Plenty of opportunities for working with developing (and developed) countries in the new EU FP7 work programmes

Development research is featured throughout FP7.
 Image: Wellcome Trust

51 new FP7 calls for proposals launched - don't miss your opportunity

As in previous years, July sees the publication of a large crop of funding calls under the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7).
 
While last year saw a focus on Africa—with a coordinated ‘Africa call’ between the health, agriculture and environment programmes—this year Latin America is the focal point for international collaborative activities. The shift follows the 2010 EU-Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) Summit on ‘Innovation and technology for sustainable development and social inclusion’.

Focus on Latin America

Calls that insist on collaboration with Latin America include projects in the Health programme, such as the research project on controlling Dengue fever in a changing climate; Nanotechnology - advanced packaging materials from renewable biogenic resources, and a project in the Social Science and Humanities (SSH) programme on the economic, social and political conditions for satisfying the world food needs.

The programme area with the most opportunities for Latin America though is Environment. Resarch topics in this area include: impacts of climate and land use changes in the Amazon; better prevention and management of volcanic eruptions; and technologies for water scarcity mitigation.
 
In some cases Latin American partners will be eligible for EU funding. An information sheet (PDF 309KB) explains more.

Development sciences

Development themes run throughout the ten cooperation programmes. Some projects are global (SSH: tacking poverty in a development context) and others regionally focussed (Agriculture: Translation mechanisms for targeting interventions on micro-nutrients –South Asia and South East Asia).

Some programmes, however, target emerging economies or emerged economies. The Transport programme has opportunities to work with Brazil, Russia and China while the Energy programme has a greater focus on developed countries, particularly Japan.

International collaboration

All of the Framework programme is open to collaboration with countries outside of the EU. 

Our EU Research section now provides details of the new calls specifically requiring collaboration with countries outside of the EU. You can also find information on which countries are eligible for funding.  And you can always contact us for further information.

The EU will be spending on average 7.5  billion Euros on research each year between 2007 and 2013 so make sure you don’t miss out on your opportunity.