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From Monday 1 July 2019, SusChem news articles will be exclusively published in the SusChem Newsroom.

SusChem news items have been published both on the SusChem blog and in the SusChem Newsroom since 2017.

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The SusChem News team.

Data in Materials and Manufacturing

The impact and opportunities associated with digital technologies in the chemical and other process industries is an area of increasing importance for both SusChem and SPIRE. SusChem has already put the spotlight on digital technologies. Sustainable chemistry acts as an enabler for the continuous development of smarter and more sustainable electronic devices and equipment in other industries, while also being transformed and disrupted through digitalisation. This later topic was a major theme at the 2019 EU Industry Day event on 5 and 6 February where SusChem participated.

The European Commission’s EU Industry Days 2019 focused on key industrial challenges such as sustainability, digitalisation, investment and globalisation. The event demonstrated how EU industrial policy benefits European citizens and provided input for future policy making.

Martin Winter, Innovation Manager at Cefic and the lead contact for digital technologies for both SusChem and SPIRE was part of a panel discussion on ‘Data in Materials and Manufacturing’ on the second day of the event. 

There is a real opportunity to leverage the immense capabilities of information and communication technologies (ICT) to optimise processes and improve production efficiency within the chemical and process industries. Martin initially explained how data technologies including blockchain and artificial intelligence will become important for recycling and reuse of materials within the process industries to enable a more circular economy. 

3D-printed catalytic reactors

As an example of the potential impact of digital technologies in the chemical sector he described the SPIRE Horizon 2020 project ‘PRINTCR3DIT’. “This is the first EU-funded initiative on modelling the effect of 3D-printing technologies for both reactor and catalyst design in the chemical industries,” said Martin Winter. The project is part of a significant portfolio of digital technology projects managed by the SPIRE cPPP. 

He also emphasised the essential role of Public-Private-Partnerships (cPPPs) like SPIRE or Big Data Value PPP in bringing the relevant data-related innovation ecosystems together and accelerating the uptake of technologies from research into use in industry. Martin Winter presented the substantial portfolio of digital projects within SPIRE and emphasised the need for new digital skills for chemists and engineers working in the new digital era. 

Other speakers in the session highlighted the enormous opportunities that integrated data management could yield together with the barriers that are currently inhibiting their full exploitation. Interoperability was a major issue and much of the discussion centred around ontology – the formal naming and categorisation of data sets – as a key area of work to enable data transfer.

Martin Winter noted some issues in terms of value creation through advanced data analytics. In process industries better data availability, data storage, cybersecurity and advanced data analytics are becoming very important. He also called for a co-creation process to accelerate progress.

There is a need to fully leverage synergies between cPPPs. “SPIRE, Big Data Value and Cybersecurity PPPs must work together here,” he said. “If Europe is lagging behind in this area, it is very important that we avoid any possibility of duplication of work.”

Cefic-LRI Innovative Science Award 2019 call now open!

European-based early career scientists can now apply for the 2019 Innovative Science Award, a €100.000 prize to support promising new research in the field of environmental toxicology.  This year’s call focuses on chemical substances that bind to soil and sediments very strongly, also known as non-extractable residues (NERs).

“There is uncertainty about the risks associated with NERs and their persistence in the environment. Chemicals released into the environment often end up binding strongly to terrestrial soil and aquatic sediments and remain trapped unless an event - such as degradation - significantly changes the nature of the compound or the structure of the matrix to which they are bound” says Dr Océane Albert, Long-range Research Initiative (LRI) Programme Manager.

In 2018, the European Chemical Agency (ECHA) released a Technical and Scientific Report reviewing the state-of-science on the role of NERs and identified several technical challenges and directions for future research.

“Cefic-LRI aims to contribute to the research by supporting early career scientists with out-of-the-box thinking who can advance the science in this area”, concluded Dr Albert.

Innovative science
The Cefic-LRI Award is intended for a European-based scientist with less than ten years post-doctoral experience. Active involvement in interdisciplinary research, current academic track record, and access to appropriate networks will be considered in the selection. There is no age limit for applicants. Previous award winners are not eligible to apply.

The award is offered by the European Chemical Industry Council (Cefic), in conjunction with the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC), the Association of European Toxicologists and European Societies of Toxicology (EUROTOX), and the International Society of Exposure Sciences (ISES). Application details are available through the Cefic-LRI website.

How does it work?
In January every year, the topic for that year's award is announced with a call for entries on the LRI website. This year, applicants must submit a  two-page proposal by 24 March 2019. Short-listed researchers are then requested to send in a more detailed description of their work, after which the three finalists are selected to present their proposal before a jury panel in Brussels. The LRI Innovative Science Award is officially presented at the LRI Annual Workshop in November, and the Awardee is invited to present the results of the research supported by the Award at the LRI Annual Workshop the following year.

Learn more about the Cefic-LRI Award by watching the video on the 2018 Award Ceremony below.



For more information on the topic and on how to apply, please visit the Cefic-LRI Award 2019 web page, or send an email to the LRI secretariat at Cefic.

New Plastics SIRA shows path to circularity

In response to the European Commission's recent Plastics Strategy, SusChem and its partners have issued a new report outlining a 'Plastics Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda in a Circular Economy'. This report identifies the challenges to plastics circularity and defines the types of solutions needed to address them. Future research is required in three main areas: Circularity by design, recycling and alternative feedstock.

Commenting on the release of the report, SusChem Chairman and Covestro CEO Dr. Markus Steilemann said:

“The Plastics industry is committed to increase the resource efficiency of its production processes and to face the challenge of closing the circularity loop. The new Research and Innovation Agenda gives fresh impetus on the strongest way to drive progress along plastics value chains by means of collaboration.”

