What is an SICA?*
*Interview with José Bonfim, Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology Q: What is a SICA? A: SICAs (Specific International Cooperation Actions) are a new FP7 instrument aimed at promoting the participation of non-EU Member States or Associated Countries in the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) within particular thematic areas. International Cooperation Partner Countries (the so-called ICPC) are non-industrialised countries of low and middle income. The list of ICPC countries includes: (i) countries neighbouring the EU: North Africa, Western Balkan Countries, Eastern Europe, Central Asia; (ii) developing countries-such as the ACP countries (Africa, Caribbean, Pacific), Asia (except Japan, Taiwan and Singapore) and Latin America; and, (iii) emerging economies-China, India, Brazil, Russia and South Africa. SICAs are of course different from the FP6 INCO (international cooperation) actions as the calls for SICAs occur within the particular scope of the Cooperation Specific Programme of FP7, which correspond to the former INCO priority areas of FP6 but are distinct. SICAs are collaborative projects and not Coordination and Support Actions (CSAs), which are another model of FP7 project. (CAAST-Net is a CSA.) SICAs are developed from the priorities and requirements of the work programmes developed under each of the different Cooperation themes-for example, energy, health, transport and so on. The distinguishing characteristics of this instrument are the choice of topics, which show special interest in research topics emanating from certain regions of the world, as well as the compulsory inclusion in the consortium of a minimum number of partners from the target region(s). For a particular SICA to be proposed, at least four independent legal entities must form a consortium, of which two must be established in different EU Member States or Associated Countries and two established in different international cooperation partner countries, according the call's specifications. The ICPC partners are funded on exactly the same basis as the participants from EU Member States or Associated Countries. Any ICPC organisation may be a partner of any project submitted to the Cooperation programme of FP7. The only difference for SICAs is the fact that these account for specific calls targeting certain regions of the world and requiring the compulsory participation of partners of those regions. Q: What is the typical duration of a SICA? The typical duration of a SICA is similar to the duration of any collaborative project under the FP7 Cooperation programme-that is, three-to-four (3-4) years. Q: What success stories exist of FP7 sub-Saharan Africa-EU SICAs currently in operation? Some historical context first: In the FP6 there were no SICAs; there was the INCO Programme. It generated significant interest and supported successful projects in Health and Public Health, Rational Use of Resources and Food Security; in particular, involving African partner institutions and organisations. Currently, there are SICAs in operation involving African researchers that show strong potential for impact on the cooperation between Africa and Europe and, indeed, other regions. An example is the MIA-VITA project in the field of the mitigation and assessment from volcanic impact on terrain and human activities. This project mobilises countries from Africa (Cameron and Cape Verde), Asia (Indonesia, Philippines) and Europe (France, Italy, Germany, Portugal and United Kingdom). The sharing and transfer of know-how through scientific and technological developments and through dissemination and training are some of the relevant outputs of this project. Q: The FP7 Africa call, published in July 2009, invites consortia consisting of partner institutions from Africa and Europe to respond jointly to the call for proposals utilising the SICA model. How should these SICA projects be structured to address the call's topics? A: The FP7 Africa call is implemented jointly across three themes of the Cooperation programme: Health; Food, Agriculture and Fisheries and Biotechnology; and Environment (including climate change). This call invites projects using a multi-disciplinary approach, and will as such leverage expertise on various scientific and technological research fields such as agriculture, food, health, land, water resources and climate change to tackle the research questions outlined in the work programme. Projects should take into account the various geographical, differences and socio-economic factors involved in the implementation of projects. At a strategic level, it is therefore foreseen that relevant projects from each topic might find complementarities and develop synergies. Q: How will these SICAs contribute to the implementation of the "lighthouse projects"? A: The lighthouse projects are a framework for implementing the 8th Partnership on Science, ICT and Space as envisaged in the Joint Africa-EU Strategy. The FP7 Africa call supports an important priority established under the science dimension of the lighthouse projects: Water and Food Security in Africa. The SICAs will contribute to strengthening Africa's capacity to face food security problems and promoting sustainable management of land and water resources. Q: What challenges do SICA projects pose to participants in terms of a. implementation of the research, and b. management? A: SICAs projects require integration and coordination of efforts by mobilising researchers, expertise and know-how across countries and regions with different socio-economic and cultural profiles and in different stages of their scientific development. Management is a therefore a critical dimension in the implementation of SICAs precisely because of the complexity and ambition of the objectives of such projects and the variety of the partners in their acquaintance with FP7. Altogether, management capacity will be a key factor in determining the success of SICAs. Q: Who owns the research results of SICAs? A: The intellectual property applying to SICAs follows similar rules applicable to the collaborative projects of the cooperation program of FP7 and should be dealt in the scope of a consortium agreement established between the partners.
