Start using the Funding & Tender Portal for Horizon2020

In case you missed it, the European Commission has recently launched a new corporate Funding & Tender Opportunities Portal. The new Funding & Tenders Portal will become the entry point (the Single Electronic Data Interchange Area) for participants and experts in funding programmes and tenders managed by the European Commission and other EU bodies including Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe.

The new corporate Funding & Tender Opportunities Portal replaces the previous Participant Portal for Horizon 2020 and will become the single entry point for finding and managing EU grants and procurement contracts. It will cover all centrally managed programmes by the start of the next EU multi-annual programme period in 2021.

The new portal includes all functions currently available on the Participant Portal, as well as a new layout and graphic design, and an improved keyword search function with new features and search behaviour. The new portal reflects its multi-programme coverage and integrates the calls for tenders.

What is on the portal?
Using the new portal, you can:

• Search and apply for funding opportunities in calls for proposals
• Search a call for tender and submit a tender 
• Manage your grants
• Register as an expert, manage contracts and payments online.

Start using it now!

Cefic - LRI 2017 programme call closes 31 August!

The Long-range Research Initiative (LRI) programme of the European Chemical Industry Council (Cefic) is now accepting grant applications, but you will need to be quick as the deadline for applications is 31 August 2017.

The Long-range Research Initiative (LRI) programme is a major voluntary initiative of the European chemical industry to support the long-term sustainability of its sector and European society. The programme funds work to identify the hazards posed by chemicals and improve the methods available for assessing the associated risks.

The LRI sponsors high-quality research of a standard publishable in a reputable peer-reviewed journal, and seeks to provide sound scientific advice on which industry and regulatory bodies can draw-on to respond quickly and accurately to the public’s concerns.

2017 call
The 2017 call covers research in the following areas:

• Bioaccumulation potential determination (ECO41)
• Fate-ecotoxicity testing and risk assessment (ECO42)
• Sediment toxicity testing refinement (ECO43)
• Toxicokinetics mammalian modelling (ECO44)
• Implementing an ecosystem services-based approach to chemical risk assessment: A proof of concept study (ECO45)
• Improvement of the environmental hazard and risk assessment of cationic polymers (ECO46)
• Assessment of inhalation and dermal exposure in industrial/professional use (B20)Interpretation of ‘omics (molecular-level interactions data):
• Development of omics data analysis (C4)
• Understanding normal adaptation vs pathology and gene expression time dependence (C5)
• Biological omics read-across (C6)

Further information on project specifications, budget details and application forms can be found on the Cefic-LRI website at:

Only proposals that fit the project specifications and are submitted via the official LRI application form will be considered for funding. For further details, please contact Dr. Bruno Hubesch, LRI Programme Consultant, or the LRI Secretariat via email.

The deadline for receipt of completed applications is 31 August 2017.

A mini-guide to the Cefic-LRI funding and application process can be downloaded here and results from a selection of completed Cefic-LRI projects can be found here.

About Cefic-LRI
The Cefic-LRI programme is all about a responsible approach to assessing the long-term impacts of chemicals.

Public awareness of the potential impact of human activity and man-made substances on the environment and on health is something the chemical industry has long taken seriously. As early as 1996, the need to address societal concerns and help public understanding of the long-term impacts led to the establishment of the Long-range Research Initiative (LRI) programme in the US. Cefic-LRI manages the LRI programme in Europe.

The LRI’s aim is to respond to public and stakeholder concerns through rigorous scientific investigation. In the last 17 years it has become a unique source of knowledge and tools, providing a validated infrastructure of scientific advice available to both the industry and regulatory bodies. In this way, the LRI helps to provide timely and accurate information in response to the public’s questions and concerns.

To help address some of European public health strategy priorities, LRI conducts peer-reviewed transparent research to:
-Improve risk assessment of chemicals and monitor the effects of chemicals on health;
-Understand the environmental factors in human health;
-Establish endocrine disruption references;
-Coordinate research, data and activities at a European level.

LRI also addresses many of the environmental objectives of the EU, including:
-Linking environmental factors to health effects;
-Understanding and reducing chemical risks to environment;
-Improving animal testing in risk assessment.

Horizon Prize for #useCO2 and more

The European Commission has recently announced three new topics for its novel Horizon Prizes including one for ‘CO2 reuse’ - an area of great interest to SusChem that features in the SusChem Strategic Innovation and Research Agenda (SIRA). All the three new Horizon Prizes aim to encourage innovation and find solutions to challenges in the area of energy.