Analysis

The analysis from this new report has helped to identify priorities, projects and the level of investment needed to achieve full circularity of plastics. SusChem and its partners – Cefic, PlasticsEurope, European Plastics Converters (EuPC) and the European Composites, Plastics and Polymer Processing Platform (ECP4) – will use this report as their main input to EU innovation policy on the circularity of plastics.

It is hoped that this document will inspire an increase in the number of collaborative projects as well as increasing European and member states support for a full implementation of the solutions proposed.

The document was developed using input from experts involved in the plastics value chain; principally from SusChem, the European Chemical Industry Council (Cefic), the European Composites, Plastics and Polymer Processing Platform (ECP4), the European Plastics Converters (EuPC), and PlasticsEurope.

You can download the full report here.

EU plastics sector

There are around 60 000 companies in the European plastic industry, most of them SMEs, employing over 1.5 million people and generating a turnover close to EUR 350 billion in 2016.

Thanks to their versatility and high resource efficiency, plastics have enabled innovation in many other sectors allowing the development of products and solutions in strategic areas (e.g., higher protection in packaging, insulation in building & construction, lightweight for transportation, societal wellbeing brought by renewable energy and medical devices) that could not exist today without these materials. A full plastics circularity has the potential to contribute to a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, resource efficiency and job creation (European Circular Economy objectives).

Report partners

The European Chemical Industry Council - Cefic is a committed partner to EU policymakers, facilitating dialogue with industry and sharing broad-based expertise. Cefic represents large, medium and small chemical companies across Europe, which directly provide 1.2 million jobs and account for 14.7% of world chemical production. Based in Brussels since its founding in 1972, Cefic interacts on behalf of its members with international and EU institutions, non-governmental organisations, the international media, and other stakeholders.

PlasticsEurope is one of the leading European trade associations with centres in Brussels, Frankfurt, London, Madrid, Milan and Paris. The association networks with European and national plastics associations and has more than 100 member companies that produce over 90% of all polymers across the EU28 member states plus Norway, Switzerland and Turkey. 

European Plastics Converters (EuPC) is the EU-level trade association, based in Brussels, representing more than 50 000 companies in Europe, which produce over 50 million tonnes of plastic products every year. Plastics converters (sometimes called "Processors") are the heart of the plastics industry. They manufacture plastics semi-finished and finished products for an extremely wide range of industrial and consumer markets - the automotive electrical and electronic, packaging, construction and healthcare industries, to name but a few. 

The European Composites, Plastics and Polymer Processing Platform (ECP4) is an industry-driven collaboration that unites 25 members from 13 countries amongst the top-level European research institutions, regional plastic clusters, and EU-level industrial organisations of plastics and composites converters. ECP4 brings innovation partners together to identify opportunities for collaborative research.

November European Innovation Summit celebrates 10 years

The 10th European Innovation Summit (#10EIS) organised by Knowledge4Innovation (K4I) is taking place from 26 – 29 November 2018 in and around the European Parliament in Brussels. The theme this year is ‘Europe – A Global Leader in Science, Technology and Innovation’ and the event programme will address hot topics currently on the policy agenda, developments in sectors crucial for Europe’s competitiveness as well as taking a deep dive into emerging technologies.

Plenary Sessions on Horizon Europe as well as future Cohesion Policy in support of innovation will provide input to the ongoing negotiations among the three European Institutions. A special session will be dedicated to the European elections and how MEPs can play the 'innovation card' during their campaign and help to create a true single market for innovation in the EU.

Hot topics

Horizontal topics to be addressed at #10EIS include Horizon Europe (the next Framework Programme for Research and Innovation), the EU-Cohesion programmes that support innovation policy implementation in all regions, and the forthcoming MFF, the Multiannual Financial Framework post 2020.

Emerging and Breakthrough Technology topics include Artificial Intelligence (AI), Big Data, Blockchain, Quantum Technologies, Next Generation Computing, Internet of Things and 5G mobile, Synthetic Cells and Genome Editing, and Augmented or Virtual Reality.

Many topics will bridge across industries and sectors such as Digital Transformation and Industry 4.0, Climate Change, Clean Energy, Food for all, Healthcare for a better life, Materials and Chemicals for sustainability, Urban Mobility and Carbon free transport, Financial Technology and Financial services, Education: adapting curricula to reality, Smart Cities, Circular Economy, Security and Cyber security, Space technology and much more.

For more information on #10EIS visit the K4I website. Both Cefic and SPIRE are partners of  #10EIS and will be participating in the event.

EUTop50

In parallel with #10EIS the EUTop50 Founders and Tech Festival (#EUTOP50) will be staged on 26-27 November at the Palais des Academies and the European Parliament in Brussels. #EUTOP50 celebrates and supports young talent from all over Europe by bringing together the continent’s leading innovation actors, technology developers, incubators and accelerators, investors, corporate venture organisations, family offices and all those who contribute to the development of a globally competitive entrepreneurial ecosystem in Europe.

Learning from last year’s #EUTOP50 event, and to achieve maximum impact, the 2018 edition has invited not only start-ups and scale-ups but also R&D innovators from Horizon 2020 and national research programmes and university technology developers from across Europe as well Graduate Companies from Universities of Applied Science.

During the event 25 winners will be selected to give pitches during the #EUTOP50 event, participate in the Mentorship Programme of Europe`s Future Innovation Leaders, compete for awards from #EUTOP50 Partners, meet Corporates and Investors, network with future Business Partners and participate at the #10EIS Opening Ceremony and Networking Reception.

For more information on the #EUTOP50 event and competition visit their website. 

RECREATE launches Green Horizons Scoreboard

RECREATE (REsearch network for forward looking activities and assessment of research and innovation prospects in the fields of Climate, Resource Efficiency and raw mATErials) is a FP7 project led by the Joint Institute for Innovation Policy (JIIP) in which Cefic was a partner. RECREATE established and managed a large network of key stakeholders in the fields of Climate Action, Resource Efficiency and Raw Materials. The project has just ended in June 2018.

