NCPs are national structures established and financed by governments of the 25 EU member states and the states associated to the framework programme. NCPs give personalised support on the spot and in proposers' own languages.
The NCP systems in the different countries show a wide variety of architectures, from highly centralised to decentralised networks, and a number of very different actors, from ministries to universities, research centres and special agencies to private consulting companies. This reflects the different national traditions, working methodologies, research landscapes and funding schemes.