The call is open to applicants from across the programme area and to projects addressing both priorities:

1. Promoting innovation and competitiveness in remote and peripheral areas
2. Sustainable development of natural and community resources

The Fifth call will be a focused call where projects should demonstrate their potential to fight the severest impacts of the economic crisis, creatively seek to the creation of jobs and businesses that prevent unemployment and develop innovative solutions for finding new ways out of the economic crisis. Projects should seek to turn the economic crisis into opportunities by combining technological sectors with non-technological sectors, even taking risks to be different and collaborate where traditional and creative industries can meet.

The economic crisis and its current impacts indicate that applications to the Fifth call should focus on Priority 1, in the Objective 1.

However, the PMC has identified the following programme gaps that need to be addressed:

1. exchange of best practise and establishment of cooperation networks between R&D institution and SMEs to increase the capacity for innovation, facilitate the design of innovation systems and strengthen competitiveness
2. urban-rural partnerships for new service solutions

In addition, the PMC specially welcomes proposals to the following six themes that could be more strongly addressed:

1. cooperation and exchange of best practice between SMEs on how to address and reach markets with existing and new products
2. increased use of ICT to overcome distance
3. developing innovative product and service solutions for developing and maintaining transport infrastructure with regard to roads, railways, airports and ports under harsh climatic conditions
4. development of transport schemes that benefit rural communities, such as new maritime routes
5. private, public and voluntary sectors cooperation and networks to develop new and innovative service solutions for remote and peripheral regions
6. promotion of natural and cultural heritage that supports the development of sustainable industries

The PMC also welcomes applications in all other programme objectives and themes. However, it views priority 2, the theme “Developing new approaches to efficient and sustainable management and utilisation of resources” as already covered. Proposals submitted in this priority and theme need to be strongly justified and demonstrate concrete tangible added value in products and services. 

Change in grant rates
In general, a 60% grant rate is applied for partners in Member States and 50% for Non Member States. Note that 10 % funding source and 20 % funding source have a grant rate of 50%. From this call, Norway has raised its grant rate to 50%. In addition, for Greenlandic partners a grant rate of 60% applies for the Fifth Call.

How to Apply Seminar
The Programme Secretariat is organising two seminars on How to Apply for the Fifth Application Call, to be held on 23rd of February 2010 in Copenhagen, Denmark. The purpose of the events is to assist applicants in the development of a good quality application.

For more information about the Fifth Call and the available funding, please read the pre-announcement.

• Pre-Announcement Fifth Call