One of the key elements of the RECREATE project was the development of the RECREATE Green Horizons Scoreboard. The scoreboard gives access to a unique combination of indicators on innovation systems for sustainability, covering EU28 and additional European countries. The scoreboard allows users to make comparative analyses on sustainability innovation across countries, years and innovation systems.

To show potential users the possibilities provided by the Scoreboard, RECREATE has produced an instructional video that takes users through a number of example analyses.

More about RECREATE

The overall objective of RECREATE was to support the development of the European Union’s research funding programme Horizon 2020, with a specific focus on “Societal Challenge 5: Climate Action, Resource Efficiency and Raw Materials”, by providing a concrete evidence base.

To achieve this, RECREATE built on the following specific objectives:

• Assessing the impact of potential break-through innovations in the relevant fields
• Developing scenarios and analysing trends that help to define research and innovation priorities
• Benchmarking Member States' performance in the relevant fields
• Creating and maintaining a broad network of stakeholders that get involved in the above activities
• Transmitting the knowledge produced by the project effectively to policy-makers and other target groups

RECREATE will provide evidence and intelligence concerning the future directions of these research fields. Watch the video below to find out more or go to the RECREATE project website.

Spotlight on Advanced Materials Technologies at #SusChem2018

Join us at the 2018 SusChem Stakeholder Event - #SusChem2018 - your number one destination for innovation policy dialogue and debate this summer. The 2018 Stakeholder event takes place at the Thon Hotel City Centre in Brussels on 20 June 2018 and will give you the opportunity to voice your priorities and help define SusChem’s input into the next EU Framework Funding Programme: Horizon Europe.

This year’s theme is "The Future of Research & Innovation in Europe: Defining Technology Priorities for Sustainable Growth" and will bring together global audiences, senior players from the chemical industry, academia, research technology organisations (RTOs) and EU institutions to address common innovation challenges and debate priorities crucial to the sustainability of the European chemical and biotechnology sectors.

At the event Stakeholder input will be collected through two carefully designed parallel breakout sessions: one on Advanced Materials and the other on Advanced Process Technologies. Input from both sessions will contribute to our future strategic research and innovation agenda beyond 2020.

http://www.suschem.org/events/suschem-stakeholder-event-2018/breakout-sessions-52

Spotlight on Advanced Materials Technologies

Advanced material technologies enable breakthrough application development across a wide range of value chains. Innovative products can improve your quality of life and offer solutions to many societal and environmental challenges and will feature at #2018. Watch our social spotlight video ‘CREATE’ with Anne Chloé Devic from the SusChem Management Team.

Watch out for our other Social Media Spotlights on Advanced Processes (MAKE) and Digital Technologies (LEVERAGE).

All three of these SusChem Key Enabling Technologies (KETs) featured in SusChem’s recent white paper on the potential for KETs in Horizon Europe. The white paper outlined the major technology developments and initiatives needed to ‘create’ advanced materials, ‘develop’ advanced process technologies and ‘leverage’ digital technologies.

Debate at #SusChem2018

All three SusChem KETs will be debated and discussed at #SusChem2018. Our keynote speakers include: Signe Ratso, Deputy Director-General – Directorate Research and Innovation (RTD), EU Commission; Joanna Dupont-Inglis, Director of Industrial Biotechnology at EuropaBio, and SusChem Board Member; Markus Steilemann, Chief Commercial Officer & Member of Management Board, Covestro and Chair of the SusChem Board; and Marco Mensink, Director General of Cefic, the European Chemical Industry Council.

Register today for a chance to define the technology priorities needed to shape Europe’s sustainable future. You can download a full list of speakers here.

Horizon Europe detailed proposal for next EU R&I programme published

On 7 June 2018 the European Commission published the proposed structure of the European Union’s next Framework Research and Innovation Programme: Horizon Europe. The proposal makes it the largest European Union Research and Innovation programme to date with an estimated budget of approximately €100 billion for the period 2021 – 2027.

Horizon Europe is set to be the EU’s biggest ever research and innovation funding programme and is designed for greater impact. 


The proposed budget allocation of €100 billion for 2021-2027 includes €97.6 billion under Horizon Europe (€3.5 billion of which will be allocated under the InvestEU Fund) and €2.4 billion for the Euratom Research and Training Programme. The innovation window of InvestEU will allow the use of loans, guarantees, equity and other market-based instruments to mobilise further public and private investment in research and innovation.

The Commission says, and SusChem agrees, that investing in research and innovation is investing in Europe’s future: helping Europe to compete globally while preserving the region’s unique social model. It improves the daily lives of millions of European and global citizens and helps to solve some of our biggest societal challenges.

Horizon Europe aims to strengthen EU science and technology through increased investment in highly skilled people and cutting-edge research. It will foster the EU’s industrial competitiveness and its innovation performance, notably supporting market-creating innovation via the new European Innovation Council (EIC) and the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT). And it will deliver on the EU’s strategic priorities, such as the Paris Agreement on climate change, and tackle global challenges that affect the quality of our daily lives.

What’s new?
There are several new elements in Horizon Europe. There will be increased support for breakthrough innovation through the EIC funding, mission-orientated research and innovation will deliver more and faster impact from project results and openness will be reinforced – an open science approach will be the norm. The programme will review and shape a new generation of European Partnerships in research and innovation and also look to simplify the rules for participation to reduce the administrative burden.

The structure of Horizon Europe will be based around three ‘pillars’: Open Science, Global Challenges and Industrial Competitiveness and Open Innovation.

The Open Science pillar, with €25.8 billion funding proposed, supports frontier research projects defined and driven by researchers themselves through the European Research Council (ERC) which will receive funding of €16.6 billion, funds fellowships and exchanges for researchers through Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions.

The Global Challenges and Industrial Competitiveness pillar with funding of €52.7 billion directly supports research relating to societal challenges, reinforces technological and industrial capacities, and sets EU-wide missions with ambitious goals tackling some of our biggest problems.

