Half Time – Highway February 23, 2011

The R&D Programme of the Hungarian EU Presidency focuses on three aspects of the European Research Area: competitiveness, social dimension and cohesion.

It is the Presidency’s intention to contribute to a competitive European Research Area by regarding the Interim evaluation of the 7th Framework Programme as one of its top priorities. Therefore, the Hungarian EU Presidency will organise a high level Conference on the Interim Evaluation of FP7, in Budapest, 24-25 February 2011.

The main goals of the Conference are to provide a suitable forum (i) to present and discuss the findings of the interim evaluation of FP7; (ii) to discuss the research context of the EU 2020 Strategy and the Innovation Union flagship with special emphasis taken on the further implementation of FP7; and (iii) to put forward recommendations for the preparation of the future Common Strategic Framework for EU Research and Innovation funding.

In parallel workshops, we also aim to address the following issues:

• Involvement of industry in FP (in particular that of SME-s) with a special focus on the novel instruments introduced by FP7 (JTI-s, Art. 185 initiatives, PPP-s, RSFF) and simplification efforts;


• Participation of EU12 countries in FP – opportunities for improvement, finding synergies between the use of the Structural Funds and the FP’s financial resources;


• Effective implementation of FP7 – simplification process;


• FP in the context of the EU2020 strategy, towards a Common Strategic Framework for EU Research and Innovation funding.

The international importance of the conference will remarkably be signified by the participation of high-level representatives of EU Member States and Associated Countries, the European Commission, leading experts of R&D&I, stakeholders from industry (including SMEs), renowned scientists and representatives of major European research organizations.

Minister of State, Zoltán Cséfalvay, Chair of the Competitiveness Council will address the welcome speech, and Commissioner Geoghegan-Quinn and Minister Cséfalvay will deliver the closing remarks. Among others, Keynote Speakers and Moderators will be Director General Robert-Jan Smits, Director General Rolf Annerberg and Professor Iain Begg.

We are convinced that the findings and recommendations of the conference will contribute to a fruitful discussion on the interim evaluation of FP7 to be organized during the Competitiveness Council meeting in March 2011.

The participation is free of charge, but the online registration is based on invitation and required before the deadline of February 18, 2011.

Conference information provided by konferenciakalauz.hu

Official Website: http://www.tetalap.hu/fp7interim/index.php