INCONTACT

The INCONTACT project aims at the development of a platform for stimulating closer cooperation among INCO National Contact Points. Within this framework, INCO NCPs will work together to effect a substantial improvement in the overall quality of NCP services in the field of International Cooperation. The positive effect of these efforts will not be limited to the NCP network alone. The international research community will ultimately benefit from the improved level of service offered by the network while the establishment of a more consistent level of NCP services across Europe will contribute to greater transparency of the research funding for ICPC participants.

Activities include 3 awareness and training workshops in ICPC countries (Mexico, Russia, South Africa), exchange of experience and good practice, training for inexperienced European NCPs as well as the development of an Online Encyclopaedia on International Cooperation compiling all relevant information on International Cooperation activities in FP7. The online encyclopaedia will work according to the principles of the Wikipedia online encyclopaedia allowing the interaction and the collection of best practices from all the INCO NCPs.

HELP-FORWARD is coordinating the project on behalf of all the NCPs for International Cooperation.

BILAT SILK (1/4/08)

BILAT SILK will raise the EU's science and technology profile in China by a series of promotional activities to disseminate the EU's research policies and actions among Chinese scientists and research institutions. Strategic partnerships between 4 EU countries and China will be promoted through collaboration schemes. BILAT SILK will identify and demonstrate mutual interest and benefit in the cooperation between the EU and China via workshops and presentations of the state of the art and the prospects for cooperation in particular fields.

For achieving an optimum participation of Chinese teams in FP7 BILAT SILK will provide efficient training of National and Regional Information Points through specialised trainings in specific FP7 issues but also special trainings in providing NCP services.

Help-Forward will be responsible for the training and mentoring activities for the Chinese NCPs while will also set up a mechanism for improving the participation of Chinese partners in FP7 projects.

COSMOS
Cooperation Of Space NCPs as a Means to Optimise Services.

The aim of the project is to reinforce the network of National Contact Points (NCPs) for Space. A strong network of Space NCPs will be created in order to identify and exchange good practice, elaborate and conduct training courses for the NCP staff, gather and provide up-to-date information on Space and neighbouring topics and develop common concepts to raise awareness for the FP7 Space programme and the Space NCPs. Thus a more balanced high quality NCP service will be ensured for the benefit of new and experienced FP7 applicants. The project involves 31 partners; its duration is 36 months and foresees five work packages (WP).

HELP-FORWARD has been assigned with:

• the co-leader role for the Training Sub WP (provision of three full-day seminars regarding good practice and advanced training for NCPs), and
• the leader role for the Mentoring Sub WP (identification and matching between "mentor" and "mentee" NCPs, organising audit visits of mentors to mentees' facilities, and organising two-day on-site training visits of mentees to mentors' facilities).

ΕΤΝΑ
European Transport NCP Alliance

ΕΤΝΑ is a "Coordinated and Support Action" project submitted by 14 European National Contact Points (NCPs). The project aims at the development and implementation of a coordination mechanism for stimulating closer cooperation among NCPs for the Thematic Priority "Transport" of FP7. ETNA will facilitate the improvement of the overall quality of NCP services across Europe in the area of transport - thereby making future calls more accessible for all stakeholders and contributing to an improvement in the average quality of proposals submitted. The project will also identify best practices and weakness of the NCP network. It will also try to eradicate the deficits by a training program on both individual and network level. HELP FORWARD is responsible for performing 2 out of 4 training sessions for new NCPs. H-F is also task leader for International Co-operations as well as at the determination of the most effective partner search instruments.

TransBonus
Transport EU-Western Balkan Network for Training, Support and Promotion of Cooperation in FP7 research activities

TransBonus is a Coordinated and Support Action, aiming at stimulating the participation of partners from the West Balkans (WBCs: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Serbia) into European RTD activities (led by organisations in Greece, The Netherlands, Malta and Bulgaria) in the area of surface transport research. This stimulatory effect will be achieved through a series of actions including: training, exchange of know-how and experiences among the partners, stimulation and collection of innovative transport RTD ideas through 'Ideas generation events' and upgrading the EU RTD awareness and networking activities. Expected activities and tangible results will include, among others, Roadmap for research capacities and funding opportunities in WBC transport research, 150 researchers informed and stimulated towards FP7, 10 national Ideas generation events, 50 new project proposal ideas and 5 events in the Balkan countries linking transport researchers and industry, publishing of 25 PR research profiles.

HELP-FORWARD is work package leader for training and support to WBC transport researchers of FP7 knowledge and practices for dissemination.

SEREN - phase 1
SEcurity REsearch Ncp network - phase 1

SEREN - phase 1 is a coordination action of the 7th Framework Programme that is set up by the Security National Contact Points (NCPs) of 28 countries. The aim of the SEREN - phase 1 project is to link the different NCPs of the Security research programme, to initiate coordination in the network, to improve the quality of the network and, thus, the ability of its members to deliver services of high added value to their local business and research community. The SEREN - phase 1 project will last 18 months.

The objectives will be realised around 3 major activities:

1. Improving the NCPs network
2. Mapping of national systems and support structures
3. Promoting transnational cooperation and training

IncoNet EECA
S&T International Cooperation Network for Eastern European and Central Asian Countries

The countries of Eastern Europe and Central Asia (EECA) are of utmost importance for the political, economic and social development of the European Union. As a neighbourhood region and as a huge resource in various respects (including the existence of a strong academic community and of worldwide leading S&T institutes in a variety of scientific disciplines), the political and social stability of the EECA countries and their economic growth contribute to prosperity and welfare in Europe as a whole.

Taking into account the aforementioned context and in order to achieve its goals, the IncoNet EECA project is organized in four complementary and interacting layers:

• Policy dialogue: The project will set up a sustainable, knowledge based, bi-regional dialogue platform between stakeholders from the EU-Member States and Associated Countries, and the EECA countries.
• Enhancing the participation of researchers from EECA in FP7: The project will implement several activities aiming at an increased participation of researchers from EECA countries in FP7.
• Support of the FP7 National Information Points and National Contact Points of the EECA countries by organisations in Member countries and associated states.
• Analyses, monitoring and dissemination: In order to feed the policy dialogue and to increase its efficiency, the project will implement a series of analyses. In addition, the project will monitor its own activities with particular emphasis on their sustainability and will implement coherent dissemination activities in order to increase its visibility and impact.

CIP - HELLAS
A member of the "Entreprise Europe Network"

CIP-HELLAS is a strategic alliance of the major business support networks in Greece. It comprises industrial associations, research and technology organisations, chambers of commerce and industry, governmental SME Agencies and established Innovation players - in other words it is a nationally distributed infrastructure of institutions and expertise with long experience of cooperation at national level and distinguished and distinguished performance in both the Innovation Relay Centre (IRC) and the Euro Info Centre (EIC) networks, at European level.

CIP-Hellas consortium shares the vision of its constituent partners, summarised in the following Mission statement:

• To boost competitiveness in Greek enterprises (especially SMEs);
• To support the development of the less-favoured regions in the country;
• To promote and facilitate innovation in enterprises as well as entrepreneurship in RTOs;
• To strengthen the links between research, business, finance;
• To foster economic and environmentally sustainable growth and employment;
• To enhance European interaction in business, technological, economic & political terms.