RESEARCH: SUCCESSFUL SECOND CALL FOR IST PROPOSALS.

• Position: Information Society Technologies

The second call for proposals launched under "Information Society Technologies" (IST) of the EU's sixth framework-programme has generated demands for community financing of over Euro 4.1 billion: eight times the amount available for this call. Of the 1,079 proposals evaluated, 276 - corresponding to a total demand of more than Euro 1 billion for EU finance - have passed all the judgement thresholds. The EU has allocated an indicative amount of Euro 525 million for this second call. The Commission should select the projects it intends to finance around the middle or end of February and conduct negotiations with project directors in March, April and May. All the contracts should be finalised in time for the projects to start in summer 2004.

The industry has submitted Euro 1.3 billion worth of projects to the competition, Universities and higher education institutes having for their part introduced finance demands to a total of Euro 1.2 billion. Research...