For the "EU Green Week", organised by the European Commission from 3 to 11 June, the French Institute of Circular Economy (INEC) invites you to its webinar: "How to support the skills development of the circular construction sector? The case of the LIFE WASTE2BUILD project", taking place on 5 June from 11:00 to 12:00 (in english).

The LIFE WASTE2BUILD project of Toulouse Métropole aims to optimise resources and recover waste from the construction sector. One of its 4 pillars is the support of upskilling, necessary for the circular economy implementation in this sector. 

More information and registration at this link.

The region Västra Götaland invites you to a seminar on the topic Circularity and innovation in West Sweden, under the umbrella of the Swedish presidency's priority Green and energy transition. The seminar will discuss the challenges regarding circularity and innovation that must be addressed and mobilised at both EU and regional level. The seminar has two different parts: Design for circularity and Transition towards circularity – need for new infrastructure and business models. 

The seminar will take place on 14 June from 14:30-17:00 at BIP, Rue Royal 2/4, Brussels.

Please register for the event here

Programme

14.30 Registration and coffee

15.00 - 15.15 Welcoming and introduction

• Helén Eliasson, President of the Regional Executive Committee, Region Västra Götaland
• Johan Sandberg, Counsellor Working Party on Competitiveness and Growth, Swedish Permanent Representation

15.15 - 16.15 Designing for circularity

• Madeleine Jonsson, Member of the Regional Executive Committee, Region Västra Götaland
• William Neale, Advisor for Circular Economy, DG ENV, EC
• Björn Brovik, Environmental Director, Volvo Group 
• Anna Lidström, Researcher Faculty of Textiles, Engineering and Business, University of Borås, Project Manager Textile Movement – Circular Design

16.15 - 16.55 Transition towards circularity – need for new infrastructure and business models

• Mauro Scalia, Director Sustainable Businesses, EURATEX
• Cecilia Tall, Programme Manager RE:Source, RISE

16.55 - 17:00 Conclusions

• Moderator Ulrika Bokeberg, Coordinator Circular Business Models, Region Västra Götaland

Innovation Skåne, together with Gdansk University of Technology and Lithuanian Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry are looking for more partners for an upcoming project focusing on support for SME’s/Startups within Foodtech. There will be a workshop for this project proposal held in Malmö on 7 June.

Food production is changing at a rapid pace. Both what we consume and how it is produced are changing. Most of the innovation comes from SME’s or startups. The future project will focus on supporting these companies, with technical support as well as business guidance and access to cooperation networks. 

Partners sought: Public Authority or University / Research Centres

Country of partners sought: Germany, Poland, Denmark, Sweden, Lithuania.

Read more about the project proposal in the attached invitation to the workshop where this project will be explored. This workshop will be held on 7 June in Malmö.

Please sign up to the workshop using this link.

For any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Emelie Olsson, Innovation manager at Innovation Skåne at emelie.olsson@innovationskane.com

On 23 May 2023, an Info Day is organised to present the next Digital Europe Programme (DIGITAL) funding opportunity for Smart and Sustainable Cities and Communities, for the topic Developing CitiVerse.

You can find more information on this call in the document here.

During this meeting, there will be the opportunity to network and present your ideas for a proposal. In the process of registration, you can mention your interest in presenting your idea/statement/intention for a proposal in the networking session. Please note that you will then be asked to prepare one slide with your idea and consortium.

Please register for this event here.

An indicative agenda is presented below.

10:00 - Introduction (purpose, the context)

10:15 – Topic presentation

10:45 -- Questions from the audience and answers

11:00 - Online networking – presentation of potential ideas for a proposal

12:00 - Final messages

The RECIPROCITY project, in which ERRIN is a partner, is organising a webinar on the hydrogen role in the mobility sector.

Hydrogen is becoming more and more important when tackling climate change. But why is hydrogen in mobility so important? What infrastructure is needed? How can hydrogen solutions work in public transportation and logistics? What are the challenges faced when implementing such a solution and how to overcome them?

ERRIN members - regions and their regional R&I stakeholders - will find this event relevant as it explores how hydrogen plays an important role in reducing emissions from mobility and fighting climate change at the local and regional levels.

By discussing topics such as the necessary infrastructure, implementation challenges, and solutions for public transportation and logistics, this workshop contributes to the RECIPROCITY Policy paper on hydrogen applications in the mobility sector

Register for the event here!

AGENDA

14:00 Introduction

Information about RECIPROCITY | Doris Straub, Business Upper Austria

14:10 Hydrogen in Mobility

• Importance of Hydrogen in Mobility | Manuela Prieler, WIVA P&G
• Hydrogen Infrastructure | Graeme Brown, Aberdeen City Council
• Hydrogen Busses | Benedict Utech, Wiener Linien & Richter Michael, HyCentA
• Hydrogen Trucks | Wolfgang Madl, MPreis
• Discussion

15:55 Next steps

Next steps | Doris Straub, Business Upper Austria
 

RECIPROCITY project aims at transforming European cities into climate-resilient and connected, multimodal nodes for smart and clean mobility through an innovative four-stage replication approach.

