The Framework Programmes

FP were firstly introduced in the 1980s in an attempt to rationalise already existing Community research activities and include them in a more comprehensive plan, both in terms of identifying scientific and technological priorities and planning Community financial involvement. 

The Council of Ministers, in its resolution of 25 July 1983 [19], approved the principle of FP covering a multiyear period (4 years in the case of the first FP, 5 years from the second to the sixth ones, and 7 years for the current FP7 and for the next FP) and defined the scientific and technical objectives and selection criteria for the period 1984-1987. 

FP adopted by the Council and the European Parliament set the main objectives and priorities, the overall framework of Community activity in the area of RTD and its breakdown into main areas, together with total financial allocation. FP form the basis for decisions on specific implementation programmes, i.e., the programmes implement the FP. 

From the inception, the purpose of the FP has been to encourage transnational collaborative research projects, and this explains why one of the essential requirements for all EU-funded projects is that the participants in research teams have to come from more than one of the EU Member States. 

A common characteristic for all FP is that most of the funding (with the exception mainly of mobility grants for individual researchers) supports research activities, defined in a top down approach research projects selected for funding should fit into politically and scientifically determinate thematic topics, fulfilling the objectives and criteria set out in the FP and in specific programmes [20]. 

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The main EU funding instruments for research, technological development and demonstration are the Framework Programmes (FP), which are implemented mainly by calls for proposals. The FP5 is well advanced and about to be completed, and the FP6 is currently taking place. 

With the Framework Programme becoming established as the main instrument of Community-wide research, the BCR had to become part of it. Major objectives of the programme were to harmonise measurements across the Member States, to establish traceability to the primary SI units and to provide accurate measurements to support... 

The extent to which scientists are able to network - both formally and informally - with their peers in other countries is another factor which promotes alignment between European-level and national policy. Collaboration through the Framework Programmes was reported to be extremely useful - especially for environmental science, where there are often no natural boundaries . In certain niche areas, e.g. marine research, it was reported that the members of the scientific community are well connected and frequently work together. 

Data collected from the Decision of the Council, and of the Council and the Parliament establishing the Framework Programmes, 1984-2013. 

Proposal COM(2011) 809/3 for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council Establishing Horizon 2020, The Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (2014-2020). 

Member of the Framework Programme Expert Advisory Group (EAG) on Global change, climate and biodiversity , European Commission, Brussels (2001-2003). 

The 5th Framework Programme is under preparation, for the period from 1998 - 2002. 

The adoption of the Fifth Framework Programme is, at the time of writing, in the process of being adopted by the Council of Ministers and the European Parliament. 

The total budget proposed is ECU 16.3 billion, which is a 3% increase in the percentage of the EU s GDP represented by the new Framework Programme compared to the previous one. 

As regards implementation of the 5th Framework Programme, the preliminary guidelines suggest that the new programme must be... 

The 5th Framework Programme must be more flexible, both in its research activities and in the decision-making process. The Commission proposes that a simplified decision-making procedure should apply to research policy, including the use of qualified majority voting rather than unanimity in the Council of Ministers. 

Ongoing research under the 4th Framework Programme includes a variety of projects and other activities relevant for the 7th ECNDT Conference. 

Future research relevant under the topics of the ECNDT conference should also find its place under some of the Thematic Research Programmes of the 5th Framework Programme. 

A number of handbooks and monographs are available with detailed descriptions of a variety of plant products and their use (Shahidi and Naczk, 1995). From a more practical point of view, an interlaboratory comparison between six university and industry laboratories of 17 extracts of spices, teas, coffees, and grape skin and of tomato peel slurry established within the framework of an EU sponsored programme, would be of interest (Schwarz et al, 2001). In this collaboration, detailed chemical analysis of the content of different phenolic compounds is compared with six antioxidant assays for the 17 extracts including different extraction procedures. 

Preiss P, Klotz V (2007) Technical Paper No 7.4 - RS lb Description of up-dated and extended draft tools for the detailed site-dependant assessment of ex-temal costs. New Energy Externalities Developments for Sustainability (NEEDS) project, Sixth Framework Programme... 

This work, conducted as part of the award Dynamic Adaptative Materials for Separation and Sensing Microsystems made under the European Heads of Research Councils and European Science Foundation EURYI (European Young Investigator) Awards scheme in 2004, was supported by funds from the Participating Organisations of EURYI and the EC Sixth Framework Programme. See www.esf.org/euryi. 

FOOTPRINT (http //www.eu-footprint.org) is an EC 6th Framework Programme project aiming to develop computer tools to evaluate and reduce the risk of pesticides impacting on water resources in the EU SSPI-CT-2005-022704. 

SOCOPSE (http // www.socopse.se/) was an EU-funded project (2006-2009) within the sixth framework programme (FP6-2005-global-4, Topic II 3.1), with the overall objective to support the implementation process for the WFD by providing guidelines and a decision support system (DSS) for the management of priority substances (PS). 

The work has been supported by EU 5 Framework Programme projects (QLK5-1999-01267, QLK3-2000-01528, QLK3-2001-01676) and by domestic sources (OTKA, FKFP, OMFB, OM KFHAT). International collaboration within the EU network COST Action 841 is greatly appreciated. 

Acknowledgements This study was part of a larger multidisciplinary environmental project carried out in the framework of an INTERREG IIA Programme of the European Community between Portugal and Spain. 

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