Próximas Calls

FETHPC-02-2019 - Extreme scale computing technologies, methods and algorithms for key applications and support to the HPC ecosystem

Specific Challenge: To develop world-class extreme scale, power-efficient and highly resilient High Performance Computing and data technologies, and to provide support for a sustainable exascale HPC ecosystem in Europe, enabling collaborations among the relevant stakeholders.

Scope: A. Research and Innovation Actions

Proposals should address the development of extreme scale computing technologies, methods and algorithms through a strong co-design approach driven by ambitious extreme computing and data applications and in close cooperation with the scientific disciplines and stakeholders concerned.
The designs of the technology should respond to critical demands of performance, energy efficiency, scale, resilience, programmability, dynamic workflows etc. Proposals should describe clear metrics and targets when addressing these demands, quantify progress with respect to the state-of-the-art, and address the research challenges with a holistic view and their impact on the whole computational process including data movement and storage.
Proposals should clearly articulate how research will have a significant impact in enabling ambitious extreme-scale scientific and engineering applications.

Where relevant, proposals should also provide a path towards long-term standardisation of the technologies (e.g. system software architecture, programming models, APIs, etc).

Proposals should clearly identify and address at least one of the following areas:
a.    System software and management, addressing adaptive and dynamic scheduling; heterogeneity of system components; efficient data access, transfers and communication, novel execution models for emerging HPC and High Performance Data Analytics (HPDA) usages, etc.
b.    Programming environments, reducing programming complexity and increasing scalability through advancements throughout the programming model and system software stack, and addressing code maintainability and functional portability across existing and future architectures and systems. Interoperability throughout the programming environment should be addressed.
c.    I/O and storage environment for data-centric extreme scale computing addressing overall system performance predictability, feature-rich and flexible data access and storage system API’s, backup and retrieval of extreme volumes of data and systems operation in virtualised operating environment.
d.    Data-intensive supercomputing and emerging HPC use modes addressing efficient implementation of established Big Data software frameworks and workloads on extreme-scale HPC systems, including the integration of Big Data and HPC programming models; algorithmic research addressing Machine Learning on HPC systems; interactive use of HPC resources for real time data analysis.
e.    Mathematical methods and algorithms for extreme scalability of computing and data with impact in system energy reduction and resilience, and addressing the usability and the efficient implementation on different HPC architectures. Work should link to HPC and extreme scale data architectures and technologies as well as to relevant applications (e.g. challenges identified by the European Centres of Excellence on HPC).

The Commission considers that proposals for Research and Innovation Actions requesting a contribution from the EU of between EUR 5 and 10 million and a duration of 3 years would allow this area to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts and duration.

Note that special Grant Conditions will apply for projects granted under this topic. Please see under Call Conditions.

B.    Coordination and Support Action

To boost a sustainable European HPC ecosystem by providing activities to structure the community, to promote collaborations and synergies among Horizon 2020 HPC projects, Centres of Excellence on HPC (CoEs), Extreme scale Demonstrators (EsD), to create links with Big Data related activities, and to follow up and cooperate with other relevant international HPC activities. A specific focus will be given to the convergence of HPC and HPDA (High Performance Data Analytics). Activities should also address the following:

• coordinate the European HPC strategy, and monitor and measure its implementation,
• produce roadmaps for HPC technology and applications, covering also the post-exascale, and evaluate them through impact monitoring
• promote the European strategy and the results of the European HPC ecosystem (including at international level), engage with HPC users and foster industry take-up
• build and maintain relations with other relevant international HPC activities
• support the generation of young talent.

This coordination and support action should be driven by the relevant actors in the HPC field. It is expected that only one proposal will be selected.

The Commission considers that proposals for Coordination and Support Actions requesting a contribution from the EU of up to EUR 4 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected Impact: A. Research and Innovation Actions

• Contribution to the realisation of the ETP4HPC Strategic Research Agenda
• Addressing important segments of the broader and/or emerging HPC markets, especially extreme-computing, emerging use modes and extreme-data HPC systems, and addressing where relevant the path to industrialisation of results
• Strengthening competitiveness and leadership of European industry & science, in particular of European technology supply
• European excellence in mathematics and algorithms for extreme scale HPC systems and applications working with extreme scale data
• Impact on key scientific or industrial applications with relevance to societal challenges

B.    Coordination and Support Action

• strengthening the European research and industrial leadership in the supply, operation and use of HPC and HPDA systems
• contribution to the realisation of the ETP4HPC Strategic Research Agenda
• structuring the efforts of stakeholders for implementing the European HPC strategy
• reinforced cooperation in international endeavours on HPC

Type of Action: Coordination and support action, Research and Innovation action

FETOPEN-03-2018 - FET ERA-NET Cofund

Specific Challenge: to advance the construction of the European Research Area in the FET domain by sharing a common vision of the various relevant efforts in Europe and fostering cooperation towards the coordinated development of radically new future technologies.

Scope: Proposals should coordinate and pool the necessary financial resources from the participating national (or regional) research programmes in the FET domain by implementing a joint transnational call for proposals resulting in grants to third parties with EU co-funding, possibly followed by further transnational calls for proposals without EU co-funding. The action may also organise additional joint activities in the FET domain between the participating funding agencies. Two activities are mandatory:

1. Identifying future and emerging technologies where transnational cooperation and community structuration is needed, in complementarity and synergy with FET;
2. Developing strategic agendas for these topics and accompanying the structuration of the related communities through workshops and transversal activities.

The partnership is expected to aim at being pan-European and as inclusive as possible.

Expected Impact: Closer coordination and greater mobilisation and pooling of resources between regional, national and EU research programmes in the FET domain.

Type of Action: ERA-NET Cofund

MSCA-ITN-2019 - Innovative Training Networks

Objective:

The Innovative Training Networks (ITN) aim to train a new generation of creative, entrepreneurial and innovative early-stage researchers, able to face current and future challenges and to convert knowledge and ideas into products and services for economic and social benefit.

ITN will raise excellence and structure research and doctoral training, extending the traditional academic research training setting, incorporating the elements of Open Science and equipping researchers with the right combination of research-related and transferable competences. It will provide enhanced career perspectives in both the academic and non-academic sectors through international, interdisciplinary and intersectoral mobility combined with an innovation-oriented mind-set.

Scope:

ITN supports competitively selected joint research training and/or doctoral programmes, implemented by partnerships of universities, research institutions, research infrastructures, businesses, SMEs, and other socio-economic actors from different countries across Europe and beyond.

Partnerships take the form of collaborative European Training Networks (ETN), European Industrial Doctorates (EID) or European Joint Doctorates (EJD).

Each programme should have a clearly identified supervisory board co-ordinating network-wide training and establishing active and continuous communication and exchange of best practice among the partners to maximise the benefits of the partnership.

The programme should exploit complementary competences of the participating organisations, and enable sharing of knowledge, networking activities, the organisation of workshops and conferences.

Training responds to well identified needs in defined research areas, with appropriate references to inter- and multidisciplinary fields and follows the EU Principles for Innovative Doctoral Training. It should be primarily focused on scientific and technological knowledge through research on individual, personalised projects.

In order to increase the employability of the researchers, the research training should be complemented by the meaningful exposure of each researcher to the non-academic sector.

Secondments of the researcher to other beneficiaries and partner organisations are encouraged.

Substantial training modules, including digital ones, addressing key transferable skills common to all fields and fostering the culture of Open Science, innovation and entrepreneurship will be supported.

In order to reflect on the changing nature of research, training should prepare early-stage researchers for an increased research collaboration and information-sharing made possible by new technologies (e.g. collaborative tools, open access, raw data, etc.).

A Career Development Plan should be established jointly by the supervisor(s) and the early-stage researcher recruited by the selected network. In addition to research objectives, this plan comprises the researcher's training and career needs, including planning for publications and participation in conferences.

Attention is paid to the quality of supervision and mentoring arrangements as well as career guidance. Joint supervision of the researchers is mandatory for EJD and for EID, and encouraged in ETN. In EID, the joint supervision of the researcher must be ensured by at least one supervisor from the academic sector and one supervisor from the non-academic sector. These arrangements will be taken into account during the evaluation of the proposal.

In EID and EJD, fellowships offered to early-stage researchers should lead to a doctoral degree. EJD result in joint[[Joint degree – a single diploma issued by at least two higher education institutions offering an integrated programme and recognised officially in the countries where the degree-awarding institutions are located.]], double or multiple doctoral degrees[[Double or multiple degree - two or more national diplomas issued by two or more higher education institutions and recognised officially in the countries where the degree-awarding institutions are located.]] awarded by institutions from at least two different countries.

In EID and EJD, enrolment in a doctoral programme and the creation of a joint governance structure - with joint admission (EJD only), selection, supervision, monitoring and assessment procedures - is mandatory. These arrangements will be taken into account during the evaluation of the proposal.

Expected Impact:

At researcher level:

• Increased set of skills, both research-related and transferable ones, leading to improved employability and career prospects both in and outside academia (leading in the longer-term to more successful careers)
• Increase, in the longer-term, in higher impact R&I output, more knowledge and ideas converted into products and services
• Greater contribution, in the longer term, to the knowledge-based economy and society

At organisation level:

• Enhanced cooperation and better transfer of knowledge between sectors and disciplines
• Improvement in the quality of training programmes
• Creation of new networks and enhanced quality of existing ones
• Boosting R&I capacity among participating organisations
• Increased internationalisation of participating organisations

At system level:

• Increase in international, interdisciplinary and intersectoral mobility of researchers in Europe
• More structured and innovative doctoral training, enhanced implementation of the European Charter and Code and the EU Principles for Innovative Doctoral Training
• Stronger links between the European Research Area (ERA) and the European Higher Education Area (EHEA), notably through supporting the knowledge triangle between research, innovation and education
• Improvement in the working and employment conditions for doctoral candidates in Europe
• Increased societal and economic relevance of European higher education
• Strengthening Europe's human capital base in R&I with a new generation of more entrepreneurial and highly-skilled early career researchers
• Increase in Europe's attractiveness as a leading research destination, accompanied by a rise in the numbers of talented researchers retained and attracted from abroad
• Better quality research and innovation contributing to Europe's competitiveness and growth

MSCA-RISE-2019 - Research and Innovation Staff Exchange

Objective:

The RISE scheme will promote international and inter-sector collaboration through research and innovation staff exchanges, and sharing of knowledge and ideas from research to market (and vice-versa).

The scheme fosters a shared culture of research and innovation that welcomes and rewards creativity and entrepreneurship and helps to turn creative ideas into innovative products, services or processes.

Scope:

RISE involves organisations from the academic and non-academic sectors (in particular SMEs), based in Europe (EU Member States and Associated Countries) and outside Europe (third countries).

Support is provided for the development of partnerships in the form of a joint research and innovation project. This is aimed at knowledge sharing via international as well as intersectoral mobility, based on secondments of research and innovation staff (exchanges) with an in-built return mechanism.

The organisations constituting the partnership contribute directly to the implementation of a joint research and innovation project by seconding and/or hosting eligible staff members. Secondments shall always take place between legal entities independent from each other[[Independence in the meaning of Article 8 of the Horizon 2020 Rules for Participation.]].

RISE should exploit complementary competences of the participating organisations, as well as other synergies, and enable networking activities, organisation of workshops and conferences to facilitate sharing of knowledge, new skills acquisition and career development for research and innovation staff members.

RISE projects can focus either on one dimension of mobility (intersectoral / international), or include a combination of both.

Exchanges can be for both early-stage and experienced researchers' levels and can also include administrative, managerial and technical staff directly involved in the research and innovation activities of the proposal.

Support for the exchanges between institutions within Europe (EU Member States and Associated Countries) covers only intersectoral secondments.

Exchanges with institutions from and to third countries can be intersectoral as well as within the same sector.

Secondments between institutions located in third countries or within the same EU Member State or Associated Country will not be supported.

Expected Impact:

At staff member level:

• Increased set of skills, both research-related and transferable ones, leading to improved employability and career prospects both in and outside academia
• Increase in higher impact R&I output, more knowledge and ideas converted into products and services
• Greater contribution to the knowledge-based economy and society

At organisation level:

• Enhanced cooperation and transfer of knowledge between sectors and disciplines
• Strengthening of international and intersectoral collaborative networks
• Boosting of R&I capacity among participating organisations

At system level:

• Increase in international, interdisciplinary and intersectoral mobility of researchers in Europe
• Strengthening of Europe's human capital base in R&I
• Increase in Europe's attractiveness as a leading destination for R&I
• Better quality R&I contributing to Europe's competitiveness and growth

MSCA-IF-2019 - Individual Fellowships

Objective:

The goal of Individual Fellowships is to enhance the creative and innovative potential of experienced researchers, wishing to diversify their individual competence in terms of skill acquisition through advanced training, international and intersectoral mobility.

Individual Fellowships provide opportunities to acquire and transfer new knowledge and to work on research and innovation in a European context (EU Member States and Associated Countries) or outside Europe. The scheme particularly supports the return and reintegration of researchers from outside Europe who have previously worked here. It also develops or helps to restart the careers of individual researchers that show great potential, considering their experience.

Scope:

Support is foreseen for individual, trans-national fellowships awarded to the best or most promising researchers of any nationality, for employment in EU Member States or Associated Countries. It is based on an application made jointly by the researcher and the beneficiary in the academic or non-academic sectors.

Only one proposal per individual researcher will be evaluated.

Fellowships take form of European Fellowships or Global Fellowships. European Fellowships are held in EU Member States or Associated Countries and are open to researchers either coming to Europe from any country in the world or moving within Europe. The researcher must comply with the rules of mobility in the country where the European Fellowship is held.

Return and reintegration of researchers into a longer term research position in Europe, including in their country of origin, is supported via a separate multi-disciplinary reintegration panel of the European Fellowships. For the reintegration panel, there shall be mobility into Europe.

Support to individuals to resume research in Europe after a career break, e.g. after parental leave, is ensured via a separate multi-disciplinary career restart panel of the European Fellowships. To qualify for the career restart panel, researchers must not have been active in research for at least 12 months immediately prior to the deadline for submission.

Researchers seeking to work on research and innovation projects in an organisation from the non-academic sector will be supported via a separate multi-disciplinary society and enterprise panel of the European Fellowships. The objective of this panel is to facilitate career moves between the academic and non-academic sectors and to open attractive career opportunities for researchers outside academia.

Global Fellowships are based on a secondment to a third country and a mandatory 12 month return period to a European host. The researcher must comply with the rules of mobility in the country where the Global Fellowship secondment takes place, not for the country of the return phase.

Researchers receiving an Individual Fellowship may opt to include a secondment phase in Europe, notably in the non-academic sector, within the overall duration of their fellowship. For a fellowship of 18 months or less, the secondment phase may last up to three months. For a fellowship of more than 18 months, the secondment phase may last up to six months. The secondment phase can be a single period or be divided into shorter mobility periods. The secondment should significantly add to the impact of the fellowship.

A Career Development Plan should be established jointly by the supervisor(s) and the researcher. In addition to research or innovation objectives, this plan comprises the researcher's training and career needs, including training on transferable skills, planning for publications and participation in conferences.

Expected Impact:

At researcher level:

• Increased set of skills, both research-related and transferable ones, leading to improved employability and career prospects both in and outside academia
• Increase in higher impact R&I output, more knowledge and ideas converted into products and services
• Greater contribution to the knowledge-based economy and society

At organisation level:

• Enhanced cooperation and stronger networks
• Better transfer of knowledge between sectors and disciplines
• Boosting of R&I capacity among participating organisations

At system level:

• Increase in international, interdisciplinary and intersectoral mobility of researchers in Europe
• Strengthening of Europe's human capital base in R&I with more entrepreneurial and better trained researchers
• Better communication of R&I results to society
• Increase in Europe's attractiveness as a leading destination for R&I
• Better quality research and innovation contributing to Europe's competitiveness and growth

MSCA-COFUND-2019 - Co-funding of regional, national and international programmes

Objective:

The COFUND scheme aims to stimulate regional, national or international programmes to foster excellence in researchers' training, mobility and career development, spreading the best practices of Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions.

This will be achieved by co-funding new or existing regional, national, and international programmes to open up to, and provide for, international, intersectoral and interdisciplinary research training, as well as transnational and cross-sectoral mobility of researchers at all stages of their career.

Scope:

Each proposal funded under the COFUND scheme shall have a sole beneficiary that will be responsible for the availability of the necessary matching funds to execute the proposal.

Applicants submit multi-annual proposals for new or existing doctoral programmes or fellowship programmes which are expected to have an impact on enhancing research- and innovation related human resources on regional, national or international level.

Researchers supported under this scheme shall comply with the mobility rules of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions.

Limitations regarding the researchers' origin and destination should be avoided. Support cannot be awarded to researchers who are already permanently employed by the organisation hosting them.

Proposed programmes are encouraged to cover all research disciplines ("bottom-up"), but can also focus on specific disciplines. In this case the range of covered disciplines should allow reasonable flexibility for the researchers.

Programmes that prioritise specific research disciplines based on national or regional Research and Innovation Strategies for Smart Specialisation (RIS3 strategies) can also be supported. Synergies with the European Structural & Investment Funds (ESIF) are encouraged.

COFUND takes the form of:

A) Doctoral programmes

Doctoral programmes address the development and broadening of the research competencies of early-stage researchers. The training follows the EU Principles on Innovative Doctoral Training. Collaboration with a wider set of partner organisations, including from the non-academic sector, which may provide hosting or secondment opportunities or training in research or transferable skills, as well as innovative elements of the proposed programme, will be positively taken into account during the evaluations.

Each researcher must be enrolled in a doctoral programme. Attention is paid to the quality of supervision and mentoring arrangements as well as career guidance.

B) Fellowship programmes

Fellowship programmes fund individual research training and career development fellowships for experienced researchers. The programmes supported should have regular selection rounds following fixed deadlines or regular cut-off dates, allowing fair competition between the researchers applying. The selections should be based on open, widely advertised competition, with transparent international peer review and the selection of candidates on merit. Mobility types supported by fellowship programmes may be similar to the ones supported under Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships. On top of transnational mobility, applicants are encouraged to include elements of cross-sectoral mobility into their programmes. Fellowship programmes should be based on individual-driven mobility, i.e., researchers should be able to freely choose a research topic and the appropriate organisation to host them, fitting their individual needs.

Given that the aim of the co-funded fellowship programmes is the support of individual fellows, research teams will not be funded.

