Names of First SPIRE projects announced

The names of the successful projects under the first Horizon 2020 calls for the SPIRE PPP have been announced. The first four SPIRE calls, published with the first Horizon 2020 calls on 11 December 2013, inspired a broad participation from a wide spectrum of process industry sectors and have resulted in grant awards to 13 projects under the SPIRE initiative.

In total 123 different organisations from 20 countries participated in the first four SPIRE PPP calls in 2014. The 13 selected projects will be co-funded by the EU and are all in the process of launching.

For SPIRE’s four calls 72 proposals were received of which 68 were deemed eligible. The evaluation of the proposals first looked at the potential ‘impact’ of the project, then the overall scientific ‘excellence’ and then the ‘SME budget’. To score highly under ‘impact’ proposals needed to focus on how society would benefit from the project rather than exclusively on the research “nuts and bolts”. All the projects also needed to be able to demonstrate high levels of interdisciplinary and cross-sectorial activities.

The project proposals also should have included a clear exploitation or business plan and outline ideas to tie into other funding for, for example, demonstration activities through regional smart specialisation would be useful.

Successful projects
A complete list of the acronyms of the granted projects are given below under the relevant SPIRE call. Further details for all the projects should be available soon.

SPIRE – 1 Integrated Process Control

• RECOBA - Cross-sectorial real-time sensing, advanced control and optimisation of batch processes saving energy and raw materials
• ProPAT - Robust and affordable process control technologies for improving standards and optimizing industrial operation
• DISIRE - Integrated Process Control based on Distributed In-Situ Sensors in Raw Material and Energy Feedstock
• CONSENS - Integrated Control and Sensing for Sustainable Operation of Flexible Intensified Processes
• iCspec - in-line Cascade laser Spectrometer for process control

SPIRE–2 Adaptable industrial processes allowing the use of renewables as flexible feedstock for chemical and energy applications

• SteamBIO - Flexible Superheated Steam Torrefaction and Grinding of Indigenous Biomass from Remote Rural Sources to Produce Stable Densified Feedstocks for Chemical and Energy Applications
• MefCO2 - Synthesis of methanol from captured carbon dioxide using surplus electricity
• MOBILE FLIP - Mobile and Flexible Industrial Processing of Biomass

SPIRE-3 Improved downstream processing of mixtures in process industries

• PRODIAS - Processing Diluted Aqueous Systems

SPIRE-4 Methodologies, tools and indicators for cross-sectorial sustainability assessment of energy and resource efficient solutions in the process industry

• STYLE - Sustainability Toolkit for easy Life-cycle Evaluation
• SAMT - Sustainability Assessment methods and tools to support decision-making in the process industries
• MEASURE - Metrics for Sustainability Assessment in European Process Industries

In addition a fifth call was made jointly between SPIRE and the Energy-efficient Buildings (EeB) PPP and resulted in one successful project.

EE-18-2014  New technologies for utilization of heat recovery in large industrial systems, considering the whole energy cycle from heat production to transformation, delivery and end use

• TASIO - Waste Heat Recovery for Power Valorization with ORC Technology in Energy Intensive Industries

Second SPIRE call deadline
Four SPIRE calls and one joint SPIRE call are currently open – but the deadlines for submissions of proposals is fast approaching.

Four SPIRE calls are subject to a one-stage selection process with the deadline for submission being 4 February 2015. The calls are:

• SPIRE 5 – 2015: New adaptable catalytic reactor methodologies for process intensification
• SPIRE 6 – 2014: Energy and resource management systems for improved efficiency in the process industry
• SPIRE 7 – 2015: Recovery technologies for metals and other minerals
• SPIRE 8 – 2015: Solids handling for intensified process technology

And finally a joint call between SPIRE and the Innovative, Sustainable and Inclusive Bioeconomy (ISIB) research theme of Horizon 2020 is a two-stage selection process with the deadline for submission to the first stage on 3 February 2015. Details of the call can be found here:

• ISIB 6 – 2015: Converting CO2 into Chemicals

More about SPIRE
The Sustainable Process Industry through Resource and Energy Efficiency (SPIRE) is a contractual Public Private Partnership (PPP) dedicated to innovation in resource and energy efficiency enabled by the process industries in Europe. The SPIRE Partnership is based on Article 19 of the EU Research and Innovation Framework Programme, Horizon 2020, and was established through a contractual arrangement between the European Commission and A.SPIRE aisbl representing industrial and other stakeholders.

SPIRE is being implemented through competitive calls under the Horizon 2020 work programmes. SPIRE will develop enabling technologies and value-chain solutions to reach long-term sustainability for Europe in terms of global competitiveness, ecology and employment. For more information visit the SPIRE website or contact the A.SPIRE aisbl secretariat.