Call for tenders in the area of 'scientific support to policies'

Brussels, 10 Oct 2003

The European Commission has published a call for proposals in the area of 'scientific support to policies' under the Sixth Framework Programme's 'policy support and anticipating scientific and technological needs' activity. This is one of the areas covered by the 'integrating and strengthening the ERA' specific programme.

The call covers areas under three separate priorities:

Sustainable management of Europe's natural resources:
- Modernisation and sustainability of agriculture and forestry, including their multifunctional role in order to ensure the sustainable development and promotion of rural areas (area 8.1.B.1.1 of the work programme);
- Tools and assessment methods for sustainable agriculture and forestry management (area 8.1.B.1.2 of the work programme);
- Modernisation and sustainability of fisheries, including aquaculture-based production systems (area 8.1.B.1.3 of the work programme);
- New and more environment friendly production methods to improve animal health and welfare including research on animal diseases such as foot and mouth disease, swine fever and development of marker vaccines (area 8.1.B.1.4 of the work programme);
- Environmental assessment (soil, water, air, noise, including the effects of chemical substances) (area 8.1.B.1.5 of the work programme);
- Assessment of environmental technologies for support of policy decisions, in particular concerning effective but low-cost technologies in the context of fulfilling environmental legislation (area 8.1.B.1.6 of the work programme).

Providing health, security and opportunity to the people of Europe:
- Health determinants and the provision of high quality and sustainable health care services and pension systems (in particular in the context of ageing and demographic change) (area 8.1.B.2.1 of the work programme);
- Public health issues, including epidemiology contributing to disease prevention and responses to emerging rare and communicable diseases, allergies, procedures for secure blood and organ donations, non-animal test methods (area 8.1.B.2.2 of the work programme);
- The impact of environmental issues on health (including safety at work and methods for risk assessment and the mitigation of risks of natural disasters to people) (area 8.1.B.2.3 of the work programme);
- Quality of life issues relating to handicapped/disabled people (including equal access facilities) (area 8.1.B.2.4 of the work programme);
- Issues related to civil protection (including biosecurity and protection against risks arising from terrorist attacks), and crisis management (area 8.1.B.2.7 of the work programme).

Underpinning the economic potential and cohesion of a larger and more integrated European Union:
- The development of tools, indicators and operational parameters for assessing sustainable transport and energy systems performance (economic, environmental and social) (area 8.1.B.3.2 of the work programme);
- Global security analysis and validation systems for transport and research relating to accident risks and safety in mobility systems (area 8.1.B.3.3 of the work programme);
- Forecasting and developing innovative policies for sustainability in the medium and long term (area 8.1.B.3.4 of the work programme);
- Information Society issues (such as management and protection of digital assets, and inclusive access to the information society) (area 8.1.B.3.5 of the work programme);
- The protection of cultural heritage and associated conservation strategies (area 8.1.B.3.6 of the work programme).

In specifying the instruments to be used in these areas, the call requests the use of coordination actions, specific support actions, and specific targeted research projects. Proposers are advised to consult the full call text at the address below in order to find out the particular instruments requested for each area.

The total indicative budget for this call is 83.1 million euro. To see the call text, please visit: http:///fp6.cordis.lu/fp6/call_details.cf m?CALL_ID=83 Remarks: The deadline for submitting proposal documents is 13 January 2004.

Before contacting the Commission, proposers are strongly advised to consult the original call text in the Official Journal of the European Union at the reference below.

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