The IST Programme Eighth and last Call for Proposals under the Fifth Framework Programme opened 16 November 2001, with a closing date of 21 February 2002. There are limited research opportunities for the LIS sector, although there may be opportunities for support actions.

The Seventh Call for proposals was published on 7 July 2001 and closed on 17 October 2001.

The Sixth Call, which closed on 25 April 2001, was the last Call of significant interest to the cultural heritage sector. The Seventh and Eighth Calls are of limited interest to the cultural heritage sector.

Further information on cultural heritage opportunities under the IST Programme:
http://www.cordis.lu/ist/ka3/digicult/

The IST Programme is expected in continue in some form under the Sixth Framework Programme (2002 to 2006). IST Programme web site:
http://www.cordis.lu/ist/.

Prospective proposers should note that there may be other opportunities within the IST Programme, notably in the area of Support Actions.

Some brief information about projects in all sectors already selected to receive funding under the IST Programme can be found at:
http://www.cordis.lu/ist/projects.htm.

The European Commission publish a regular newsletter on cultural heritage and the IST Programme. This includes information on relevant projects, and news of events. Web site:
http://www.cordis.lu/ist/ka3/digicult/en/newsletter.html.

Information on EU RTD beyond 2002:
http://www.cordis.lu/rtd2002/.
Specific consultation on the IST Programme 2002 onwards within the Sixth Framework Programme (2002 to 2006):
http://www.cordis.lu/ist/fp6/fp6consult.htm

Information on international aspects of the IST Programme, including information on third country participation, is available on the Web at:
http://www.cordis.lu/ist/int/home.html.

The European Commission has published a brochure on its Information Society Technologies opportunties. This is available on the Web at:
http://europa.eu.int/comm/research/ist/leaflets/en/.

The IST-funded Cultivate measure is aimed at the European cultural heritage community, including libraries, museums and archives. Its activities include the new pan-European web magazine Cultivate Interactive, a web site and the cultivate-list electronic discussion and information list.

Cultivate Interactive is available at:
http://www.cultivate-int.org.
The Cultivate web site includes information on the Cultivate project, information on Calls for Proposals in the Digital Heritage and Cultural Content area of the IST Programme and information on results of IST Programme projects. It is available at:
http://www.cultivate-europe.org
Archives of the cultivate-list, which include instructions on joining the list, are available at:
http://lists.ukoln.ac.uk/cultivate-list.

The most recent TEN-Telecom call for proposals opened on 6 November 2001, with a closing date of 31 January 2002. It includes opportunties for trans-European telecommunications for access to Europe's cultural heritage. Further information:
http://www.ten-telecom.org/.

The Second Call of the eContent programme was issued on 1 November 2001, closing on 1 February 2002. There will be 27 million euros available to support selected projects in this area.

The eContent programme is aimed at supporting the production, dissemination and use of European digital content and to promote linguistic diversity on the global networks.

The eContent programme is based on three main strands of action where EU added value can be maximised:

The eContent programme continues the work of the INFO2000 and MLIS programmes which concluded at the end of 1999.

For further information, see the official EC site:
http://www.cordis.lu/econtent.
Within the UK, information is provided by the DTI sponsored service, UKISHELP:
http://www.ukishelp.co.uk.

The PROMISE programme aimed to stimulate the establishment of the Information Society in Europe. The programme was adopted on 30 March 1998 and was to run from 1 January 1998 to 31 December 2001. Its main aims were to increase public awareness and support for the Information Society, to support measures aimed at optimising the socio-economic advantages of the Information Society, and to enhance Europe's role and visibility within the global dimension of the Information Society. The services available under PROMISE are now available at a general EU Information Society web site, and the PROMISE web has been archived, along with the Information Society Promotion Office (ISPO) web site.

EU Information Society:
http://europa.eu.int/information_society/index_en.htm
PROMISE archives:
http://www.ispo.cec.be/promotion/i_promise.html.
Information Society Promotion Office (ISPO) archives:
http://www.ispo.cec.be/.

The Culture 2000 programme is a major transnational programme supporting cultural heritage projects. For general information on Culture 2000 programme, see EC Cultural Activity:
http://europa.eu.int/comm/culture/index_en.html.

