EU financing for
ICT
For latest news on funding opportunities, see
funding opportunities - Information Society Newsroom
The ICT Policy Support Programme under the Competitiveness and
Innovation Programme (CIP) is one of the main financial instruments
under i2010. It will run from 2007 to 2013 with a total
budget of €728 million. The programme stimulates innovation and
competitiveness through wider uptake and best use of ICT by
citizens, governments and businesses and in particular SMEs. It helps
develop lead markets for innovative ICT-based solutions in areas of
public interest. This will open a wide range of new business
opportunities in particular for innovative SMEs that provide such
solutions.
ICT PSP
factsheet
For more information, see the
ICT Policy Support Programme (ICT PSP) website.
ICT PSP builds on the aims of the previous
e-TEN,
Modinis and
e-Content programmes.
ICT research is one of the key themes of the EU's
Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) for Research and Technological
Development, which will fund research across Europe from 2007 to 2013.
The EU Member States have earmarked a total of € 9.1 billion for funding
ICT over 2007-2013, making it the largest research theme in FP7.
The ICT Work Programme under FP7 is divided into
seven ‘Challenges’ of strategic interest to European society, plus
research into ‘Future and emerging technologies’ and support for
horizontal actions, such as international cooperation:
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Challenge 1 - Pervasive and trusted network and
service infrastructures
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Challenge 2 - Cognitive systems, interaction and
robotics
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Challenge 3 - Components, systems and engineering
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Challenge 4 - Digital libraries and content
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Challenge 5 - Sustainable and personalised
healthcare
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Challenge 6 - Mobility, environmental
sustainability and energy efficiency
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Challenge 7 - Independent living and inclusion
-
Future and emerging technologies (FET)
Within each Challenge, the Programme will fund an
array of collaborative research projects, each bringing together public
and private organisations across Europe to help the EU pool its
scientific, industrial, financial and human resources.
ICT in FP7
factsheet
For more information, see the
ICT section of CORDIS,
the information service on FP7.
The MEDIA 2007 programme will provide a €755 million
boost to Europe's film industry from 2007 to 2013. Almost 65% of the
budget will help broader circulation of European works to other
countries in Europe and worldwide. MEDIA 2007 concentrates on the pre- and
postproduction phases of filmmaking. It does not fund the production
itself. Its actions focus on:
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training professionals,
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developing production projects,
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distributing films and audiovisual programmes,
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promoting films and audiovisual programmes,
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supporting film festivals.
Factsheet on MEDIA 2007
For more information see the
MEDIA 2007 webpage.
Safer Internet 2009-2013 builds upon the
successful Safer Internet plus programme
started in 2005 and will have a budget
of €55 million. Encompassing recent
communications services from the web
2.0, such as social networking, the new
programme will fight not only illegal
content but also harmful conduct such as
grooming and bullying. A new action will
aim to build up the knowledge base. The
programme will co-fund projects to:
- Increase public awareness;
- Provide the public with a
network of contact points for
reporting illegal and harmful
content and conduct, in particular
on child sexual abuse material,
grooming and cyber bullying;
- Support self-regulatory
initiatives in this field and
involve children in creating a safer
online environment;
Establish a knowledge base on new
trends in the use of online technologies
and their consequences for children's
lives.
For more information see the
Safer Internet webpage.
Cohesion and rural development
policies represent the main budgetary instruments for tackling the
digital divide among EU regions and implementing
broadband gap policy. In both contexts, the decision on specific funding of information
society actions rests with regional and Member State
authorities.
Cohesion policy
In the period 2007-2013,
cohesion policy
will benefit from 35.7% of the total EU budget or 347.41 billion euros
(current prices): 81.54% for Convergence (283 Billion Euro); 15.95% for
Regional Competitiveness and Employment (54,96 Billion Euro); 2.52% for
European Territorial Cooperation (8.72 Billion Euro). The European
Commission has estimated that in the 2007-2013 period, 4,4% of cohesion
policy resources - 14 billion EURO - will be invested in priorities directly
linked to the information society.
Funding opportunities to bridge the
digital divide under cohesion policy includes:
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Ensuring uptake of ICTs by firms and households and promoting development
through balanced support for the supply and demand of ICT products and both
public and private services, as well as through increased investment in human
capital.
-
Ensuring
availability of ICT infrastructure and related services where the market
fails to provide it at an affordable cost and to an adequate level to
support the required services, especially in remote and rural areas and in
new Member States.
Cohesion
policy website - Directorate General for Regional Policy
Community strategic guidelines on cohesion for 2007-2013
Factsheets on
cohesion policy
Rural development policy
In 2007-2013
rural
development policy (a component of the common
agricultural policy - CAP) covers 60% of the population in the 27 EU
Member States who live in rural areas, which represents 90% of the EU
territory. Rural development policy is contributing to the bridging
the digital divide among European regions through the European Agricultural
Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) which amounts to a
total of 77.66 billion euros for the seven years period.
Funding opportunities to bridge the
digital divide under rural development include:
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Promoting the take-up of ICT in farming, forestry and the agrifood sector
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Encouraging diffusion of ICT in rural areas.
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Using ICT for rural business diversification, local development, provision
of local services and e-inclusion.
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Developing ICT initiatives in the rural tourism sector
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Supporting village ICT initiatives combining IT equipment, networking and
e-skills training through community structures
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Upgrading small-scale rural ICT infrastructure.
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Building on-line communities in rural areas to promote the exchange of good
practices and innovation
Rural development policy website -
Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development
Rural development guidelines
for 2007-2013
Factsheets on
rural development policy