Mobility is changing. Urbanisation, climate change and digitalisation challenge how people and goods move from point A to point B. To cope with these ever-increasing challenges and meet European and global climate targets, urban and peri-urban areas need to become climate-resilient and connected, multimodal nodes for smart and clean mobility.

RECIPROCITY has at least 20 cities across Europe, of varying size and mobility demand, with the necessary tools, knowledge, contacts and methods to accelerate the replication of existing innovative mobility solutions.

Please consider subscribing to our Newsletter, Twitter and LinkedIn.

The network of Horizon Europe National Contact Points (NCPs) for Cluster 5 ‘Climate, Energy and Mobility’ – GREENET will organise online training for stakeholders from all types of organisations (universities, research organisations, local authorities, enterprises, SMEs, etc.)  planning to submit a project application on a topic of the call opened on 4 May 2023:

• Cross-sectoral solutions for the climate transition
• Sustainable, secure and competitive energy supply
• Efficient, sustainable and inclusive energy use
• Safe, resilient transport and smart mobility services for passengers and goods

 The working language of the event is English.

PROGRAMME:

• Introduction and overview of the outcome of the closed calls – Mari Habicht, NCP for energy and mobility, Estonian Research Council
• Funding opportunities in the field of energy - Miriam de Angelis, coordinator, APRE, Italy
• Funding opportunities in the field of Safe, Resilient Transport and Smart Mobility for passengers and goods - Louise Mothersole, NCP for Mobility, Innovate UK

More information can be found here.

Registration:

Registration for participation is open until 29 May 2023. To access to the event, please fill in the online registration form here. 

A Teams link will be sent after registration. 

The Covenant of Companies, a new project from European Commission’s Directorate-General for Energy, has launched a brand-new pledging scheme where companies, in making a pledge with our programme, commit to taking action to decarbonise.

In return, they offer companies the knowledge and support they need to carry out these measures including a suite of advisory services to help prepare for a net zero future. The guidance aids companies in defining and then implementing emissions reduction goals that are manageable, attainable and aligned with their level of ambition.

This is a hands-on assistance programme starts with agreeing on the scope of support that participants need and ranges from energy audit assistance, assessing technologies appropriate to their needs, investment support – including connecting participants to funding and financing mechanisms – to the identification of the measures needed to reach their targets. All these services are completely free of charge and  will be available for a maximum of 75 entities. The technical assistance will be offered in the following languages: Dutch, English, French and German, and to a limited extent in Bulgarian, Lithuanian, Romanian and Spanish.

The second call for technical assistance is now open and the deadline for submission is 31 August 2023 18:00 CEST. Please see here for the application form.

There will be a webinar in English on 23 May at 10:00 AM CEST to explain how the pledging scheme and offered technical assistance work in practice. Please see here to register.

The CCAM and the ZEWT European Partnerships have launched two open consultations to update their Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA).  

The consultations are an opportunity for ERRIN members (regions and their regional stakeholders) to contribute and provide valuable input towards the development of connected, cooperative, and automated mobility solutions, as well as a carbon-neutral and zero-pollution waterborne transport system in Europe. 

Please note that ERRIN is also seeking input from its members on their potential interest and willingness to participate in the CCAM Partnership. For this reason, we have created a short survey that seeks to gather this information and determine if ERRIN’s involvement is desired. This will also identify members who may wish to play an active role in supporting the Secretariat in these activities.  

The Zero Emission Waterborne Transport European Partnership (ZEWT) 

The Zero Emission Waterborne Transport European Partnership (ZEWT) is currently seeking input through an open consultation to update its Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA) until 2 June 2023.  

ZEWT aims to accelerate the deployment of zero-emission solutions for waterborne transport and support the transition to a carbon-neutral and zero-pollution waterborne transport system in Europe. As political and regulatory attention continues to be directed towards waterborne transport, the objectives of the ZWET Partnership remain highly relevant. The first bi-annual update of the SRIA has been initiated, and all interested stakeholders are invited to contribute to this open consultation.  

This consultation aims to collect input on the RD&I needs in the scope of the ZEWT Partnership and reflect the new socio-economic, policy, and regulatory situation.  

Further information can be found here.  

The Connected, Cooperative, and Automated Mobility Partnership (CCAM) 

The Connected, Cooperative, and Automated Mobility (CCAM) Partnership is conducting an open consultation until 31 May 2023 to update its SRIA.  

The SRIA needs to be revised halfway through the Horizon Europe Work Programme to determine what has already been accomplished, where the challenges are and how they can be overcome, and what the necessary solutions are to realise the Partnership’s three-year strategic vision.  

All stakeholders with an interest in CCAM technologies are welcome to contribute to the update to ensure that all factors are considered and nothing is missed. The CCAM Partnership members were asked for their feedback as a first step, with the draft document available for download on the CCAM website. Stakeholders can now send their comments and annotations by 31 May 2023.  

