Business & Innovation

The EU has prioritised the realisation of the Lisbon Strategy, which aims to make Europe the most dynamic and competitive knowledge-based economy in the world. In order to support this aspiration, European enterprise policy aims to foster economic growth and job creation in Europe through developing a culture of innovation in key industries. In parallel to European enterprise policy, the EU has developed a coherent European research programme in the form of the 7th Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development (FP7). A number of European funds have been set up to support the EU’s business and innovation goals.

The Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (EIP)
The 7th Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development (FP7)

Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (EIP)

The Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme is part of the EU’s Competitiveness and Innovation Programme (CIP). The EIP aims to help enterprises to innovate through providing access to finance through private equity investors and co-guaranteeing national guarantee schemes. These financial instruments are operated through the European Investment Fund. The EIP also aims to create business support networks and to fund selected innovative actions.

For further information, visit:

The EU CIP webpage
The European Investment Fund webpage

 

7th Framework Programme (FP7)

The 7th Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development is the EU’s main instrument for funding research. FP7 aims to support work towards the creation of a common European Research Area (ERA) to further the development of the knowledge economy and society in Europe. The Programme seeks to combine all research-related EU initiatives together under a single programme.

There are four sub-programmes within FP7, each funding different kinds of research:

Co-operation, which focuses on transnational collaborative research projects and encouraging joint-working between industry and academia.

Ideas, which supports ‘investigator-driven’ research projects across all fields of research.

People, which aims to encourage people to enter research professions; encourage European researchers to stay in Europe; and attract other researchers to come to Europe.

Capacities, which focuses on research networks and clusters, with an emphasis on the regional level and the impact of science on society.

For further information, visit:

The EU Research webpage
The Community Research & Development Information Service (CORDIS)
The FP7UK Website

 

Further Information

For further information on employment and social affairs funds in Aberdeenshire please contact:

European Services Executive

E-mail: european.services@aberdeenshire.gov.uk