general objective of LIFE is to contribute to the implementation,
updating and development of EU environmental policy and legislation by
co-financing pilot or demonstration projects with European added
valueDuring the period 2007-2013, the European Commission will launch
one call for LIFE+ project proposals per year. Proposals must be
eligible under one of the programme’s three components: LIFE+ Nature and
Biodiversity, LIFE+ Environment Policy and Governance, and LIFE+
Information and Communication.
- Erasmus Mundus II (2009 - 2013)
Erasmus
Mundus is a cooperation and mobility programme in the field of higher
education that aims to enhance the quality of European higher education
and to promote dialogue and understanding between people and cultures
through cooperation with Third-Countries. In addition, it contributes to
the development of human resources and the international cooperation
capacity of Higher education institutions in Third Countries by
increasing mobility between the European Union and these countries.
Erasmus Mundus 2009-2013 is implemented through of the following actions:
Action 1:
Erasmus Mundus joint programmes of outstanding quality at masters and
doctoral levels including scholarships/fellowships to participate in
these programmes;
Action 2
: Erasmus Mundus Partnerships between European and Third Country higher
education institutions including scholarships and fellowships for
mobility at all academic levels;
Action 3
: Promotion of European higher education through projects to enhance
the attractiveness of Europe as an educational destination and a centre
of excellence at world level.
(http://www.cmepius.si/erasmus-mundus.aspx)
CEEPUS is an acronym
for "Central European Exchange Program for University Studies". Current
member countries are: Albania, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina,
Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Macedonia, Montenegro,
Poland, Romania, Serbia, the Slovak Republic and Slovenia.
Prishtina/Kosovo is also participating. CEEPUS programme supports
scholarships to individuals within approved network of major higher
education institutions from different participating countries which then
exchange students and professors.
(http://www.cmepius.si/en/index.aspx)
The
YOUTH IN ACTION programme is the EU’s mobility and non-formal education
programme targeting young people aged between 13 and 30 years. . It
aims to inspire a sense of active European citizenship, solidarity and
tolerance among young Europeans and to involve them in shaping the
Union's future. It promotes mobility within and beyond the EU's borders,
non-formal learning and intercultural dialogue, and encourages the
inclusion of all young people, regardless of their educational, social
and cultural background: Youth in Action is a Programme for all. Every
year, thousands of projects are submitted by promoters in order to get
financial support from the Programme; a selection process aims at
granting the best projects.
Its general objectives are the following:
- Promote young people’s active citizenship in general and their European citizenship in particular;
- Develop solidarity and promote tolerance among young people, in
particular in order to foster social cohesion in the European Union;
- Foster mutual understanding between young people in different countries;
- Contribute to developing the quality of support systems for youth
activities and the capabilities of civil society organisations in the
youth field;
- Promote European cooperation in the youth field.
(http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/youth/)
EU Funds
A/ Cohesion Found (CF)
Cohesion Fund (CF) is the structural
instrument which has been, since 1994, helping the Member States to
reduce the economic and social differences and stabilise the economy.
The Cohesion Fund finances up to 85% of all the eligible costs of major
projects in the field of environment and transport infrastructure. The
Cohesion Fund is not a structural fund. The European regional
Development Fund and the European Social Fund are structural funds. If a
Member State’s gross national income is lower than 90% EU average it is
eligible for drawing on the funds from the Cohesion Fund.
B/ European Social Fund (ESF)
The European Social Fund (ESF) is the
oldest of the structural funds. It was established by the Treaty of Rome
in 1957 with the objective to reduce the differences in wealth and
living standards in the EU Member States and regions and to promote
economic and social cohesion. The mission of the ESF is to invest into
human resources, job creation, promotion of employment and employability
and strengthening innovations. More than 10% of the overall EU budget
is, through the ESF, meant for investing into the most important EU
capital - people.
C/ European Regional Development Fund
The European Regional Development Fund
objective is strengthening economic and social cohesion and to offer
assistance in eliminating the gravest development imbalances of the
regions. ERDF thus contributes to reducing the gap between the levels of
development of various regions. These are the regions which have the
most limited possibilities including the rural and city areas,
regressive industrial regions, areas with geographic and natural
obstacles such as islands, mountainous areas, sparsely populated areas
and border regions. ERDF implements Community priorities for
strengthening competitiveness and innovation, creativity and
preservation of permanent jobs and ensuring sustainable development.
( http://www.eu-skladi.si/)