The Commission’s Horizon Prizes are 'challenge' prizes that offer a cash reward to whoever can most effectively meet a defined challenge. Their aim is to stimulate innovation and come up with solutions to problems that matter to European citizens.

Worth a total of €3.25 million and funded under the Horizon 2020 programme, in addition to developing products that help cut emissions by reusing carbon dioxide (CO2) the prizes will reward innovative approaches to integrating solar energy into historical buildings, and using renewable energy in hospitals.

Launching the three new prizes Carlos Moedas, Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation, said: "Protecting our rich cultural heritage and providing state-of-the-art hospitals need not be at odds with our goal for a sustainable, affordable and low-carbon energy future. These prizes will help mobilise the talent needed to find new ways to deploy existing technologies to achieve these goals, and the innovative reuse of CO2 will help to tackle climate change, one of the major societal challenges worldwide."

The chemical activation and use of CO2 has been a topic of great interest to SusChem for many years and SusChem closely follows progress in CO2 utilisation and regularly tweets on developments using the #useCO2 hashtag. For example Covestro recently announced the opening of its DREAM useCO2 facility and we have covered EU-funded projects, such as SCOT and BIO-TIC, which look to make use of waste CO2. The SCOT project recently held its end of project meeting.

The topic also features in the SusChem Strategic Innovation and Research Agenda (SIRA).

Prize details
The €1.5 million Horizon Prize CO2 reuse will be awarded to the developer of an innovative product that reuses carbon dioxide (CO2), making a genuine contribution to achieving net emissions reductions.

The €1 million Horizon Prize Low carbon hospital will contribute to finding solutions for using 100% renewable energy sources for heat and power generation in hospital buildings. The award will go to an innovative solution integrating several technologies into one energy system, which can guarantee uninterrupted energy supply.

The €750 000 Horizon Prize Photovoltaics meets history addresses the technical constraints in integrating photovoltaic energy sources in historical urban districts. The prize will be awarded to the most suitable architectural and aesthetical design for a photovoltaic energy system which at the same time presents an optimal technical solution.

Contestants can apply until 26 September 2018 for the Photovoltaics meets history contest and until 3 April 2019 for the two others. Applicants have total freedom in the approach they take to deliver the breakthrough solution. The rules of the contests are available on the Horizon Prizes website.

What are Horizon Prizes?
First a technological or societal challenge, for which no solution has been found, is defined and an award is promised for the delivered breakthrough solution. The criteria for the specific award outlines what the solution must be capable of proving, however the means to reach the solution are not prescribed, leaving entrants total freedom to come up with the most promising and effective solution.

You can find out more about the Horizon Prize process in the video below.



Horizon Prizes are not like the Nobel Prize or the Sakharov Prize that celebrate outstanding achievements performed in the past. Challenge prizes like the Horizon Prizes and the US X-Prizes support and accelerate change in the world and can be an important driver for innovation.

In March 2014, the European Commission announced the winner of its first ever challenge prize to encourage inventors to overcome one of the biggest barriers to using vaccines in developing countries: the need to keep them stable at any ambient temperature. The €2 million prize was awarded to German biopharmaceutical company CureVac GmbH for progress towards a novel technology to bring life-saving vaccines to people across the planet in safe and affordable ways.

'Seal' identifies project proposals which merit funding from alternative sources

TODAY – 13 October 2015 the European Commission has launched a new initiative called "Seal of Excellence". This new scheme will allow regions to recognise the quality label awarded to promising project proposals submitted under Horizon 2020 and promote their access to different funding sources like the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) and other national or regional investment programmes. By introducing this new label, the European Commission wants to improve the synergies between EU funding for regional policy and for research.

The initiative was launched today by Commissioners Corina Creţu, responsible for Regional Policy and Carlos Moedas, responsible for Research, Science and Innovation, at the OPEN DAYS - Week of European Regions and Cities.

Commissioner Corina Creţu said: "For 2014-2020, €100 billion worth of investments from the European Regional Development Fund will foster research and innovation, including over €32 billion earmarked to support SMEs, start-ups and entrepreneurs, the main drivers of innovation in Europe. The Seal of Excellence will help identify and support innovative projects and help them grow and compete internationally."

Commissioner Carlos Moedas said: "EU regions are already a major investor in quality research and innovation in Europe. Through the Seal of Excellence they can benefit from the world class Horizon 2020 evaluation system to easily identify the best projects in their regions to support with their  funds".

The "Seal of Excellence" quality label will be awarded to promising projects submitted under Horizon 2020 which could not secure funding due to budgetary constraints but received high assessment scores in the demanding and independent evaluation process. In its pilot phase, the "Seal of Excellence" will first be given to proposals by small and medium enterprises (SMEs) submitted under the SME instrument of Horizon 2020. The action could then be extended to cover more areas of Horizon 2020.