The final draft of the SRIA will be released in July. 

More information on how to contribute can be found here.  

EuroNanoForum 2023 - Nanotechnology and advanced materials for a Sustainable Europe is taking place on 12-13 June 2023 in Lund, Sweden. Sessions will span from materials for green energy, future chips and semiconductors, to graphene and 2D materials, as well as infrastructures, manufacturing, and more. EuroNanoForum 2023 is a chance to interact with important leaders from the industry, the European Commission, and academia, as well as European interest groups and initiatives.

Sessions are on hot topics such as:

• materials for fossil-free energy production
• energy storage and energy efficiency
• the advanced materials initiative AMI2030
• graphene and 2D materials
• new materials for future chips
• how “safe and sustainable” can be included from the start.

Who should attend? “Everyone who has an interest in materials science from public and private research, from lab to fab, from start-up to established, from young to old, from policy to advocacy. And this goes beyond technology – it includes social sciences and humanities and design thinking,” says Peter Dröll, the European Commission’s Director for Prosperity, Directorate-General for Research and Innovation.

For more information and registration visit the website: euronanoforum2023.eu

The first Regional Innovation Valleys (RIV) calls for proposals under the European Innovation Ecosystems (EIE) part of Horizon Europe and under the Interregional Innovation Investments (I3) Instrument of the European Regional and Development Fund (ERDF) were launched today by the European Commission with an overall budget of EUR 122 million. The EIE RIV call was originally expected to open in January 2024 but later advanced to today. The closing date for the first RIV calls is 17 October 2023.

The coordinated RIV calls are linked to the New European Innovation Agenda flagship 3 focusing on strengthening European innovation ecosystems and addressing the innovation divide. The common aim is to create connected regional innovation valleys across the EU, involving regions with lower innovation performances, by building on strategic areas of regional strength and specialisation (defined in their smart specialisation strategies), in support of key EU priorities (such as reducing the reliance on fossil fuels, increasing global food security, mastering the digital transformation including cybersecurity, improving healthcare and achieving circularity). Successful applicant regions under the RIV calls can be recognised as “regional innovation valleys”.

While the RIV calls share the same overall objective, they differ in the proposed paths to achieve it, as well as in eligibility criteria.

The EIE RIV call emphasises ecosystem thinking with a primary focus on the regional aspects of innovation, targeting national and/or regional innovation authorities. It aims to support strategically oriented long-term programmes of activities (action plans) to enable authorities in charge of public national, regional, or local innovation policies and programmes, with the participation of the private sector and research and innovation actors, to implement joint activities towards innovation development and deployment, aimed at tackling challenges at EU, national, regional, and local level.

The call is organised as a Co-fund Action, with an overall indicative budget of EUR 60 million and funding rate at 50% of the eligible costs. Six projects are expected to be funded with EU contribution of EUR 8-12 million each. The applicants are encouraged to consider a project duration of 3-5 years. This action requires the participation, as beneficiaries, of at least 5 national or regional authorities, from at least 5 different Member States or Associated Countries, of which at least 2 are representing a 'moderate' or 'emerging' innovator region and at least 1 is representing a 'strong' or 'innovation leader' innovator region according to the Regional Innovation Scoreboard.

Find the EIE RIV call in the Funding & Tenders Portal here (HORIZON-EIE-2023-CONNECT-03-01).

ERRIN has been closely following the EIE RIV call and facilitating consortium building. Read more here.

The I3 RIV calls are more business-oriented, concentrating on financial and advisory support for investments in interregional innovation projects in shared and complementary smart specialisation areas along European value chains, including in less developed regions. The development of the business and investment cases is facilitated by the regional innovation ecosystems with companies in the lead. The goal is to mobilise tangible and intangible investments in companies, in particular small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

Two I3 RIV calls are opened under Strand 1 “Financial and advisory support for investments in interregional innovation projects” and Strand 2a “Financial and advisory support to the development of value chains in less developed regions”. The available budget for project grants is EUR 31 million for each Strand, and project budgets (maximum grant amount) are expected to range between EUR 2-10 million each. The project duration is expected between 18-36 months. Proposals must be submitted by a consortium including as beneficiaries different independent legal entities established in different regions in different eligible countries, involving less developed regions according to Art 108 of the Common Provisions Regulation (EU) 2021/1060 (specific numbers vary by Strand).

Find the I3 RIV calls in the Funding & Tenders Portal here (Strand 1: I3-2023-INV1) and here (Strand 2a: I3-2023-INV2a).

Applicants are encouraged to actively engage with the wider community including innovation ecosystems and (future) Regional Innovation Valleys, e.g. in the framework of the Commission’s S3 Community of Practice, where ERRIN is part of the Secretariat, and relevant Thematic Smart Specialisation Partnerships. Regional Innovation Valleys initiative is also supported e.g. by the Partnerships for Regional Innovation (see upcoming event on 30-31 May here).

RIV calls for proposals online info session is planned on 25 May from 9:30-12:00 CEST. Learn more here.