The European Framework Programme - past, present and future

Since 1984 the European Commission has funded research and technology devel opment under a series of Framework Programmes which cover a four- to five-y ear period and provide substantial opportunities for European collaboration for those subjects which fit current priorities. The mid-point of Framewor k V has just been reached and with it a proposal has been put forward by th e Commission for the next Framework Programme to cover the period 2002-2006 . This article provides a brief outline on the opportunities past, present and future, and concludes that perhaps many roboticists should lend their s kills to the demands of managing CEC funded projects rather than to develop ing robots themselves, given that it would appear robots are no longer a pr iority research theme.