How does the 'Seal of Excellence' work in practice?

The Horizon 2020 'SME instrument' has been selected for the introduction of the 'Seal of Excellence' because of the relevance to regional and national funders, as the project proposals are mostly led by a single SME and address small scale R&I actions close to the market with a clear territorial impact.

The action concerns, for this initial ‘pilot’ phase, only proposals applying for the SME instrument and in particular all those SME instrument proposals evaluated above the quality threshold (13 or more out of 15 in Phase 1, or 12 or more out of 15 in Phase 2) but not receiving Horizon 2020 funding. Later on it could be extended to cover more areas of Horizon 2020. A holder of the certificate can then approach alternative funding sources (regional, national, private or public) and presents the certificate as a label of a high-quality project proposal.

What should the SMEs expect?

While the Commission certifies with the seal the quality of the proposals according to Horizon 2020 criteria, it may not always be the case that, at local level, the SME will find funding schemes ready to provide the required support and, where they have been established, funding will not be automatic simply based on the recognition of the seal.

Further information on funding opportunities can be obtained at the local/national level either directly with the Managing Authorities or through Europe Enterprise Network and National Contact Point network.

Interested in implementing the 'Seal' approach?

In order to allow for exchanges of know-how, the European Commission has established a 'Community of Practice' exploring the best ways to implement funding schemes in support of high-quality projects with the 'Seal of Excellence' through ESIF or other sources. The 'Community of Practice' is reserved for National or Regional authorities that have a funding power for Research and Innovation actions. It is also open to other Funding Agencies for Innovating SMEs (including private banks and investors).

National or Regional authorities that can provide funding for Research and Innovation, interested in being part of the Europe-wide 'Community of Practice', can send an Expression of Interest by e-mail.

Background

Horizon 2020, the EU's research and innovation funding programme between 2014 – 2020, offers nearly €80 billion in investments for research and innovation projects to support Europe’s economic

competitiveness. At least 20%, or nearly €9 billion from the programme's 'leadership in industrial technologies' and 'societal challenge' pillars, is expected to benefit SMEs directly in the form of grants, including via the "SME Instrument".

Since 2013, the new rules governing investments under the European Structural and Investment Funds call for a more strategic and synergetic use of different EU funds for a greater impact on growth and jobs. With a budget of €450 billion for the 2014–2020 period, the European Structural and Investment Funds invest in key growth-generating areas such as innovation, support to SMEs, training and education, social inclusion and the low-carbon economy.

The OPEN DAYS – the European Week of Regions and Cities are co-hosted by the European Commission and the Committee of the Regions. From 12 to 14 October 2015, 6,000 representatives

from Europe's regions and cities are gathering in Brussels for the 13th annual OPEN DAYS to exchange their views on how to fully exploit the potential of Cohesion Policy in terms of growth and job creation.

More information: Go to http://ec.europa.eu/research/regions/index.cfm or download the flyer: http://ec.europa.eu/research/regions/pdf/seal_of_excellence_flyer_2015.pdf .

Download the Seal of Excellence Fact Sheet.

#SusChem10: SIRA, ICT and Combined Funding

The main topic of the 2014 SusChem Stakeholder event in Brussels on June 11 and 12 was the new SusChem Strategic Innovation and Research Agenda (SIRA). The underlying structure of the document is designed to match key societal challenges under Horizon 2020 with SIRA priorities and SusChem's enabling technologies. The SIRA covers some new topics and, with new combined funding possibilities envisaged by the Commission, will cover potential projects further along the research and innovation chain.

Parallel breakout sessions over the two days of the SusChem event explored priorities and issues in all the SIRA topics including two new areas: ‘Health and well-being’ and ‘Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)’. Brief descriptions of the current main SIRA priority areas are given at the end of this article.

ICT and process control
The ICT topic was the subject of a particularly useful discussion on June 12. ICT is essential for advanced process control in industry and will become even more important in the future as an enabler for improvements in resource and energy efficiency. It is therefore important that the sustainable chemistry community can articulate its needs, knowledge gaps and challenges to guide research and development in this area.

Topics discussed at the stakeholder event included:

• Fundamental and data-driven modelling (molecular, processes and equipment, applications)
• Material, product and process design
• Process engineering techniques
• Process and equipment monitoring and maintenance techniques
• Data handling and data analysis techniques
• Process control, including hardware and software

“ICT already plays a critical role in developing and maintaining chemical products and processes,” explains Pádraig Naughton, Innovation manager at Cefic. “However, in many cases the application of ICT is still conducted in a discrete way throughout the various development and production steps. Huge potential exists to apply ICT technologies across the complete development chain, in a closed loop, leading to an integrated, more efficient and more profitable approach.”

