About ACCESS4.EU

The Seventh Framework Programme for research and technological development (FP7) places renewed emphasis on international cooperation in Science and Technology (S&T) an area that is increasingly seen as being at the centre of Community policies. International cooperation in FP7 addresses three independent objectives:

• supporting European competitiveness through strategic partnerships with scientists in third countries in selected fields to work in and with Europe;
• facilitating contacts with partners in third countries with the aim of providing better access to excellent research carried other parts of the world;
• tackling the specific challenges faced by third countries, problems, together with strategic partners in third countries.

Theme-oriented international cooperation actions are carried out under the Cooperation Programme and international mobility actions under the People Programme. The Capacities Programme’s activities are designed to support and stimulate the participation of third countries in the Framework Programme, well as provide opportunities to access research programmes managed by third countries. They foster international cooperation by putting measures in place to promote dialogue and information exchange activities with third countries in order to enable the EU and targeted states/ regions outside Europe discuss current and future research priorities.

This unique instrument aims at increasing European researchers’ awareness funding opportunities for international research projects third countries.

More specifically, the ACCESS4EU projects should help give access to national research and innovation programmes in:

• Australia
• Brazil
• Canada
• China
• India
• Mexico
• New Zealand
• Russia
• South Africa
• South Korea
• United States of America

These projects should translate into a measurable increase of European research organisations’ effective cooperation with third countries, as well as less readily measurable improvements in mutual understanding of the respective research systems. In this respect, the projects will contribute to the implementation of the agreements by identifying the diff erent funding programmes open to EU researchers and promote their participation, i.e. developing the reciprocity aspects of S&T agreements.

The opening of new funding opportunities

In practical terms, the ACCESS4EU-funded projects start by mapping out the access opportunities in the aforementioned target countries. This empirical research includes the screening of bilateral cooperation agreements and programmes between European Member States and/or Associated Countries and the target country participating in the respective project. Funding opportunities open to European researchers can be searched and found in the  ACCESS4EU RTDI call database.

For more information please download the brochure and factsheet from the box on the right.