The European Commission Framework Programme is a major strand of funding available within Europe and is designed to support a wide range of participants: from universities, through public authorities to small enterprises and researchers in developing countries.

The latest of these programmes, the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) seeks to combine all research-related EU initiatives under a common roof, in order to play a crucial role in reaching the goals of growth, competitiveness and employment. The Framework Programme sits alongside the Commission’s further funding initiatives, the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP), Education and Training programmes, and Structural and Cohesion Funds – the three key pillar funding initiatives for the European Research Area (ERA).