The call text is available via the link via http://www.see-science.eu/goto/1320.html. Briefly, in the version of April 11, 2007 the call text covers the following: (please check for updates on the website):

1. Background and objectives

Bilateral co-operation in education and research with the Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries is marked by the EU's enlargement to the East and the creation of a European Education and Research Area. The Baltic Republics of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, as well as the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia became members of the European Union in May 2004; Bulgaria and Romania followed in 2007. The integration of the Western Balkan Countries (WBC) into the EU is a priority for the European Union. Processes of enlargement and integration lead to changes in the objectives and framework conditions of bilateral co-operation.

New forms of bilateral co-operation are intended to strengthen the international and European focus of German institutions in the field of education and research, improve their competitiveness generally, and to support the continuing European integration of the CEE and South Eastern European (SEE) countries. By giving the BMBF's funding programmes an international profile and linking them to corresponding funding programmes in the partner countries and by focussing on key areas of mutual interest - especially in thematic key aspects of the Federal Governments Hightech Strategy (http://www.bmbf.de/en/nanotechnologie.php) - it is intended to expand bilateral co-operation at a European level and thus to generate an added value at both a bilateral as well as a European level.

With the BMBF Programme "International Co-operation in Education and Research - Central, Eastern and South Eastern European Region", funds are being made available for preparatory projects in the field of applied research and development and education in order to support project applications in current BMBF funding programmes and to prepare projects on thematic priorities of the Seventh Research Framework Programme and other EU programmes which are relevant to research. In addition, it will also be possible to develop and fund joint research bases founded on existing co-operations.

The SEE countries, which have the status of candidates for accession or potential candidates for accession, may also participate in the call.

2. What is funded?

2a) BMBF Specialist Programmes: The BMBF's programme on "International Co-operation in Education and Research - Central, Eastern and South Eastern European Region" is intended to support the preparation of projects in applied research and development and in education under the current funding programmes of the BMBF (http://www.bmbf.de/en/99.php). These include in particular

New Technologies (http://www.bmbf.de/en/1000.php)
Information Society (http://www.bmbf.de/en/398.php)
Microsystems Technology (http://www.bmbf.de/en/5701.php)
Nanotechnology (http://www.bmbf.de/en/nanotechnologie.php)
Optical Technologies (http://www.bmbf.de/en/3591.php)
Production Research (http://www.bmbf.de/en/686.php)
Materials Innovations for industry and society (http://www.bmbf.de/en/3738.php)
Environment and Sustainability (http://www.bmbf.de/en/502.php)
Framework Programme Research for Sustainability "FoNa" (http://www.bmbf.de/en/2559.php)
The Earth System (http://www.bmbf.de/en/917.php)
Life Sciences (http://www.bmbf.de/en/1237.php)
Health Research (http://www.bmbf.de/en/gesundheitsforschung.php)
Biomedical Research (http://www.bmbf.de/en/979.php)
Biotechnology (http://www.bmbf.de/en/1024.php)
Social Sciences and the Humanities (http://www.bmbf.de/en/4630.php)
Economic sciences for sustainability (http://www.bmbf.de/en/4815.php)

Information on the calls for proposals and the BMBF's funding regulations are available at http://www.bmbf.de/en/furtherance/677.php

2b) EU Research Programmes: Support is also to be given to the preparation of projects in the field of applied research related to the following thematic priorities of the specific programme Co-operation of the EU Seventh Research Framework Programme (http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/home_en.html) and to other EU programmes which are relevant to research.

Health (http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/cooperation/health_en.html)
Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, Biotechnology (http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/cooperation/food_en.html)
Information and Communication Technologies (http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/cooperation/ict_en.html)
Nanosciences, Nanotechnologies, Materials & New Production Technologies (http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/cooperation/nanotechnology_en.html)
Environment (http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/cooperation/environment_en.html)
Transport (http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/cooperation/transport_en.html)
Socio-Economic Sciences & the Humanities (http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/cooperation/socio-economic_en.html)

Before submitting an application to the International Bureau, applicants should therefore seek advice from the national contact point for the EU Research Framework Programme (http://www.forschungsrahmenprogramm.de/beratung.htm).

