The BIOCIRCLE project (www.biocircle-project.eu), in collaboration with the European Commission is organising an information day on the upcoming call for proposals under the 'Food, Agriculture and Fisheries and Biotechnology' theme of the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) on 7 October 2009 in Brussels, Belgium.

The objective of the event is to bring together research stakeholders, from both the public and private sectors from the EU and Third countries, together with Commission officers and provide information and ground for discussion and networking within the scope of the Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, and Biotechnology Theme. The event will include a general introduction with presentations of the main features and areas addressed by the 2010 call. The event will also include a brokerage session, with flash presentations of proposal ideas and pre-arranged bilateral meetings to discuss potential partnerships in FP7 proposals. The event is expected to be attended by a large number of delegations from countries outside the European Union (Third Countries). International cooperation between EU and non-EU countries is an important aspect of FP7 and is an integral part of Theme 2 on Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, and Biotechnology. International cooperation is implemented in Theme 2 via several mechanisms, including:

• Opening up all research activities to researchers and research organisations from third countries. Moreover, several topics in the Work Programme, where mutual benefit is envisaged, specifically encourage participation of third countries participants.
• Specific International Cooperation Actions (SICA). SICA projects, where third country participation is a requirement, aim to generate, share and apply knowledge through research partnerships with third countries in selected areas, where mutual interest and benefit from such actions is known to exist.

The information day is for everyone interested in taking part in the call. Participation at the event is free-of-charge, but you must register to participate.

Registrations will be accepted on a ‘first come first served basis’. Please note that we may have to limit the number of representatives from each organisation, if the event is oversubscribed. Please, register before 28 September 2009. Participants are invited to give 2-3 minutes flash presentations (3 slides max) during the brokerage event. These should describe a proposal idea, introduce the proposer’s specific competence in relation with the call, or show her/his interest in setting up or joining a consortium. Presentations will be uploaded on the conference website for public access, in order to facilitate face-to-face meetings. Please, indicate in the registration form if you want to give a short presentation of your project idea during one of the brokerage sessions.

For more information on and programme of the event please click here.

Event date: 7 October 2009 from 09:00 to 18:00