F.E.T.

Future and Emerging Technologies (FET) program overview

While ERC projects are open-ended, FET projects must be implemented in accordance with Horizon 2020 guidelines on collaboration. Projects must also demonstrate their potential for concrete applications.

Unlike during the seventh PCRDT, FET projects are no longer limited to research in Information and Communication Technologies. This is particularly well highlighted by the diverse themes now defined in the guidelines (FET Proactive and Flagship initiatives)

Implementing the program

The program combines three complementary approaches that range from bottom-up to top-down.

• FET Open: The goal is to help new ideas emerge thanks to a bottom-up approach. Only STREPs may receive funding. Research themes funded by FET Proactive and Flagship initiatives are also eligible.
• FET Proactive: Research themes for this initiative are predefined by the European Commission in collaboration with research communities and member states. Designed to support more mature communities, proposed projects may be either STREPs or IPs.
• FET Flagships: These are major initiatives with one billion euro funding over ten years. They require financial and administrative support from the European Union, member states, and public or private actors. In 2013, two projects were selected after a competitive bidding process that began in 2010. The selected projects (Human Brain Project and Graphene) serve to define and help implement European research efforts in their respective fields. FET Flagships represent a programmatic approach to joint research.