New Projects: Funding will be provided for measures for the initiation and planning of projects whose funding is to be applied for under a BMBF specialist programme or an EU programme. These include preparatory missions, meetings of experts, thematic workshops, short-term investigations of feasibility (of up to 4 months) and pilot investigations (up to 12 months).

Integration in current projects: Funding can be given to measures such as, for example, preparatory missions, meetings of experts, workshops to involve partners from CEE/SEE countries in BMBF-funded projects that are already running, providing that this produces a significant increase in the value of these projects.

2c) Joint Research Bases: University and research institutions from the partner country are to be linked with regard to staff, organization and funding with German university and research institutions and research in industry in joint research bases. As a rule, these are to be based on existing co-operation activities. The project partners are to establish an organizational structure in order to jointly develop their research potential and to introduce more dynamic product and process innovations in the interest of the countries involved. Innovative small and medium-sized enterprises should be involved in the joint research bases.

Funding will be provided to measures to develop concepts (including organizational models, research planning, acquisition of third party funding) for establishing joint research bases.

These include preparatory missions, meetings of experts, workshops with German and foreign partners and other preparatory activities.

3. Who is funded?

Applications for funding may be submitted by institutions of higher education and non-university research establishments in conjunction with partner institutions from CEE/SEE countries. Preference will be given to applications involving small and medium-sized enterprises.

Clinics which are active in the field of research and business enterprises with their head offices in Germany are also entitled to submit applications for the preparation of projects under BMBF and EU funding programmes (2a and 2b).

Funding for additional expenditure on the part of research establishments which receive joint basic funding from the Federal Government and the Länder can only be granted under certain preconditions.

4. How is the funding done?

The BMBF will promote the preparation of projects by providing non-repayable grants. The following types of expenditure are eligible for grants:

• Travelling expenses incurred by German experts
• Cost of sojourns of foreign experts in Germany

In special cases:

• Staff on the German side, e.g. for the implementation of events and investigations of feasibility (up to three man-months) and preparation of joint research bases (up to 6 man-months)
• Cost of events (e.g. rental of venue, logistics)
• Physical resources (e.g. consumables for pilot investigations).

The grant may amount to a maximum of 50,000 Euro for the preparation of particularly complex projects.

5. Conditions for funding

Applicants should familiarize themselves - in the context of the proposed-project - with the funding programmes of the BMBF, further national funding programmes and the EU Research Framework Programme and, before submitting an application to the International Bureau, they should establish with the assistance of the responsible BMBF project management agencies (www.bmbf.de/de/381.php) and/or the national contact points for the EU Research Framework Programme (http://www.forschungsrahmenprogramm.de/beratung.htm) whether the proposed project fulfils the criteria of the specialist programme or EU call. Funding is subject to the relevance of the proposed project to the topics of the call for proposals and/or objectives of the funding programmes of the BMBF and/or the European Union and to confirmation of the applicants' expertise based on their previous work.

As a rule, at least two further institutions must be involved in addition to the German applicant, at least one of which is from a CEE/SEE country. Larger co-operation projects involving several German and foreign partners are particularly welcome. The application must contain the details necessary to assess the appropriateness and the need for funding. The applicant must provide evidence of significant own funding contributions. The BMBF assumes that the CEE/SEE partners will contribute towards funding.

Funding for the preparation of joint research bases on the German side presupposes complementary funding by the foreign partner through a funding institution of the partner country and a basic agreement on the part of the co-operation partners.

6. Procedure

6.1 Involvement of the International Bureau of the BMBF

The BMBF has charged the following project management agency with the implementation of the "International Co-operation in Education and Research - Central, Eastern and South Eastern European Region" programme:

International Bureau of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research at the
Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V. (DLR)
Königswinterer Strasse 522-524
D-53227 Bonn
Tel.:++49 228 3821 453, Fax: ++49 228 3821 444
Internet: http://www.internationales-buero.de/

Further information is available from the International Bureau. It is recommended that applicants contact the desk officer responsible for the respective country (http://www.internationales-buero.de/de/2203.php) prior to submitting their application. The desk officers will also provide information concerning funding opportunities offered by the CEE/SEE countries.

Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Montenegro, Serbia, The Former Yugoslav Republic Of Macedonia: Ralf Hanatschek, Tel. ++49 228 3821 482
Croatia, Romania: Nadia Meyer, Tel. ++49 228 3821 411
Czech Republic: Dr. Hans-Juergen Donath, Tel. ++49 228 3821 481
Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland: Dr. Michael Lange, Tel. ++49 228 3821 485
Hungary: Karin Wedde-Mühlhausen, Tel. ++49 228 3821 480
Slovakia, Slovenia: Dr. Hans-Peter Niller, Tel. ++49 228 3821 468

6.2 Applications

Applications should describe in as much detail as possible the objectives and the measures necessary for preparing the project and should be structured as follows.

Preparation of BMBF Specialist Programme Projects and EU Projects (2a and 2b)

1. Topic

2.1 Coordinator
2.2 Partners involved

3. Summary stating the BMBF and/or EU funding programme towards which the project preparation is targeted as well as the respective application deadline

4. Structured financing plan with details of own funding contributions and of the total volume and funding volume of the proposed project

5. Project description
5.1 Description of the current state of the art of science and technology; scientific objectives with detailed description of the relevance to the themes of the calls/funding programmes of the BMBF or European Union.
5.2 Nature and extent of the proposed co-operation
5.3 Anticipated result of the project and its proposed exploitation

6. Work plan
6.1 Planned preparatory measures and proposed procedural steps
6.2 Division of the work packages between the partners
6.3 Schedule

7. Proof of the qualifications of the coordinator and the project partners for the planned project
7.1 Key areas of relevant work to date
7.2 Most important relevant publications/patents

8. Involvement of young scientists

Preparation of joint research bases (2c)

A guide to and breakdown of the application procedure can be downloaded together with further information.

Applications may be submitted in German or English. The applicants are free to add further information which they consider to be significant for the evaluation of their proposal.

7. Decision-making procedure

The submission of an application does not establish a legal claim to funding.

7.1 Selection criteria

Applications will be considered on the basis of the following criteria:

• Scientific quality of the work plan, originality of the approach
• Prospects of success of the planned project with regard to funding within the framework of the corresponding BMBF Specialist Programme and/or EU programme
• Qualifications of the project coordinator and the project partners
• Quality of the co-operation and mutual benefit
• Commercial exploitation of the anticipated results
• Promotion of young scientists

Additional criteria for assessing applications for joint research bases:

• Integration in the respective national structures
• Added value compared with co-operation to date, synergies
• Co-operation agreement
• Involvement on the part of industry
• Commitment of the partners to long-term co-operation
• Quality of the project management
• Socio-economic benefit of the anticipated results
• Existing infrastructure
• Cost and funding model
• Contributions of the partners (own and third party funding/public funding; funds from programmes of the partner countries; EU funding)

7.2 Deadlines for applications

Applications are accepted and processed continually.

8. Application form

The "Form for electronic applications" is to be used to prepare applications for BMBF specialist programmes and EU projects (2a and 2b); the "Guide for applications" should be followed for the preparation of applications for joint research bases (2c)

9. Specialist information and counselling

The project management agencies are available for providing advice on the funding programmes of the BMBF. Information, addresses and contacts are available from:

Förderberatung des BMBF
(Funding Advice Bureau)
Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH
Projektträger Jülich (PtJ)
Zimmerstraße 26-27
10969 Berlin

E-mail: foerderinfo@bmbf.bund.de
Internet: http://www.foerderinfo.bmbf.de/
Free hotlines (inside Germany):
Research funding: 0800-2623 008
SME funding: 0800-2623 009

The national contact points of the Federal Government inform and advise applicants on the EU funding programmes. The German portal of the Seventh Research Framework Programmes at http://www.forschungsrahmenprogramm.de/index.htm provides initial information, addresses and details of contact persons at the national contact points.

Source: http://www.internationales-buero.de/de/2296.php as accessed in April 2007