Expected Impact:

At researcher level:

• Increased set of skills, both research-related and transferable ones, leading to improved employability and career prospects both in and outside academia (leading in the longer-term to more successful careers)
• Increase in higher impact R&I output, more knowledge and ideas converted into products and services
• Greater contribution to the knowledge-based economy and society

At organisation level:

• Development of high quality human resources
• Boosting R&I capacity among participating organisations
• Enhanced cooperation and transfer of knowledge between sectors and disciplines
• Strengthening of international and intersectoral collaborative networks

At system level:

• Aligning of practices and policies in the context of the EU Human Resources Strategy for Researchers, enhanced implementation of the European Charter and Code and the EU Principles for Innovative Doctoral Training at regional, national or international level
• Increase in international, interdisciplinary and intersectoral mobility of researchers in Europe
• Improvement in the working and employment conditions for researchers in Europe at all levels of their career, starting from the doctoral stage
• Strengthening of Europe's human capital base in R&I
• Increase in Europe's attractiveness as a leading destination for R&I
• Better quality R&I contributing to Europe's competitiveness and growth

MSCA-NIGHT-2020 - European Researchers' Night

Objective:

The European Researchers' Night aims to bring researchers closer to the general public and to increase awareness of research and innovation activities, with a view to supporting the public recognition of researchers, creating an understanding of the impact of researchers' work on citizen’s daily life, and encouraging young people to embark on research careers.

Scope:

The European Researchers' Night takes place yearly, typically on the last Friday of the month of September, and is the occasion for a Europe-wide public and media event for the promotion of research careers, in particular towards young people and their families. Supported events can start early Friday afternoon and last until early morning the following day.

Activities focus on the general public, addressing and attracting people regardless of the level their scientific background, with a special focus on pupils and students. Activities can combine education aspects with entertainment, especially when addressing young audience. They can take various forms, e.g. hands-on experiments, science shows, simulations, debates, games, competitions, quizzes, etc.

Where appropriate, engagement with educational institutions should be sought in order to encourage formal and informal science education with the aim to improve the scientific knowledge base.

Each proposal should set up at least one European corner. Activities should be organised with researchers actively involved and directly in contact with the public. They should promote the European dimension and gender balance in research and innovation. Involvement of researchers funded by Horizon 2020, including the Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions, is encouraged.

Participants can be any legal entity in the EU Member States and Associated Countries, and/or if relevant, constitute a partnership at regional, national or international level. The maximum duration of support will be two years from the starting date specified in the grant agreement. Proposal should cover two editions of the Night, in successive years. One single edition of the Night may also be considered.

Applicants not retained due to lack of funding may be granted the status of associated events.

Expected Impact:

• Increased awareness among the general public of the importance of research and innovation and more favourable general attitude towards its funding
• Better understanding of the key benefits that research brings to society
• Reduction in the stereotypes about researchers and their profession
• Increase, in the long term, of people taking up research careers

MSCA-ITN-2020 - Innovative Training Networks

Objective:

The Innovative Training Networks (ITN) aim to train a new generation of creative, entrepreneurial and innovative early-stage researchers, able to face current and future challenges and to convert knowledge and ideas into products and services for economic and social benefit.

ITN will raise excellence and structure research and doctoral training, extending the traditional academic research training setting, incorporating the elements of Open Science and equipping researchers with the right combination of research-related and transferable competences. It will provide enhanced career perspectives in both the academic and non-academic sectors through international, interdisciplinary and intersectoral mobility combined with an innovation-oriented mind-set.

Scope:

ITN supports competitively selected joint research training and/or doctoral programmes, implemented by partnerships of universities, research institutions, research infrastructures, businesses, SMEs, and other socio-economic actors from different countries across Europe and beyond.

Partnerships take the form of collaborative European Training Networks (ETN), European Industrial Doctorates (EID) or European Joint Doctorates (EJD).

Each programme should have a clearly identified supervisory board co-ordinating network-wide training and establishing active and continuous communication and exchange of best practice among the partners to maximise the benefits of the partnership.

The programme should exploit complementary competences of the participating organisations, and enable sharing of knowledge, networking activities, the organisation of workshops and conferences.

Training responds to well identified needs in defined research areas, with appropriate references to inter- and multidisciplinary fields and follows the EU Principles for Innovative Doctoral Training. It should be primarily focused on scientific and technological knowledge through research on individual, personalised projects.

In order to increase the employability of the researchers, the research training should be complemented by the meaningful exposure of each researcher to the non-academic sector.

Secondments of the researcher to other beneficiaries and partner organisations are encouraged.

Substantial training modules, including digital ones, addressing key transferable skills common to all fields and fostering the culture of Open Science, innovation and entrepreneurship will be supported.

In order to reflect on the changing nature of research, training should prepare early-stage researchers for an increased research collaboration and information-sharing made possible by new technologies (e.g. collaborative tools, open access, raw data, etc.).

A Career Development Plan should be established jointly by the supervisor(s) and the early-stage researcher recruited by the selected network. In addition to research objectives, this plan comprises the researcher's training and career needs, including planning for publications and participation in conferences.

Attention is paid to the quality of supervision and mentoring arrangements as well as career guidance. Joint supervision of the researchers is mandatory for EJD and for EID, and encouraged in ETN. In EID, the joint supervision of the researcher must be ensured by at least one supervisor from the academic sector and one supervisor from the non-academic sector. These arrangements will be taken into account during the evaluation of the proposal.

In EID and EJD, fellowships offered to early-stage researchers should lead to a doctoral degree. EJD result in joint[[Joint degree – a single diploma issued by at least two higher education institutions offering an integrated programme and recognised officially in the countries where the degree-awarding institutions are located.]], double or multiple doctoral degrees[[Double or multiple degree - two or more national diplomas issued by two or more higher education institutions and recognised officially in the countries where the degree-awarding institutions are located.]] awarded by institutions from at least two different countries.

In EID and EJD, enrolment in a doctoral programme and the creation of a joint governance structure - with joint admission (EJD only), selection, supervision, monitoring and assessment procedures - is mandatory. These arrangements will be taken into account during the evaluation of the proposal.

Expected Impact:

At researcher level:

• Increased set of skills, both research-related and transferable ones, leading to improved employability and career prospects both in and outside academia (leading in the longer-term to more successful careers)
• Increase, in the longer-term, in higher impact R&I output, more knowledge and ideas converted into products and services
• Greater contribution, in the longer term, to the knowledge-based economy and society

At organisation level:

• Enhanced cooperation and better transfer of knowledge between sectors and disciplines
• Improvement in the quality of training programmes
• Creation of new networks and enhanced quality of existing ones
• Boosting R&I capacity among participating organisations
• Increased internationalisation of participating organisations

At system level:

• Increase in international, interdisciplinary and intersectoral mobility of researchers in Europe
• More structured and innovative doctoral training, enhanced implementation of the European Charter and Code and the EU Principles for Innovative Doctoral Training
• Stronger links between the European Research Area (ERA) and the European Higher Education Area (EHEA), notably through supporting the knowledge triangle between research, innovation and education
• Improvement in the working and employment conditions for doctoral candidates in Europe
• Increased societal and economic relevance of European higher education
• Strengthening Europe's human capital base in R&I with a new generation of more entrepreneurial and highly-skilled early career researchers
• Increase in Europe's attractiveness as a leading research destination, accompanied by a rise in the numbers of talented researchers retained and attracted from abroad
• Better quality research and innovation contributing to Europe's competitiveness and growth

MSCA-RISE-2020 - Research and Innovation Staff Exchange

Objective:

The RISE scheme will promote international and inter-sector collaboration through research and innovation staff exchanges, and sharing of knowledge and ideas from research to market (and vice-versa).

The scheme fosters a shared culture of research and innovation that welcomes and rewards creativity and entrepreneurship and helps to turn creative ideas into innovative products, services or processes.

Scope:

RISE involves organisations from the academic and non-academic sectors (in particular SMEs), based in Europe (EU Member States and Associated Countries) and outside Europe (third countries).

Support is provided for the development of partnerships in the form of a joint research and innovation project. This is aimed at knowledge sharing via international as well as intersectoral mobility, based on secondments of research and innovation staff (exchanges) with an in-built return mechanism.

The organisations constituting the partnership contribute directly to the implementation of a joint research and innovation project by seconding and/or hosting eligible staff members. Secondments shall always take place between legal entities independent from each other[[Independence in the meaning of Article 8 of the Horizon 2020 Rules for Participation.]].

RISE should exploit complementary competences of the participating organisations, as well as other synergies, and enable networking activities, organisation of workshops and conferences to facilitate sharing of knowledge, new skills acquisition and career development for research and innovation staff members.

RISE projects can focus either on one dimension of mobility (intersectoral / international), or include a combination of both.

Exchanges can be for both early-stage and experienced researchers' levels and can also include administrative, managerial and technical staff directly involved in the research and innovation activities of the proposal.

Support for the exchanges between institutions within Europe (EU Member States and Associated Countries) covers only intersectoral secondments.

Exchanges with institutions from and to third countries can be intersectoral as well as within the same sector.

Secondments between institutions located in third countries or within the same EU Member State or Associated Country will not be supported.

Expected Impact:

At staff member level:

• Increased set of skills, both research-related and transferable ones, leading to improved employability and career prospects both in and outside academia
• Increase in higher impact R&I output, more knowledge and ideas converted into products and services
• Greater contribution to the knowledge-based economy and society

At organisation level:

• Enhanced cooperation and transfer of knowledge between sectors and disciplines
• Strengthening of international and intersectoral collaborative networks
• Boosting of R&I capacity among participating organisations

At system level:

• Increase in international, interdisciplinary and intersectoral mobility of researchers in Europe
• Strengthening of Europe's human capital base in R&I
• Increase in Europe's attractiveness as a leading destination for R&I
• Better quality R&I contributing to Europe's competitiveness and growth

MSCA-IF-2020 - Individual Fellowships

Objective:

The goal of Individual Fellowships is to enhance the creative and innovative potential of experienced researchers, wishing to diversify their individual competence in terms of skill acquisition through advanced training, international and intersectoral mobility.

Individual Fellowships provide opportunities to acquire and transfer new knowledge and to work on research and innovation in a European context (EU Member States and Associated Countries) or outside Europe. The scheme particularly supports the return and reintegration of researchers from outside Europe who have previously worked here. It also develops or helps to restart the careers of individual researchers that show great potential, considering their experience.

Scope:

Support is foreseen for individual, trans-national fellowships awarded to the best or most promising researchers of any nationality, for employment in EU Member States or Associated Countries. It is based on an application made jointly by the researcher and the beneficiary in the academic or non-academic sectors.

Only one proposal per individual researcher will be evaluated.

Fellowships take form of European Fellowships or Global Fellowships. European Fellowships are held in EU Member States or Associated Countries and are open to researchers either coming to Europe from any country in the world or moving within Europe. The researcher must comply with the rules of mobility in the country where the European Fellowship is held.

Return and reintegration of researchers into a longer term research position in Europe, including in their country of origin, is supported via a separate multi-disciplinary reintegration panel of the European Fellowships. For the reintegration panel, there shall be mobility into Europe.

Support to individuals to resume research in Europe after a career break, e.g. after parental leave, is ensured via a separate multi-disciplinary career restart panel of the European Fellowships. To qualify for the career restart panel, researchers must not have been active in research for at least 12 months immediately prior to the deadline for submission.

Researchers seeking to work on research and innovation projects in an organisation from the non-academic sector will be supported via a separate multi-disciplinary society and enterprise panel of the European Fellowships. The objective of this panel is to facilitate career moves between the academic and non-academic sectors and to open attractive career opportunities for researchers outside academia.

Global Fellowships are based on a secondment to a third country and a mandatory 12 month return period to a European host. The researcher must comply with the rules of mobility in the country where the Global Fellowship secondment takes place, not for the country of the return phase.

Researchers receiving an Individual Fellowship may opt to include a secondment phase in Europe, notably in the non-academic sector, within the overall duration of their fellowship. For a fellowship of 18 months or less, the secondment phase may last up to three months. For a fellowship of more than 18 months, the secondment phase may last up to six months. The secondment phase can be a single period or be divided into shorter mobility periods. The secondment should significantly add to the impact of the fellowship.

A Career Development Plan should be established jointly by the supervisor(s) and the researcher. In addition to research or innovation objectives, this plan comprises the researcher's training and career needs, including training on transferable skills, planning for publications and participation in conferences.

Expected Impact:

At researcher level:

• Increased set of skills, both research-related and transferable ones, leading to improved employability and career prospects both in and outside academia
• Increase in higher impact R&I output, more knowledge and ideas converted into products and services
• Greater contribution to the knowledge-based economy and society

At organisation level:

• Enhanced cooperation and stronger networks
• Better transfer of knowledge between sectors and disciplines
• Boosting of R&I capacity among participating organisations

At system level:

• Increase in international, interdisciplinary and intersectoral mobility of researchers in Europe
• Strengthening of Europe's human capital base in R&I with more entrepreneurial and better trained researchers
• Better communication of R&I results to society
• Increase in Europe's attractiveness as a leading destination for R&I
• Better quality research and innovation contributing to Europe's competitiveness and growth

MSCA-COFUND-2020 - Co-funding of regional, national and international programmes

Objective:

The COFUND scheme aims to stimulate regional, national or international programmes to foster excellence in researchers' training, mobility and career development, spreading the best practices of Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions.

This will be achieved by co-funding new or existing regional, national, and international programmes to open up to, and provide for, international, intersectoral and interdisciplinary research training, as well as transnational and cross-sectoral mobility of researchers at all stages of their career.

Scope:

Each proposal funded under the COFUND scheme shall have a sole beneficiary that will be responsible for the availability of the necessary matching funds to execute the proposal.

Applicants submit multi-annual proposals for new or existing doctoral programmes or fellowship programmes which are expected to have an impact on enhancing research- and innovation related human resources on regional, national or international level.

Researchers supported under this scheme shall comply with the mobility rules of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions.

Limitations regarding the researchers' origin and destination should be avoided. Support cannot be awarded to researchers who are already permanently employed by the organisation hosting them.

Proposed programmes are encouraged to cover all research disciplines ("bottom-up"), but can also focus on specific disciplines. In this case the range of covered disciplines should allow reasonable flexibility for the researchers.

Programmes that prioritise specific research disciplines based on national or regional Research and Innovation Strategies for Smart Specialisation (RIS3 strategies) can also be supported. Synergies with the European Structural & Investment Funds (ESIF) are encouraged.

COFUND takes the form of:

A) Doctoral programmes

Doctoral programmes address the development and broadening of the research competencies of early-stage researchers. The training follows the EU Principles on Innovative Doctoral Training. Collaboration with a wider set of partner organisations, including from the non-academic sector, which may provide hosting or secondment opportunities or training in research or transferable skills, as well as innovative elements of the proposed programme, will be positively taken into account during the evaluations.

Each researcher must be enrolled in a doctoral programme. Attention is paid to the quality of supervision and mentoring arrangements as well as career guidance.

B) Fellowship programmes

Fellowship programmes fund individual research training and career development fellowships for experienced researchers. The programmes supported should have regular selection rounds following fixed deadlines or regular cut-off dates, allowing fair competition between the researchers applying. The selections should be based on open, widely advertised competition, with transparent international peer review and the selection of candidates on merit. Mobility types supported by fellowship programmes may be similar to the ones supported under Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships. On top of transnational mobility, applicants are encouraged to include elements of cross-sectoral mobility into their programmes. Fellowship programmes should be based on individual-driven mobility, i.e., researchers should be able to freely choose a research topic and the appropriate organisation to host them, fitting their individual needs.

Given that the aim of the co-funded fellowship programmes is the support of individual fellows, research teams will not be funded.

Expected Impact:

At researcher level:

• Increased set of skills, both research-related and transferable ones, leading to improved employability and career prospects both in and outside academia (leading in the longer-term to more successful careers)
• Increase in higher impact R&I output, more knowledge and ideas converted into products and services
• Greater contribution to the knowledge-based economy and society

At organisation level:

• Development of high quality human resources
• Boosting R&I capacity among participating organisations
• Enhanced cooperation and transfer of knowledge between sectors and disciplines
• Strengthening of international and intersectoral collaborative networks

At system level:

• Aligning of practices and policies in the context of the EU Human Resources Strategy for Researchers, enhanced implementation of the European Charter and Code and the EU Principles for Innovative Doctoral Training at regional, national or international level
• Increase in international, interdisciplinary and intersectoral mobility of researchers in Europe
• Improvement in the working and employment conditions for researchers in Europe at all levels of their career, starting from the doctoral stage
• Strengthening of Europe's human capital base in R&I
• Increase in Europe's attractiveness as a leading destination for R&I
• Better quality R&I contributing to Europe's competitiveness and growth

H2020-INFRADEV-02-2019-2020 - Preparatory Phase of new ESFRI projects

Specific Challenge: The ESFRI roadmap, updated periodically, identifies the needs of the European scientific community in terms of research infrastructures. However, inclusion in the ESFRI roadmap does not guarantee that these needed infrastructures will be built. Before proceeding with the construction and/or implementation of the identified infrastructures, many preliminary decisions need to be taken with respect to issues such as the identification of funders, the financial plan for sustainability, the governance by involved stakeholders, the site and legal form of the managing organisation (and of the research infrastructure, if different), the architecture and the service policies. The aim of this activity is to provide catalytic and leveraging support for the preparatory phase of ESFRI projects leading to the construction of new research infrastructures or major upgrades of existing ones.

Scope: The preparatory phase aims to bring the project for the new or upgraded research infrastructure identified in the ESFRI roadmap to the level of legal, financial, and, where applicable, technical maturity required for implementing it.
Proposal consortia should involve all the stakeholders necessary to move the project forward, to take the decisions, and to make the financial commitments, before construction can start (including, but not limited to, national/regional ministries/governments, research councils or funding agencies from the countries that have already declared their commitment in the application to ESFRI). Appropriate contacts with ministries and decision-makers should be continuously reinforced, thus further strengthening the consortia. Operators of research facilities, research centres, universities, and industry may also be involved whenever appropriate. Technical work should be carried out when necessary to complete the final technical design, providing a sound technical base for establishing a cost baseline and detailed financial planning. The financial needs of the project should be mapped out to the extent necessary for funding agencies to establish their own medium- and long-term financial planning. Societal and economic benefits of the infrastructure should be analysed to carry out a Cost-benefit analysis.
The preparation of the legal and financial agreements (including site, governance, internal rules, financing of the new research infrastructures) is one of the main activities and deliverables and should be finalised before the end of the project (e.g., through the signature of a Memorandum of Understanding).
The detailed list of activities that can be included in a preparatory phase proposal is given in part A of the section “Specific features for Research Infrastructures”. Proposals should explain any synergies and complementarities with previous or current EU grants.