The Open Innovation pillar with €13.5 billion funding aims to make Europe a front runner

in market-creating innovation via the European Innovation Council (€10 billion of funding). It will help develop the overall European innovation landscape, including through further strengthening the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) to foster the integration of business, research, higher education and entrepreneurship (€3 billion).

Sustainable Chemistry ready to respond
The European Chemical Industry Council (Cefic) reacted positively to the Horizon Europe announcement commending the level of ambition and commitment for Research & Innovation in the European Commission’s proposal and applauding the anticipated budget allocation for 2021-2027.

Marco Mensink, Cefic Director General said: “When the EU unravels the next financial framework, the Horizon Europe proposal should remain untouched, or even be increased in size. Sharing innovation efforts is one of the true values of Europe. We call upon member states and European Parliament to reflect this in the final negotiations and decisions.”

Cefic praised the European Commission for clearly recognising the innovative and enabling role of the industry by placing the pillar of the Global Challenges & Industrial Competitiveness at the heart of the Horizon Europe programme. The Commission’s ambition of making Europe an unparalleled global innovation hub is essential for global competitiveness.

The chemical industry also welcomed the Digital technologies and Industry cluster in Horizon Europe. A structural combination with industrial processes, materials development and new business model creation is key for investment and growth of the European chemical industry. SusChem will be well placed to contribute to this area (see below).

SusChem and KETs
Cross-disciplinary and cross-sectoral partnerships through open innovation are essential in the new R&D programme to align the entire innovation ecosystem, including start-ups, and to bring innovation faster to market. This reflects the current approach of the SusChem innovation ecosystem.

In preparation for Horizon Europe, SusChem outlined its position on what can be achieved by Key Enabling Technologies (KETs). In a White paper on KETs and Horizon Europe published earlier this year the technology platform outlined the major technology developments and initiatives needed to:

• create Advanced Materials for use in energy efficiency (e.g., light weight), renewable electricity production and energy storage (e.g., batteries elements), or smart functionalities responding to stimuli (e.g., self-repair),
• develop Advanced Process Technologies, including Industrial Biotechnology, for more sustainable production including through utilisation of alternative carbon feedstock (waste, biomass, CO2) and alternative energy sources, and
• leverage Digital Technologies for use in advanced process control and materials modelling, to enable disruptive business models and to create new customer experiences.

You can read the full paper here.

Innovation in these areas is essential for the EU to grow a low carbon, circular and digital economy and to continue generating jobs and attracting investments and will be at the heart of the Horizon Europe programme in the Digital technologies and Industry cluster and other areas.

Help shape the SusChem contribution in these three areas at our Annual Stakeholder event in Brussels on 20 June and celebrate a fruitful future in Horizon Europe!

The European Commission press release announcing the Horizon Europe structure is available here and a detailed annex giving much more information on the proposal is available here.

Spotlight on Advanced Process Technologies at #SusChem2018

Join us at the 2018 SusChem Stakeholder Event - #SusChem2018 - your number one destination for innovation policy dialogue and debate this summer. The 2018 Stakeholder event takes place at the Thon Hotel City Centre in Brussels on 20 June 2018 and will give you the opportunity to voice your priorities and help define SusChem’s input into the next EU Framework Funding Programme: Horizon Europe.

This year’s theme is "The Future of Research & Innovation in Europe: Defining Technology Priorities for Sustainable Growth" and will bring together global audiences, senior players from the chemical industry, academia, research technology organisations (RTOs) and EU institutions to address common innovation challenges and debate priorities crucial to the sustainability of the European chemical and biotechnology sectors.

At the event Stakeholder input will be collected through two carefully designed parallel breakout sessions: one on Advanced Materials and the other on Advanced Process Technologies. Input from both sessions will contribute to our future strategic research and innovation agenda beyond 2020.

Spotlight on Advanced Process Technologies

Advanced Process Technology developments are crucial to the transition to a more circular, energy efficient, and carbon neutral industry and feature at #SusChem2018. Watch our social spotlight video 'MAKE' on Advanced Processes with Sophie Wilmet from the SusChem Management Team:

Watch out for future Social Spotlights on Advanced Materials (CREATE) and Digital Technologies (LEVERAGE).

All three of these SusChem Key Enabling Technologies (KETs) featured in SusChem’s recent white paper on the potential for KETs in Horizon Europe. The white paper outlined the major technology developments and initiatives needed to ‘create’ advanced materials, ‘develop’ advanced process technologies and ‘leverage’ digital technologies.

SusChem speakers

Our keynote speakers include: Signe Ratso, Deputy Director-General – Directorate Research and Innovation (RTD), EU Commission; Joanna Dupont-Inglis, Director of Industrial Biotechnology at EuropaBio, and SusChem Board Member; Markus Steilemann, Chief Commercial Officer & Member of Management Board, Covestro and Chair of the SusChem Board; and Marco Mensink, Director General of Cefic, the European Chemical Industry Council.

Register today for a chance to define the technology priorities needed to shape Europe’s sustainable future. You can download a full list of speakers here.

KETs 4.0 in Horizon Europe

On 24 April 2018, the Commission’s High Level Group on Industrial Technologies released its Re-finding industry – Defining Innovation report, which makes recommendations on EU research and innovation priorities for industry in the next funding programme (FP9, now named Horizon Europe). A preliminary version of the report was released to coincide with EU Industry Days event in February 2018.

The European Commission appointed the High-level Strategy Group on Industrial Technologies to assess, discuss, and recommend support for research and innovation in the area of Key Enabling Technologies (KETs) – and area of intense interest for SusChem.

The report proposes two new KETs: artificial intelligence, and security and connectivity. The group also advises that, while biotechnology should be broadened to “life sciences”, the EU has to continue to prioritise advanced manufacturing technologies, advanced materials and nanotechnologies, micro-/nano-electronics and photonics.

