On 6 April 2005 the European Commission announced its proposals for the Seventh Framework Programme for research and development (FP7, 2007-2013) (COM(2005) 119 final). FP7 is to be launched at the end of 2006.
Four major objectivesThe FP7 (total budget €72,726 million) will be organised in four specific programmes, corresponding to four major objectives of European research policy:
Cooperation: Support will be given to the whole range of research activities carried out in trans-national cooperation, from collaborative projects and networks to the coordination of research programmes. International cooperation between the EU and third countries is an integral part of this action. (€44,432 million)
Ideas: An autonomous European Research Council will be created to support investigator-driven ‘frontier research’ carried out by individual teams competing at the European level, in all scientific and technological fields, including engineering, socioeconomic sciences and the humanities. (€11,862 million)
People: The activities supporting training and career development of researchers, referred to as ‘Marie Curie’ actions, will be reinforced with a better focus on the key aspects of skills and career development and strengthened links with national systems. (€7,129 million)
Capacities: Key aspects of European research and innovation capacities will be supported: research infrastructures; research for the benefit of SMEs; regional research-driven clusters; unlocking the full research potential in the EU’s ‘convergence’ regions; ‘Science in Society’ issues; ‘horizontal’ activities of international co-operation. (€7486 million)
Food, Agriculture and Biotechnology – one of nine themesAmong the nine operationally autonomous but cooperating sub-programmes, ‘Food, agriculture and biotechnology’ is defined as ‘Building a European Knowledge Based Bio-Economy by bringing together science, industry and other stakeholders, to exploit new and emerging research opportunities that address social and economic challenges’.
Its activities are:
Sustainable production and management of biological resources from land, forest, and aquatic environments: Enabling research, including 'omics' technologies, such as genomics, proteomics, metabolomics, systems biology and converging technologies for micro-organisms, plants and animals, including exploitation of their biodiversity; improved crops and production systems, including organic farming, quality production schemes and GMO impacts; sustainable, competitive and multifunctional agriculture, and forestry; rural development; animal welfare, breeding and production; plant health; sustainable and competitive fisheries and aquaculture; infectious diseases in animals, including zoonoses; safe disposal of animal waste; conservation, management and exploitation of living aquatic resources, developing the tools needed by policy makers and other actors in agriculture and rural development (landscape, land management practices etc.).
‘Fork to farm’: food, health and well being: Consumer, societal, industrial and health aspects of food and feed, including behavioural and cognitive sciences; nutrition, diet related diseases and disorders, including obesity; innovative food and feed processing technologies (including packaging); improved quality and safety, both chemical and microbiological, of food, beverage and feed; integrity (and control) of the food chain; environmental impacts on and of food/feed chains; total food chain concept (including seafood); traceability.
Life sciences and biotechnology for sustainable non-food products and processes:
Improved crops, feed-stocks, marine products and biomass (including marine resources) for energy, environment, and high added value products such as materials and chemicals, including novel farming systems, bio-processes and bio-refinery concepts; bio-catalysis; forestry and forest based products and processes; environmental remediation and cleaner processing.
SourceEUROPA.
For more details:
http://www.gl-ttp.com/default.asp?id_biblio=360&rub=linkor
http://www.cordis.lu/fp7/