(a) 2019 deadline: Preparatory Phase of the new projects in the 2018 ESFRI Roadmap
Following the update of the ESFRI Roadmap in 2018, support under this work programme will be provided to the Preparatory Phase for research infrastructure projects which enter the ESFRI roadmap in 2018.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of up to EUR 4 million would allow this challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected Impact: This topic triggers the decision making processes leading to the construction and/or implementation of the research infrastructures identified in the ESFRI Roadmap.

• A landscape of first-class sustainable RIs and services, open to researchers, industry, and other interested groups such as policy makers and the public, is progressively established, which will impact on the acceleration of scientific discovery as well as on innovation and competitiveness.
• Funding bodies are able to take funding decisions and to conclude the legal agreements necessary for the construction of new research infrastructures.
• The technical work carried out under this topic will contribute to strengthening the technological development capacity and effectiveness as well as the scientific performance, efficiency and attractiveness of the European Research Area.
• Synergies and complementarity between the new and existing research infrastructures are developed, thus contributing to the development of a consistent European research infrastructures ecosystem.

Type of Action: Coordination and support action

H2020-INFRADEV-03-2018-2019 - Individual support to ESFRI and other world-class research infrastructures

Specific Challenge: The implementation phase of new pan-European research infrastructures, such as those identified in the ESFRI roadmap, is the most delicate and difficult as financial sustainability must be proved and the trust and awareness of users must be earned.

Scope: This topic targets the long-term sustainability of new research infrastructures, ESFRI and other world-class research infrastructures of European Interest, with established governance and legal structure, notably on the basis of the European Research Infrastructure Consortium (ERIC) or any other suitable structure with international membership. Infrastructures having submitted a first step application to the Commission for establishing an ERIC may also apply to this topic. Support will be provided to activities aimed at ensuring long-term sustainability, including enlargement of the membership, European coverage, international cooperation4, limited pilots of access provision for testing and improving user services to increase reliability and create trust, definition of service level agreements and business/funding plan, outreach, and technology transfer activities. Proposals should explain any synergies and complementarities with previous or current EU grants.
Specific attention should be given to the interaction with industry and SMEs and the fostering of the innovation potential of the infrastructures. Activities may also facilitate the development of Regional Partner Facilities and their integration in the European research infrastructure landscape. The detailed list of activities that can be supported under this topic is given in part B of the section “Specific features for Research Infrastructures”.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between EUR 2 and 5 million would allow this challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected Impact:
This activity will:

• contribute to providing Europe with a comprehensive landscape of sustainable Research Infrastructures helping to respond to challenges in science, industry and society;
• strengthen the ERA position and role in the global research environment;
• reinforce the partnership between the Commission, Member States, Associated Countries and relevant stakeholders in establishing pan-European research infrastructures;
• enhance the role of the Union in international organisations and multilateral fora;
• support progress towards the development of global research infrastructures;
• enable researchers to address societal challenges with a global dimension;
• foster capacity-building and Research Infrastructure human capital development in targeted/relevant regions.

Type of Action: Research and Innovation action

H2020-INFRADEV-01-2019-2020 - Design Studies

Specific Challenge: New leading-edge research infrastructures in all fields of science and technology are needed by the European scientific community in order to remain at the forefront of the advancement of research, and to be able to help industry strengthen its base of knowledge and its technological know-how. The aim of this activity is to support the conceptual and technical design for new research infrastructures which are of a clear European dimension and interest. Major upgrades of existing infrastructures may also be considered if the end result is intended to be equivalent to a new infrastructure.

Scope: Design studies should tackle all the key questions concerning the technical and conceptual feasibility of new or upgraded fully fledged user facilities (proposals considering just a component for research infrastructures are not targeted by this topic). A design study proposal should demonstrate the relevance and the advancement with respect to the state-of-art of the proposed infrastructure. It should indicate the gaps in the research infrastructure landscape the new facility will cover as well as the research challenges it will make possible to address. All fields of research are considered.
The main output of a design study will be the 'conceptual design report' for a new or upgraded research infrastructure, showing the maturity of the concept and forming the basis for identifying and constructing the next generation of Europe's and the world's leading research infrastructures. Conceptual design reports will present major choices for design alternatives and associated cost ranges, both in terms of their strategic relevance for meeting today's and tomorrow's societal challenges, and (where applicable) in terms of the technical work underpinning the development of new or upgraded research infrastructures of strategic importance for Europe.
The activities to be performed in a Design Study proposal should include both:

• Scientific and technical work, i.e. (1) the drafting of concepts, architecture and engineering plans for the construction, taking into due account resource efficiency and environmental (including climate-related) impacts, as well as, when relevant, the creation of prototypes; (2) scientific and technical work to ensure that the scientific user communities exploit the new facility from the start with the highest efficiency; (3) plans to organise the efficient curation, preservation and provision of access to data collected or produced by the future infrastructure, in line with the FAIR principles.

• Conceptual work, i.e. (1) plans to coherently integrate the new infrastructure into the European landscape of related facilities in accordance, whenever appropriate, with the EU objective of a balanced territorial development; (2) the estimated budget for construction and operation, and initial ideas on how to achieve long-term sustainability; (3) plans for an international governance structure; (4) the planning of research services to be provided at international level, (5) procedure and criteria to choose the site of the infrastructure.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between EUR 1 and 3 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected Impact:
Conceptual and technical designs of new leading edge research infrastructures are crucial to keep the European scientific community at the forefront of the advancement of research and to trigger the process leading to their establishment.

• Funding bodies for research infrastructures become aware of the strategic and funding needs of the scientific community.
• Policy bodies at the national level (e.g. funding bodies, governments), at European level (e.g. ESFRI) and internationally (e.g. the Group of Senior Officials on Research Infrastructures – GSO) have a sound decision basis to establish long-range plans for new research infrastructures of pan-European or global interest.
• The technical work carried out under this topic will contribute to strengthening the technological development capacity and effectiveness as well as the scientific performance, efficiency and attractiveness of the European Research Area.
• When relevant, the improvement of the environmental (including climate-related) impact as well as the optimisation of resource and energy use are integrated in the very early phase of development of new research infrastructures.

Type of Action: Research and Innovation action

H2020-INFRAEOSC-05-2018-2019 - Support to the EOSC Governance

Specific Challenge: The main objective of this topic is to set up an operational framework for supporting the overall governance of the EOSC, including the coordination between relevant national initiatives.
Subject to the finally agreed content of the EOSC roadmap, the governance of the EOSC should rely on the interplay between three components: a body of representatives of theMember States, the Associated Countries and of the Commission that will decide and oversee the EOSC strategy, setting the broad orientations and the funding of the EOSC; an Executive Board constituted of high-level representatives of the stakeholders that will oversee the EOSC implementation, advising on the way forward and implementing the strategic and funding orientations of the Member States and the Commission; and a Stakeholders Forum open to all relevant stakeholders willing to provide input, e.g. on strategy setting or operational implementation.
The operational framework includes 1) setting up a coordination structure supporting the activities of the EOSC Executive Board that will oversee the EOSC implementation; 2) ensuring coordination between relevant national initiatives/data infrastructures/e-Infrastructures and their federation into the EOSC; 3) fostering FAIR data culture and the uptake of good practices in making data FAIR.
This topic aims to support a decisive shift in service provisioning from the current fragmented setting of national and European e-Infrastructures and thematic data infrastructures to a new federated European ecosystem for research data, fully taking into account the global environment; the new model should be underpinned by a business/funding model and a governance which provide organizational and financial sustainability in the long-term, thus offering added value services to science and innovation actors in Europe.

Scope: The projects funded under this topic should establish clear links among themselves and with all relevant and EOSC related projects funded under previous and current Horizon 2020 Work Programmes, in order to collaborate and address potential synergies, overlaps and gaps in the overall service offering. As such, these projects will constitute a ‘dedicated and mandated effort or instrument to coordinate EOSC-type activities across Member States’, a need highlighted by the EOSC HLEG report15, as also endorsed in the Competitiveness Council of 30 May 2017.
Proposals will address one of the following sub-topics:

(b) Coordination of EOSC-relevant national initiatives across Europe and support to prospective EOSC service providers - Research and Innovation Actions
This sub-topic aims to support the coordination, convergence and federation of EOSC-relevant national initiatives for open research data and services, as well as the development of common practical tools and mechanisms (including development of human skills and capital) which enable, promote and further the compliance of research practices with open data policies. It aims as well to support activities of existing and future EOSC service providers to ensure their long-term sustainability, their role within the EOSC and the accessibility of their services through the EOSC hub, according to established rules and standards.
Only initiatives and services of wide European interest and at appropriate maturity level, and which are not addresses by INFRAEOSC-04-2018, should be considered. The successful proposals will also be called to interact closely among themselves and with the EOSC coordination structure (see sub-topic a). In particular, they should support the EOSC coordination structure in assessing the level of interoperability and organisational readiness of the involved EOSC service providers. This activity will build on and complement related work on the EOSC hub undertaken by projects resulting from EINFRA-12-2017 topic, to facilitate the adoption of common rules and practices to harmonise delivery of the EOSC core functions, and to enable interoperability with other EOSC services, while also enabling cost and energy efficiency. Building on the activities supported by sub-topic (c), successful proposals should enable the mainstreaming of standards for data management and of certification schemes for data repositories, and all relevant supporting activities (e.g. technical, organisational and legal training and capacity building); it should also create incentives for the uptake of FAIR data practices across national scientific communities.
Finally, proposals should also explore mechanisms such as virtual access/transnational access which would allow prospective EOSC providers to recover/share the investment and provisioning costs incurred when offering data and related services cross-border within the EOSC.
The successful proposals will contribute to the mapping and harmonisation of the procedures regulating the delivery of horizontal services related to research data by prospective providers of EOSC services and by national initiatives located in different Member States and Associated Countries, including in areas such as Service Level Agreements, seamless access policies, alignment of procurement practices, user support, certification and compliance with the EU General Data Protection Regulation and with EU Directive on security of network and information systems. Evolution, training and adoption of standards for federated services and interoperability at all levels, as indicated in the European Interoperability Framework, should also be addressed. Proposals should present a clear plan for the involvement of real user communities in the testing and development of the solutions proposed.
Close collaboration with projects resulting from ICT-21-2019 calls is also recommended.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between EUR 5 and 6 million, would allow this activity to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts. The requested contribution should however directly related to the number of prospective EOSC providers and/or EOSC-relevant national initiatives the proposal aims to connect to the EOSC.

Expected Impact:

• Pursue, under sub-topic (a), the identification and setup of an appropriate legal vehicle to enable the EOSC core functions (taking into account work done by the EOSCpilot project), the definition of statute and role of a EOSC coordination structure for the EOSC implementation, the rules of participation and decision making, and the governance mechanisms.
• Providing a recognized governance and implementation framework to identify priorities at EU level for new or upgraded research data services, thus avoiding proliferation of isolated, separated and overlapping initiatives.
• Streamlining advice to policy making and funding authorities concerning the EOSC, including preparation of financial plans and regular update of the EOSC roadmap initially developed by the European Commission.
• Achievement of a sustainable support to the EOSC governance via the coordination structure enabling the networking, harmonisation and federation of EOSC related initiatives with capacity of delivering the EOSC core functions to a wide range of users across Europe.
• Piloting and establishing future (co)funding strategies and business/usage models to ensure long-term sustainability.
• Wide adoption of processes and practices for optimal use of the resources ensuring open, fair and unbiased access of services through the EOSC hub.
• Progressive removal of technical and organisational barriers to ensure findability, accessibility, interoperability and re-use of research data.
• Enhancement of FAIR data uptake and contribute to harmonisation of related policies in Europe and facilitate alignment with international initiatives on research data sharing.

Type of Action: Research and Innovation action

H2020-INFRAEOSC-02-2019 - Prototyping new innovative services

Specific Challenge: Develop an agile, fit-for-purpose and sustainable service offering accessible through the EOSC hub that can satisfy the evolving needs of the scientific community by stimulating the design and prototyping of novel innovative digital services. Innovative models of collaboration that genuinely include incentive mechanisms for a user oriented open science approach should be considered.

Scope: Research and Innovation Actions that target gaps in the service offering of the EOSC hub and develop innovative services that address relevant aspects of the research data cycle (from inception to publication, curation, preservation and reuse), for example allowing implementation of new scientific data-related developments and intelligent linking and discovering of all research artefacts.
Whereas initially the new services would have to respond to specific needs of particular scientific communities by the end of the project they should be leveraged to foster interdisciplinary research, serving a wider remit of research needs, as well as new users like industry and the public sector. Scalability of the new solution should be tested by user communities from different disciplines during the project lifetime. These services should be based on systems and technologies that have reached TRL 6 before the start of the project and will be brought to at least TRL 8 by the end of the project. Proposals should demonstrate how the resulting services complement, enrich and could potentially be integrated into the EOSC hub. Proposals retained for funding under this topic should take due consideration of any accessibility requirements set under the projects funded under EINFRA-12-2017 topic that may be available at the time the call will be open, in view of their integration into the mainstream services of the EOSC hub.
Consortia are encouraged to include SMEs that are willing to develop or contribute to the development of new innovative interdisciplinary services with a view of future integration in the EOSC hub.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between EUR 5 and 6 million would allow this challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected Impact:

• Integrating co-design into research and development of new services to better support scientific, industrial and societal applications benefiting from a strong user orientation;
• Supporting the objectives of Open Science by improving access to content and resources, and facilitating interdisciplinary collaborations;
• Fostering the innovation potential by opening up the EOSC ecosystem of e-infrastructure service providers to new innovative actors.

Type of Action: Research and Innovation action

H2020-INFRAEOSC-06-2019-2020 - Enhancing the EOSC portal and connecting thematic clouds

Specific Challenge: The aim of this topic is to facilitate wide, user-friendly and cross-disciplinary access to the data and services of the EOSC through the development of the necessary interfaces. The EOSC aims to offer a trusted and open environment for research users of all scientific disciplines across the whole lifecycle of scientific data. This requires concrete solutions to address the current fragmentation of entry points, to avoid duplication of efforts across thematic initiatives and from different scientific disciplines (e.g. multiple portals, web-platforms, websites, etc.). The consolidation of the EOSC hub as the point of access for researchers to help and guide them in finding easily the resources they need, is also crucial for the effective delivery of the EOSC services.

Scope: (a) Support to the EOSC Portal
This sub-topic aims to provide a fully functional, sustainable and comprehensive user interface that can serve as a universal entry point to the EOSC services.
The proposals will build on the work produced by the eInfraCentral project and provide additional support for the implementation of the EOSC hub to further develop and optimise the functions and interface offered via the EOSC portal. In particular, the successful proposal should incorporate existing scientific gateways and thematic portals developed under FP7 and Horizon 2020 across all work programmes. As the scope of this activity is to provide a single user interface to the EOSC services, at most one proposal is expected to be funded in this area.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of up to EUR 2 million would allow this topic to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected Impact:

• Establish the EOSC as the open-to-all, cross-border and cross-discipline access point for data driven science involving the whole European Scientific Community including the “long-tail” of science.
• Expanding the relevance of the EOSC as enabler of excellent science and multiplier of impact across disciplines to tackle current and emerging societal challenges

Type of Action: Research and Innovation action

H2020-INFRAIA-2018-2019 - Integrating Activities for Advanced Communities

Specific Challenge: European researchers need effective and convenient access to the best research infrastructures in order to conduct research for the advancement of knowledge and technology. The aim of this action is to bring together, integrate on European scale, and open up key national and regional research infrastructures to all European researchers, from both academia and industry, ensuring their optimal use and joint development.

Scope: 'Advanced Communities' are scientific communities whose research infrastructures show an advanced degree of coordination and networking at present, attained, in particular, through Integrating Activities awarded under FP7 or previous Horizon 2020 calls.
An Integrating Activity will mobilise a comprehensive consortium of several key research infrastructures in a given field as well as other stakeholders (e.g. public authorities, technological partners, research institutions) from different Member States, Associated Countries and other third countries20 when appropriate, in particular when they offer complementary or more advanced services than those available in Europe.
Funding will be provided to support, in particular, the trans-national and virtual access provided to European researchers (and to researchers from Third Countries under certain conditions21), the cooperation between research infrastructures, scientific communities, industry and other stakeholders, the improvement of the services the infrastructures provide,the harmonisation, optimisation and improvement of access procedures and interfaces. Proposals should adopt the guidelines and principles of the European Charter for Access to Research Infrastructures.
To this extent, an Integrating Activity shall combine, in a closely co-ordinated manner:

(i) Networking activities, to foster a culture of co-operation between research infrastructures, scientific communities, industries and other stakeholders as appropriate, and to help develop a more efficient and attractive European Research Area;
(ii) Trans-national access or virtual access activities, to support scientific communities in their access to the identified key research infrastructures;
(iii) Joint research activities, to improve, in quality and/or quantity, the integrated services provided at European level by the infrastructures.