With the right level of ambition and investment, KETs will contribute to support growth and democracy through stronger citizens’ engagement, and prosperity through more equality and better jobs.

Industry innovation
Pierre Barthelemy, Cefic executive director for innovation said: “Cefic welcomes the recommendations of the HLG to have digitalisation integrated into the KETs, in order to advance processes technologies, materials development and new business model creation.”

In this report, the HLG acknowledges a strong EU economy requires a strong industry. Economic growth should be coupled with manufacturing and service. “If Europe wants to be strong in manufacturing, we will need innovation and a new industry policy that gives high priority to KETs,” concluded Barthelemy.

KETs enable cross-sectorial industrial application and are instrumental in addressing societal challenges. The HLG recommends – in view of the Digital transformation and upcoming Horizon Europe / FP9 Framework programme – the following changes for KETs:

KETs conference

KETs will be discussed at the upcoming conference on “The Role of Key Enabling Technologies for Europe’s Competitiveness” organised by , the Permanent Representation of the Federal Republic of Germany to the European Union, the German chemical industry association (VCI) and the Federation of German Industries (BDI) on Tuesday, 15 May 2018, from 15:30 to 18:30.

The event will take place at the Permanent Representation of the Federal Republic of Germany to the European Union, Rue Jacques de Lalaing 8-14, 1040 Brussels. Prior registration is compulsory for this event.

Commission proposes R&I Budget Boost for Horizon Europe (FP9)

On 2 May 2018 the European Commission published its proposal for the European Union’s next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) covering the period 2021-2027. You can find details of the proposed MFF here.

Despite the potential financial consequences of the departure of the UK from the EU, the Commission has proposed an increase in the budget for Research and Innovation activities to EUR 97.9 billion EUR for the next Research Framework Programme 2021-2027 provisionally named FP9 and now officially entitled ‘Horizon Europe’. Horizon Europe will be the EU’s biggest ever research and innovation funding programme.

The reasoning behind the naming of  'Horizon Europe' is explained by Commissioner Carlos Moedas here.

Funding for research and innovation and for the ERASMUS programme are the only budget lines being increased compared with the current MFF. This proposal will now be subject to extensive discussions within and between the Commission and the European Council and European Parliament.

Chemical Industry positive
The European Chemical Industry Council (Cefic) reacted positively to the proposal, commending the level of ambition and commitment for Research & Innovation in the European Commission’s proposal

Increasing the budget foreseen for Horizon Europe sends a clear message: Europe wants to continue to be one of the leading continents in a global innovation race.

Innovation is essential for the EU to grow a low carbon, circular and digital economy and to continue generating jobs and attracting investments. Cefic will be happy to work with the EU institutions to ensure that funding will be used to further strengthen Key Enabling Technologies (KETs) to develop high value-added products and processes.

Marco Mensink, Cefic Director General said: “This ambitious funding for research and innovation under the MFF is a good start. It shows that the European Commission is serious about making the EU a global innovation hub – a vision that we hope the Council and the European Parliament can only support”.

Sustainable KETs
In preparation for Horizon Europe, SusChem has outlined its position on what can be achieved by Key Enabling Technologies (KETs). In a White paper on KETs and FP9/ Horizon Europe published earlier this year the technology platform outlined the major technology developments and initiatives needed to:

• Create Advanced Materials for use in energy efficiency (e.g., light weight), renewable electricity production and energy storage (e.g., batteries elements), or smart functionalities responding to stimuli (e.g., self-repair),
• Develop Advanced Process Technologies, including Industrial Biotechnology, for more sustainable production including through utilisation of alternative carbon feedstock (waste, biomass, CO2) and alternative energy sources, and
• Leverage Digital Technologies for use in advanced process control and materials modelling, to enable disruptive business models and to create new customer experiences.

You can read the full paper here.

Define Technology Priorities for Sustainable Growth at #suschem2018

Registration is now open for the 2018 SusChem Stakeholder Event, The Future of Research and Innovation in Europe: Defining Technology Priorities for Sustainable Growth, which will be held at the Thon Hotel City Centre in Brussels on 20 June 2018.

In light of the forthcoming European Commission (EC) communication on the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) and the overall structure of the next R&I Framework programme (FP9), this year’s stakeholder event happens at a critical moment in the EU’s policy cycle. This presents a significant opportunity for SusChem  stakeholders to voice their reactions and expectations to the Commission on the strategy and direction of the key policies that have direct implications for the priorities of chemical sector.

The exciting programme for the 2018 SusChem Stakeholder event will give participants opportunities to voice their priorities and help shape SusChem’s input into FP9 and our next Strategic Innovation and Research Agenda (SIRA).

Event highlights include:

• Two parallel breakout sessions on priorities for Advanced Materials and advanced process technologies  (download details)
• A lively high-level panel debate to discuss first insights on the upcoming Framework Funding Programme (FP9) and how it can accelerate breakthrough innovation in Europe, and
• The impact of innovation around Europe presented by SusChem National Technology Platforms

Register today!
You can access the draft agenda for the 2018 SusChem Stakeholder event here and you can register for the event from the event page on the SusChem website.

See you in Brussels on 20 June! Spread the word using #suschem2018

Are you Mission-orientated?

The new report ‘Mission-orientated Research & Innovation in the European Union – A problem-solving approach to fuel innovation-led growth’ is the result of an invitation from Carlos Moedas, Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation, to Professor Mariana Mazzucato of University College London to draw up strategic recommendations to maximise the impact of the future EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation through mission-oriented policy. The Commission is calling for feedback on the report, including suggestions for possible EU research and innovation missions. The chemical industry has already described three potential FP9 missions.

The report, which was published on 23 February, is the result of Professor Mazzucato’s reflections based on her research, with inputs through a consultation process with internal and external stakeholders of the European Commission. It seeks to find a way to direct innovation to solve the pressing global challenges of our time and bring together the triple objectives of smart innovation-led growth, inclusion and sustainability.

