The European Investment Bank, in cooperation with EFCA and FEACO, is organising a series of seminars aimed at promoting the funding available to support the economic objectives of the European Union, and supporting the development of expert partnerships and quality projects.
The second seminar in the series, on the theme Financing for Research & Development, is to take place at the Hotel Silken Berlaymont in Brussels on 14th December 2006, 10h00 - 16h00.
What will you learn?
EIB experts will present current and upcoming financing instruments, under the 6th and 7th Framework Programmes, including the new initiative entitled the Risk-Sharing Finance Facility (RSFF). The seminar will also explore procedures by which proposals are submitted and assessed. Participants will have the opportunity to actively contribute comments and questions, share experiences and to network.
Who should attend?
- Small, medium and large companies working on, or wishing to work on, R&D projects in the eligible countries (see below)
- Universities and education bodies involved in R&D projects
- Public and private research centres
- Officials of Institutions concerned with research & development policy
- Think tanks
Background Information
The Lisbon Strategy, also known as the Lisbon Agenda or Lisbon Process, is an action and development plan for the European Union. It was set out by the European Council in Lisbon on March 2000 aiming to make the EU "the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-driven economy by 2010".
Against this background, as part of the Innovation 2010 Initiative (i2i) the EIB supports investment in R&D by financing:
- Public R&D programmes
- Private sector participation in public research
- The establishment of centres of R&D excellence (with priority to projects in lesser developed regions of the Union)
- Intangible investments (for example, research costs and patent applications, particularly for SMEs)
The geographical areas eligible for support under i2i are:
- the EU-25 Member States (priority is given to assisted areas and cohesion countries)
- the Accession countries - Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia and Turkey
- the Western Balkans
Research Funding for Universities
In addition to its financing activities, the EIB develops other accompanying initiatives to promote learning and research. In this field, the EIB-Universities Research Action covers three programmes:
- EIBURS - a university research sponsorship programme, providing grants to university research centres working on topics of major interest to the Bank
- STAREBEI - a programme for financing young researchers working on joint EIB-university projects
- EIB university networks - a sponsoring mechanism for university networks
- EFCA: The European Federation of Engineering Consultancy Associations has member associations in 27 countries, and represents engineering consultancy and related services, a sector that employs around one million staff in Europe. http://www.efcanet.org
- FEACO: The European Federation of Management Consulting Associations covers 23 countries and represents over 3,500 firms in Europe, employing some 700 000 staff in Europe, representing over 50% of the management consultancy market. http://www.feaco.org