Support to policy coordination: OMC-NET

To reinforce and complement the OMC application to investment in research, the Commission launched the OMC-NET scheme.

OMC-NET offers limited groups of Member States and/or their regions the possibility to develop policy coordination activities on issues of their own interest and to obtain financial resources to implement those activities.

Expected outcomes of OMC-NET projects are:

• Development of national and regional R&D policies through mutual learning and peer review.
• Identification and possibly transfer of good practices.
• Development of concerted or joint policy initiatives between groups of countries and/or regions.
• Identification of issues requiring Community action in support of actions undertaken at national or regional level.

OMC-NET is implemented through calls for proposals for Coordination and Support Actions (CSA). The target audience for these calls is mainly national and regional R&D policy makers, although the participation of other stakeholders is not excluded.

A pilot call was launched end of 2005 under FP6. Ten projects have been supported under different topics covering p olicy mix, technology transfer, r esearch infrastructures, foresight, public procurement, SMEs and governance. Short summaries of all running projects can be found here.

The first OMC-NET call for proposals under FP7 has been launched on 19 October 2007 under the FP7 Capacities Work Programme: Support for the Coherent Development of Research Policies. The call budget is 4.5 M€ from 2008 budget to which will be added 3 M € from 2009 budget. Deadline for submission is 26 June 2008.

Consortia need to consist of a minimum of 5 independent legal entities from 5 different Member States or Associated States. The minimum number should only include public bodies involved in research policy making. Other stakeholders can, where appropriate, participate in addition to the minimum number.

Clearly focussed proposals are invited on specific research policy issues, addressing selected aspects of the following policy areas:

• Developing an appropriate R&D policy mix

• Creating appropriate framework conditions for stimulating private R&D investment
• Improving the cooperation and transfer of technologies between public research institutes and private enterprises, including through developing public-private partnerships
• Developing and making better use of incentives to leverage private R&D
• Modernising the management of research institutions and universities
• Enhancing the career development and the European, international as well as inter-sectoral mobility of R&D personnel.

More detailed information on the call is available in the Work Programme 2007 for the FP7 – Capacities activity 'Support for the Coherent Development of Research Policies' or through CORDIS call page.

An information day regarding the issue of bottom-up policy coordination in general and the OMC-NET call in particular has been held on 22 January 2008 in Brussels, Centre de Conférence Albert Borschette (CCAB – 3A), Rue Froissart 36.

Please find the draft agenda and the presentations below:

• Draft agenda [ - 68 Kb]
• Project OMC NET FP6 ERID WATCH [ - 3337 Kb] 
• Project OMC-NET FP6 EUROPEER SME [ - 308 Kb]
• Project OMC NET FP6 R4R [ - 91 Kb] 
• Project OMC NET FP6 BIS-RTD [ - 52 Kb] 
• Project OMC NET FP6 OMC-PTP [ - 578 Kb] 
• Presentation "Next steps for the European Research Area and the role of policy coordination" - Cyril Robin-Champigneul [ - 402 Kb] 
• Presentation "The Open Method of Coordination (OMC) in the field of research policy" - Peder Christensen [ - 296 Kb] 
• Presentation "Support to bottom up policy coordination initiatives undertaken by  countries and regions" - Desislava Kolarova [ - 381 Kb]
• Presentation "OMC-NET as a tool for bottom-up policy coordination" - Marnix Surgeon [ - 115 Kb]