When seeking funding for their research, many researchers and research managers write proposals to the European Commission each year. Typically, the total amount asked for in response to a Call exceeds the monies available by a factor of 5 to 10, depending on the Programme. Roughly this implies an average success rate of 10%-20%.
A great deal of information is available and easily accessible through the Internet - mostly free of charge. This information is published either directly by the Commission services or by associations, universities, and consultants.
This work programme (WP) defines the priorities for the calls for proposals to be launched in the period 2008-09. Projects resulting from these calls will start having an impact on markets in the 2015-20 timeframe. By then, the global ICT/knowledge infrastructure - networks, devices, services - as well as the market structures, value chains and business models are likely to have changed considerably from today's situation. The research challenges in this WP are expressed with this in mind. 
Central to the realisation of the goals of the Lisbon Agenda is the need to promote the knowledge economy, in particular through research, technological development and innovation (RTDI). EU support for RTDI is provided mainly through the Seventh Research Framework Programme, the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme and the Structural Funds. 
The final version of the Work Programme for ICT research in FP7 for 2007 and 2008, as agreed by the Programme Committee, is now available for download.
FP7 is the short name for the Seventh Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development. This is the EU's main instrument for funding research in Europe and it will run from 2007-2013. FP7 is also designed to respond to Europe's employment needs, competitiveness and quality of life.