*Interview with José Bonfim, Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology Q: What is a SICA? A: SICAs (Specific International Cooperation Actions) are a new FP7 instrument aimed at promoting the participation of non-EU Member States or Associated Countries in the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) within particular thematic areas. International Cooperation Partner Countries (the so-called ICPC) are non-industrialised countries of low and middle income. The list of ICPC countries includes: (i) countries neighbouring the EU: North Africa, Western Balkan Countries, Eastern Europe, Central Asia; (ii) developing countries-such as the ACP countries (Africa, Caribbean, Pacific), Asia (except Japan, Taiwan and Singapore) and Latin America; and, (iii) emerging economies-China, India, Brazil, Russia and South Africa. SICAs are of course different from the FP6 INCO (international cooperation) actions as the calls for SICAs occur within the particular scope of the Cooperation Specific Programme of FP7, which correspond to the former INCO priority areas of FP6 but are distinct. SICAs are collaborative projects and not Coordination and Support Actions (CSAs), which are another model of FP7 project. (CAAST-Net is a CSA.) SICAs are developed from the priorities and requirements of the work programmes developed under each of the different Cooperation themes-for example, energy, health, transport and so on. The distinguishing characteristics of this instrument are the choice of topics, which show special interest in research topics emanating from certain regions of the world, as well as the compulsory inclusion in the consortium of a minimum number of partners from the target region(s). For a particular SICA to be proposed, at least four independent legal entities must form a consortium, of which two must be established in different EU Member States or Associated Countries and two established in different international cooperation partner countries, according the call's specifications. The ICPC partners are funded on exactly the same basis as the participants from EU Member States or Associated Countries. Any ICPC organisation may be a partner of any project submitted to the Cooperation programme of FP7. The only difference for SICAs is the fact that these account for specific calls targeting certain regions of the world and requiring the compulsory participation of partners of those regions. Q: What is the typical duration of a SICA? The typical duration of a SICA is similar to the duration of any collaborative project under the FP7 Cooperation programme-that is, three-to-four (3-4) years. Q: What success stories exist of FP7 sub-Saharan Africa-EU SICAs currently in operation? Some historical context first: In the FP6 there were no SICAs; there was the INCO Programme. It generated significant interest and supported successful projects in Health and Public Health, Rational Use of Resources and Food Security; in particular, involving African partner institutions and organisations. Currently, there are SICAs in operation involving African researchers that show strong potential for impact on the cooperation between Africa and Europe and, indeed, other regions. An example is the MIA-VITA project in the field of the mitigation and assessment from volcanic impact on terrain and human activities. This project mobilises countries from Africa (Cameron and Cape Verde), Asia (Indonesia, Philippines) and Europe (France, Italy, Germany, Portugal and United Kingdom). The sharing and transfer of know-how through scientific and technological developments and through dissemination and training are some of the relevant outputs of this project. Q: The FP7 Africa call, published in July 2009, invites consortia consisting of partner institutions from Africa and Europe to respond jointly to the call for proposals utilising the SICA model. How should these SICA projects be structured to address the call's topics? A: The FP7 Africa call is implemented jointly across three themes of the Cooperation programme: Health; Food, Agriculture and Fisheries and Biotechnology; and Environment (including climate change). This call invites projects using a multi-disciplinary approach, and will as such leverage expertise on various scientific and technological research fields such as agriculture, food, health, land, water resources and climate change to tackle the research questions outlined in the work programme. Projects should take into account the various geographical, differences and socio-economic factors involved in the implementation of projects. At a strategic level, it is therefore foreseen that relevant projects from each topic might find complementarities and develop synergies. Q: How will these SICAs contribute to the implementation of the "lighthouse projects"? A: The lighthouse projects are a framework for implementing the 8th Partnership on Science, ICT and Space as envisaged in the Joint Africa-EU Strategy. The FP7 Africa call supports an important priority established under the science dimension of the lighthouse projects: Water and Food Security in Africa. The SICAs will contribute to strengthening Africa's capacity to face food security problems and promoting sustainable management of land and water resources. Q: What challenges do SICA projects pose to participants in terms of a. implementation of the research, and b. management? A: SICAs projects require integration and coordination of efforts by mobilising researchers, expertise and know-how across countries and regions with different socio-economic and cultural profiles and in different stages of their scientific development. Management is a therefore a critical dimension in the implementation of SICAs precisely because of the complexity and ambition of the objectives of such projects and the variety of the partners in their acquaintance with FP7. Altogether, management capacity will be a key factor in determining the success of SICAs. Q: Who owns the research results of SICAs? A: The intellectual property applying to SICAs follows similar rules applicable to the collaborative projects of the cooperation program of FP7 and should be dealt in the scope of a consortium agreement established between the partners.
Version 6.1 last modified by CAAST-Net Editor on 28/07/2010 at 17:59
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