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EU | European Green Deal call

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This article was first published on the European Commission’s website.

 

The Green Deal call will mobilise research and innovation to foster a just and sustainable societal transition aiming at ‘leaving nobody behind’.

Projects are expected to deliver tangible and visible results relatively quickly and show how research and innovation can provide concrete solutions for the Green Deal main priorities.

This is why the call will support

  • pilot applications, demonstration projects and innovative products
  • innovation for better governance of the green and digital transition
  • social and value chain innovation

In addition to technological development and demonstration, the call encourages experimentation and social innovation for new ways to engage civil society and empower citizens.

In relation to the current pandemic, the call will contribute to the green and digital recovery and to increasing societal resilience for example in agriculture, biodiversity acceleration of renewables, clean transport and modernisation towards a clean and circular industry.

 

More information on the European Commission’s website.

WestMED-supported promoters respond to calls with 10 new project proposals

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In less than a year, the WestMED Assistance Mechanism has provided extensive assistance to a large number of stakeholders. Here is what we do and what have done so far.

 

Applying for project funding

There are a multitude of instruments and calls, meaning that it can be tricky to successfully participate in calls for funding. WestMED is here to support project promoters get their ideas across, by helping to develop them into sound concepts, package them into strong proposals, enhance them with niche partnerships, and tailor them to the relevant funding instruments available.

WestMED provides support both in promoting new ideas and partnerships, and in assessing the weaknesses and enhancing the proposals of good ideas that have been rejected in past calls.

 

Following the money

WestMED combines support with project development with a mapping of on-going and future funding/financing opportunities provided by Financial Institutions and Development Agencies. The Assistance Mechanism team, and especially our National Hubs, are continuously scouting established project fields, and are also supporting new project ideas with an aim for these to be successfully delivered to the various EU, regional and national Blue Economy funding opportunities.

 

Current calls’ close-up

To date, a total of 10 regional projects have already been actively supported by the Assistance Mechanism’s Core Team and National Hubs. The WestMED Initiative has helped regional project promoters to draft and submit several projects for different calls. Assistance to promoters has been provided for the following calls: EMFF, Interreg MED, JPI Oceans, Horizon 2020, ENI CBC.  Topics vary from sustainable tourism across the region, to innovative skills, technologies, tools and strategies for sustainable, innovative aquaculture, port competitiveness, and promotion of technologically-advanced devices developed under Horizon 2020 projects, to name but a few.

 

Our advice ranges from identifying the funds and developing the full project proposal to building partnerships, analysing strengths and weaknesses, structuring work packages.

Want to discuss a project? Get in touch here.

 

BRIDGES project – Presentation of underwater glider vehicles Deep Explorer and Ultradeep Explorer

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The H2020 BRIDGES  project officially closed after four years with the public presentation on 28 August 2019 in Cassis (France) of Deep Explorer and Ultradeep Explorer underwater gliders.

These two prototypes are underwater exploration platforms adapted to the challenges of tomorrow’s marine research and the needs of the blue economy. On this occasion, the French National Hub was represented to discuss the next steps of this ambitious project with the various French partners Alseamar and ENSTA-Paristech / Armines, especially in the Mediterranean.

For more information: france@westmed-initiative.eu

More information on the BRIDGES project here.

Information days Horizon 2020 Calls | 16-17 September 2019 | Brussels

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This event, organised by EASME, targets potential applicants to the 2020 calls for project proposals under the Horizon 2020 Challenge 5 “Climate Action, Environment, Resource Efficiency and Raw Materials”.

 

REGISTRATION

Organisers aim to keep, to the best level possible, equilibrium between applicants from different countries and organisations by screening registration requests before accepting them. You are kindly requested to limit participation to maximum two people per organisation.  Organisers reserve the right to refuse registrations if there are too many participants from the same organisation/institution. Priority will be given to those who register early.

Only one e-mail address per participant can be registered in the system. You are free to choose the sessions you are interested in and design your own programme.

 

MATCHMAKING

From 3 July onwards, you will have the option to schedule bilateral meetings and present your interests in certain topics, your expertise on specific matters and/or your project ideas to possible project partners.

A matchmaking event is a quick and easy way to meet potential cooperation partners to judge a possible future collaboration. People meet and greet at high speed.  A few minutes are usually enough to build connections, then the bell rings and the next meeting starts.

 

Register here

Horizon 2020 | Empower SME clusters to bring SMEs ‘across the valley of death’ | 4 April – 4 September 2019

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4 April – 4 September 2019

The call opened the 4th of April 2019 and it is classified as a Bio-based Industries Coordination and Support action (BBI-CSA)

CSA: actions consisting primarily of accompanying measures such as standardisation, dissemination, awareness-raising and communication, networking, coordination or support services, policy dialogues and mutual learning exercises and studies, including design studies for new infrastructure, and may also include complementary activities of networking and coordination between programmes in different countries.

 

BLUE ECONOMY TOPIC: Clusters

The specific challenge is to design the appropriate tools and system to build the capacity of SME clusters so that they can train SMEs to devise excellent projects that are scalable, investment ready and which convey these qualities to potential investors.

Identify possible systems for enabling SME clusters to set up a platform where SME entrepreneurs in the bio-based industry and investors can exchange expertise and business opportunities that could lead to successful cooperation. The scope includes the necessary steps to ‘train the trainers’ as well as practical steps SMEs can use when preparing and presenting projects with a high level of investment readiness and building the capacity of SME clusters to build links with investors.

Proposals should devise a framework that can be used to select the best projects through a competition in which investors evaluate and select winning SME proposals at regional level. If the winner’s reward is a cash prize, its value is not an eligible cost in the framework of the grant agreement.

