Communicable disease tasks prominent in the first call of the Sixth Framework Research Programme (FP6)

The European Commission published the first round of calls for the Sixth Framework Programme (FP6, http://www.cordis.lu/fp6/) on 17 December.(1). FP6 will be the main instrument for funding of research by the European Union in Europe, and this round focuses on specific programmes 1 and 2. The three priority thematic areas of research which will be of particular interest to the communicable disease public health community are: