Archives: Types of Projects and Actions

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The following types of project proposals may be submitted in response to the calls for proposals published by the IST thematic program of the EU 5th Framework programme. You may obtain further information concerning the specific action types in the respective Guide for Proposers.

Shared-cost actions

Research and technological development projects - projects obtaining new knowledge intended to develop or improve products, process or services and/or to meet the needs of Community policies (financial participation: 50% of total eligible costs).
Demonstration projects - projects improving the viability of new technologies offering potential economic advantage but which cannot be commercialised directly (financial participation: 35% of total eligible costs).
Combined R&D and demonstration projects - projects combining the above elements (financial participation: 35 to 50% of total eligible costs).
SME Co-operative research projects - projects enabling at least three mutually independent SMEs from at least two Member States to jointly commission research carried out by a third party (financial participation: 50% of total eligible costs).
SME Exploratory awards - support of 75% of total eligible costs for an up-to-12 months exploratory phase of a project (e.g. feasibility studies, validation, partner search).

Training fellowships

Marie Curie fellowships are either fellowships, where individual researchers apply directly to the Commission, or host fellowships, where institutions apply to host a number of researchers (financial participation: maximum of 100% of additional eligible costs). The IST Programme supports the following type of training fellowship: Industry Host fellowships.

Thematic networks

Thematic Networks for bringing together e.g. manufacturers, users, universities, research centres around a given Science and Technology objective. These include co-ordination networks between Community funded projects. Support will cover a maximum 100% of the eligible costs necessary for setting up and maintaining such networks. The IST Programme supports the following types of Thematic Networks: IST project clusters, Networks of Excellence and Working Groups.

Concerted actions

Actions co-ordinating RTD projects already in receipt of funding, for example to exchange experiences, to reach a critical mass, to disseminate results etc. (financial participation: maximum of 100% of additional eligible costs).

Accompanying measures

Actions contributing to the implementation of a Specific Programme or the preparation of future activities of the Programme. They will also seek to prepare for or to support other indirect RTD actions (financial participation: maximum of 100% of total eligible costs). The IST Programme supports the following types of Accompanying Measures: Studies, Dissemination and Awareness actions, Training actions and Take-up Measures.

Take-up Measures

Take-up measures in the IST Programme are a special kind of accompanying measure and are always the subject of specific calls for proposals. They help to transfer leading edge as well as established but insufficiently deployed methodologies and technologies to industry and other organisations in order to achieve greater efficiency, higher quality and greater economy. Take-up measures in the IST Programme include:

Assessment actions: (by users and suppliers) promote the use of innovative equipment and materials in industrial and service environments through evaluation of innovative products against user requirements and specifications.
Best Practice actions: (for users) promote improvements in the practices, processes and operations in industry and services through the take-up of well-founded, mature and established - but insufficiently deployed - methods and technologies, so as to achieve greater efficiency, higher quality and greater economy (in the user organisation).
Trials: (for users and suppliers) aiming at the adaptation and introduction of leading edge technology (promising but not yet fully established) in industrial/service applications and its joint evaluation (by supplier and user).
Access actions: are designed to provide co-ordinated access to advanced, emerging technologies and services, knowledge and competence.

The IST Programme will not necessarily open all the above mentioned types of actions in all calls. Please refer to the roadmap, the Call texts in the Official Journal and section V of the Guide for Proposers to see which actions are called for in the different calls.

Support to conferences, seminars, workshops or exhibitions are part of a call for grants that has been already published. Application forms for these grants can be found on the Programme Web site.

In addition to calls for proposals, calls for tenders are also expected to be published in Year 2001 on specific activities that the programme will support, including the organisation of the IST 2001 conference. Details will be provided in the texts of these calls for tenders.