On receiving the report Commissioner Moedas said: "Mariana Mazzucato provides the Commission with a valuable vision at a crucial point in the drafting of the next EU research and innovation programme. Her report provides clear insight in how research and innovation missions can create impact with societal relevance and how to design and implement such missions. I believe this will be another important step in the evolution of how we invest in research and innovation at the European level.”

Mission opportunity
Missions could provide a massive opportunity to increase the impact of European research and innovation, grasp the public imagination and make real progress on complex challenges. The report is designed to assist policy makers in designing and implementing the European missions of the future, as well as nurture a new belief amongst EU citizens about what real collaboration across Europe can achieve.

On the launch of the report Professor Mazzucato said: "Innovation has both a rate and a direction. Missions provide a way to harness and direct the power of research and innovation, not only to stimulate economic activity and growth, but also to find innovative solutions to the most pressing challenges of our time. I hope that my input will be a valuable resource, so Europe can take a bold and visionary step forward.”

The report introduces the concept of missions in research and innovation, some criteria for mission selection, how missions could be implemented, their ability to engage with the public and describes three example missions: ‘100 Carbon Neutral Cities by 2030’, ‘A Plastic-Free Ocean’, and ‘Decreasing the Burden of Dementia’.

Five key criteria
The report recommends five key criteria for the selection of missions at EU level. Missions must:

• Be bold and inspirational, with wide societal relevance
• Be ambitious, but with realistic research & innovation actions
• Foster cross-disciplinary, cross-sectoral and cross-actor innovation
• Set a clear direction: targeted, measureable and time-bound
• Require multiple, bottom-up solutions

In the report’s conclusions, Professor Mazzucato highlights Europe’s major strengths, not least among them our research and innovation system, and stresses the opportunity that the forthcoming FP9 programme offers the prospect to turn the societal challenges that we currently face into opportunities for change, for new forms of interactions, and for revived innovation-led growth.

For her, the key insight of the report is that missions are both a means of setting economic growth in the direction of where we want to be as a society and a vehicle we can use to get there.

Chemical missions
Building up on its positive experience in Horizon 2020 and its position as a front-runner in research and innovation, the European chemical industry has already put forward three ideas for missions to be included in FP9.

• Low Carbon Industries to lead the societal transformation to a carbon neutral economy by reducing carbon footprints (negative impact factors) and increasing carbon handprints (positive impact factors),
• Materials Up & Recycling that promotes a change of mind-set for industry and consumers, enhance eco-design, re-use and recycle leading to the elimination of waste in the long run,
• Affordable and abundant low carbon energy for all providing a structural change towards use of renewable energy sources requiring breakthrough innovation in terms of technology, materials and business models to resolve variability and to match supply and demand.

Mission feedback sought
The Commission is calling on the public and research and innovation stakeholders for feedback on the report, including suggestions for possible EU research and innovation missions. The call for feedback can be accessed here.

EU Industry and RTOs declare Competitiveness as key priority for FP9

In a joint declaration issued today (21 February 2018) key European industrial research and innovation stakeholders, including CEFIC, call on the European Commission, the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union to develop the next EU Research & Innovation Framework Programme (FP9) with an appropriate design and budget that meets the ambitions of the Renewed EU Industrial Policy Strategy.

This second joint declaration by the 25 stakeholders highlights the crucial role of Research, Development and Innovation (RD&I) activities to support and boost industrial leadership that is at the heart of the renewed European Industrial Policy Strategy.

Europe’s future competitiveness and the sustainability of the European social model largely depend on RD&I with two-thirds of economic growth in Europe deriving from RD&I activities and RD&I investments are the key drivers of the technological developments that deliver many impactful innovations for society. However, RD&I intensity is much lower in Europe than in other countries like the US, China, Japan or South Korea. Reaching the EU’s objective of 3% GDP expenditure on R&D will require strong additional spending states the declaration.

Previous declaration
In a previous joint declaration, the stakeholders had called on FP9 to prioritise support to industrial competitiveness from the start to fulfil European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker’s wish to “make our industry stronger and more competitive” and “help our industries stay or become the world leader in innovation” as stated in his Annual State of the Union speech in September 2017.

This requires an ambitious strategy, taking full advantage of current research successes, understanding emerging risks and opportunities, considering the wider international industrial landscape, and focusing on European added value.

Competitiveness boost
The stakeholders believe that to boost competitiveness by increasing our productivity, the EU needs to anticipate developments in other global regions in key technology areas that form the basis of our society’s future products and services. Accordingly, FP9 design should reflect such priorities and aim to:

• Maximise the impact of the EU funded RD&I for society, building on Horizon 2020’s efforts.
• Strengthen European Industries’ capacities to further absorb and scale up novel technologies matured into new products and services and apply them in addressing global challenges. 
• Strengthen Europe’s capabilities to keep on top of the “innovation race” with third countries to safeguard Europe’s economic growth and employment. 
• Support European cross-border industry-driven collaborative RD&I in particular the role of public-private partnerships (cPPPs and JTIs) in leveraging private sector investments.

You can read the full declaration here.

PHOENIX: A European Integrated Approach to CO2 Valorisation

Join the launch event of the PHEONIX initiative during the EU Industry Days on 22 February at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Brussels. The PHOENIX initiative aims to facilitate the development and deployment of CO2 valorisation technologies at both European and national level. Interested? Register now! Registration will close on 8 February 2018.

Carbon is an essential part of a wide range of products we depend on, including our food, chemicals and materials, and which we currently derive mostly from fossil fuel sources. To ensure more sustainable production in and from Europe, we must consider alternative carbon sources, such as carbon dioxide (CO2).