Proposals should also set the basis for a European final of regional winners, and hence, proposers should link up with relevant and interested regional authorities.

The Bio-based Industries Consortium (BIC) will set up an industry and market expert group from among its members to provide expertise on the implementation and follow-up of the different tasks and help organise meetings. This expert group is not to be a part of the proposal, but will be offered to the project consortium to assist as needed.

 

More information

Horizon 2020 | Apply microorganisms and/or enzymes to resolve end-of-life issues of plastic | 4 April – 4 September 2019

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4 April – 4 September 2019

The call opened the 4th of April 2019 and it is classified as a Bio-based Industries Research & innovation actions (BBI-RIA).

RIA: are actions primarily consisting of activities aiming to establish new knowledge and/or to explore the feasibility of a new or improved technology, product, process, service or solution. For this purpose they may include basic and applied research, technology development.

BLUE ECONOMY TOPIC: Marine Litter

Microorganisms and/or enzymes can be applied to biodegrade/decompose plastic waste, one of the major threats to our ecosystem. This is a key focus area to apply the concept of the circular economy, besides changing human behaviour and production systems.

Scope: Select and apply the appropriate microorganisms and/or enzymes to address one or both of the following issues:

▪ convert waste streams containing non-biodegradable polymers;

▪ remove non-biodegradable polymers from the environment.

Proposals may include tailored microorganisms and/or enzymes for co-digestion or co-fermentation of different feedstock, provided that the developed solutions result in sufficient yields in terms of: (i) breaking down the feedstock; and/or (ii) conversion into valuable products.

Proposals should address all requirements for RIA as shown in Table 3, pp.24-25, in the Introduction of the Annual Work plan 20199. The technology readiness level (TRL) at the end of the project should be  4-5 for the bio-based value chain in question. Proposals should clearly state the starting and end TRLs of the key technology or technologies targeted in the project. Industry participation in the project would be considered as an added value

 

More information

Horizon 2020 | Produce components for various materials, including for food and feed, from microalgae | 4 April – 4 September 2019

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4 April – 4 September 2019

The call opened the 4th of April 2019 and it is classified as a Bio-based Industries Innovation action – Demonstration (BBI-IA-DEMO).

Innovation actions – “Demonstration” aim to validate the technical and economic viability of a new or improved technology, product, process, service or solution in an operational environment. They contain mainly demonstrator activities corresponding to Technology Readiness Level (TRL) levels 6 to 7.

BLUE ECONOMY TOPIC: Aquaculture

Demonstrate the efficient and sustainable cultivation, recovery and processing of microalgae and downstream production of high-value chemicals and/or materials including food and feed ingredients. The scope of this topic excludes energy carriers (such as liquid fuels or hydrogen) as the main products. Proposals should aim for large-scale continuous cultivation and recovery of microalgae, as well as separation and purification of the targeted products. Proposals should also aim at reducing inputs for microalgae cultivation such as energy, water, nutrients and CO2 (or other carbon sources in case heterotrophic microalgae are envisaged). Proposals should valorise as many as possible of the valuable compounds contained in the microalgae through a cascading approach.

Proposals should address all requirements for IA – demonstration actions as shown in Table 3, pp.24-25, in the Introduction of the Annual Work plan 2019 . The establishment of a demo-scale production facility, being it a new installation, a substantially modified existing facility, or the use of existing demo facilities is mandatory.

 

More information

Horizon 2020 | Secure societies | 14 March – 22 August 2019

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14 March – 22 August 2019

The call opened the 14th of March 2019 and it is classified as a “ CSA Coordination and support action” and the focus area is: boosting the effectiveness of the Security Union (SU).

In Europe, practitioners interested in the uptake of security research and innovation are dedicated to performing their duty and are focused on their tasks.

Scope: Practitioners are invited to associate in 3 different categories of networks in the field security:

  1. [2019-2020] Practitioners (end-users) in the same discipline and from across Europe are invited to get together: 1) to monitor research and innovation projects with a view to recommending the uptake or the industrialisation of results, 2) to express common requirements as regards innovations that could fill capability and other gaps and improve their future performance, and 3) to indicate priorities as regards areas requiring more standardisation. Opinions expressed and reported by the networks of practitioners should be checked against what can be reasonably expected, and according to which timetable, from providers of innovative solutions. In 2019, proposals are invited to address the specific area of handling of hybrid threats in line with the existing EU policy framework.
  2. b.[2018] Innovation clustersfrom around Europe (established at national, regional or local level), especially those managing demonstration sites, testing workbenches, and training facilities (including those providing simulators, serious gaming platforms, testing of PPDR applications on broadband networks) are invited to establish one network 1) to establish and maintain a roster of capabilities and facilities, 2) to organise to share expertise, 3) plan to pool and share resources with a view to facilitating access to their respective facilities among collective membership when this would constitute an economy of scale and allow a more intensive use of expensive equipment, and 4) to coordinate future developments and workbenches’ acquisition.
  3. [2018] Procurement agencies, or departments, active at budgeting and implementing the acquisition of security solutions at European, national, regional or local level can get together: 1) to share investment plans, 2) to compare procurement techniques and rules, and 3) to plan for common procurements of research services as well as of innovative, off-the-shelf products.

More information

The Malta National Hub meets Maltese stakeholders

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During the BlueInvest Conference held in Malta on 28 January 2019, the National Hub set up around 10 meetings. These included meetings with national stakeholders, such as the Malta Council for Arts, Science and Technology (MCAST), the Institute for Sustainable Energy at the University of Malta, NinajMoba Ltd and the University Maritime Platform as well as meetings with stakeholders from other western Mediterranean countries, such as the International Centre for Numerical Methods in Engineering (CIMNE) and Liguria Ricerche S.p.A..