Taking off with research
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Together at the beginning: Annette Schavan, Viviane Reding, José Manuel Barroso, Janez Potocnik und Angelika Niebler (f.r.t.l.) (Fotos: European Community 2007). Click here for a larger image.
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It is the world's biggest research funding programme, and with a total budget of 54.4 billion EUR spread over seven years, a financially weighty one into the bargain: The European Union's 7th Research Framework Programme (FP7) gives top priority to science and research in Europe. It was launched on 15 January in the presence of 1,500 guests from academia and government in the assembly hall of the former German parliament building in Bonn. "The new programme shows that we are determined to do more than ever before for science and research in Europe," Federal Minister of Research Annette Schavan commented on the occasion of the Bonn presentation. Indeed, FP7 has the longest duration and the most innovative approach of any framework programme to date and thus signified the successful launch of the German EU presidency in 2007.
The German Government and members of the European Commission at the inangural-meeting of Germany's EU Presidency. Click here for a larger image.
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FP7 is divided into four thematic blocks: "Cooperation", "Ideas", "People" and "Capacities" as well as the additional programme of the European Atomic Energy Community (EURATOM). The blocks correlate with the demands of internationally competitive science. The block entitled "Cooperation", for example, uses funding of 32 billion EUR to promote international cooperative projects in all fields of science, including space and security research. The block "Ideas" (7.4 billion EUR) with new and unusual projects looks to the scientific future of Europe while "People" (4.7 billion EUR) provides opportunities for highly trained researchers and "Capacities" with 4.2 billion EUR ensures the required infrastructure. After all, according to the FP7 motto, tomorrow's answers start today.
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