Maria da Graça Carvalho MEP, Member of the Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) Committee of the European Parliament, has been confirmed by the EPP Group, the largest political Group in the EP, as Rapporteur for the simplification of the Research Framework Programmes implementation.
The objectives of this Report are promoting research and innovation, making it easier to apply for EU grants and their management.
This Report will be particularly important in the coming months because it will re-define the rules of participation not only in the Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development (€52 bn), but in all other European Commission programmes of Science and Innovation in order to facilitate participation and increase the execution rates. The current rules are very complex and this Report aims at providing the guidelines for the participation in current and future programmes.
Maria da Graça Carvalho MEP said: "This Report comes at the right time and is of particular relevance in the present situation of economic crisis. It is time to develop mechanisms for job creation and to give new impetus to the economy."
The Portuguese Rapporteur continued: also believes that this Report may have a role in the EU 2020 Strategy to motivate the most highly qualified researchers to participate. The Report aims also at simplifying the rules and processes to facilitate participation".
During this period, Maria da Graça Carvalho MEP will meet with researchers from universities, research centres and enterprises to discuss the major rules of participation in European Programmes for Science and Innovation.
Graça Carvalho, who is also Member of the Budgets Committee, is Standing Rapporteur of the EPP Group for all matters related to science and innovation discussed under the scope of the Budget Committee.
The European Commission published a communication on 29 April 2010 entitled 'Simplifying the implementation of the research framework programmes'. In this communication, the possibilities for further simplification are structured in three main strands: a first strand with the improvements and simplifications that the Commission will implement under the current legal and regulatory framework (short term), a second strand with changes to the rules but still under the current cost-based model, and a third strand suggesting more far-reaching changes towards a result-based funding using lump sums.
Full text of the Commission
For more information, see MEMO/10/156
Maria da Graça Carvalho MEP is a Member of the European Parliament in the EPP Group, Member of the ITRE Committee, substitute member of the Budgets Committee and member of the ACP-UE Joint Parliamentary Assembly. She was elected Co-President of the Economic Development, Finance and Trade Committee of ACP-UE Joint Parliamentary Assembly.
Notes to Editors:
The EPP Group is by far the largest political group in the European Parliament with 265 Members.
Published in EPP Newsletter