The following types of Calls for proposals are envisaged:

Periodic calls: These will be open for the submission of proposals for RTD projects and related activities, within a defined scope and with fixed deadlines, to be specified in the Official Journal of the European Communities and outlined in the indicative timetable for programme implementation.

Open calls: Calls for SME specific measures (exploratory awards and co-operative research), support for Research Infrastructure (thematic networks, concerted actions and RTD projects), training, international initiatives and accompanying measures, will be launched at the start of the programme and remain open until the last year of the Fifth Framework Programme. Periodic evaluations will be carried out at least twice a year.

Dedicated calls: These will be published in the Official Journal normally once or twice per year and be limited to a number of very specific topics and/or activities. The Commission may also publish a request for interested parties (Expression of Interest /Needs) to suggest ideas for activities that could be included.

II.5.2 Implementation Modalities (“Types of actions")

The “Quality of Life and Management of Living Resources” programme is implemented through the following types of actions:

       1. Shared-cost actions, excluding “Support for access to research infrastructures”[ix]

       2. Concerted actions

       3. Thematic networks

       4. Marie Curie Training Fellowships

       5. Accompanying measures

       6. INCO bursaries

In addition to these types of action, the Quality of Life programme encourages the submission of “Cluster” proposals, which are essentially a cluster of sub-projects (“component” projects).

Details of the different types of actions (“implementation modalities”) and cluster proposals are given in Section IV.2 of Part 2 of this Guide.

The types of actions that will be funded and the research areas covered will vary from call to call. Please refer to details of the specific calls published in the Official Journal and Part 2 of the “Guide for Proposers”, which will give you further, call specific, information, including a detailed description of the types of actions supported.

II.6. References

III. Participation in activities in the Fifth Framework Programme

This section describes the conditions of participation in activities within the Fifth Framework Programme, the process whereby the Commission selects among the proposals submitted to it, and the manner in which selected projects should be carried out.

It is based on the Annex IV of the decision on the Fifth Framework Programme[x], the decision on the rules of participation[xi], and other subsequent texts or documents[xii].

III.1. The participants

III.1.1. Who ?

The Framework Programme, with its corresponding financial support, is open to all legal entities established in the Member States of the European Union – e.g. individuals, industrial and commercial firms, universities, research organisations, etc. including SMEs. The Programme is also open to all legal entities established in any of the other States associated to the Programme (see box 4).

Participation and financing for legal entities established in other countries (‘third countries') is governed by common conditions which are applied throughout the Fifth Framework Programme (see boxes 3 and 4), with the exception of the Programme ‘Confirming the international role of Community research’ under which some entities are entitled to receive Community funding depending on their country of origin[xiii].

III.1.2. How many?

Proposals submitted to the Commission should demonstrate a Community dimension. As a general rule, this means that they should involve at least two legal entities, independent of each other, and established in two different Member States, or one Member State and one Associated State. (The Joint Research Centre of the European Commission is considered as a participant of a Member State).

However, certain actions may vary from this general rule - either by requiring more participants or by permitting a single one (see box 6).