As new process technologies are developed, new ICT technologies will need to be developed and applied. For example, trends towards modular, flexible processing will require an innovative ICT approach to control and monitor variable systems. In addition, with the advent and growth of renewable feedstocks and energy, new challenges arise in the field of ICT to ensure sustainable development.

The session certainly stimulated discussion between industry, academia and the European Commission and a number of priority topics were outlined which will drive developments in this field for the chemical industry at European level. It was concluded that there is a clear window of opportunity for chemical process issues to be addressed in forthcoming Horizon 2020 calls coordinated by DG CONNECT.

Guide to combine funding
The second day of the event also looked at new opportunities for innovation through combined funding within the EU. Presentations described the new innovation investment eco-system in the EU focusing on funding instruments under Horizon 2020 and the opportunities for synergies with structural funds for investment projects that could provide funding instruments that can cover all stages of the innovation chain with optimal use of resources.

A new guide on the practicalities of combining funding described at the Stakeholder event has just been published by the European Commission.

The guide entitled ‘Enabling synergies between European Structural application: and Investment Funds, Horizon 2020 and other research, innovation and competitiveness-related Union programmes’ describes the synergies now available between ESIF (European Structural and Investment Funds) and Horizon 2020 and other EU programmes for innovation and competitiveness.

The 125 page guide contains explanations on the basic rules and principles for obtaining synergies and combining the different funds, and contains recommendations for relevant actors. It is accompanied by descriptions of the various programmes (Annex 1) and guidance via a set of scenarios designed to “inspire programme designers and implementers” with respect to the potential to combine schemes (Annex 2).

The European Investment Bank (EIB) also described its new toolbox of instruments for investment in innovation (InnovFin) that was launched during the SusChem event.

SusChem already has experience of combining funding sources as Thomas Goergen from Bayer Technology Services explained at the event. In the our flagship F3 Factory project the project itself was co-funded via the European Commission FP7 framework research programme while the construction of its backbone infrastructure facility (INVITE) was partially funded by German regional government funds and remains a valuable asset for future collaborative research and innovation projects.

SIRA Outlined
SusChem has just published a new video interview with SusChem coordinator Jacques Komornicki. In the video (below) Jacques describes some of the thinking behind the new SIRA programme and the future direction of SusChem activities.



The SIRA is structured around seven sections:

• ‘Climate action, environment, resource efficiency and raw materials’ tackling priority areas in raw materials and feedstocks; water conservation, recycling and reuse; waste reduction and recovery; climate action through energy efficiency in the chemical industry; and the chemical plant of the future.
• ‘A sustainable and inclusive bioeconomy’ looking at sustainable agriculture and forestry; and the establishment of sustainable and competitive bio-based industries.
• ‘Secure, clean and efficient energy’ dealing with energy efficiency in the chemical industry; products for energy efficiency; competitive low carbon energy production; and enhanced energy storage technologies.
• ‘Health, demographics and well-being’ focusing on personalised diagnosis using imaging; responsive materials for prosthetic devices; and formulation technologies.
• ‘Smart, green and integrated transport’ covering green vehicles; materials for reduced energy consumption; materials and systems for sustainable design; and the achievement of a more sustainable internal combustion engine.
• ‘ICT and the chemical industry: smart processes and smart materials’ exploring the connections between the Information Communication Technologies (ICT) domain and sustainable chemistry that, on the one hand, could boost the overall performance of all the process sectors and, on the other hand, provide new technologies and materials for ICT exploitation.
• ‘Horizontal issues’ covering four important areas: building skills capacity in Europe; developing a robust definition of sustainable chemistry; accelerating societal uptake of innovation; and developing new innovative business models.

An executive summary of the SIRA can be downloaded here.

For more information on SusChem activities and the new SusChem SIRA contact Jacques Komornicki, SusChem Coordinator at Cefic.

Brokerage breaks records, sets standards

The SusChem Brokerage 2011 event today (September 14) saw a record number of registrations as delegates presented their research ideas and started to build the basis for consortia to bid for the latest SusChem relevant FP7 calls. In addition to this invaluable networking, delegates learnt about the importance of incorporating standardisation issues into their project proposals – a vital element for market entry.

