Abstract
In spite of remarkable successes of the European science and technology in certain fields, technology gap between Europe and the United States persists, particularly in leading-edge fields such as biotechnology, nanotechnology and communication technology. Statistics also show weakness of the European high-tech industries. European Commission proposed in 2000 to establish European Research Area (ERA), an integrated research community at the EU level designed for enhancing European sci-tech activities. Principal features of ERA are : networking of leading researchers, mutual accessibility of national R&D programs, enhancing the mobility of researchers, and promoting companies' R&D investments. The E17.5 billion sixth Framework Program (FP6) has a character clearly distinguished from the preceding FPs in that it is intended for helping implementation of ERA. For this purpose, three subsidizing tools were devised : Networks of Excellence (NoE) to form virtual research centers for prominent specialists, Integrated Projects (IP) i. e. strategic grants for larger projects, and the existing Article 169 of the Rome Treaty that enables participation of foreign researchers to national programs.