All three categories of activities are mandatory as synergistic effects are expected from these different components.
Access should be provided only to key research infrastructures of European interest, i.e., those infrastructures able to attract significant numbers of users from countries other than the country where they are located. Other national and regional infrastructures in Europe can be involved, in particular in the networking activities, for the exchange of best practices, without necessarily being beneficiaries in the proposal.
Proposals from advanced communities will have to clearly demonstrate the added value and the progress beyond current achievements in terms of integration and services, of a new grant. The strongest impact for advanced communities is expected typically to arise from focusing on innovation aspects and widening trans-national and virtual access provision, both in terms of wider and more advanced offer of scientific services, than in terms of number of users and domains served. Furthermore, in particular for communities supported in the past under three or more integrating activities, the creation of strategic roadmaps for future research infrastructure developments as well as the long-term sustainability of the integrated research infrastructure services provided at European level, need to be properly addressed. The latter requires the preparation of a sustainability plan beyond the grant lifecycle as well as, where appropriate, the involvement of funders.
In line with the strategy for EU international cooperation in research and innovation (COM(2012)497), Integrating Activities should, whenever appropriate, pay due attention to any related international initiative (i.e. outside the EU) and foster the use and deployment of global standards.
Integrating Activities should also organise the efficient curation, preservation and provision of access to the data collected or produced under the project, defining a data management plan, even when they opt out of the extended Pilot on Open Research Data. Data management (including ethics and privacy issues), interoperability, as well as advanced data and computing services should be addressed where relevant. To this extent, proposals should build upon the state of the art in ICT and e-infrastructures for data, computing and networking, and ensure connection to the European Open Science Cloud.
Integrating Activities should in particular contribute to fostering the potential for innovation, including social innovation, of research infrastructures by reinforcing the partnership with industry, through e.g. transfer of knowledge and other dissemination activities, activities to promote the use of research infrastructures by industrial researchers, involvement of industrial associations in consortia or in advisory bodies.
Integrating Activities are expected to duly take into account all relevant ESFRI and other world-class research infrastructures to exploit synergies, to reflect on sustainability and to ensure complementarity and coherence with the existing European Infrastructures landscape.
Proposals should include clear indicators allowing the assessment of the progress towards the general and specific objectives, other than the access provision.
As the scope of an integrating activity is to ensure coordination and integration between all the key European infrastructures in a given field and to avoid duplication of effort, advanced communities are expected to submit one proposal per area.
Further conditions and requirements that applicants should fulfil when drafting a proposal are given in part D of the section “Specific features for Research Infrastructures”. Compliance with these provisions will be taken into account during evaluation.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of up to EUR 10 million would allow this topic to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

On the basis of a multiannual plan drafted taking into account the assessment and the timing of previous grants as well as strategic priorities and needs, in term of research infrastructures services, emerging from other parts of Horizon 2020, this work programme invites proposals addressing the following areas listed under the different domains. A balanced coverage of the various domains, in line with the distribution of areas per domain, is expected as outcome of this topic.

(b) 2019 deadlineThe areas to be addressed under the different domains will be defined at a later stage, before the opening of the related call.

Expected Impact:

• Researchers will have wider, simplified, and more efficient access to the best research infrastructures they require to conduct their research, irrespective of location. They benefit from an increased focus on user needs.
• New or more advanced research infrastructure services, enabling leading-edge or multidisciplinary research, are made available to a wider user community.
• Operators of related infrastructures develop synergies and complementary capabilities, leading to improved and harmonised services. There is less duplication of services, leading to an improved use of resources across Europe. Economies of scale and saving of resources are also realised due to common development and the optimisation of operations.
• Innovation is fostered through a reinforced partnership of research organisations with industry.
• A new generation of researchers is educated that is ready to optimally exploit all the essential tools for their research.
• Closer interactions between larger number of researchers active in and around a number of infrastructures facilitate cross-disciplinary fertilisations and a wider sharing of information, knowledge and technologies across fields and between academia and industry.
• For communities which have received three or more grants in the past, the sustainability of the integrated research infrastructure services they provide at European level is improved.
• The integration of major scientific equipment or sets of instruments and of knowledge-based resources (collections, archives, structured scientific information, data infrastructures, etc.) leads to a better management of the continuous flow of data collected or produced by these facilities and resources.
• When applicable, the integrated and harmonised access to resources at European level can facilitate the use beyond research and contribute to evidence-based policy making.
• When applicable, the socio-economic impact of past investments in research infrastructures from the European Structural and Investment Funds is enhanced.

Type of Action: Research and Innovation action

H2020-INFRAINNOV-01-2019 - Stimulate the innovation potential of SMEs

Specific Challenge: Providing an effective mechanism for inclusion of innovative, agile SMEs in a landscape characterised by strong presence of public pan-European e-infrastructures (in particular the European Data Infrastructure - EDI) that make it difficult for small actors to enter the market and exploit new business opportunities.

Scope: Proposals are expected to propose an outreach approach for identifying and attracting SMEs whose innovation potential could be increased as users of advanced HPC services, and a mechanism involving financial support to third parties which will adequately stimulate such innovation potential of SMEs participating in the action. The focus of the action should be in the areas addressed by the selected Centres of Excellence in the topic INFRAEDI-02-2018: HPC PPP - Centres of Excellence on HPC, and complementary to the sectors already addressed by other Horizon 2020 activities – i.e. manufacturing SMEs are already covered in I4MS.
For grants awarded under this topic and type of action beneficiaries may provide support to third parties as described in part K of the General Annexes of the Work Programme. The support to third parties can only be provided in the form of grants. The respective options of Article 15.1 and Article 15.3 of the Model Grant Agreement will be applied.
The proposal will define the process of selecting SMEs for which financial support will be granted. Taking into account the complexity of projects involving access to advanced HPC services, typically the financial support will be in the order of EUR 50 000 – 150 000 per party. At least 80% of the EU funding should be allocated to financial support for these third parties.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between EUR 7 and 8 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected Impact:

• Improving European competitiveness and productivity, by supporting the innovation in SMEs through the use of HPC
• Widening the user base of EDI by attracting new users of HPC in different application domains
• More competitive European service providers through provisioning of new types of HPC services;

Type of Action: Research and Innovation action

H2020-INFRAINNOV-02-2019 - Network of research infrastructure Industrial Liaison and Contact Officers

Specific Challenge: The concept of industry as a full partner of Research Infrastructures (both as supplier and as user) should be proactively put in practice; this implies to promote a more extensive partnerships on joint research and development projects, addressing the development of advanced technologies, as well as specific activities fostering collaboration such as innovation, training and exchange programmes.
Industrial Liaison and Contact Officers (ILOs/ICOs) engaged with Research Infrastructures play an essential role for stimulating effective and tighter links with industry as suppliers or users. Mutual learnings among ILOs/ICOs and exchange of information on various aspects such as: awareness and communication strategies, procurements activities, industry requirements and marketing of new technologies developed for their facility, will help to raise the level of innovative actions arising from Research Infrastructures and maximise the impact of their activities.

Scope: Proposals will aim at establishing a European network of Industrial Liaison and Contact Officers (ILOs/ICOs) engaged with pan-European research infrastructures, including ESFRI landmarks and projects, as well as of other relevant world class research infrastructures of European interest. ILOs/ICOs, with different degrees of experience and representing a broad range of scientific domains should be actively involved in the action. Proposals should address:

• training sessions and exchange of best practises across various research domains;
• enhanced cross-border and cross-thematic brokerage events such as innovation exhibitions and industry-research infrastructures showcases;
• joint awareness campaigns towards industry (including SMEs) on the potential added-value of engagement with research infrastructures for their activities. This could include specific support to industrial partners in acquiring the know-how on procurement actions related to Research Infrastructures.
• the analysis of national indicators to measure the performances of ILO/ICOs’ activities.

The development and maintenance of portals providing information on research infrastructures' calls, tenders, future needs and technology transfer opportunities, could also be considered.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of up to EUR 1.5 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected Impact:
This activity will:

• Increase the awareness of industry (including SMEs) regarding opportunities offered by research infrastructures and its involvement in the development of research infrastructures technologies and services, thus raising the technological level and competitiveness of European companies;
• Improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the services provided by the ILO and ICOs;
• Help research infrastructures to develop more business oriented activities, including specific support and services dedicated to industry, and the promotion of skills to manage any resulting intellectual property right;
• Provide a better insight into the return of investment in and societal impact of Research Infrastructures.

Type of Action: Coordination and support action

H2020-INFRASUPP-01-2018-2019 - Policy and international cooperation measures for research infrastructures

Specific Challenge: High-quality, accessible research infrastructures are at the heart of the knowledge triangle of research, education and innovation. They enable tens of thousands of researchers in academia and industry to develop innovative ideas, products and services that foster European competitiveness and help tackle societal challenges facing our continent. However, ensuring the availability of state-of-the-art facilities requires multi-billion Euro long-term investments across the European Research Area. In the context of implementing the ERA Roadmap, the focus of this action is to set the conditions for effective investment and optimise the use of research infrastructures of European interest.
In line with the strategy for EU international cooperation in research and innovation (COM(2012)497), international cooperation for research infrastructures is needed with a number of key partners located in third countries/regions seen as strategic both for the development, exploitation and management of world-class research infrastructures and for ensuring the necessary complementarities on the international scene required to address research challenges with a global dimension by optimising the use of the available resources.

Scope: Proposals will address one of the following sub-topics:
(c) Research and Innovation actions for the 2019 deadline
The purpose of this sub-topic is to support the further structuring of the cooperation with the Russian Federation in the Research Infrastructure domain.
Proposals will have to demonstrate the involvement of relevant entities on both European and Russian side and will cover the following 3 dimensions:
i. Building on the strategic recommendations deriving from the CREMLIN project, support the strengthening of the complementarity between Russian Mega Science initiatives and their European counterparts. Proposals will specifically address:

• Joint development and acquisition of specific instrumentation to be used by the European and Russian Infrastructures. This activity will specifically target the NICA and PIK initiatives and their European counterparts.
• Joint conceptual and technical design of Russian Infrastructures of European interest. This activity will particularly target the SSRS-4 initiative and its European counterparts.
• Joint development of future technologies required for Research Infrastructures' instrumentation;

ii. Contribute to overcoming the barriers that prevent European scientists from accessing Russian Research Infrastructures of European interest. The project will support Russian Facilities in setting-up the appropriate access conditions and cover the travel and subsistence costs that European researchers would sustain in accessing the facilities. In this context, the project will have to also take into account the list of Research Infrastructures open to International collaboration produced by the Russian Federation and the European Charter for Access to research infrastructures.
iii. The proposal will develop a staff exchange programme and thematic courses and workshops (e.g. summer schools), aimed at fostering exchanges of best practices on management practices, access procedures and scientific collaboration between infrastructure Staff and Scientists belonging to both the Russian Federation and European Union.

 

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of up to EUR 25 million would allow this activity to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

 

d) Coordination and support actions for the 2019 deadlineActions under this sub-topic, in line with the EU-CELAC SOM strategic approach, will concretely build on the outputs of the newly established EU-CELAC Research Infrastructure Working Group, and will:

1. support the identification of priorities for regional and bi-regional cooperation based on the respective strategic road-mapping exercises;
2. foster the exchange of best practices between the EU and CELAC on issues of common strategic relevance such as regional road-mapping processes, research infrastructure management, RI staff development.
3. support the identification of a limited number of Research Infrastructures of bi-regional interest on which the project will have to conduct pilot cooperation demonstrators comprising:

• The organisation of dedicated workshops and meetings between the EU and CELAC involved communities (research infrastructures, ministries, funding agencies). This can also be supported by bi-regional staff exchange activities, dedicated thematic training programmes (e.g. summer schools);
• The development of specific roadmaps for cooperation for each of the pilot thematic dimensions and the initial implementation of identified actions, such as supporting reciprocal access to Research Infrastructures in the two regions by covering travel and subsistence costs;
• The regular reporting to the EU-CELAC RI WG on the progress, for which an advisory board should be set up.

Under this sub-topic, legal entities established in Brazil and Mexico are eligible for funding from the Union.


The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of up to EUR 1.5 million would allow this activity to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts

Expected Impact:
(c) Research and Innovation actions for the 2019 deadline

• strengthen the structured cooperation between European and Russian Research Infrastructures;
• promote the harmonisation of procedures and framework conditions for access;
• develop the framework conditions to improve access of European Scientists to Russian Research Infrastructures;
• promote the participation of Russian researchers in EU projects.

(d) Coordination and Support actions for the 2019 deadline

• strengthen the development of a consistent cooperation agenda with CELAC;
• develop the international outreach of the European research infrastructures' ecosystem;
• foster a global research area vision and the development of global research infrastructures;
• contribute to capacity building and research infrastructures human capital development in targeted/relevant regions;
• enhance the role of the Union in multilateral fora;

Type of Action: Coordination and support action, Research and Innovation action

CE-NMBP-25-2019 - Photocatalytic synthesis (RIA)

Specific Challenge: The efficient storage and utilisation of solar energy in the form of chemicals or chemical energy will play a key role to transform the European industry into a low-carbon economy. In the long term, there will be a need for highly integrated solutions enabling the carbon-neutral production of high-value chemicals or energy, which is crucial to reduce CO2 emissions. The development of integrated processes will require a systemscatalysis approach that includes engineering aspects as small-scale and intermittent operation. 

Scope: Development of cheap materials and integrated processes/devices for the direct photocatalytic conversion of CO2 (from anthropogenic CO2 sources and/or from air) and H2O to fuels and/or chemicals, with an overall solar-to-hydrogen efficiency of >20%, with the following goals:   

 Improve selectivity and efficiency by rational engineering of the bandgap and electronic structures;   

 Realise a new design of multi-heterojunction materials with scalable preparation for Zscheme mimicking;   

 Design multifunctional photocatalysts for simultaneous CO2 reduction and H2O oxidation;   

 Optimise solar photoreactors (light harvesting, mass transfer, reactivity);   

 Couple photo-assisted and non-photo-assisted catalytic processes for C-C bond formation.  

Proposals should assess the efficiency, reduction of the steps and costs with respect to the overall process, as well as the advantages of the proposed technology in terms of social/environment impact with respect to conventional production of the same chemicals and/or fuels. The scalability and exploitability of the devices should be analysed. The validation of the technology should be carried out by a demonstration of a photo- or photoelectrochemical reactor/integrated device of the size of the existing photovoltaic cells. 

In line with the strategy for EU international cooperation in research and innovation (COM(2012)497), international cooperation is particularly encouraged. 

Activities should start at TRL 3 and achieve TRL 5 at the end of the project. 

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU between EUR 5 and 7 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts. 

Expected Impact: Development of cost-efficient systems based on multifunctional photo catalytic system which should enable upscaling and process intensification, with:   

 Increased efficiency of the system with sunlight to chemical energy conversion efficiency (to chemicals other than H2) higher than 5%;   

 Improved stability/robustness of the system under extended operational conditions, with loss of performances <5% in 1000h;   

 Cost reduction/effectiveness of the system, including recycling if relevant and continuous product recovery, with cost of production of chemicals comparable to actual route from fossil fuels, but with an improved energy efficiency and <50% CO2 emissions (based on Life Cycle Assessment).  

Relevant indicators and metrics, with baseline values, should be clearly stated in the proposal. 

Type of Action: Research and Innovation action 

LC-NMBP-27-2019 - Strengthening EU materials technologies for non-automotive battery storage (RIA)

Specific Challenge: Driven by the needs for a cleaner environment and the transition towards a low-carbon competitive economy, deployment of solar and wind energy increases. The respective energy supply will be much more decentralised, resulting in enhanced needs for deployment of large to small scale industrial electricity grids, and in an increased share of electricity produced in private households. Also industry 4.0 with its new less centralised production methods will need a more delocalised energy supply. And more and more small robotised devices dedicated for industry or private households appear on the market that need energy. For all these new technologies and markets, the respective energy storage challenges have to be solved. This can be done by specific batteries, and Europe has to use its knowledge and competitive advantage in advanced materials and nanotechnologies to strengthen the related battery storage value chain and prepare European industry to be competitive in these new markets. 

Scope: Proposals should cover the following:   

 Develop more price competitive, better performant and highly safe battery storage solutions, with improved lifetime by lowering the cost and capital expenditure through development of less expensive and more performant materials (e.g. novel advanced electrode materials, including nanostructured and 2D materials and electrolytes), chemistries, packaging and cell design and battery component production processes. The progress should make use of the advantages of the existing EU value chain. Synergies with the electrified vehicle battery production sector could be explored;   

 Duly consider safety aspects depending on the application, e.g. by consideration of polymer or solid electrolytes for solid-state batteries;   

 Sustainable materials and environmental friendly production processes, possible second life applications, and materials that are easily available in Europe, in order to avoid market dependence. Recycling should be inherently possible on a large scale, permitting overall costs that will not hamper market acceptance;   

 The new solution and respective output targets (such as cyclability, reliability, usage and lifetime) should be demonstrated and tested where possible in a relevant industrial environment; and developments in the European regulatory framework as well as the impact on industrial standards should be considered;   

 To allow comparison with currently existing solutions, a full life cycle assessment covering environmental and economic aspects of the proposed alternatives should be included.  

Activities should start at TRL 4 and achieve TRL 6 at the end of the project. 

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU between EUR 6 and 8 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts. 

Expected Impact: The performance levels of the proposed solution(s) should be in line with those specified in the relevant parts of the SET-Plan.20 The new developments should respond to all of the following requirements:   

 Enhanced market success of the new more competitive and sustainable technologies, obtained by strong reduction of the cost for stationary applications, below 0.05 €/kWh/cycle; the reduction of cost should be at least 20% in all other cases;   

 More competitive products due to increased life time, with a cycle life for stationary energy storage applications that should be clearly beyond the current standards, and reach at least 5000 cycles at 80% Depth of Discharge; and it should be significantly improved with respect to the state-of-the-art in all other cases;   

 More sustainable products, with a recycling efficiency beyond currently legal obligations, as established in the Batteries Directive,21 ideally beyond 50%, and a demonstrated economic viability.  

Relevant indicators and metrics, with baseline values, should be clearly stated in the proposal. 

Type of Action: Research and Innovation action 

LC-NMBP-29-2019 - Materials for non-battery based energy storage (RIA)

Specific Challenge: Sustainable energy production can only work well when the specific different energy storage challenges are solved. So, solar panels and wind generators do not deliver energy when no sun is shining or no wind is blowing. Batteries may not be the best solution to face all energy storage needs, due to cost, safety and environmental issues. Other technologies have to be developed that can respond to these needs, and their readiness for market deployment has to be shown. Specific materials for these technologies have to be developed. Price competitiveness and environmental aspects have to be considered, as well as economic viability. 

Scope: Non battery-based storage technologies, such as Power to Gas, Power to chemicals and power to liquids (based e.g. on ethanol, methanol or ammoniac), or compressed air energy storage CAES, can be suitable solutions for different energy storage needs. 

These new technologies will need new or considerably improved materials, with increased performance and reduced total costs with respect to currently used ones. Cost reductions may result e.g. from new materials, in combination with new design/architecture (when applicable or suitable) or reduced service and maintenance needs. 

With respect to power to gas and power to fuels or chemicals, innovation will result for instance from the improvement of electrolysers. Advanced materials solutions may be highcapacity, durable proton exchange membranes and solid oxide electrolysis cell (SOEC) electrolysers for hydrogen production; or cost efficient materials for tanks for hydrogen storage. 

Most technologies are still in an experimental phase and have to be prepared for industrial deployment. Price competitiveness and environmental aspects have to be analysed. 

