Albania and European Commission present the Seventh Framework Program (FP7)

TIRANA, March 16 – The Ministry of Education and Science and DG Research of the European Commission presented on Friday the Seventh Framework Program (FP7) – as the European Union’s main financial instrument with an approximate value of 53 billion Euros. The program aims to promote scientific research and technological development in Europe and beyond. FP7 – is being presented for the first time in Albania, and it creates space for the involvement of research institutions, academic and scientific research bodies, non-for profit organizations and/or any other company of any scale applying to realize their innovative ideas through collaboration with their European and worldwide colleagues. Albanian Minister Genc Pollo highly appreciated the Seventh Framework Program FP7 commenting in his speech. “We have to make essential efforts in order to re-establish the role of science and education in our national development, economic growth and competition, and in this context the full integration of Albania in this Program is a major Objective of the Ministry of Education and Science.” Considering FP7 an encouragement of the reforms of education in Albania, Pollo announced that the Ministry of Education and Science was willing to coordinate, support with financial incentives, and assist in this program every applicant coming from all beneficiary communities.
“The FP7 presentation in Albania clearly indicates the high esteem that Europe have in the scientific and academic potential of each country, including Albania, and represents an invitation to integrate Albania in this first community program” said European Commission Delegation Ambassador in Tirana Helmuth Lohan. FP7 activities are focused mainly on key scientific and technological development. Four Specific Programmes in 10 major fields are created to address the main scientific priorities of EU in the next years. Running from 2007 to 2013, the FP7 supports scientific research and technologic development in sectors such as health, agriculture, biotechnology, information & communication technologies, energy, environment, transport, social and human science. All these projects will be financed through a variety of EU schemes and financial instruments. “Albania fully benefits out of this program by its status as third country. The Objective should be its full membership in the shortest possible time. All the countries in the region are moving forward to this direction. We hope that the Albanian Institutions shall appreciate the offer made by Brussels”- Tania Friedrichs, EU Commission representative said in her introduction.
The Ministry believes that a considerable number of universities, research institutions, individuals or private enterprises will be involved in this framework program.