Draft European eContentplus scheme

The programme will contribute to creating better conditions for accessing, using, reusing and exploiting digital material, based on which it will be possible to build added value products and services across Europe.

It will help content stakeholders (providers and users) realise the full potential of digital content: content providers, i.e. public and private organisations and institutions that create, collect or own digital content, who will be able to increase the use and re-use of their material; content users, including European citizens, students, researchers but also organisations and enterprises that reuse and/or add value to digital content, who will be able to find and use digital content, irrespective of location or language.

The programme addresses areas which have a public interest and which would not develop or would develop at a slower pace if left to the market. It aims to improve the usability and quality of existing digital content in specific contexts of use in order to create the conditions for the emergence of quality trans-European content-based services

The following target areas have been singled out, where the programme can have maximum impact with the available resources:

• Geographic information 30%
  3.1 Best practice networks for geographic information
• Educational content 28%
  4.1 Best practice networks for educational content
  4.2 Targeted projects for educational content
• Digital libraries 40 %
  5.1 Best practice networks for digital libraries
  5.2 Targeted projects for digital libraries
  5.3 Targeted projects for scientific/scholarly content
• Reinforcing cooperation between digital content stakeholders 2%
  6.1 A thematic network on language resources.

There will be three project types for the 2007 Work Programme:

• Targeted Projects (TP) are open for the areas digital libraries and educational content. They aim to solve specific known problems by pooling together the resources of interested participants in a consortium. They address specific issues related to the achievement of one or more of the objectives identified in each target area. The Community funding for TPs is limited to 50 % of total eligible costs which include also indirect costs calculated as a flat rate of 30% of personnel costs
• A Thematic Network (TN) is open for the area of Reinforcing cooperation between digital content stakeholders. The TN brings together relevant stakeholders, expertise and facilities with the objective of identifying best practices, building consensus, coordinating the development of specific approaches for improving the availability and usability of digital content and raising awareness on the approaches adopted. The Community funding for TN is 100% of a limited set of direct eligible costs for coordinating and implementing the network. Eligible costs for network members other than the coordinator are limited to travel and subsistence.
• Best Practice Networks (BPN) are open for the areas geographic information, educational content and digital libraries. Their objective is to promote the adoption of standards and specifications for making digital content in Europe more accessible and usable. More than one BPN is expected to be funded in each target area, each one dealing with different themes. The Commission will organise, as appropriate, clustering meetings for the BPNs in each target area, inviting all relevant stakeholders in order to achieve broad consensus and create the conditions for the widest possible uptake of the recommendations of the networks. The Community funding for BPNs is limited to 80% of direct costs. No overheads may be claimed.

Deadline for proposals is 4 October 2007

Award Criteria
Each project is subject to a specific type of award criteria with specific weightings but the common criteria involves:

• Relevance and European dimension
• Content, impact and additional conditions
• Quality of the technical part of the programme

More documentation, along with the Work Programme and any other information relevant to this call, can be obtained from the eContentplus website : http://ec.europa.eu/econtentplus or at the following address:

European Commission
Information Society and Media Directorate General
The eContentplus Programme - Office EUFO 1181
Jean Monnet Building
Rue Alcide de Gasperi
L-2920 Luxembourg
Email: eContentplus@ec.europa.eu
Fax: (+352) 4301-30269

The indicative overall budget available for this call is € 46.5 million of Community contribution.

The call for proposals under this Work Programme is open for participation to all legal entities (public and private) established in the Member States and in EFTA States. There are no formal minimum or maximum requirements for the number of applicants in proposals. However, the European added value of the proposal will have to be clearly demonstrated.