Arts and Humanities E-Science Support Centre

The EU's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) brings together all research-related EU initiatives. Its programme will stretch from 2007 to 2013. It offers 50bn Euros funding with so-called Cooperative Projects taking about 60% of this funding. Among the Cooperative Funding the thematic area of ICT will get the highest funding percentage with 17% of total funds allocated to FP7.
For ICT, FP7 has identified as likely thematic areas:

• ICT Technology
• Integration of Technologies
• Applications Research
• International Cooperation
• Emgering Needs

Humanities will form together with the Socio-Economic Sciences another thematic focus. Among the topics here are:

• Growth, employment and competiveness in a knowledge society
• Europe in the World
• The Citizen in the European Union
• Foresight Activities

Details can be found on the websites linked below

FP7 Structure - 4 Specific Programmes (SPs)

The SPs are also known as the 'Pillars of FP7'. They are:

• Co-operation: Collaborative research activities
• Ideas: Basic Research
• People: Training and Mobility
• Capacities: Research Infrastructures

FP7 - General Information

• FP7 - Fact Sheets
• FP7 - Press Launch

FP7 Ideas

• Draft Work Plan

FP7 Co-operation

This pillar includes almost 2/3 of FP7's funding. Partners must normally be from at least three different EU or EU-associated states.

• 03. ICT Homepage
• 03. ICT Work Programme 2007-08
• 03. ICT Challenge 4 - Digital Libraries and Content
• 08. Socio-economic sciences & the humanities (SSH)

FP7 People - Marie Curie

This pillar is mainly concerned with the training and mobility of researchers.

• People Homepage

FP7 Capacities

This pillar is about the development of a research and development infrastructure. Other topics include Science in society, Regions of knowledge, international collaboration.

• Capacities Homepage

FP7 Workplans and Partners

Latest Workplans and guides for applicants can be found on the Cordis website.

Potential project partners can be found on the Cordis website.

Past Framework Programmes

• EU - Framework 6
  
  IST - FP6

Non-EU Initiatives for Europe

There are several European-wide initiatives which are of relevance to arts and humanities e-science. These include:

• COST - European Cooperation in the Field of Scientific & Technical Research: COST
  
  COST funds networking but NOT research and invites proposals for new COST Actions contributing to the scientific, economic, cultural or societal development of Europe. COST funding can typically be used for conferences and workshops, meetings, sometimes visiting fellow costs, etc.
  
  COST has as a next date for Preliminary Proposals: March, 30th 2007.
• European Science Foundation (ESF): ESF funds networking but NOT research. It brings together nationally funded research activities for 4 to 5 years in order to enhance interdisciplinarity, to share knowledge, or train young researchers.
  Next Call for ESF Scientific Programmes: TBC.
• CORDIS: http://cordis.europa.eu/en/home.html
• CORDIS - EU-IST
• The HERA-NET project: http://www.esf.org/
• UK - UKRO - UK Research Office: UKRO
  
  Based in Brussels and jointly funded by UK Research Councils to provide information on EU funding. Members can e.g. reserve UKRO's meeting room in Brussels.

• UK - Department of Trade and Industry: DTI
  
  UK contact for FP7