The opening plenary session at the Hotel Silken Berlaymont in Brussels was literally standing room only as Ger Spork, SusChem coordinator at Cefic (below left) and Ron Weerdmeester of PNO Consultants (below) described SusChem objectives for the day and took participants through the programme.


Following a presentation on integrating standards into project proposals from Ségolène Martin of CEN-CENELEC (see more below) a dozen prospective project proposals were presented in rapid-fire succession before lunch.

After lunch Ron Weerdmeester demonstrated the SusChem brokerage database – an online tool open to all SusChem stakeholder on request – that promises to be a valuable addition to project formulation and consortium building. This was followed by a series of presentations outlining expressions of interest or available expertise from a variety of research organisations.

Before the final wrap up session an hour of ‘speed dating’ and pre-consortium meetings was facilitating with 80 one-to-one meetings arranged prior to the day and many more set up on the day. A poster session was available through out the day.

“The day was a great success,” commented Ron Weerdmeester of PNO. “With so much interest we knew that a ‘military-style’ operation was needed and it all went very well. We look forward to a seeing some great ‘SusChem inspired’ FP7 projects emerging from today’s work.”

Standardisation – a vital market issue
The CEN-CENELEC Management Centre in Brussels was established in 2010 and coordinates the activities of the two EU-funded standards bodies: CEN (the European Committee for Standardisation) and CENELEC (the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardisation). Both bodies coordinate the relevant National Standards authorities from 31 European countries.

Ségolène Martin (right) from the Management Centre described the importance of including work on standards into project proposals. Many FP7 calls explicitly include a reference to work on standardisation as a key deliverable, but all research projects should consider including work packages in this area.

Early consideration of standardisation issues can yield benefits including:

• Faster and easier access to market
• Enhanced economic value of the research
• Easier access to public procurement market
• Possible licensing revenue
• Interoperability
• Codifying the ‘state of the art’
• Reassurance to consumers and customers

Standardisation issues can be included at all steps of project development to implementation. Standardisation work packages are often placed within the dissemination element of project strategies.

A CEN-CENELEC Research Helpdesk has been established to provide support to the research and innovation community on standards issues. The Helpdesk has a dedicated website and also can also be contacted directly by email.

Major funding boost for Horizon 2020 welcome

Proposals for the European Union’s Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) 2014-2020 published this week include a significant boost in funding for research and innovation activities. The Horizon 2020 Framework Programme could be worth €80.2 billion if the European Commission submission gets through negotiations with other European Institutions intact.

This level of funding represents a 46% increase for Horizon 2020 compared to the budget for FP7 which is worth some € 56 billion for 2007 to 2013. In addition Horizon 2020 will be complemented by significant support from the EC Structural Funds.

Commenting on the budget proposals Ger Spork, SusChem coordinator at Cefic said: “SusChem and its stakeholders support the closer integration of research, development and innovation activities proposed for the new Horizon2020 programme. The boost to funding for the programme suggested in the draft EU budget for 2014-2020 is vital to ensure smart inclusive growth and maintain competitiveness.”

In a statement announcing the budget proposal, the Commission confirmed that the increase is meant to boost Europe’s economy and demonstrates continuing commitment to research, science and innovation.

"This is an anti-crisis budget, a pro-jobs budget and a budget for tackling our biggest challenges—things like climate change, energy and food security, health and our ageing population,” said Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, European Commissioner for Research and Innovation. “It's a pro-growth budget and more growth means less austerity for less long.”

What is new for Research?
The Horizon 2020 programme will cover three existing research and innovation instruments: FP7, the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme and the European Institute for Innovation and Technology. It will be closely linked to key sectoral policy priorities such as health, food security and the bio-economy, energy and climate change.

On the financing side, innovative financial instruments will help leveraging private investments. Public Private Partnerships, as well as Public to Public Partnerships, will be promoted. Funding schemes will be standardised and simplified. Likewise, there will be one single set of rules for participation, audit, support structures, dissemination of results and reimbursement schemes, across all funding schemes.

Budget negotiations
The budget proposal will now be passed on to the European Parliament and the European Council, which will have to approve or amend it. Negotiations between the Commission, Parliament will continue through 2012.

The MFF translates into financial terms the EU's political priorities for at least 5 years. It sets annual maximum amounts (ceilings) for EU expenditure as a whole and for the main categories of expenditure (headings). By specifying the spending limits for each category of expenditure, the MFF imposes budgetary discipline and ensures that the Union's expenditure develops in an orderly manner within the limits of its own resources and in line with Union's policy objectives. In addition, this system ensures a predictable inflow of resources for the Union's long-term priorities and gives greater certainty to beneficiaries of EU funds.