Overview
The establishment of the European Research Area depends on improving the coherence and co-ordination of research and innovation activities and policies conducted at national, regional and European level. The objectives of Community action in this field are to stimulate and support programme coordination and joint actions conducted at national or regional level as well as among European organisations and thus help to develop the common knowledge base necessary for the coherent development of policies. The activities may be implemented in any scientific and technological area, including in the thematic priority domains.
The activities concerned must be understood as programmes or parts of programmes, instruments, plans or other initiatives undertaken at national or regional levels and involving public funding to support RTD work, the development of research capabilities, and the promotion of innovation. The activities may be undertaken directly by public authorities or research agencies at national or regional levels or through European cooperation frameworks, in particular the EUROCORES collaborative scheme of the European Science Foundation
The objective of this specific programme is to encourage and support initiatives undertaken by several countries, in areas of common strategic interest (such as health, biotechnology, environment, energy) and to develop synergy between their existing activities through coordination of their implementation. It is also to enhance the complementarities and synergies between Community actions undertaken under FP6 and those of other European scientific co-operation organisations as well as among these organisations themselves.