The materials should show its economic viability, also considering the cost related to the necessary overall infrastructure. 

Special attention should be given to sustainable materials, the circular economy and eventual second life applications, and to materials that are easily available in Europe, in order to avoid market dependence e.g. of critical raw materials. Recycling should be inherently possible on large scale, permitting overall costs that will not hamper market acceptance. 

Materials for thermal storage and storage for hydropower are excluded from this call, as well as the development of fuel cells and supercapacitors. 

Activities should start at TRL 3 and achieve TRL 5 at the end of the project. 

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between EUR 4 and 6 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts. 

Expected Impact: The performance levels of the proposed solution(s) should be in line with those specified in the relevant parts of the SET-Plan.22   

 Improving technical and economic competitiveness of EU stationary storage production suitable to store large amount of energy;   

 By enabling low-carbon energy production, help to reach climate goals and CO2 reduction levels as per international agreements as EU 2020 and 2050 targets and COP21; improving indirectly health of EU society;   

 Significant improvements in the levelised costs of energy while maintaining or improving other properties of the storage solution.  

Relevant indicators and metrics, with baseline values, should be clearly stated in the proposal. 

Type of Action: Research and Innovation action 

LC-NMBP-32-2019 - Smart materials, systems and structures for energy harvesting (RIA)

Specific Challenge: The realisation of the European goals of increased energy efficiency, reduction in CO2 emissions and the circular economy require novel ways of using, harvesting and storing energy. Smart materials and material systems/structures have already demonstrated the potential to reduce energy consumption as well as harvest, generate and store energy. However, implementation has been limited due to the materials' operational reliability as well as issues of recyclability and dependence on rare elements. In addition, cost concerns or lack of efficient manufacturing processes prohibit the wider implementation of such technologies. The next step is the implementation of these technologies in a wide range of commercial applications allowing the exploitation of the characteristics of smart materials. As the application of smart materials and developments in sensor technologies are dominated by SMEs in the EU, extending their innovation potential for smart materials applications is important for maintaining their market position and has a significant impact in improving EU competitiveness. 

Scope: Proposals should cover the following:   

 The development of new materials and material combinations with energy harvesting and storage capabilities (e.g. lead-free piezoelectric based devices for energy generation and energy storing automotive structural components or magnetic materials systems);   

 Clearly demonstrate reduction of around 25% in overall materials and processing costs relative to the state of the art and how the implementation of those technologies would be achieved;   

 Demonstrate the recyclability and reliability of new smart materials, as well as a reduction in the dependence on rare elements;   

 Integrate sensor technologies (e.g. MEMS based sensor concepts) and the potential linkage with the Internet of Things (IoT);   

 Assess market perspectives and patents as well as standardisation;  

Activities are expected to start at TRL 3 and achieve TRL 5 at the end of the project. 

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU between EUR 5 and 7 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts. 

Expected Impact:  

   New materials facilitating technology systems for sustainable energy supply allowing a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by at least 40% based on lifecycle analysis;   

 Reduction of hazardous waste by 50% through efficient manufacturing practices and/or materials selection;   

 Development of new technologies, applications and services providing direct support for the wider implementation of the DSM and IoT, (e.g. enable the development of wireless sensor networks, or, deployment of energy harvesting powered sensor nodes to monitor remote locations);  

Relevant indicators and metrics, with baseline values, should be clearly stated in the proposal. 

Type of Action: Research and Innovation action

LC-EEB-01-2019 - Integration of energy smart materials in non-residential buildings (IA)

Specific Challenge: Europe is leader in the development of components for buildings retrofitting. Its leadership is based on the use of high-efficient insulation materials including concrete, steel, glass, composites, wood and hybrids, which should lead to achieving recyclable, nearly zero-energy building envelopes (roofs, façades) when applied to new buildings. However, these components do still not allow for the integration of smart energy storage and for an equal performance in existing buildings. This has proved to be very challenging, in terms of complexity, weight control and overall retrofitting costs. Therefore, work is required to advance the technology readiness level. Activities should include the demonstration of new hybrid-enabled prototypes for selected non-residential buildings. 

Scope: The development of lightweight components based on high-efficiency insulation materials needs adding active energy management capabilities without increasing weight. Proposals should cover all of the following:   

 development of lightweight components for the construction of building envelopes with integral means for combined active/passive management of energy transfer, i.e., for active insulation, heath diversion, storage and directional transfer;   

 solutions capable for use in both new buildings and for retrofitting existing ones;   

 solutions allowing for installation without modifying the structure of the building (or without overloading existing structures) and demonstrating a high replication and industrial potential;   

 modelling of the materials and components as well as to the development of novel testing methodologies oriented towards assessing the long-term performance of the elements. This should include the estimation of durability and service life;   

 reduced maintenance costs, possibility of use in a wide range of environmental conditions, favour renewable resources, respect of sustainability principles (International Reference Life Cycle Data System - ILCD Handbook), and the possibility of reuse at the end of service life.  

This topic is likely to contribute to standardisation and certification activities. 

Resources should be envisaged for clustering with other projects funded under the call, in order to facilitate research cohesion and inter-consortia cooperation. 

Proposals submitted under this topic should include actions designed to facilitate cooperation with other projects; to enhance user involvement; and to ensure the accessibility and reusability of data produced in the course of the project. 

Activities should start at TRL 5 and achieve TRL 7 at the end of the project. 

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU between EUR 4 and 6 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts. 

Expected Impact: When compared to state of the art, the newly developed solutions should bring:   

 Improvement by at least 25% of the insulation properties at component level for a given weight, when in isolation (passive) mode;   

 10% improvement in energy-storage capability when in active mode(s);   

 Water and air tightness should be at least 10% higher than existing solutions (when it is proposed a controllable solution);   

 Cost increase of less than 15%, in order to allow market uptake across Europe and contribute to social affordability.  

Relevant indicators and metrics, with baseline values, should be clearly stated in the proposal. 

Type of Action: Innovation action 

LC-EEB-03-2019 - New developments in plus energy houses (IA)

Specific Challenge: Energy Efficiency targets set at EU level by legislation are currently being reviewed. The related SET-Plan rolls out concrete steps how research and innovation could further reach these targets by 2025. However, the current practice to construct nearly zero-energy houses will be insufficient to reach the CO2 emission reduction targets for 2050. Therefore, it is necessary to develop further the concept of "Plus Energy Houses", producing more energy than they use. Buildings have long life cycles until they are replaced. Therefore, it is essential to speed up the development of the required technologies. 

Scope: New designs, making use of already developed and validated materials and components and smarter control systems ready to treat vast amounts of data are needed. The surplus of energy should come from renewable sources (geothermal heat, photovoltaics, wind, etc.), obviously optimizing the dynamic character of the energy balance all along the year. 

Each proposal should be expected to involve pioneer cities (demonstrations in a multi- storey apartment building situated in each of the 4 climatic zones in Europe). Such buildings should be properly managed and connected to the neighbourhood grid. Proposals should take the lead by levering funding with other energy efficiency schemes, including the private sector. Erecting buildings at such pioneer cities should not encounter regulatory problems. For this reason, the proposal will identify any bottlenecks in the existing regulations and standards concerned by the locations chosen. 

Proposals submitted under this topic should include actions designed to facilitate cooperation with other projects; to enhance user involvement; and to ensure the accessibility and reusability of data produced in the course of the project. 

Activities should start at TRL 5 and achieve TRL 7 at the end of the project. 

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU between EUR 6 and 8 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts. 

Expected Impact: Proposals should achieve all of the following:   

 Similar costs as compared to the 2020 nearly zero-energy buildings as an incentive to erect energy-plus-houses;   

 Increase of the share of plus-energy houses with the view of 10% market uptake by 2030;   

 Contribute reducing of CO2 emissions in the residential sector by 88% in 2050 compared to the 1990 levels;   

 Improved indoor environment leading to higher rate of users' satisfaction based on their demand and behaviour.  

Relevant indicators and metrics, with baseline values, should be clearly stated in the proposal. 

Type of Action: Innovation action 

LC-EEB-05-2019-20 - Integrated storage systems for residential buildings (IA)

Specific Challenge: Optimised storage solutions for thermal and electric energy are needed in order to better synchronise the overall supply and demand, at residential, district and urban level. Efficient management of the peak loads would reduce the overall operational costs of the installations. 

The main challenge is to demonstrate integrated thermal storage systems. The current mature technologies for thermal storage are mostly based on water. In order to increase the storage density, it is needed to further develop other systems such as the Thermochemical materials. The next wave of developments needs to be tackled in order to propose attractive equipment with a significant increase in storage capacity efficiency. The combination of renewable energy with storage is key to support the next generation of very low or plus energy houses. Such storage equipment will be exploited first and mostly in the residential buildings (existing and new ones). 

Scope: Proposals should develop advanced solutions including all of the following elements:   

 Reach improved heat exchange in and between storage material and heat carrier as well as high performing storage reactor over time;   

 With respect to the entire storage system, advanced energy management is needed, Not only regarding the building needs but also taking in account external conditions such as grid constraints and price signals;   

 The overall system should be easy to maintain with low cost associated to this activity;   

 The demonstration should include several prototypes operating in three different climatic conditions (with compactness as a crucial boundary condition).  

Proposals submitted under this topic should include actions designed to facilitate cooperation with other projects; to enhance user involvement; and to ensure the accessibility and reusability of data produced in the course of the project. 

Activities should start at TRL 5 and achieve TRL 7 at the end of the project. 

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU between EUR 6 and 8 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts. 

Expected Impact:  

   Demonstrate solutions that have a stable, reliable long term performance in multi-cyclic seasonal and use of at least 20 years;   

 Deliver compact systems with the potential to fit in the limited space available in a single building in the existing housing stock or new buildings. The storage material volume per dwelling should not exceed 1 m3;   

 Solutions should demonstrate a potential to reduce the net energy consumption of a building by at least 25% and a have return-on-investment period below 10 years;   

 Use of high energy density storage materials allowing storage densities up to 10 times higher than water (based on overall system efficiency).  

Relevant indicators and metrics, with baseline values, should be clearly stated in the proposal. 

Type of Action: Innovation action 

CE-SPIRE-04-2019 - Efficient integrated downstream processes (IA)

Specific Challenge: Today, process industry operations for downstream processing represent on average 50-60% of the total capital (CAPEX) and operating costs (OPEX) and they account for up to 45% of the process energy in industrial operations. These high costs for downstream processing are often linked to the inefficiencies in the upstream process, due to low conversion and formation of co-products, by-products and/or impurities. Hybrid processing technologies (including chemical and biochemical steps) can provide major advantages in terms of primary process selectivity and sustainability. However, they have not been widely deployed in industry so far. The development of novel technologies for upstream and downstream unit operations, as well as their better integration, could provide significant resource and energy efficiency gains. 

Scope: Proposals submitted under this topic are expected to provide novel solutions for a deeper integration of upstream and downstream processing operations. Proposals should consider:   

 Intensified process technologies presenting multistep upstream processes, potentially exploiting hybrid chemo and bio catalytic technologies as well as process analytical techniques (PAT), in order to maximise production efficiency, selectivity and mitigation of downstream processing;   

 Complex downstream operations, integrating different separation techniques and purification steps;   

 Modularity and flexibility of the solutions, as well as, potential for transition from batch to continuous operations;   

 The technologies proposed should enable increased productivity, purity and quality of products, while lowering the process environmental footprint and increasing resource and energy efficiency;   

 The potential for integration in the current industrial scenario, and the replicability of the concept in different sectors of the process industry;   

 Increased safety of the work environment.  

Proposals should provide proof of economic and industrial feasibility of the technologies involved; and should consider the potential integration in existing installations, as well as their retrofitting. Reduction of production costs and time to market is also expected. 

Significant demonstration activities in industrial environments are expected. Demonstration activities in real industrial settings, showing the potential for integration into existing plants and industrial operations, represent a clear added-value to the proposals. 

Proposals submitted under this topic should include actions designed to facilitate cooperation with other projects; to enhance user involvement; and to ensure the accessibility and reusability of data produced in the course of the project. 

Activities should start at TRL 5 and achieve TRL 7 at the end of the project. 

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU between EUR 10 and 14 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts. 

Expected Impact:  

   20% decrease in greenhouse gas emission;   

 Increased in resource and energy efficiency by at least 20%;   

 Novel modular and scalable integrated (upstream-downstream) pilot line technologies with 10% decrease in CAPEX and OPEX;   

 Effective dissemination of major innovation outcomes to the current and next generation of employees, through the development of learning resources with flexible usability. These should be ready to be easily integrated in existing curricula and modules for undergraduate level and lifelong learning programmes.  

Relevant indicators and metrics, with baseline values, should be clearly stated in the proposal. 

Type of Action: Innovation action 

CE-SPIRE-05-2019 - Adaptation to variable feedstock through retrofitting (IA 50%)

Specific Challenge: Process industry plants have to be operated for a long time to make their operations viable. They include equipment such as furnaces, reactors, raw materials handling and storage systems which sometimes have a lifetime beyond 30 years. Keeping these facilities up to date from a technological and from regulatory point of view (for instance related to zero waste regulations and to the circular economy) is a major challenge. Even industrial plants which are less than 10 years old, are often not equipped for new or renewable (e.g. biomass) materials and alternative or renewable energy input streams. More generally, this increased variety of inputs along with the need for energy efficiency improvements poses a real challenge and requires technological breakthroughs in the process industry.

Scope: Proposals need to cover the following:   

 Implement simulation models and decision support tools for the production chain in an energy intensive sector, including the detection of inefficiencies, in order to allow flexibility with respect to feedstock of variable composition, while offering energy efficiency and product quality;   

 The development of tools and methodologies to streamline and support retrofitting;   

 Find the most efficient operational input conditions to optimise the performances;   

 Develop indicators to modify input variables and its potential of replication across the industry;   

 Facilitate and adapt the equipment towards a larger number and more diverse feedstock in order to be ready for a transition in which variability in quality, quantity and price of feedstock are key to make the production competitive and sustainable;   

 Solutions should demonstrate the feasibility and suitability of the concepts of retrofitting at industrial scale.  

Demonstration of the technology in different process industries should be undertaken, covering both the technology (new ‘plug-ins’), as well as the process control (higher variability of the process requires new Monitoring & Control Systems). 

Proposals submitted under this topic should include actions designed to facilitate cooperation with other projects; to enhance user involvement; and to ensure the accessibility and reusability of data produced in the course of the project. 

Activities should start at TRL 5 and achieve TRL 7 at the end of the project. 

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU between EUR 8 and 12 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts. 

As an exception from General Annex H, the funding rate for direct costs in grants awarded under this topic will be differentiated: 100% of the eligible costs for beneficiaries and linked third parties that are non-profit legal entities; and 50% of the eligible costs for beneficiaries and linked third parties that are for profit legal entities. 

Expected Impact:  

   Increasing the resource and energy efficiency of the targeted processes by 20%;   

 Decrease GHG emissions through retrofitting by at least 30%;   

 Decreased utilisation of fossil resources in the process industry of at least 20%;   

 Reduced OPEX by 30% and increased productivity by 20%;   

 Effective dissemination of major innovation outcomes to the current next generation of employees of the SPIRE sectors, through the development, by education/training experts, of learning resources with flexible usability. These should be ready to be easily integrated in existing curricula and modules for undergraduate level and lifelong learning programs.  

Relevant indicators and metrics, with baseline values, should be clearly stated in the proposal. 

Type of Action: Innovation action 

DT-SPIRE-06-2019 - Digital technologies for improved performance in cognitive production plants (IA)

Specific Challenge: Shortage in raw materials, increased energy prices and environmental constraints require the European process industry to improve its performance and flexibility and there are unexploited opportunities for digitising a large range of enterprises of very different size in the process industry. 

Digitisation endows the production system with capabilities for analysis. This should enable the autonomous operation of the system based on embedded cognitive reasoning, while relying on high-level supervisory control. As a consequence, changes in the production process need to be detected and the system needs to be able to respond to these dynamic fluctuations, by adapting the production to stay within the target ranges of production costs and rate, as well as those of and sustainability parameters. A fully up-to-date interactive and self-learning process control integrated with management tools is essential to obtain an optimal efficiency, while maintaining adequate flexibility of the system in regard to changing feedstock, energy sources and product demand. 

Scope: Proposals need to develop new technologies to realise cognitive production plants, with improved efficiency and sustainability, by use of smart and networked sensor technologies, intelligent handling and online evaluation of various forms of data streams as well as new methods for self-organizing processes and process chains. Furthermore, proposals should cover the full digital transformation of a complete plant or site(s) including e.g. data acquisition, communication, automation, analytics, modelling, prediction and standardisation of relevant data interfaces. The following elements should be considered:   

 Improvement of online monitoring and innovative control technologies in terms of process performance and flexibility, maintenance needs and product quality;   

 Digital retrofitting of existing assets, integration towards and holistic optimisation of operations, data-analytics, real-time capability, use role-specific representation of information, feedback control & detect deviations and adjust operations immediately decision support (e.g. advanced process control, reactive scheduling);   

 Several among the following concepts: apply low-cost sensors for on-line assessment of product quality and integration into process control; robust optimisation methods to distributed targeted process monitoring; simulation methods for the analysis, characterisation and study of systems for enhanced operations and decision-making combination of various forms of data with cognitive insight to optimise and enhance resources;   

 Replicability and scalability of the concepts should be considered appropriately.  

Proposals submitted under this topic should include actions designed to facilitate cooperation with other projects; to enhance user involvement; and to ensure the accessibility and reusability of data produced in the course of the project. 

Activities should start at TRL 5 and achieve TRL 7 at the end of the project. 

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU between EUR 6 and 8 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts. 

Expected Impact: Improved capabilities for valid, reliable and real-time control logics of the properties, efficiency and quality of process streams and final products for existing and for more flexible process operation concepts:   

 Show potential for improved performance in cognitive production plants;   

 Increased production performance, energy and resource consumption, or waste or byproducts production will be significantly improved by more than 20%. The targets should be quantified in the proposal and validated during the execution of the demonstration;   

 Project outcomes should demonstrate a positive environmental impact, by reducing CO2 emissions compared to the state of the art and in the scale relevant for the different applications;   

 Effective dissemination of major innovation outcomes to the current next generation of employees of the SPIRE sectors, through the development, by education/training experts, of learning resources with flexible usability. These should be ready to be easily integrated in existing curricula and modules for undergraduate level and lifelong learning programmes.  

