This report
assesses progress in implementing Seventh Framework Programme for Research
(FP7) and what remains to be done to fully reach its original objectives. The
available evidence for 2007 and 2008 indicates that FP7 had a good start:
- the response
of the scientific community to its calls for proposals shows a strong
demand for Community research. Nearly 36,000 proposals were received,
and over 5,500 proposals were selected for funding. The overall
participation rate is at 21.7 %, taking into account two-stage
application procedures;
- the quality
of the evaluation process is recognised, with 91% of the evaluators
stating that the quality of the evaluation process was similar to or
better than national evaluations in which they participated.
The novel
approaches embodied in FP7 seem to be paying off:
- the success
of the European Research Council is evident from the more than 11.000
proposals received for the first call;
- 5
large-scale public-private partnerships – Joint Technology Initiatives
(JTI) – have been set up, each as an independent legal entity under
Article 171 of the EC Treaty: Innovative Medicines (IMI);
Embedded Computing Systems (ARTEMIS);
Clean
Sky; Nanoelectronics (ENIAC)
and the Fuel Cells & Hydrogen (FCH)
JTI;
- demand for
the new Risk Sharing Finance Facility (RSFF) has been strong since its
launch in June 2007, with 30 RSFF operations approved and the value of
signed loans reaching EUR 2 billion by the beginning of 2009;
- 2 agencies -
the Research Executive Agency and the ERC Executive Agency – have been
set up to ensure efficient management of a continuously growing FP7
budget without direct staff increases in the Commission;
- progress has
been made in simplifying participation in FP7.
Some issues
deserve further attention and reflection:
- the adjusted
overall share of SMEs participation in retained proposals under the
specific programmes "Cooperation" and "Capacities"
is around 11% in terms of requested EC contribution;
- below
average FP7 participation rates for most new Member States are balanced
by higher financial contributions: EU 12 participants obtained almost 5%
of the total requested FP7 contribution, compared with a 2.8% share of
EU12 in the total EU27 intramural R&D expenditure.
Conclusion: FP7 is adapting to help the EU meet its goals of creating a low
carbon, knowledge-based society. It seeks to increase its leverage effect on
public and private R&D investment and to diversify its instruments in
order to maximise European added value. FP7 remains a crucial instrument to
promote scientific excellence and technological development, responding to EU
policy priorities and the needs of industry and society. The current adverse economic
context underlines its importance even more. FP7 contributes to sustained
research efforts, both private and public, as exemplified in the public
private partnership initiatives for green cars, energy efficient buildings
and factories of the future launched as part of the European
Recovery Plan.
In order to
obtain advice for further improving and possibly adapting FP7, the Commission
will be seeking advice from an independent expert group, which will undertake
an Interim Evaluation of FP7. Their mandate should be adopted in autumn 2009,
and the evaluation should be completed in the autumn of 2010.