Can private companies participate in FP7?
Many components of FP7, such as activities of support for small and medium size businesses (SMEs) under the Capacities programme, are specifically designed to meet the needs of the private sector and develop its innovation capacity. Moreover, collaborative research projects -which are the main component of the framework programmes- such as the ones financed by the Cooperation programme, are open for participation to partners from the private sector, whether they are private research institutions, the industry or SMEs.
How will the industry and SMEs be benefited from FP7?
The most important research fields backed up by the topics in the Cooperation programme, and the applicable research goals, have been set up with the help of European Technological Platforms. These fields are driven by the industry itself, and gather together groups from the public and private sectors in order to set up priorities of research and development, deadlines and action plans on various topics. Such topics are strategically important to achieve growth, competitiveness and sustainability for Europe in the future.
The Capacities programme, besides including specific actions to help SMEs, intends to develop community research infrastructures, optimize its usage and enhance accessibility for researchers from inside and outside the industry. It will also provide support for regional research groups including companies, universities and municipal authorities.
European companies should also be benefited from useful research outcomes and technologies resulting from the Framework Programme. For more information on the technological transfer in community programmes, see CORDIS Technology Marketplace.
How can SMEs participate?
A selection process will be carried out by the European Commission on projects proposals applying for funding under FP7. Proposals shall be submitted after publication of each “Call for Proposals”. Calls in the Seventh Framework Programme will be announced on the FP7 Find a Call Web page. The proposals submission programme is started with each Call. The legal text in each Call defines specifications necessary to prepare and submit the proposal, which are: research topic, mechanisms for staff financing, direction and other technical means for the submission, deadlines, etc. Proposals not complying with specifications of the call will be rejected.
A general feature of FP7 as a whole is to actively encourage SMEs to participate in all research actions, especially in those derived from topics of the Cooperation programme. This programme aims at facilitating an optimal participation, mainly by “research SMEs”, through various means such as simplifying administrative and financing procedures, and having more flexibility in choosing the financing schemes. Areas of special interest for SMEs will be specified in the work programmes for each topic.
The Joint Technology Initiatives (JTI) to be carried out in agreement with the Cooperation programme, are associations between the public and private sectors that will also promote participation of the industry.
Likewise, the European Research Council (ERC) will publish calls that will allow SME research teams to compete in the Ideas programme by applying the criterion of excellence. Therefore, the People programme will promote a bigger participation of SMEs in the Marie Curie Industry-Academia Partnerships and Pathways action.
In FP7, “Research for the benefit of SMEs” aims to strengthen the innovation capacity of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with medium and low technology and their contribution to the development of new technology based products and markets. This will be facilitated by helping SMEs to subcontract research activities, increase their research efforts, acquire technological knowledge, broaden their networks and take better advantage of research results.
There are two main financing schemes:
• Research for SME: this model will support small groups of innovative SMEs for them to be able to solve common or complementary technological problems.
• Research for SMEs Associations: it is about supporting SMEs associations and groups for them to develop technical solutions for problems that are common to a large number of SMEs from specific industrial sectors or concrete segments in the value chain.
Where can SMEs find support?
The National Contact Points (NCP) network provides guidance tailored to the geographical region of the participants in the European Union’s framework programmes. Contact information of the recently appointed FP7’s NCPs specifics for SMEs is already available.
For more information on SMEs and FP7, see also the SME TechWeb service.
The new Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP) will also provide a coherent framework for all actions conducted by the European Union in the area of entrepreneurship, SMEs, industrial competitiveness, innovation, use and development of ICTs, eco-technologies and smart energy. It is designed as a complement of FP7 and other programmes by the European Community. CIP is based on three main activity tenets. The tenet of the Programme for entrepreneurship and innovation is precisely focused in SMEs. This programme will provide support to networks of intermediaries and to national plans so as to carry out actions that aim to promote and facilitate participation of SMEs in FP7 through their horizontal services in support of companies and innovation.