Following calls for proposals launched in December 2006, the European Commission is about to select a total of 93 projects to be funded under the two programmes that address research and policy actions on science, economy and society. This memo outlines a sample of these projects. Details of all successful projects will be available on CORDIS. Final figures and partnerships are subject to contract negotiations between the project teams and the European Commission.

Science in Society
The Science in Society programme will fund 28 projects for a total budget of over €21 million. With a view to building an effective and democratic European knowledge-based society, the new research and policy actions will stimulate the harmonious integration of scientific and technological endeavour and associated research policies into European society. The new FP7 Science in Society programme will expand on the actions under FP6 placing greater emphasis on issues such as: multidisciplinary research addressing science-society interactions; capacity building of civil society organisations and their involvement in research, and, cross-thematic actions, combining Science in Society expertise with the science policy design and implementation belonging to other specific S&T fields such as environment, energy or health.

Encouraging careers in science and technology
The 'Mind the Gap' project will gather, exchange, develop and disseminate good practices in inquiry-based science teaching (IBST). The overall aim is to stimulate a more engaging and interesting science teaching based on principles of IBST so that more young people in general, and girls in particular, wish to pursue education and careers in science and technology.
Estimated EU contribution: around €750.000.

Civil society to support EU sustainable development
The DelibprocessSCP project will address civil society participation in the EU Sustainable Development Strategy by actively involving Civil Society Organisations in identifying research needs and designing elements of deliberative processes on sustainable consumption and production in the areas of food, housing and mobility, which have been found to be responsible for 70 percent of environmental damage in the EU.
Estimated EU contribution:  around €400.000.

Socio-economic Sciences and Humanities (SSH) programme
This theme of FP7 will fund 65 research projects with a total budget of over €59 million, covering widely the main EU challenges and the multidisciplinary aspects of this field of research. It will help generate an in-depth understanding of the major challenges confronting Europe in the coming years, such as growth, employment, competitiveness and knowledge society, social cohesion, social, cultural and educational challenges in an enlarged EU, sustainability, migration and integration, global interdependence and economic governance. The FP7 approach will maintain a good balance between disciplines and ensure qualitative and quantitative focus. Research will be highly policy relevant and problem oriented with the view of providing an improved knowledge base for policies in the fields concerned.
 
More information:
CORDIS is the official portal for participating in FP7 and following related developments in European science and technology