Relevant indicators and metrics, with baseline values, should be clearly stated in the proposal. 

Type of Action: Innovation action 

FOUNDATIONS FOR TOMORROW’S INDUSTRY

OPEN INNOVATION TEST BEDS

DT-NMBP-03-2019 - Open Innovation Test Beds for nano-enabled surfaces and membranes (IA)

Specific Challenge: Nano-enabled surfaces and membranes have a vast range of applications in final products across many industry sectors. The challenge is to enable a cost effective and sustainable industrial upscaling and deployment of nano-enabled surface and membrane technologies, including thin film architecture, coating, surface structuration for improved properties (optical, surface energy, durability, reduced friction, etc.), and nanostructured membrane's functionalities. This will require the integration of state-of-the-art nano-scale processes for modification, functionalisation, and structuring/coating of surfaces or membranes. 

Scope:  

 Open Innovation Test Beds should upgrade or develop materials facilities and make available to industry and interested parties, including SMEs, services for the design, development, testing, safety assessment, and upscaling of new nano-enabled surfaces and membranes;   

 New materials functionalities may include, among others, improved scratch and abrasion resistance, super hardness and mechanical resistance, improved corrosion, wear and friction properties, bio-functionality, bio-compatibility, control of reflectivity, sensing ability, self-cleaning, antimicrobial, permeability and selectivity properties;   

 Open access at fair conditions and cost as well as outreach and dissemination across Europe, based on a distinct methodology;   

 Applications can cover industrial as well as consumer products. Potential regulatory, economical and technical barriers should be identified and assessed;   

 Quality control processes and tools should be validated to allow on-line quality controls;   

 Materials should be demonstrated in relevant industrial environments;  

Proposals submitted under this topic should include actions designed to facilitate cooperation, across Europe, with other projects and existing Pilot Lines; to enhance user involvement; and to ensure the accessibility and reusability of data produced in the course of the project. 

Activities should start at TRL 4 and achieve TRL 7 at the end of the project. 

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU between EUR 7 and 15 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts. 

Expected Impact:  

 Open and upgraded facilities at the EU level for the design, development, testing, safety assessment, and upscaling of nano-enabled surfaces and membranes;   

 Attract a significant number of new SME users, with at least a 20% increase for existing test beds;  

 Increased access to finance (for SMEs in particular) for investing in these nano-enabled surfaces or membranes or in applications using them;   

 At least 15% improved process parameters and 20% faster verification of nano-enabled surfaces or membranes performance for highly promising applications;   

 At least 20% improvement in industrial productivity, reliability, environmental performance, durability, and reduction of life-cycle costs of these nano-enabled surfaces or membranes;   

 At least 15% indirect reduction in energy consumption for applications using novel nano-enabled surfaces or membranes.  

Relevant indicators and metrics, with baseline values, should be clearly stated in the proposal. 

Type of Action: Innovation action

FOUNDATIONS FOR TOMORROW’S INDUSTRY

MATERIALS CHARACTERISATION and COMPUTATIONAL MODELLING

DT-NMBP-08-2019 - Real-time nano-characterisation technologies (RIA)

Specific Challenge: Enterprises using and producing nanomaterials face a constant increase of requirements in regard to fast process and product quality control, regulatory compliance and quicker market introduction of high quality products. 

This calls for real-time measurements, necessitating process-adapted nanoscale metrology for the manufacturing industry. Tools and devices for materials characterisation need increased speed and reliability, suitable for industrial demands, while at the same time retaining the same or better measurement accuracy and precision. 

Scope: Proposals should advance and establish nano-scale, multimodal and multi-scale materials characterisation tools and methods, allowing rapid and reliable high-resolution analyses. These should be suitable for characterisation during processing and manufacturing of advanced materials, i.e. real-time and reliable. This includes the optimisation of existing or the development of new technologies, characterisation equipment, data processing routes and data analysis strategies, or a combination of these. In particular:   

 Proposals should deal with one or more industrial applications;   

 In addition to the characterisation speed (relative to the manufacturing process), proposals should cover the requirements for real-time nano-scale characterisation during manufacturing (e.g. in situ characterisation, multiple acquisition etc.);   

 Proposals should demonstrate measurable improvement with respect to the state of the art of nano-scale characterisation technologies adequate for industrial use (adaptability to the industrial process, product quality, etc.);   

 Developed characterisation protocols should consist of faster methods to be exploited in close connection with manufacturing enterprises, or be suitable online or inline use in the factory;   

 Detailed training and dissemination activities should be planned to ensure appropriate transfer of knowledge and/or expertise to industry, and SMEs in particular.  

Funded proposals will be invited to participate in clustering activities, to agree on metadata for the description of materials characterisation and databases. 

Proposals submitted under this topic should include actions designed to facilitate cooperation with other projects; to enhance user involvement; and to ensure the accessibility and reusability of data produced in the course of the project. 

Activities should start at TRL 4 and achieve TRL 6 at the end of the project. 

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU between EUR 4 and 5 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts. 

Expected Impact:  

   Measurable improvement of speed by at least a factor 2 of nanoscale characterisation procedures, in comparison to already established performance and reliability for the application leading to a significant increase in industrial competitiveness;   

 Significant reduction of the time and resources needed for nanomaterial development and upscaling, and for nanomaterials-based product development, which should be quantified with respect to established conditions for specific market sectors, with a return of investment in less than 5 years;   

 Quantifiable enhancement of the ability to control the quality and reliability of products, with consequent improvement of product lifetime and associated environmental benefits.  

Relevant indicators and metrics, with baseline values, should be clearly stated in the proposal. 

Type of Action: Research and Innovation action

DT-NMBP-10-2019 - Adopting materials modelling to challenges in manufacturing processes (RIA)

Specific Challenge: Improved decision making for materials producers and product manufacturers needs an environment that gives fast access to information and thereby allows reacting to changing feedstock, markets and regulatory demands. This would need an open translation environment that translates a specific manufacturing challenge into a materials modelling workflow that provides knowledge to support optimal material and process design.  

Scope: The translation environment should be one coherent and seamless system for optimised development of novel materials and products. This environment should allow reuse of materials modelling software, knowledge and expertise in different industrial domains, by use of the models, protocols and systems in other relevant areas or sectors.    

 The environment should contain a suite of integrated and interoperable apps that combine existing materials models, and databases of materials properties in a standardised manner;    

 Apps should be developed that will enhance the ability for manufacturing companies (end-users) to do an effective search of numerical tools and/or providers of numerical simulations. They should facilitate the building of the required workflows, while removing the underlying complexity of the model in order to address a specific challenge;   

 Apps should improve decision making on the level of differentiating materials and processes.   

These translation environments should facilitate the operations of a pan-European network supported by Open Innovation Test Beds. Proposals submitted under this topic should include actions designed to facilitate cooperation with other projects; to enhance user involvement; and to ensure the accessibility and reusability of data produced in the course of the project. 

Activities should start at TRL 4 and achieve TRL 6 at the end of the project. 

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU around EUR 5 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts. 

Expected Impact:  

   Remove barriers to the use of materials models by lowering the learning curve, increase the knowledge-base of European industry and the total cost of ownership leading to an industrial user base of companies increased by a factor 2;    

 Increased speed of material/and or product development time and rapid design from concept to market by factor 5 and allow industry to react to changing market and regulatory demands;   

 Change the operational practice of companies by making them more data driven, agile, light and competitive and thus support the Digital Single Market (DSM) objectives and thus drastically reduced development costs for industry by a factor 2;  

Allow reuse of materials modelling knowledge and expertise in different industrial domains and cross-industry fertilisation by use of the protocols and systems in other relevant areas or sectors beyond the ones covered by the proposal. 

Relevant indicators and metrics, with baseline values, should be clearly stated in the proposal. 

Type of Action: Research and Innovation action 

FOUNDATIONS FOR TOMORROW’S INDUSTRY

GOVERNANCE, SCIENCE-BASED RISK ASSESSMENT AND REGULATORY ASPECTS

NMBP-15-2019 - Safe by design, from science to regulation: metrics and main sectors (RIA)

Specific Challenge: Risk management involves quantifying hazard (toxicity) and exposure, and taking the necessary steps to reduce both to acceptable levels, ideally at an early stage of the nanomaterial development process (Safe-by-Design). Various industrial sectors, and in particular structural or functional materials, coatings and cosmetics, as well as pharma and health technology are currently searching for ways to mitigate possible risks from nanomaterials and nano-containing products. The challenge now is to distil existing methods into simple, robust, cost-effective methods for monitoring and modelling of physical-chemical properties and biological effect assessment of nanomaterials in relevant use conditions including in product-relevant matrices. 

Scope:  

   Degradation of nano-enabled products and ageing of nanomaterials, and mixture toxicity;   

 New Safe by Design methods that enable reduction of hazard and exposure through design to an acceptable risk level without affecting the material performance and guide development of safer products at different stages;   

 Implementation of control measures and mitigation strategies for nanomaterials specific scenarios in various industrial sectors to reach acceptable regulatory risk level on the effectiveness of such measures, and develop computational approaches to model them;   

 For this topic the parallel calls scheme is envisaged with the USA-NNI. Resulting projects should establish close cooperation mechanisms. Legal, policy making and Responsible Research and Innovation aspects should be integrated in the proposal.  

In line with the strategy for EU international cooperation in research and innovation (COM(2012)497), international cooperation is particularly encouraged. 

Proposals submitted under this topic should include actions designed to facilitate cooperation with other projects; to enhance user involvement; and to ensure the accessibility and reusability of data produced in the course of the project. 

Activities should start at TRL 4 and achieve TRL 6 at the end of the project. 

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU between EUR 5 and 6 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts. 

Expected Impact:  

   Safe by design approaches and tools at an early stage of the nanomaterial development process;   

 Quality workplaces that ensure maximum technical and economic performance in line with acceptable risk levels;   

 Control and mitigate exposure  to acceptable risk level in case after release of nanomaterials from products;   

 Develop and validate low-cost techniques for delivering an integrated exposure driven risk assessment and the associated design of the required post-use monitoring.  

Type of Action: Research and Innovation action 

FOUNDATIONS FOR TOMORROW’S INDUSTRY

MATERIALS CHARACTERISATION and COMPUTATIONAL MODELLING

DT-NMBP-12-2019 - Sustainable Nano-Fabrication (CSA)

Specific Challenge: Nanotechnology research has led to a remarkable development of nanoscale materials in bulk form with unique properties. Several of these materials are in the market or are expected to enter the market in the near future. The challenge is to establish industrial scale manufacturing of functional systems based on manufactured nanoparticles with designed properties for use in semiconductors, energy harvesting and storage, waste heat recovery, medicine, etc. This action will therefore establish synergy between EU stakeholders (research laboratories, industry, SMEs, etc.) active in this domain and to identify and resolve common challenges. 

Scope:  

   Establish a network of EU stakeholders that will manage information and communication among its members in the technical domains such as nano-synthesis, nanofabrication, nanostructuring, additive nanomanufacturing, nanostructure assembly, roll-to-roll nanofabrication, etc.;   

 Cover research and new standards for functional nanoparticles, nanomaterials, components, devices and processes. Establish common approaches for nomenclature, metrology, measurements and characterisation applied for nanomaterials by design, three-dimensional nanostructures, multi-layer nanodevices, multi-material and multifunctional nanosystems, dynamic nanosystems, etc.;   

 Provide access across Europe to services and infrastructure for SMEs;   

 Cover sustainability in terms of human health, ethics, environment, life-cycle analysis;   

 Cover development of the necessary skills for this new industry.  

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of around EUR 2 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts. 

Expected Impact:  

   Integrate nanoscale building blocks into complex, large scale systems that will become the basis for a new European high-value industry;   

 Link and consolidate existing infrastructure, create a sustainable community of stakeholders managing information and communication within and outside the group and develop an EU wide research and innovation strategy;   

 Establish a network of existing EU funded projects and initiatives, which will solve common issues through cross-project collaboration, and will strengthen technology takeup across Europe;   

 Establish international cooperation in particular with the nanomanufacturing programme of USA-NSF and the NNI Signature initiative of Sustainable Nanomanufacturing.  

Type of Action: Coordination and support action

BIOTEC-02-2019 - Boosting the efficiency of photosynthesis (RIA)

Specific Challenge: Agricultural productivity that does not keep up with the current population increase, the growing demand for biomass production (as feedstock for biofuels) and the nonstop rise of global CO2 emissions with its consequences for climate change, are all circumstances that make it urgent to increase the yield of biomass. Indeed, increased agricultural yield efficiency can have huge impacts in a society driven by the bio-economy. 

Plants use photosynthesis to grow, converting energy from the sun into storable carbohydrates. Chloroplasts are the minute energy factories in the plant leaves that absorb the sun’s energy, release oxygen into the air and use hydrogen plus CO2 to make the compounds that plants need to grow. Biotechnology has succeeded in the engineering of nuclear and chloroplasts genomes for the production of enzymes, raw materials and building blocks for the chemical industry. However, research to increase the efficiency of the enzymes that drive photosynthesis has not yet produced the desired results. Currently available ground-breaking and disruptive technologies coupled with the integration of knowledge from diverse scientific disciplines have the potential to propose new solutions to boost the efficiency of photosynthesis. 

Scope: Proposals should work towards the optimisation of photosynthesis by capitalising on multidisciplinary approaches, such as functional genomics, systems biology, metabolic modelling, enzyme engineering, computational biology, synthetic biology, directed evolution and gene editing techniques. 

Proposals should work with plants or algae and deal with any of the biological components underlying the diversity of photosynthesis. Proposals can involve new strategies to engineer the chloroplast genome, new strategies to engineer relevant enzymes, the development of metabolic models that contribute to a higher understanding of the properties of photosynthesis, among others. 

Proposals should cover at least one of the following:   

 new tools improving the performance of the catalytic enzymes involved in photosynthesis;   

 new tools to increase the rate of CO2-fixation;   

 engineered enzymes for novel CO2-fixation pathways.  

Proposals should include Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) elements regarding the technologies used and the environmental and socio-economic impact of the expected output. 

Proposals submitted under this topic should include actions designed to facilitate cooperation with other projects; to enhance user involvement; and to ensure the accessibility and reusability of data produced in the course of the project. 

Activities should start at TRL 3 and achieve TRL 5 at the end of the project. 

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU between EUR 6 and 8 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts. 

Expected Impact:  

   A strategy based on the new resources to obtain an enhanced photosynthetic efficiency of at least 10% under diverse environmental conditions;   

 A detailed and accurate research and innovation roadmap to attain higher photosynthetic performance for applicable results in the field by 2030.  

Relevant indicators and metrics, with baseline values, should be clearly stated in the proposal. 

Type of Action: Research and Innovation action 

DT-NMBP-18-2019 - Materials, manufacturing processes and devices for organic and large area electronics (IA)

Specific Challenge: Europe is a leader in the development of materials for organic and large area electronics (OLAE) but the materials still need to be improved to maintain this position. In addition, there have been attempts to combine dissimilar manufacturing technologies in order to achieve seamless integration of the new technology into traditional products at constant/lower production cost and in a new generation of smart devices. 

Scope: Activities should include material development and improvement (electrical performance, processability, stability and lifetime during device operation), as well as prototyping of advanced OLAE based electronic products. New materials and process development should cover all of the following:   

 Combine materials with high uniformity and with high mobility in industrial quantities with high reproducible quality;   

 Improved environmental stability to enable operation in more robust environments and to reduce barrier requirements;   

 Seamless integration of the new technology into traditional and new products;   

 Advance the TRL of OLAE and enhance its manufacturability including high speed processes for the integration of flexible OLAE components onto flexible substrates;   

 Cost reduction for the structuring and processing of organic electronic materials into device structures;   

 Demonstration of OLAE-enabled prototypes in selected applications of flexible and wearable electronics.  

Activities should start at TRL 3 and achieve TRL 5 at the end of the project. 

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between EUR 4 and 5 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts. 

Expected Impact:  

   New products based on the combination of printed and OLAE processed electronics in flexible and wearable electronics; 

 Improvement in cost competitiveness, lifetime and processability as well as manufacturing capability for OLAE materials and electronics;   

 Improved environmental stability, water vapour transmission rates < 10-6 gm-2 d-1 at 20°C/50% RH and oxygen transmission rates < 10-6 cm3 m-2 d-1 bar-1, of organic electronic materials for products. Improved printable commercial material charge carrier mobility > 5 -10 cm2/Vs;   

 Improved business opportunities and value creation in Europe by strengthening cooperation along the value chain as demonstrated by prototypes at TRL 5 that are taken to early-concept market trials with market introduction of new products in 2-4 years after project completion.  

Relevant indicators and metrics, with baseline values, should be clearly stated in the proposal. 

This topic will be co-funded by LEIT-NMBP and LEIT-ICT, for a total budget of EUR 20 million. 

Type of Action: Innovation action 

DT-NMBP-19-2019 - Advanced materials for additive manufacturing (IA)

Specific Challenge: Additive manufacturing (AM) is now applied in the processing of most industrial metals, ceramics, polymers and composites, albeit at quite different levels of industrial readiness. The challenge is to develop equipment that allows the additive layer manufacturing of multi-materials items and multi-functional materials (for research, transport including aeronautic, consumer customised goods, communications, biomaterials and energy). 

The development of novel materials is a primary challenge in the future development of AM. The challenge is also to use nanotechnologies to aggregate multiple materials within a single process, while improving or expanding their functionality, and enhancing their performance. This may include optical, rheological, mechanical, RF, electrical, magnetic, surface, thermal or process properties, controlled release, durability (accelerated aging and life time prediction) and quality. 

Scope: By combining several materials, proposals should advance the state of the art through the development of ready assembled multifunctional devices. Proposals should demonstrate several simultaneous activities:   

 Quantification of improved functionalities, properties, quality and lifespan of fabricated pieces;   

 Evaluation of matching materials properties to the production process to enable the joining of dissimilar materials for AM tools;  

 Demonstration of a better understanding of the nanotechnology integrated materials properties and manufactures;   

 Integration and validation at early stage of the qualification and certification considerations of the materials;   

 Joint development with material suppliers and end-users is required for a rapid uptake by industry;   

 Modelling, standardisation and regulatory aspects (especially safety and nanosafety) and the process and materials qualification.  

Activities should start at TRL 4 and achieve TRL 6 at the end of the project. 

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between EUR 6 and 8 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts. 

