COST (European Co-operation in the field of Scientific and Technical Research) is an intergovernmental framework for the co-ordination of national research on a European level. Its more or less extended projects, entitled Actions, cover basic and pre-competitive research, and activities of public utility.

From its origin in 1971, COST adopted a flexible and pragmatic approach, which has allowed its Actions to be used for testing and exploring new topics. It maximises European synergy and networking, and helps to further European integration, especially with CEEC (Central and Eastern European Countries), whereas it welcomes organisations from non-COST member countries such as NIS on the basis of mutual benefit.

Member countries include the EU Member States, plus Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Norway, Poland, Rumania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland and Turkey. In addition, Israel is a "co-operating state". Participating institutions from non-COST countries are at present from: Armenia (2 institutions), Australia (2), Canada (5), China (1), Egypt (1), India (2), Japan (3), Russia (14), the Ukraine (4), and the USA (7). Moreover, there are three non-governmental organisations.

Structured approach

A Management Committee, which is in charge of implementing, supervising and co-ordinating one specific Action, is formed by one or two representatives of each member country.

The participation of the various member countries in COST Actions is à la carte depending only on their specific interest. The areas with the most numerous Actions are agriculture and biotechnology, telecommunications, forest and forestry products, medicine and health, transport, chemistry, food science, and materials. Others include: physics, meteorology, social science, urban civil engineering, the environment, oceanography, informatics, fluid dynamics, and archaeology.

If a research centre, laboratory or other institution wants to propose a new COST Action, it must first consult its counterparts in both its own country and other countries to gain a level of support for the proposal. Then its national coordinator initiates the procedure through a memorandum of understanding including a technical annex. This must be approved and signed by four other participants from different member countries before the Action can begin.

The COST Actions are nationally funded and are estimated at around 1.5 billion euro globally per year. The EU co-ordination accounts for 0.5% on average. The funding for co-ordination costs is drawn from the EC-INCO budget, and is used for contributions to conferences and workshops, travel costs for meetings, and publications. An average of some 60000 euro is available per Action, depending on its size and activity.

For contact co-ordinates.

EUREKA is not in itself a funding mechanism - it is a Europe-wide network for industrial research and development, designed to strengthen EU competitiveness by promoting market-driven collaborative projects. These involve mainly industry, but also research institutes and universities across Europe, and use advanced technologies which result in innovative products, processes and services for civilian purposes.

Launched in 1985, EUREKA now has 29 full member countries - including Russia and the EU: Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom and the EU. In addition, organisations from five more countries, where national information points have been set up, also participate in projects - Albania, Bulgaria, Estonia, the Slovak Republic and the Ukraine.

The network's chairman is the main initiator and organiser of activities and events. The 'chair' rotates on an annual basis and at the end of each term hosts a ministerial conference comprising ministers from EUREKA member countries and an EC Commissioner. Representatives meet to set out the political guidelines and announce new projects. Each member country also appoints a representative to the High Level Group which meets three or four times a year to examine new projects and formulate general policy.

Ongoing projects cover research into the technologies of communications, energy, environment, information, lasers, materials, transport, plus robotics and production automation, and medicine and biotechnology. To date, some 670 projects are under way, at an estimated cost of 2.45 billion euro. They involve more than 2000 companies (1200 or more being SMEs), almost 500 research institutes and some 300 universities.

EUREKA will consider a project from any technological area, providing it:

• will be undertaken on a co-operative basis involving independent organisations from at least two member countries having access to the necessary financial and qualified resources; and
• should aim to result in a significant technological advance in its sector, and a marketable product, process or service for civil use.

One of the network's major attractions is its non-bureaucratic approach.

EUREKA also helps to put projects together, through a busy schedule of 'brokerage events'.

For contact co-ordinates.