| Posted: November 30, 2009 |
NMP TeAm launches the NMP National Contact Points (NCP) website and Partner Search Tool |
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(Nanowerk News) The NMP TeAm is pleased to announce the launch of the official NMP NCP Network website with the embedded NMP specific partner search facility. Both of these tools are important resources for all the National Contact Points of the 27 EU member states, associated states and third country contacts working in the thematic priority “Nanosciences, nanotechnologies, materials & new production technologies (NMP)” of the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7), as well as their clients.
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Nmpteam.com is a complete project-based management and communication tool that enables the partners of the NMP TeAm to effectively manage partner searches, communicate with each other and track their project activities. It is specially designed by NMP TeAm partners Enterprise Ireland and Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH with valuable input from all the partners of the NMP TeAm, for connecting all the NMP community.
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With the aim of channelling information for an NMP specific audience, nmpteam.com eases communication between the NMP NCP Network by featuring a continuously updated calendar of events, organised or supported by the NMP NCP Network. At the same time it provides interested clients with an easy way to find relevant information on their topic of research interest and, if required, assistance in participating in events, thus maximizing their chances of finding a consortium or a partner.
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NMP TeAm acknowledges that an important pre-requisite for a promising funding application is a suitable consortium of project applicants whose expertise should be complementary and that the prospective partners should ideally be in close contact or collaboration before calls are announced. The partner search facility, embedded within www.nmpteam.com, is now fully functional and it is expected to help build consortiums by providing an FP7 NMP specific search engine. The procedure is overseen by the NMP NCP Network in order to ensure a high level of accuracy of data and instil confidence in the people who want to use it. The partner search facility presents two important distinctive features: partner search and partner offer. In the first case, for example, a coordinator or consortium with a definite idea for a project looking for further partners to complement the expertise scope of the consortium can submit online a partner search or look for relevant partner offers through a searchable database. In the second case, a potential partner offering expertise looking for collaboration in possible project consortia can submit online their own partner offer or look for relevant partner searches through a searchable database. Once registered, users can edit their profiles and add additional partner searches and/or partner offers after new NMP calls have been published.
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In addition to the site’s technical features, the graphic design and interface presents a user-friendly and modern environment. Moreover, the structure of the website enables easy and quick navigation. Online visitors may also register for updates via RSS feed subscription. Apart from the general presentation of the NMP TeAm, and the partner search facility, it includes pages dealing with news, current call status and forthcoming calls, previous call data regarding national participation statistics, NMP events (joint brokerage events, awareness campaigns etc), links to the appropriate CORDIS and national websites, NCP contact details, examples of projects dealing with NMP and FP7, case studies, library, FAQs etc. The website also hosts NMP TeAm Forum (password protected), a discussion board which is open to the public and with a section dedicated to NCPs which can be used for all NMP issues that arise.
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In the coming weeks, NMP TeAm will be introducing new site features including an expanded library section with further useful material, such as a series of FAQs which can be used at the various stages of the FP7 process from targeting topics to negotiating contracts and all steps in between, a charter of services and a place for downloadable presentations.
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