Expected Impact:  

   Improvement of the efficiency, quality and reliability of the product by at least 40%;   

 Better use of raw materials and resources with reduced environmental impact and to lower cost by 35% as demonstrated by Life Cycle Assessment;   

 New opportunities and business for SMEs across Europe (which are key players in advanced materials research for Additive Manufacturing).  

Relevant indicators and metrics, with baseline values, should be clearly stated in the proposal. 

Type of Action: Innovation action 

DT-FOF-05-2019 - Open Innovation for collaborative production engineering (IA)

Specific Challenge: The transfer to industrial companies of the Do It Yourself (DIY), fablabs, micro-factories and makers approaches can pioneer ways towards engineering solutions throughout the whole value chain. These innovative methods can lead to new processes, machines and products with new functionalities and shorter time to market. 

Industry is not yet widely using such innovative approaches to engage consumers and respond to societal needs, also taking into account the individual preferences of women and men. Collaborative production liaising companies, especially SMEs, with these new approaches can however create Open Innovation networks that can unroll a wide range of entirely new business opportunities for the benefit of consumers. 

Scope: Proposals should particularly cover consumer-goods sectors and couple design, creativity and knowledge with a customer-driven production. The co-creation of products in both ends of the value chain represents customer involvement in the production. In particular, proposals should cover at least three out of the following areas:   

 Novel approaches to capitalise on the knowledge and ideas of design and engineering coming from different and even new actors;   

 Design of new strategies based on creative and agile methodologies for analysis;   

 Development of knowledge, technologies and tools to share and analyse relevant data and demands from users as well as to fully enable collaborative engineering in the production network, allowing all actors to propose innovative solutions;   

 Development of open source product data exchange and standard representations of products and processes that ensure the compatibility of modelling and simulation with different process information systems;   

 Development of new Manufacturing Demonstration Facilities (MDFs), where companies will test new technologies in cooperation with fablabs and makers in order to develop real industrial products and where training is offered.  

Proposals also need to take into account Social Science and Humanities (SSH) aspects regarding creativity. 

Proposals submitted under this topic should include actions designed to facilitate cooperation with other projects; to enhance user involvement; and to ensure the accessibility and reusability of data produced in the course of the project. 

Activities should start at TRL 4 and achieve TRL 6 at the end of the project. 

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU between EUR 4 and 6 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts. 

Expected Impact:  

   Establish Open-Innovation networks for manufacturing that support customer-driven production all around Europe; 

 Creation of specific business models for the engineering of customised solutions, particularly for SMEs, rapid demand changes and shorter time to market;   

 Improvement of the co-design and co-development capabilities towards a reduction of development costs of new products and services;   

 Increase of product variety and personalisation for higher customer satisfaction and loyalty.  

Type of Action: Innovation action

DT-FOF-06-2019 - Refurbishment and re-manufacturing of large industrial equipment (IA)

Specific Challenge: In line with the circular economy, lifetime extension can limit high replacement costs of major industrial infrastructures. This can be achieved through refurbishment, re-manufacturing, re-use, upgrading, in-situ repair, improved maintenance and more conservative utilisation of large industrial equipment of the kind used in manufacturing. These actions can significantly extend the useful life of heavy machinery, and improve the return on investment from major capital items. 

Scope: This topic is for demonstration projects to establish the feasibility of lifetime extension of large industrial equipment of the kind used in manufacturing, including modernisation of equipment for data collection and interfaces. Proposals should cover one or more of the following areas:   

 refurbishment and/or upgrading of large industrial equipment;   

 re-manufacturing and re-use of equipment;   

 inspection, functional diagnosis and in-situ repair of damage;   

 maintenance and optimised utilisation of large industrial equipment.  

These measures can improve the return on investment from major capital items. The scope covers large-scale electrical and/or mechanical machinery in plants rather than electronic equipment, which earlier projects have already covered. Demonstration activities need to take place in real industrial settings and include validation of at least two industrial demonstrators in different sectors, enabling the integration and scale-up of the parameters to other industrial environments. 

Activities should start at TRL 5 and achieve TRL 7 at the end of the project. 

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU between EUR 12 and 15 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. 

Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts. 

Expected Impact:  

   Material and resource efficiency increased by at least 10%;   

 Life time extension of the targeted large machinery and plants by at least 20%;   

 Increased return on investment from major capital items.  

Relevant indicators and metrics, with baseline values, should be clearly stated in the proposal. 

Type of Action: Innovation action

DT-FOF-08-2019 - Pilot lines for modular factories (IA 50%)

Specific Challenge: Rapid changes in a production line require a significant flexibility of reconfiguration. Modular production equipment can create highly adaptable production lines to enable efficient production of small series tailored to customer demands. Previous research has shown that the modularity can be at two levels, either as complete machines with their own interface and material handling system or as interchangeable tool heads. In both cases, the advantage of modularity should be demonstrated by the ease of use and plug-and-produce features allowing for rapid modification. 

The functionality of the modules should enable the production of the widest variety of complex products. The modules need to allow rapid physical rearrangements, through either automated processes or manual intervention; and have accessible, secure interfaces in order to be connected to a common data system for production control. The interfacing with the existing hardware and legacy software is another aspect that needs to be covered. 

Scope: Proposals are expected to start from existing test beds that are flexible enough to allow for the introduction of multiple modular process units. Proposals should cover all of the following areas:   

 The development of a range of production modules covering several different disciplines such as mechanical cutting tools, thermal processes, laser treatments and additive manufacturing technologies, taking into account safety aspects;   

 The integration of comprehensive production management systems, including real-time process control in a reconfigurable line, which includes considerations for data interoperability between modules and process line (including legacy hardware and software);  

 

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 Pilot production of different products covering processing technologies and features such as multi-functionality (mechanical, electrical, thermal, optical, etc.), multi materials, and complex shapes.  

The production modules could be considered as demonstrators on their own. However, their integration in the pilot line as well as an actual production demonstration with a variety of components or product prototypes should be achieved before the end of the project. 

Proposals are expected to cover demonstration activities driven by the industrial community. 

Activities should start at TRL 5 and achieve TRL 7 at the end of the project. 

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU between EUR 12 and 15 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts. 

As an exception from General Annex H, the funding rate for direct costs in grants awarded under this topic will be differentiated: 100% of the eligible costs for beneficiaries and linked third parties that are non-profit legal entities; and 50% of the eligible costs for beneficiaries and linked third parties that are for profit legal entities. 

Expected Impact:  

   At least 15% reduction of time to reconfigure the production line (alternatively 15% reduction in downtime);   

 10% higher resource efficiency due to more suitable processing equipment for customised products;   

 Reduction of at least 15% of the overall cost of production;   

 Measurable yield improvement from run-to-run for small lot sizes.  

Relevant indicators and metrics, with baseline values, should be clearly stated in the proposal. 

Type of Action: Innovation action 

DT-FOF-12-2019 - Handling systems for flexible materials (RIA)

Specific Challenge: The handling of soft materials with the involvement of robots remains limited. The control systems of the robot need to be very sensitive, accurate and fast to prevent unwanted irreversible deformations and damages. Further research is needed in order to develop handling devices which are not pre-programmed for one specific task, but are intelligent and universally dexterous. 

Future robots will have to be able to handle soft products while controlling their level of deformation, e.g. in situations where the objects are being manipulated with multiple contact points. Low-cost robots are essential. New handling technologies for flexible materials will lead to disruptive innovations in textile, paper and food processing, and will support a widespread implementation, in particular by SMEs. 

Scope: In order to automate production processes involving soft and flexible materials, Proposals need to cover both of the following areas:   

 Innovative technologies for the handling of the soft and flexible materials such as gripping, moving, positioning, sorting, joining etc. so that it can be included in larger automated production processes. Low-cost and universal dexterity are key concepts;   

 System solutions that can manage all product and material related data (size, shape, weight, colour, material composition, defects, etc.), so that their automated handling can be embedded in larger production and process management systems.  

Activities should start at TRL 4 and achieve TRL 6 at the end of the project. 

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU between EUR 6 and 8 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts. 

Expected Impact:  

   Demonstrating the potential to bring back production to Europe;   

 15% increase in OECD Job Quality Index through work environment and safety improvement;   

 20% increase in productivity.  

Relevant indicators and metrics, with baseline values, should be clearly stated in the proposal. 

Type of Action: Research and Innovation action 

CE-BIOTEC-05-2019 - Microorganism communities for plastics bio-degradation (RIA)

Specific Challenge: The global market for plastics continues to grow due to their physical properties and benefits such as light weight, reduction of food waste, durability and cost. After being used, plastics should be separated in order to be subject to the most appropriate waste treatment processes. This is increasingly difficult and inefficient due to, for example, consumers' inaccurate identification of the appropriate types of plastics for recycling. Other plastic types, such as polystyrene, can even not be recycled if they have traces of food. 

Despite the worldwide efforts for degradation or recycling, large amounts of mixtures of plastics and other polymers end up in landfills or are used for the generation of energy. These methods lead to environmental contamination through the production of CO2 or due to plastics reaching water courses and the sea where they persist and become toxic for the whole food chain. Novel biotechnological approaches should be applied for the sustainable biological degradation of mixtures of recalcitrant and degradable plastics. 

Scope: Proposals will develop environmentally friendly and sustainable solutions for managing the waste of plastics mixtures based on the use of communities of microorganisms with a set of complementary enzymes. The enzymes may be native or engineered using state of the art biotechnologies. The microbial organisms will turn plastic mixtures into chemical constituents facilitating mineralisation, composting of otherwise recalcitrant and toxic polymers and facilitating production of high value products. Polymers such as polystyrene can also be included in the proposals. 

Proposals should:   

 produce cocktails of enzymes using communities of microorganisms capable of degrading mixtures of biodegradable and currently non-biodegradable plastics into more basic chemical constituents;   

 use a multidisciplinary approach based on biotechnology;   

 create high value products and valorise mixed plastic waste.  

This topic is part of the EU-China flagship initiative on Biotechnology for Environment and Human Health, which will promote substantial coordinated and balanced research and Innovation cooperation between the EU and China. China-based participants have the possibility to apply for funding under the Chinese co-funding mechanism and other Chinese sources15. 

Activities should start at TRL 3 and achieve TRL 5 at the end of the project. 

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU up to EUR 5 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.                                           

Expected Impact:  

   A combination of microorganisms expressing at least three novel or improved enzymatic activities enabling the degradation of mixtures of plastics;   

 Degradation of at least 20 percent of non-biodegradable plastics found in plastic mixtures. The objective is to include relevant indicators that prove this impact;   

 Identification of the metabolic pathways leading to at least two high added value products that could be sustainably produced in future from plastic mixtures;   

 Description of a sustainable and environmentally friendly pilot system for the degradation of plastic mixtures.  

Relevant indicators and metrics, with baseline values, should be clearly stated in the proposal. 

Type of Action: Research and Innovation action 

DT-ICT-01-2019 - Smart Anything Everywhere

Specific Challenge: "Smart anything everywhere" stands for the next wave of products that integrate digital technology. The challenge is to accelerate the design, development and uptake of advanced digital technologies by European industry - especially SMEs and mid-caps - in products that include innovative electronic components, software and systems, and especially in sectors where digital technologies are underexploited57.

Scope: 

a. Innovation Actions SAE

As Phase 3 of Smart Anything Everywhere, this sub-topic calls for Digital Innovation Hubs that strengthen European SMEs and mid-caps by experimenting and testing with one or more of the following technologies, or by supporting them to manufacture these products. Projects should also support eco-system building for promising platforms developed in earlier R&I products.

- Area 1: Cyber-physical and embedded systems: the goal is to help businesses from any sector uplift the quality and performance of their products and services by including (semi)-autonomy, paying special attention to security and privacy and to the collaboration between humans and machines.

- Area 2: Customised low energy computing powering CPS and the IoT: the goal is to help businesses who are developing products for situations where high computing capacity and low energy would be a competitive advantage.

- Area 3: Flexible and Wearable Electronics: the goal is to help businesses in further maturing, innovating and validating their products with thin, organic and large area electronics technologies, including wearable, portable and embedded objects. Focus is on i) access to design, technology and prototyping which are ready to use, and ii) application experiments driven by concrete user requirements and business cases.

- Area 4: Widening Digital Innovation Hubs: it addresses all three technology areas mentioned above and the technologies addressed in I4MS58. It calls for Digital Innovation Hubs in industrial regions which are so far underrepresented in Smart Anything Everywhere and I4MS59, and builds upon a mentoring programme developed by I4MS60. These hubs should strongly collaborate with other Innovation Actions funded under SAE and I4MS, e.g. through joint highly innovative cross-border experiments.

All proposed innovation actions may involve financial support to third parties (typically in the order of EUR 20 000 – 100 00061 per third party).

For this topic, the four requirements described in the introductory section 'Support to Hubs' have to be applied.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of up to 8 million would allow all areas to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts. At least one innovation action is supported for each area.

b. Coordination and Support Activities SAE

The action will support the SAE network and help achieve broad coverage in technological, application, innovation, and geographic terms, and to link up with regional/national innovation initiatives, and other Digital Innovation Hubs. Its tasks and services shall include maintaining a single innovation portal, sharing of best practices, dissemination, brokering, leveraging further investment and training. For these support actions, close cooperation with ECSEL, and other CSAs funded under the Digitising European Industry focus area is looked for.

Expected Impact: Proposals should address all of the following impact criteria, providing metrics to measure success when appropriate.

- Attract a significant number of new users of advanced ICT in the manufacturing sector, and more innovative technology suppliers, in particular SMEs and mid-caps.

- Creation of a sustainable network of Digital Innovation Hubs, providing European added value to investments done at national and regional level in Digital Innovation Hubs.

- Availability of Digital Innovation Hub services across Europe and its regions with strong industrial capacities

Type of Action: Innovation action, Coordination and support action

DT-ICT-07-2018-2019 - Digital Manufacturing Platforms for Connected Smart Factories

Specific Challenge: Digital manufacturing platforms play an increasing role in dealing with competitive pressures and incorporating new technologies, applications and services. Advances are needed in digital manufacturing platforms that integrate different technologies, make data from the shop floor and the supply network easily accessible, and allow for complementary applications. The challenge is to fully exploit new concepts and technologies that allow manufacturing companies (especially mid-caps and SMEs) to fulfil the demands from changing supply and value networks.

Scope: 

a) Innovation Action - Develop and establish platforms for the connected smart production facilities of the future including their supply chains, driven by EU actors and safeguarding European interest in an area of key importance for the European economy. Proposals need to address at least two industrial sectors with several different use cases, especially in their piloting activities. In accordance with the strategy defined in the multi-annual roadmap68 of the FoF cPPP, proposals should target at least one of the following ‘grand challenges’:

1. Agile Value Networks: lot-size one (2018 call)

2. Excellence in manufacturing: zero-defect processes and products (2018 call)

3. The human factor: human competences in synergy with technological progress (2019 call)

4. Sustainable Value Networks: manufacturing in a circular economy (2019 call)

Reference implementations are preferably developed in open-source, with (as far as possible) one permissive open-source licence to be selected for all open-source components. Where applicable, APIs and SDKs are made available to third party developers to develop complementary applications.

For the Innovation Actions in this topic, the four activities and impact criteria as described in the introductory section ‘Platforms and Pilots’ have to be applied. For large-scale piloting and ecosystem building activities, proposals may involve financial support to third parties, as explained in the introductory section ‘Platforms and Pilots’, to support SMEs in piloting and developing prototype applications on top of digital manufacturing platforms.

b) Coordination and Support Activities are needed to cross-fertilise the Industrial Platform communities, allowing for easier take-up of digital technologies from ongoing and past research projects to real-world use cases, and supporting the transfer of skills and know-how between academia and industry in both directions. Coordination and Support Activities are targeted in the 2019 call.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU up to EUR 16 million for Innovation Actions and up to 2 M€ for one CSA would allow the areas to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts. At least one innovation action is supported for each ‘grand challenge’. Maximum one proposal will be selected for the CSA.

Expected Impact:

- Significant increase in the options for SMEs and mid-caps to integrate different technologies, unlock the value of their data, deploy complementary applications, and to become a more responsive link in changing supply and value networks.

- Strengthened competitive position of European platform providers.

- Increased cooperation between industrial and academic communities; increased synergy and collaboration between projects.

Type of Action: Innovation action, Coordination and support action

DT-ICT-11-2019 - Big data solutions for energy

Specific Challenge: Tomorrow's energy grids consist of heterogeneous interconnected systems, of an increasing number of small-scale and of dispersed energy generation and consumption devices, generating huge amounts of data. The electricity sector, in particular, needs big data tools and architectures for optimized energy system management under these demanding conditions.

Scope: Innovation Actions targeting large-scale pilot test-beds for big data application in the electricity sector. The aim is to develop/pilot and deploy a reference architecture for large-scale multi-party data exchange, management & governance and real-time processing (including distributed/edge processing) in the electricity sector and to translate this reference architecture into an open, modular data analytics toolbox for the safe and effective operation of grids and provision of innovative energy services. The reference architecture should ensure compatibility with legacy formats, interfaces and operating systems of the energy system, allow replication and scale-up, be compliant with applicable EU standards, and should enable the integration of relevant digital technologies like IoT, AI, cloud and big data services. The analytics toolbox shall be able to handle a wide variety of data and support the development of a wide range of energy services, at least to increase the efficiency and reliability of the operation of the electricity network (e.g. by predictive maintenance), to optimize the management of assets connected to the grid (in particular small-scale/renewable electricity generation and those used for demand response), to increase the efficiency and comfort of buildings, and to de-risk investments in energy efficiency (e.g. by reliably predicting and monitoring energy savings). Proposers should demonstrate that they have access to appropriate large-scale and realistic datasets, and should involve as many as necessary of the following types of participants: network operators, suppliers, independent aggregators, ESCO's, power exchanges, building management and renovation sectors, software integrators/developers. Proposals should address, as appropriate, analytics, simulation, prediction, cloud computing. Projects shall collaborate with EU-funded projects through the BRIDGE initiative 72.

For this topic, the four activities and impact criteria described in the introductory section 'Platforms and Pilots' have to be applied.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of around 10 million EUR would allow this area to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

All grants under both subtopics will be subject to Article 30.3 of the grant agreement (Commission right to object to transfers or licensing).