“CO2 is abundant and available in the form of industrial point sources all over Europe. Recycling carbon from CO2 for a more sustainable production of chemicals, materials, fuels and biomass needs to be part of our European strategy towards radically reduced carbon emissions in a more circular economy,” says Sophie Wilmet, Innovation Counsellor at Cefic.

CO2 valorisation can be beneficial for multiple sectors including, chemicals, transport, cement and renewable electricity. It can also contribute to Europe’s industrial leadership in clean technologies, stimulate growth and pave the way to a low carbon economy.

You can read more about chemical valorisation of CO2 in Europe here.

Launching PHOENIX
The PHOENIX initiative will be officially launched on the afternoon of 22 February during the EU Industry Days event in Brussels organised by the European Commission.

During the event, the PHOENIX initiative will be introduced to all interested stakeholders from the private and public sectors in an interactive session. This will include an exchange on the value of an integrated European approach on CO2 valorisation to transform technology developments into real benefits for Europe. In addition, there will be short presentations from industry to showcase the variety of CO2 valorisation projects already ongoing in Europe including mineralization, CO2 to chemicals, CO2 valorisation for renewable energy storage etc.

“The impact of CO2 valorisation in Europe will depend on having ensured support for breakthrough technology development, willingness to share risk and an appropriate sustainability-based policy framework,” concludes Sophie.

Four Members States - France, Germany, The Netherlands and Spain - that have jointly started the PHOENIX initiative in close collaboration with Cefic are inviting other Member States to join and engage their stakeholders.

This interactive stakeholder workshop will be held on 22 February 2018 from 14.30 to 16.00 in Brussels during the EU Industry days Event.

Registration and more information
Registration for the event is open until 8 February. You can register now here and you can obtain more information on the EU Industry Days event here.

EU Industry Day will update stakeholders on the Commission's strategic approach to industrial policy and actions to further develop industrial competitiveness in Europe.

It will also be a forum where stakeholders contributing to European industrial competitiveness can showcase their activities, learn from each other, discuss cross-cutting issues and develop joint visions for the future.

Attendees will come from a variety of industrial sectors, finance, research and innovation, government and public administration.

The main event in Brussels, Belgium on 22-23 of February will be a high-level conference with many key experts and a number of stakeholder workshops including the PHEONIX initiative.

Can the EU Chemical Industry go Carbon Neutral by 2050?

The chemical industry’s ambition is to play a leading role in the transformation of the European economy to a sustainable low-carbon and circular economy by creating innovative climate and energy friendly solutions, both for its own processes and for many other industries through chemical products. A new report 'Low carbon energy and feedstock for the European chemical industry' from SusChem founding partners Dechema and released via the European Chemical Industry Council (Cefic) explores how the chemical industry can become carbon neutral by 2050. 

The Dechema study analyses the technological options available for the chemical industry and outlines the conditions necessary to facilitate the transition of the European chemical industry to carbon neutrality.

As well as giving a first full overview of all available technologies for the main chemical production processes, it describes what is needed to refurbish the industrial base we know today in Europe, in a world of shale gas and low oil prices:

• Abundant low-carbon electricity in much larger volumes and at competitive prices;
• Availability of alternative feedstocks (e.g. bio-based raw materials, CO2 or industrial waste gases).
• An enabling fiscal structure to modernise ageing production facilities and equipment or build new plants;
• Government or public-private support to scale-up technologies and share investment risk for those technologies that are first of a kind or high risk
• Innovation and research into new chemical technologies that help overcome these challenges.
• Enabling business models to enhance cross-sectoral collaboration to find sustainable ways to re-use CO2

Role for SusChem and SPIRE

The report concludes that, in order to achieve the EU’s 2050 objectives, an ambitious research and innovation programme will be essential to improve the potential of required advanced technologies, and public-private-partnership efforts will be critical to enable fast deployment and risk sharing for the investments needed. 

In addition, industrial symbiosis opportunities and sustainable materials recycling options should be further explored in order to improve energy and resource efficiency beyond sectorial boundaries. 

Clearly these areas where SusChem and SPIRE are currently working hard to advance sustainable chemistry and sustainable process industry technologies.

Energy intensive

The chemical industry has already halved its energy intensity and greenhouse gas emissions since 1990, but producing chemicals remains one of the most energy intensive industrial processes. Making the sector carbon neutral while retaining its competitiveness in a full circular economy in Europe is a significant challenge, which cannot be solved by the industry on its own.

In an interview with Politico Energy Marco Mensink, Cefic Director General, said that the fact that the industry is looking at how to cut carbon emissions shows that it’s embracing the need for change, “I think we have always taken the position that we are very energy-intensive and that there are huge challenges to become energy neutral,” he said. “But this is a different stance.” Why? Because the attitude of the sector is changing, because the Paris climate agreement has become a reality, and because time is ticking, he added.

The main findings of the report are that the implementation of the technologies investigated in the study would allow for a very significant reduction of CO2 emissions in 2050 (up to 210 Mt annually under the maximum scenario). And including the production and use of fuels related to the pathways considered in the study, the additional CO2 abatement potential in 2050 exceeds the chemical sector’s current emissions even under the intermediate scenario.

Commenting on the report, Marco Mensink said: “Many promising low-carbon technologies are available at a relatively advanced stage of development. The industry will need to find the way to overcome the investment, raw material and energy challenges for them to be implemented on a large scale in Europe.” 

Kurt Wagemann, Executive Director of DECHEMA added: “The implementation of the technologies investigated in this study would allow for a very significant reduction of CO2 emissions of the chemical industry by 2050 even under the least ambitious scenario.”

However, such a transition to carbon neutrality will entail huge challenges for the European chemical industry including availability of low carbon energy, availability of alternative feedstock, investments in new assets that far exceed the typical level of investments in the recent years, uncompetitive production costs. 