Information on the Call for Proposals for 2002 projects is available at:
http://europa.eu.int/comm/culture/c2000condition_en.html.
Deadlines for this Call:
15 November 2001 for all annual projects.
30 November 2001 for all multiannual cooperation agreements projects.

Annual project proposals should include at least three participating countries, multiannual projects at least five participating countries.

The priority theme for 2002 is the visual arts. Priority theme for 2003 will be the performing arts. Priority theme for 2004 will be cultural heritage, including libraries. However, there is potential for libraries in 2002 and 2003, as the 'books, reading and translation sector' will be included in all calls for proposals in 2002-2004.

A previous call for applications was published in April 2000, with a closing date of 31 May 2000. Results of this Spring 2000 Call are available at:
http://europa.eu.int/comm/culture/index_en.html.
A total of 1,023 applications were received, from which 219 projects were chosen. Fifty UK institutions were represented among the partners in the successful projects.

Results of the 1999 Pilot Projects action are available for download on the EUCLID site:
http://www.euclid.co.uk/panfund/06.html

Further information on Culture 2000 is available at:
http://europa.eu.int/comm/culture/index_en.html.
Further information on Culture 2000 in the UK is available from EUCLID, the UK Cultural Contact Point for the Culture 2000 programme appointed by the EC:
http://www.euclid.co.uk.

On 1 July 1999, the European Commission adopted a series of decisions to allow implementation of the Structural Funds for the 2000-2006 programming period.

In the UK, the following regions will be eligible under Objective 1 over the period 2000-2006: South Yorkshire, West Wales & The Valleys, Cornwall & Isles of Scilly and Merseyside.

Transitional support will be provided for the areas which are currently eligible under Objective 1 but will no longer be so between 2000 and 2006. Those areas affected in the UK are: Northern Ireland, Highlands and Islands.

Further information on the Structural Funds is available on the Inforegio site:
http://inforegio.cec.eu.int/wbnews/new_en.htm

The new European Commission has taken office under President Romano Prodi. A reorganisation is taking place, which will involved changes in the Directorates General. The DGs will no longer be identified by number, but solely by function.

Details of the new Commission at:
http://europa.eu.int/comm/index.html

Following the Belgium Presidency of the European Union, the Presidency is now held by Spain from 1 January to 30 June 2002. Denmark will hold the Presidency from 1 July 2002. Spain has declared its intention of holding a discussion with other Member States on cultural issues during the lifetime of its Presidency.

Information on the Spanish Presidency is available in Spanish, English and French at: http://www.ue2002.es/. Information on research priorities during the Spanish Presidency is available in Spanish only at: http://www.cordis.lu/spain/.

The order in which the various Member States occupy the Presidency was established in 1995 as follows: Italy, Ireland, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, the United Kingdom, Austria, Germany, Finland, Portugal, France, Sweden, Belgium, Spain, Denmark, Greece.

The European Commission has launched an initiative, 'eEurope: An Information Society for All'. This aims to bring the benefits of the Information Society within the reach of all Europeans. Further information at:
http://europa.eu.int/comm/information_society/eeurope/index_en.htm.
A full account of the analysis of the first round of feedback received from European citizens can be found at:
http://europa.eu.int/comm/information_society/eeurope/mailbox_en.htm

The eEurope Action Plan was presented to EU leaders at the Feira Summit on 19-20 June 2000. It aims to have in place by 2002 the following three objectives: a cheaper, faster, more secure Internet; investing in people's skills and access; and stimulating the use of the Internet. Further information on the Action Plan at:
http://europe.eu.int/comm/information_society/eeurope/actionplan/index_en.htm.

Under the framework of eEurope, the EC has launched an initiative to coordinate national digitisation policies and programmes. A first summary is available at:
http://www.cordis.lu/ist/ka3/digicult/en/eeurope.html.

The eLearning plan aims to adapt European education and training systems to the knowledge economy and digital culture. Its objectives include providing all schools in the EU with an Internet connection by the end of 2001, and ensuring that by the end of 2002 all pupils have a fast Internet connection and multimedia resources in the classroom, with all teachers fully trained in their use.