Framework Programme Monitoring

The monitoring of the implementation of EU FPs is an essential component of the overall evaluation and monitoring system. It supports the management of the programmes, provides transparency on programme activities and contributes towards the information base used for major evaluations of the FPs.
Under FP7 the whole system for FP evaluation and monitoring has been changed radically. Up until the start of the programme, the annual monitoring exercise involved a panel of external experts which examined some of the issues relating to programme implementation. Commitments were made in the FP7 ex-ante Impact Assessment to change the monitoring system in favour of an internal Commission-run exercise, the primary aim of which was to provide a reliable source of systematically collected information to support FP management.
The key features of the new monitoring system are:

• It is carried out internally by the Commission services
• Quantitative indicators are used extensively wherever possible
• The indicators featured provide a synthetic and comprehensive picture of FP activities and of sensitive or politically important issues
• It is based wherever possible on existing information collected systematically by the Commission, and also incorporates a survey of stakeholder opinion
• It covers comprehensively both Framework Programmes (EC and Euratom) except the direct research actions carried out by the JRC. 

The evaluation system

The Research Framework Programme (FP) evaluation and monitoring has been progressively developed since its introduction in the 1980s.  It follows the principles laid down in the Commission's Financial Regulation, which leads to a decentralised system of evaluation and monitoring where each Commission DG and service involved with FP management is also responsible for its own evaluation and monitoring work. For the FP as a whole, an evaluation and monitoring is managed by a unit in DG RTD.  From 1995 to 2006 the system was based on two exercises, an annual monitoring of FP implementation and, before each new FP proposal, a five year assessment of the implementation and achievements of research carried out over the preceding programme.

At the start of FP7 there were important changes to the exercises and the system overall for FP-level evaluation and monitoring.  The key features of the current approach are an annual monitoring, an interim evaluation (in 2010 for FP7), and an ex-post evaluation. The ex-post evaluation of FP6 was published in 2009.

To provide coordination to those involved in FP evaluation activities, DG RTD organises two networks.  The European RTD Evaluation Network supports information exchange and best practice dissemination between evaluation experts in Members States and associated states.  The Interservices RTD network is internal to the Commission and brings together all those involved with FP evaluation.