The European Union 6th Framework Programme for research and development

Encouraging closer links between researchers all over the EU is a key priority for the European Commission. EU action to pool resources, to bring together research teams in different countries and to share expertise is essential if the EU is to compete both scientifically and economically in the global marketplace. Without EU action, compartmentalisation of EU member state's research efforts, duplication of research efforts and failure to share expertise would continue to undermine EU competitiveness. The European Parliament and the European Council have decided on the main orientations of the 6th Framework Programme (FP6), which will have a 4-year budget of euro17.5 billion, over the period 2002 to 2006. The programme covers the fields of genomics and life sciences, information technologies, nanotechnologies, aerospace, food safety, sustainable development and social sciences. This paper will focus on Information Society Technologies, which is a priority thematic area of FP6.