FP7 - The EU’s Framework Programme for Research and Development

The EU’s Framework Programme for Research and Technical Development represents the Union’s foremost instrument for the realisation of the ambitions expressed in the form of the European Research Area. The current programme, which is the seventh, FP7, runs between 2007 and 2013.

VINNOVA has the national responsibility for providing information and advice on the programme and works with the FP7 in several ways, we:

• have a special contact person, National Contact Point, NCP, and contacts in the programme committees for the various thematic areas of the Framework Programme.
• work to ensure that the support provided by VINNOVA within national programmes can be used as counter funding in the projects in which applicants take part.
• arrange courses and seminars on FP7 application and project management as well as information days about the funding possibilities within the European R&D programmes.

VINNOVA can provide grants for feasibility studies to small and medium-sized companies that wish to apply to the EU Framework Programme. See SMINT. VINNOVA also provides special grants for project co-ordinators in order to co-fund the work on drawing up applications for the EU Framework Programme.