Overview

The EU’s Seventh Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development (FP7), running from 2007 to 2013, allocates in total €32.4 billion out of € 53 billion to co-operative research involving universities, industry, research centres and public authorities throughout the EU and beyond.

Transport (including Aeronautics) and Energy

are two of ten themes in the specific programme ‘Co-operation’.

Directorate-General Energy & Transport shares the management responsibility for both programmes - Non-nuclear Energy as well as Transport (including Aeronautics) - as in FP 6, with DG RESEARCH.

Whilst responding to the needs of industry, both programmes are fully embedded in the EU energy and transport policy framework.

Research and technological development can provide input to policy making and as a general strategy, Directorate-General Energy & Transport pays particular attention to the following aspects:  

• Accelerating implementation of policies.
• Following innovative approaches and producing results as input for further initiatives, including policy and legislation.
• Developing large industrial initiatives with broader financial and political benefits for Europe.
• Producing knowledge, best practice and comparative assessments, methodologies, data input, policy assessment tools, etc. for the development of policies.

The total budget for Transport (including Aeronautics) is € 4.1 billion and for Energy € 2.3 billion. Most of the budget of each year is used to support research, technological development and demonstration projects resulting from the annual Calls for Proposals.  

Directorate-General Energy & Transport manages around 25% of the FP7 Transport budget and 50% of the FP7 Energy budget and Directorate-General Energy & Transport participates also in the financing of the horizontal research activities (CORDIS, COST, Eureka, ERA-NET) and the Risk Sharing Financial Facility (RSFF).