Can I participate in FP7 if I am based outside Europe?

The short answer is ‘yes’. Organisations and researchers from more than 100 countries all over the world are already involved in EU research programmes.

The international dimension is no longer confined to a specific scientific and technological (S&T) cooperation programme but is now inherent in all European Community research activities. This international policy has three objectives:

• To support European competitiveness through strategic partnerships with third countries in selected fields of science and by engaging the best third country scientists to work in and with Europe.
• To enhance the production of knowledge and scientific excellence by enabling European universities, research institutions and firms to establish contact with their partners in third countries, thereby facilitating access to research environments outside Europe and promoting synergies on a global scale.
• To address specific problems that third countries face or that have a global character, on the basis of mutual interest and mutual benefit.

Participation is open to international organisations and legal entities established in third countries after the minimum conditions laid down in the ‘Rules for participation’ have been met, as well as any conditions specified in the specific programmes or relevant work programmes.

Can I receive EU research funding if I am based outside the EU?

Partners from Candidate Countries (scheduled to join the European Union) and Associated States (countries with science and technology cooperation agreements with the EU that include a financial contribution to FP7) can participate on similar terms to participants from the EU Member States. Organisations from an international cooperation partner country (ICPC) can also receive funding. An ICPC is a third country which the European Commission classifies as a low-income, lower-middle-income or upper-middle-income country and which is identified as such in the work programmes.

See the link to the list of International Cooperation Partner Countries /link/678.html.

Industrialised third countries (such as Australia, Canada and the USA) can participate under the FP7 ‘Rules for participation’, but under their own funding, unless specifically set out differently in the relevant work programme.

For further details see the document section to download the FP7 ‘Rules for participation’ (proposal) /doc/679.html.

How can I participate?

International cooperation is handled in different way sin different parts of the FP7, as follows:

• Theme-oriented international cooperation actions are carried out under the Cooperation programme;
• The international actions in the area of human potential are carried under the People programme;
• The ‘INCO’ activities under the Capacities programme are designed to support and stimulate the participation of third countries in FP7. The deliverables include a) Identification of S&T priorities with third countries to be used by the Themes under Cooperation; b) Supporting and strengthening of participation of third countries in FP7; c) Reinforcing bilateral S&T cooperation with targeted third countries; d) Coordinating S&T national programmes of EU Member States with third countries.

Cooperation with third countries in FP7 will be targeted in particular at the following groups of countries:

• Candidate countries;
• Mediterranean partner countries (MPC), Western Balkan countries (WBC), Eastern European and Central Asian countries (EECA), Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific (ACP), Latin America and Asia;
• Developing countries, focussing on their particular needs of each country or region concerned;
• Emerging economies.

For more information see also the link to the CORDIS INCO Portal /link/683.html.

Where can I find help for participation?

For the network of National Contact Points (NCPs) in EU Member States and Associated Countries see the following /link/684.html to the search results for NCPs to facilitate INCO activities.

There is also a network of NCPs based in third countries to aid participation in FP7, they can be searched via a database provided by CORDIS, see /link/686.html.

Source: CORDIS, as accessed in December 2006.

Update on the Association Status

By the year 2009, all Western Balkan countries have signed Memoranda of Understanding associating to the 7th Framework Programme:

• Albania
• Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Croatia
• FYR of Macedonia
• Montenegro
• Serbia

Only Kosovo/UNMIK remained on the list of International Cooperation Partner Countries.