The European Commission provides funding for projects in order to carry out studies or activities relevant to European Union policies.

NEW ! EU funding available for specialised public procurement networks

Funding under the EU Competitiveness and Innovation Programme (CIP) is available for projects establishing trans-national public procurement networks. Eligible projects must focus on engaging with suppliers, disseminating information and training opportunities through events, publications etc, and engagement on a wider level with other networks and EU initiatives. The deadline for submitting proposals is 27 February 2009.

For further information on this latest call for proposals contact Tracy.Cook@nhsconfed.org

EU funding for health

EU funding is made available through a series of EU programmes which cover a wide variety of policy areas such as research, public health, environment, energy, climate change, information and communication technology (ICT) and transport.

Opportunities to apply for grants from the EU are made available through the publication of 'calls for proposals' by the European Commission. Calls can be published at any time of the year and normally come from the part of the Commission which specialises in the policy area which the call covers.

Different EU funding streams have varying criteria which project proposals are obliged to meet. These criteria can include:

• a commitment to co-fund the project up to a percentage of the total project budget,
• the requirement for a project to contain a minimum number of partners from a minimum number of European countries,
• an obligation to undertake the project over a specific time period.

All NHS trusts are eligible to apply for EU funding, The NHS European Office offers information on current and forthcoming calls for proposals relevant to the NHS, and can work with NHS organisations in helping them to indentify partners from other European countries for potential collaboration.