Last month, the European Commission unveiled a plan to simplify the procedures for participation in research projects funded by the EU. The first part of the Commission strategy allows for improvements under the current legal and regulatory framework. The second part requires the amendment of financial rules, allowing for more radical simplification without sacrificing effective control. Other changes will be considered for implementation under future Framework Programmes for Research.
Full text of the Commission: http://ec.europa.eu/research/fp7/index_en.cfm?pg=documents
For more information about the measures taken in the past and with regard to the review of FP7 see MEMO/10/156