The report

The report Low carbon energy and feedstock for the European chemical industry looks into technology options and pathway scenarios to ensure a low-carbon, yet competitive European chemical industry by 2050. The study focuses on the main chemical building blocks used in upstream large volume production processes (ammonia, methanol, ethylene, propylene, chlorine and the aromatics benzene, toluene and xylene), which represent about two-thirds of all GHG emissions in the chemical sector.

European Sustainable Chemicals Support Service Final conference

The European Commission and the European Chemical Regions Network (ECRN) invite you to the final conference of the European Sustainable Chemicals Support Service entitled: 'Boosting regional investments in sustainable chemicals' that is taking place on 14 September in Brussels. The Sustainable Chemicals Support Service initiative was organised by a consortium of Cefic, PNO and CIRCE.

The event aims to present the results of the European Sustainable Chemicals Support Service initiative 'Six Model demonstrator regions for sustainable chemical production', that was funded by the European Commission. It will feature success stories and best practices from the six regions, selected by the European Commission as 'model demonstrator regions' in Europe for a sustainable chemical industry.

The regions are:

• Andalusia (Spain)
• Groningen-Drenthe (The Netherlands)
• Kosice (Slovakia)
• Scotland (United Kingdom)
• South and Eastern Ireland
• Wallonia (Belgium)

The Conference will also present the publicly available self-assessment tool, developed by the initiative, which aims to support all European regions to assess their investment readiness level to produce chemicals in a sustainable manner.

This event is free of charge and will be held in English.

You can get more details and register here.

Sustainable chemicals

The aim of the European Sustainable Chemicals Support Service initiative was to encourage investments in sustainable chemicals production in Europe that will contribute to the development of the circular economy, for example by taking advantage of domestically available feedstock such as biomass, waste or CO2.

Cefic and SusChem have been very supportive of collaboration within and between chemical regions based on concepts such as Industrial Symbiosis. This was demonstrated by Cefic-SusChem participation in the Chemical Regions for Resource Efficiency (R4R) FP7 project and expressed in the 2015 SusChem position paper on Circular Economy.

#suschem2017 in Pictures

The 2017 SusChem Stakeholder event #suschem2017 was  a day full of discussion and debate on the impact of SusChem inspired projects and a look forward to the scope and content of the next European Commission framework programme for research and innovation. SusChem stakeholders also got to experience the new SusChem branding and make their FP9 wish. Here are a selection of images from this highly interactive day.

Thanks to everyone who made #suschem2017 such a success!

Announcing the 2017 European Responsible Care Awards

The European Responsible Care Awards 2017 organised by Cefic are now open for entries. The Responsible Care Programme has been at the heart of the Chemical Industry for many years.  And each year, the Responsible Care Awards enable chemical companies to demonstrate their commitment to this unique initiative. But be quick - the final date for applications to be submitted is 10 May 2017.

The European Responsible Care Awards provide Cefic member companies the opportunity to share effective and innovative projects for cooperation up and down the product chain, energy efficiency and combating climate change initiatives, health, safety and environmental excellence that demonstrate the business value of Responsible Care and its ability to enable engagement with stakeholders.

Cefic is looking forward to your entries and for 2017 is particularly encouraging SMEs to participate. Take part in the competition and get your work done in front of the people that matter! The Awards will be presented at a ceremony during the Cefic Chemical Convention in Vienna that takes place on 27 October 2017.

What does it involve?
Do you believe your organisation deserves increased visibility for its commitment and accomplishments in applying the Responsible Care principles? Are you keen to present your efforts and achievements that are actively contributing to the Responsible Care objectives? Do you consider your project outstanding?

The 2017 European Responsible Care Awards, managed by Cefic, are looking for examples in one of the three categories (listed below) that embrace the Responsible Care ethic.

1. Chemical substances safety
Projects that demonstrate their excellence in addressing health and safety issues related to products in the way they are developed, manufactured, distributed, used and disposed of in a responsible manner. This category recognises value chain projects that help companies set up and improve their chemicals management procedures. It also recognises projects related to the Product Stewardship initiative which, in line with chemicals regulations, addresses management of risks and improvement of the performance of products in the fields of health and safety during its entire life cycle.

2. Occupational health, process safety and security
Projects that either

• demonstrate their excellence in occupational health, by the means of improved or sustained health programme performance and a healthy workforce and workplace, which includes but is not limited to management commitment, employee engagement and evidence of a culture of proactive health risk management and well-being support initiatives, or 
• demonstrate their outstanding and exemplary record in implementing effective process safety management systems from process design to continued operation and routine maintenance, best practises and improvements for chemical prevention, preparedness and response to reduce major process hazards and risks for on-site operations, or 
• demonstrate their outstanding performance in management practises to protect people, property, products, processes, information and information systems by enhancing security, including security against potential terrorist attacks of industrial sites.

3. Environment Responsibility
Projects that either

• demonstrate excellence in environmental processes and products over their life cycles so as to avoid harm to people and the environment by reducing their pollutant emissions to air, water and soil and to limit environmental hazards related to their operations through the development of innovative technology. Also using resources efficiently and minimising waste, or implementing solutions for a circular economy, or
• demonstrate their outstanding performance in energy efficiency, renewable or low-carbon energy along the supply chain. This area gathers projects that relate to the SPiCE3 initiative, that effectively contribute to, or favour, a smart, sustainable and inclusive growth and have a proven impact across the whole economy. This category also addresses the efficient management of energy to improve practises and technologies in heat and power generation, the review of the steam flow in processes and its optimisation, and the use of electricity.

Judging criteria
Entries will be assessed by a panel of independent judges, including representatives from EU institutions, other industries, trade associations and the media. Judging of all entries will take place in June 2017. The jury will select one winner in the each of the three categories.

Winning projects should have elements of originality, innovative features and best practise sharing within the chemical industry and with customer industries.

For more information about the 2017 Responsible Care Award, including guidelines for applications and information on past winners, please visit the Responsible Care Award pages on the Cefic website, or contact Katleen Raes at Cefic.