ASPERA is a network of national government agencies responsible for coordinating and funding national research efforts in Astroparticle Physics.  It is funded within the ERA-NET 6th Framework Programme of the EU and ASPERA started in July 2006.  The objectives of ASPERA are to improve the coherence and coordination of Astroparticle Physics research within Europe including inter alia coordinating funding, where appropriate, in selected Research and Technology Development domains.

This call is the first of a series of common calls for R&D and design studies for the realisation of future Astroparticle infrastructures identified in the ASPERA Roadmap and is targetted towards the Cherenkov Telescope Array for very high energy gamma ray astrophysics and direct dark matter searches. The duration of the funding period for successful proposals shall be up to 3 years. Further calls planned for late 2010 and late 2011 under the auspices of the ASPERA-2 ERA-NET will address R&D and design studies for other future infrastructures in the ASPERA roadmap.  The themes of future calls, and national funding agencies that will participate in these calls, will be agreed at a later date.

Therefore under the umbrella of ASPERA the:

are signatories (hereafter called Partner or Partners to an agreement) to open the first common call for proposals for transnational research projects for

Targeted R&D and design studies in view of the realisation of future Astroparticle infrastructures

The call has opened on the 2nd April 2009

Deadline for the receipt of proposals has been 4pm CET on 4th June 2009.

Research groups from the above listed countries are alegible to participate in this call

Further information and help can be found in the following document: 

 First ASPERA Common Call for Proposals