Malta
National RTDI Programme
RTDI: Research and Technological Development and Innovation
The National RTDI Programme is the first of its kind in Malta since independence, and the first funds are expected to be allocated during July 2005. The programme founder is the government of Malta and the managing institution is MCST (Malta Council for Science and Technology) which is part of the Ministry of Education. The National RTDI Programme is being hailed as a catalyst for home brewed R&D that will help evolve the local manufacturing industry into a knowledge-based industry and is thus of great importance to the regional development.
The primary aim of the programme is to motivate and develop a culture of sustainable scientific research and innovation within the region by granting financial support for basic scientific research, applied research, and near-to-market innovation. Additionally the programme supports public-private sector partnerships and cross-sectoral synergies, by supporting multi-disciplinary proposals and consortia made up of both academic and industrial entities. Participants of the Programme therefore include SMEs, University, Public and Private Entities including Foundations and Authorities.
The programme is not dedicated to ICT or mobility but supports the whole range of science and engineering sectors although it is expected that a good proportion of the supported projects fall within the ICT arena.
A public call for proposals is issued and the funds are allocated following an external peer review procedure. The budget for the first call was 700,000 euros while the total requested budget in the submitted proposals was 7,000,000 euros. The time frame for the first call is 3 years, and one call per year is expected.
Contact
Mr Michael Refalo
Programme Manager MCST
Tel. +356 23 60 21 22
E-mail: michael.refalo@mcst.org.mt
Villa Bighi, Bighi, Kalkara, CSP 12 Malta
