Objectives
The overall aim of Joint Programming is to pool national research efforts in order to make better use of the public research funds of the European countries and to tackle common European challenges more effectively in a few key areas. Joint Programming is one of the instruments to achieve the European Research Area (ERA).
Through Joint Programming Initiatives (JPIs) national or regional funding organisations may launch joint calls for research proposals. The research projects are funded according to the virtual common pot principle: every country or region funds its own researchers within the selected projects.
Joint Programming Initiatives (JPIs) are increasingly helping to align national research programmes and activities to common agendas at EU level addressing societal challenges.
Most JPIs have now adopted joint Strategic Research Agendas setting their priorities.
Several Member States have started to develop national action plans, roadmaps and strategies in the domain of the JPIs they participate in, with a view to reinforcing their commitment to the Strategic Research Agendas of the JPIs.
Up until now 10 JPIs have been established:
- Alzheimer and other Neurodegenerative Diseases (JPND)
- Agriculture, Food Security and Climate Change (FACCE)
- A Healthy Diet for a Healthy Life (JPI HDHL)
- Cultural Heritage and Global Change: A New Challenge for Europe
- Urban Europe - Global Urban Challenges, Joint European Solutions
- Connecting Climate Knowledge for Europe (JPI Climate)
- More Years, Better Lives - The Potential and Challenges of Demographic Change (JPI MYBL)
- Antimicrobial Resistance - The Microbial Challenge - An Emerging Threat to Human Health (JPI AMR)
- Water Challenges for a Changing World (Water JPI)
- Healthy and Productive Seas and Oceans (JPI Oceans)
Belgium is a full member/partner of all JPIs except the Water JPI. In relation to this JPI Belgium is merely an observer. Flanders is involved in each of these Belgian memberships, with the exception of JPI Urban Europe. In this JPI Belgium is only represented by BELSPO.
For whom?
For research groups which submit an application as part of a consortium. In case the international project proposal is selected, the participating research groups are funded by their own national or regional authorities or funding agencies (e.g. BELSPO).
Which national or regional funding organisations provide funding, depends of the JPI and the call. The Belgian or Flemish funding organisations may not participate in each of the JPIs and/or each of the calls launched by a certain JPI.
Budget and duration
The total project budget varies from call to call and from JPI to JPI. The duration of a project is mostly 3 years.
BELSPO funds in principle max. 250.000 EUR.
FWO only provides top-up funding of max. 10.000 EUR per year. This implies that in the case of joint calls FWO only funds ongoing research projects funded by FWO. This funding constitutes an extra budget (a top-up) which is supposed to enable the Flemish research group to integrate into an international consortium.
Application procedure
Each of the JPIs launches one or more open calls for proposals each year. In order to check whether and which calls are open right now, we recommend you to sign up for the UKRO Alerts or to consult the websites of the respective JPIs (see above for the hyperlinks). Information about the application procedure can also be found there.
The application for top-up funding from FWO may be done for each FWO project that is ongoing at the time of the opening of the joint call, irrespective of the remaining duration of the project.