Expected Impact: Proposals should address the following impact criteria, providing metrics to measure success where appropriate:

- Effective integration of relevant digital technologies in the energy sector, resulting in integrated value chains and efficient business processes of the participating organizations;

- Enhancing energy asset management, increasing consumer participation and innovative network management, creating new data-driven business models and opportunities and innovative energy services;

- Contribution to increasing the use of renewable energy and increased energy efficiency based on optimised energy asset management, offering access to cheaper and sustainable energy for energy consumers and maximising social welfare;

- New data-driven paradigms for energy management systems able to deal with increased complexity of the energy systems;

- Improving availability of big data and big data management & analysis facilities for real-life scale research, simulation and test purposes.

Type of Action: Innovation action

SU-ICT-02-2020 - Building blocks for resilience in evolving ICT systems

Specific Challenge: Algorithms, software and hardware systems must be designed having security, privacy, data protection and accountability in mind from their design phase in a measurable manner. Relevant challenges include: (a) to develop mechanisms that measure the performance of ICT systems with regards to cybersecurity and privacy and (b) to enhance control and trust of the consumer of digital products and services with innovative tools aiming to ensure the accountability of the security and privacy levels in the algorithms, in the software, and ultimately in the ICT systems, products and services across the supply chain.

Scope: Proposals are invited against at least one of the following three subtopics:

a) Cybersecurity/privacy audit, certification and standardisation

Innovative approaches to (i) design and develop automated security validation and testing, exploiting the knowledge of architecture, code, and development environments (e.g. white box) (ii) design and develop automated security verification at code level, focusing on scalable taint analysis, information-flow analysis, control-flow integrity, security policy, and considering the relation to secure development lifecycles, (iii) develop mechanisms, key performance indicators and measures that ease the process of certification at the level of services and (iv) develop mechanisms to better audit and analyse open source and/or open license software, and ICT systems with respect to cybersecurity and digital privacy.

b) Trusted supply chains of ICT systems

Innovative approaches to (i) develop advanced, evidence based, dynamic methods and tools for better forecasting, detecting and preventing propagated vulnerabilities, (ii) estimate both dynamically and accurately supply chain cyber security and privacy risks, (iii) design and develop security, privacy and accountability measures and mitigation strategies for all entities involved in the supply chain, (iv) design and develop techniques, methods and tools to better audit complex algorithms (e.g. search engines), interconnected ICT components/systems (v) devise methods to develop resilient systems out of potentially insecure components and (vi) devise security assurance methodologies and metrics to define security claims for composed systems and certification methods, allowing harmonisation and mutual recognition based on evidence and not only on trust.

The trusted supply chain for ICT systems/components should be considered by proposals in its entirety, in particular by addressing the IoT ecosystems/devices that are part of the supply chain.

c) Designing and developing privacy-friendly and secure software and hardware

Innovative approaches to establish methods and tools for (i) security and privacy requirements engineering (including dynamic threat modelling/ attack trees, attack ontologies, dynamic taxonomies and dynamic, evidence based risk analysis), (ii) embedded algorithmic accountability (in order to monitor the security, privacy and transparency of the algorithms/software/systems/services), (iii) system-wide consistency including connection between models, security/privacy/accountability objectives, policies, and functional implementations, (iv) metrics to assess a secure, reliable and privacy-friendly development, (v) secure, privacy-friendly and accountability-enabled programming languages (including machine languages), hardware design languages, development frameworks, as well as secure compilation and execution, (vi) novel, secure and privacy-friendly IoT architectures enabling consistent trustworthy and accountable authentication, authorization and accounting services across all IoT devices/ecosystems with enhancement of Public Key Infrastructures (PKIs) aiming to support PKI services (e.g. registration, revocation) for IoT devices.

For each of the sub-topics above, the outcome of the proposals is expected to lead to development up to Technology Readiness level (TRL) 5.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between EUR 4 and 5 million would allow this area to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

For grants awarded under this topic for Research and Innovation Action the Commission or Agency may object to a transfer of ownership or the exclusive licensing of results to a third party established in a third country not associated to Horizon 2020. The respective option of Article 30.3 of the Model Grant Agreement will be applied.

Expected Impact: Short/medium term

- Improved market opportunities for the EU vendors of security components.

- Increased trust both by developers using/integrating the ICT components and by the end-users of IT systems and services.

- Protect the privacy of citizens and trustworthiness of ICT .

- Acceleration of the development and implementation of certification processes.

Long term

- Advanced cybersecurity products and services will be developed improving trust in the Digital Single Market.

- The use of more harmonized certification schemes will increase the business cases for cybersecurity services as they will become more reliable.

- Validation platforms will provide assessments with less effort compared with nowadays and assure a better compliance with relevant regulations and standards.

Type of Action: Research and Innovation action

SU-ICT-04-2019 - Quantum Key Distribution testbed

Specific Challenge: Europe's economic activities and Europe's single market is dependent on well-functioning underlying digital infrastructures, services and data integrity, not the least for critical infrastructures like energy, transport, health, finance, etc. Current security of the digital infrastructures and services will soon be under threat of no longer providing long-term security. Confidentiality of data and communications, authentication, as well as the long-term integrity of stored data have to be guaranteed, even in the advent of quantum computers. Introducing Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) in the underlying infrastructure has the potential to maintain end-to-end security in the long-term.

Scope: Building an experimental platform to test and validate the concept of end-to-end security, providing quantum key distribution as a service. Proposals should develop an open, robust, reliable and fully monitored metropolitan area testbed network (ring or mesh configuration). The aim is to integrate equipment, components, protocols and network technologies with QKD systems and current digital security and communication networks. Where necessary, R&D activities can be addressed. The testbed should be modular, to test different components, configurations and approaches from multiple suppliers and benchmark the different approaches against overall performance. The proposed solutions should demonstrate resistance against known hacking techniques, including quantum hacking techniques. The testbed should make use as much as possible of existing network infrastructure (fibres and/or satellites), provide a quantum key exchange rate compatible with concrete application requirements over metropolitan distances (i.e. of at least 40km). The proposed testbed should demonstrate different applications and use cases of QKD (including for authentication), optimizing end-to-end security rather than the security of individual elements.

Proposals should include an assessment of the applications and parts of the infrastructure for which the integration of QKD is economically justified, as well as an assessment of the minimal acceptable key rate for each application and its total cost of ownership.

Proposals should bring together relevant stakeholders such as telecommunication equipment manufacturers, users, network operators, QKD equipment providers, digital security professionals and scientists.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of up to EUR 15 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

For grants awarded under this topic the Commission may object to a transfer of ownership or the exclusive licensing of results to a third party established in a third country not associated to Horizon 2020. The respective option of Article 30.3 of the Model Grant Agreement will be applied.

Expected Impact:

- Demonstrating the feasibility of quantum communication networks.

- Validation of quantum network technologies, architectures, protocols, including broader cryptographic services based on QKD infrastructure.

- Interoperability of quantum and classical networks, as well as multi-vendor interoperability.

- Development of standards for QKD components, equipment and protocols.

Type of Action: Innovation action

DT-ICT-08-2019 - Agricultural digital integration platforms

Specific Challenge: Agricultural research and innovation supports the sector in coping with a complex mix of challenges it is facing, including for example the pressures on natural resources and farm revenues. Knowledge creation and accessible information systems and tools to monitor, gather, transform and above all share vital information between key stakeholders can help the sector to become more sustainable. However, as well as the potential for new knowledge, a substantial part of the existing knowledge and its underpinning information flows, has yet to be exploited to its full potential. The resulting performance gap has strong social, ecological and economic implications. An improved functioning of the agricultural knowledge and innovation systems is needed, for timely innovation and to speed up the rate of knowledge creation. One of the most important constraints concerns the limited interoperability and lack of openness of different technical systems, thus limiting the choices farmers can make between suppliers of new technologies. An enhanced interoperability would allow for increased data sharing and the resulting knowledge generation. Another main constraint is the lack of information on the effectiveness of new technologies which slows down their take up.

Scope: Pilots should address all of the below aspects:

- Building platforms integrating different technologies like Internet of Things (IoT) devices, cloud, photonics, networks, geolocalisation (including through Galileo and EGNOS (the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service)) and robotics combined with applications based on data analytics and knowledge management. There is a need for a wide adoption of open, interoperable standards to ensure that all connected systems can talk to each other, allowing the farmers and relevant other stakeholders to pick and choose the most appropriate combination of tools from different suppliers. Pilots will validate the means to achieve high level of interoperability of different systems through reference architecture, semantics technologies and standardisation framework that demonstrate communication exchange of data across different systems and platforms.

- Sharing data and generating knowledge via capturing and translating more and precise information. High precision data capturing and a high degree of data sharing should serve as basis for decision support systems delivering tailored advice at farm level, complementing and/or extending advisory services. The core technical enablers for analysing the amounts of data will be low-maintenance, robust and scalable monitoring and communication systems as well as artificial intelligence and semantics technologies. These services should include direct and detailed feedback to the farmers on appropriate practices and management strategies.

- Developing decision support systems that will include, but are not restricted to, a benchmarking system on the productivity and sustainability performance of farms, services, technologies and practices. For this purpose data models and semantic standards need to be defined to elicit performance indicators and derive decision making, as well as allowing sharing the data from the different farms.

Pilots in the selected areas should clearly cover the supply and demand sides. For large-scale piloting and ecosystem building, projects in this topic may involve financial support to third parties to extend the digital innovation space for farmers, advisory services and innovators, based on a network of farms and in close cooperation with existing agricultural knowledge and innovation infrastructures of the different Member States and Associated Countries and regions. For farmers, the platforms should have a mass-tailored advisory and knowledge dissemination service, including economic and technical benchmarking. It shall cover a large number of farms, including small farms. Advisory services based on local eco-systems should be investigated and linked in the pilots. For innovators, the platforms should work as test-bed, testing and benchmarking new technologies and services. This should be made possible by allowing for recruiting pilot farms and/or making available the necessary data.

Proposals should fall under the concept of multi-actor approach69 and allow for strong involvement of the farming sector in the proposed activities. Projects are required to develop adequate data governance model(s) defining the terms for access to data owned by another party. Activities should allow for a wide geographic coverage within Europe. In addition, proposals shall cover at least three sub-sectors (e.g. arable crops, livestock, vegetable and fruit production).

For this topic, the four activities and impact criteria described in the introductory section 'Platforms and Pilots' have to be applied. Pilot projects are expected to contribute to the consolidation and coherence work that will be implemented by the CSA supporting the activities defined under the topic "DT-ICT-13-2019: Digital Platforms/Pilots Horizontal Activities".

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU up to EUR 15 million would allow the areas to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected Impact:

- Demonstrate measureable benefits from intensified data and information flows across a wide range of farm types, notably small farms;

- Improved and inclusive information flows and management within and among the targeted agricultural sectors based on transparent and fair data governance practices;

- Identification of user needs, validation of user acceptance, especially demonstration of viable concepts addressing privacy, security, vulnerability, liability and trust in connected data spaces;

- More information on environmental, social and economic performance of technologies, practices and management, increasing their respective adoption;

- Creation of opportunities for entrepreneurs by promoting new market openings, providing access to valuable datasets and direct interactions with users, expanding local businesses to European scale;

- Exploration and validation of new industry and business processes and innovative business models validated in the context of the pilots.

Type of Action: Innovation action

DT-ICT-10-2018-19 - Interoperable and smart homes and grids

Specific Challenge: When energy production is becoming decentralised and ICT is increasingly present in homes, the integration of renewable energy sources (RES) and promotion of energy efficiency should benefit from smarter homes, buildings and appliances, as well as (the batteries in) electric vehicles. Smart homes and buildings are one crucial element because system integration and optimisation of distributed generation, storage and flexible consumption will require interoperable smart technologies installed at building level. Internet of Things (IoT) enables a seamless integration of home appliances with related home comfort and building automation services allowing to match user needs with the management of distributed energy across the grid, and to gain access to benefits from Demand Response. Novel services should lead to more comfortable, convenient and healthier living environment at lower energy costs for consumers whilst enabling an active participation of consumers in the energy system and energy markets.

Scope: The aim of the pilot is to exploit IoT reference architectures models that allow for combining services for home or building comfort and energy management, based on platforms that enable the integration of relevant digital technologies like IoT, AI, cloud and big data services and where applicable, combined with blockchain technologies. Energy services, where appropriate, can be combined with additional non-energy services and foster the take-up of smart energy communities (in particular peer-to-peer energy markets). The aim is also to demonstrate platforms through a large-scale pilot for experimentation and co-creation with users under real-life conditions in interaction with the electricity and wider energy system, and to demonstrate the benefits of energy management through IoT application and services for the users. The envisaged architecture should allow for third party contributions that may lead to new value added services both in energy and the home/building domain.

This shall be done by developing interoperability and seamless data sharing, through aligning existing standards from the utility and ICT domains, across the devices and systems to enable innovative building energy management services, with the aim to save costs to consumers, to facilitate the integration of renewable energy from distributed intermittent sources and to support energy efficiency. The pilot needs to demonstrate plug-and-play energy management solutions within the home, by taking into account legacy of existing smart home or building solutions, mapping their approach to common architecture models and implementing relevant standards (such as SAREF). Pilots need to ensure interoperability in the communication interfaces between smart devices and from the smart device to the gateway/energy manager and/or to the cloud, i.e. a service provider that uses the data generated from the device, so that smart home services can also be used for the benefit of the electricity and wider energy system. Selected pilots should promote the use of these interoperable solutions as widely as possible involving many different types of appliances (e.g. including white-goods, heating, cooling and ventilation, home & building automation energy management, metering and control, batteries, photovoltaic panels, charging for electric vehicles), and explore the need for further standardisation and legislation. Pilot work plans should include feedback mechanisms from the users to allow adaptation and optimisation of the technological and business approach to the particular use case.

The selected large-scale pilot shall in particular address all of the following issues:

- demonstrate scalability and stimulate spill-over effects; demonstrate that such platforms lead to a marketplace for new services in EU homes and buildings; identify best-practices, inter alia for consumer involvement, in installation, and in sales packages of devices and services;

- for large-scale piloting and ecosystem building, proposals shall involve financial support to third parties, in particular SME's and start-ups, to support the incorporation of users of the pilots, developers of additional applications, replication of the pilots through new sites or new connected devices, and complementary assessment of the acceptability of the use case where appropriate;

- the selected project shall cover the whole value chain for IoT-based services: appliance manufacturers and technology providers, ICT suppliers, energy suppliers, as well as independent aggregators or energy service companies (ESCOs), and one or more grid service operators (transmission system operators (TSOs) and distribution system operators (DSOs));

- the selected project is expected to contribute to the consolidation and coherence work in cooperation with similar EU-funded projects70 through the BRIDGE initiative 71 and the CSA supporting the activities defined under "DT-ICT-13-2019: Digital Platforms/Pilots Horizontal Activities a)" below by contributing their results of horizontal nature (interoperability approach, standards, security and privacy approaches, business validation and sustainability, methodologies, metrics, etc.);

- link with Member States' and Associated Countries' initiatives in this area.

For this topic, the four activities and impact criteria described in the introductory section 'Platforms and Pilots' have to be applied. The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU up to EUR 30 million for Innovation Actions would allow the areas to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected Impact:

- Increasing number of energy apps/services and home devices and appliances that are connected through the Internet allowing to shift consumption according to wholesale market or grid-constraints-related price signals.

- Validation of user acceptance, as well as demonstration of viable concepts that ensure privacy, liability, security and trust in connected data spaces.

- Accelerated wider deployment and adoption of IoT standards and platforms in smart homes and buildings in Europe and development of secure, cost-effective and sustainable European IoT ecosystems and related business models.

- Demonstration that such platforms lead to a marketplace for new services in EU homes and buildings with opportunities also for SMEs and start-ups.

- Contribution to increasing the use of renewable energy and increased energy efficiency, offering access to cheaper and sustainable energy for consumers and maximising social welfare.

Type of Action: Innovation action

DT-ICT-13-2019 - Digital Platforms/Pilots Horizontal Activities

Specific Challenge: Coordination and Support activities are needed to support the operation of the pilot projects under the Platforms and Pilots topics in this Focus Area, and to support exploitation of the outcomes of these projects. These activities are expected to identify synergies among the pilot projects of the Focus Area, to promote cross-fertilisation, and to exchange best-practices and lessons learned. There is a need to increase coverage in technological, application, innovation, and geographic terms of these projects, as well as improve their engagement with relevant external stakeholders, and their links with regional/national and other European initiatives.

In addition, coordination and support activities are needed to pave the way for future digital industrial platforms in another promising sector, the construction sector. There is major improvement potential in optimising resource use, environmental performance, health, comfort, and resilience to climate change.

Scope: a) Support pilot activities and knowledge transfer across different sectors: Coordination of the selected platform and pilot projects under the topics of this Focus Area, and where applicable with similar initiatives in Member States and Associated Countries, and with standardisation initiatives and support in ecosystem building to increase the impact of the overall set of projects. Exploitation of synergies between technology-based platform and pilot activities such as IoT and data value chains and the sector-specific platform and piloting projects of the Focus Area related to issues such as architecture, interoperability and standards approaches. Exchange on requirements for the development of common methodologies for design, testing and validation and for success and impact measurement. Furthermore, proposals need to promote the results obtained, support the enlargement of the ecosystems around the projects, facilitate the access for entrepreneurs/API developers/Makers and SMEs in general, and support the transfer of skills and know-how to industry.

b) Legal, regulatory and security support: Further development and exploitation of security and privacy mechanisms towards best practices for digital platforms and pilots including contribution to pre-normative activities and to standardization; regulatory and legal support in relation to data ownership and protection, security, liability, across sector legislations. The corresponding activities will be developed and addressed in the pilots and consolidated at programme level under this horizontal support activity line.

c) Preparation of a digital industrial platform for the construction sector: proposals should bring together relevant stakeholders and define a reference architecture for a digital industrial platform for the construction sector that increases productivity and optimises material usage in the construction sector, including for SMEs. It needs to take into account the recently developed framework with core indicators to assess the environmental performance of buildings, including circular economy aspects73. Proposals should take stock of other ongoing initiatives, promote mutual learning and coordination, and identify knowledge and intervention gaps. Widespread use of Building Information Modelling and building passports will promote information sharing about different resources and their life cycles, re-use of materials, productive processes, including improved engineering, procurement and supply chain management and are therefore part of the scope.

Proposals should address only one of the above-mentioned subtopics a), b), or c). The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU up to EUR 2 million for a) and EUR 1 million for each of b) and c) would allow above areas to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts. At least one coordination and support action is supported for each of the areas above.

Expected Impact:

- Tangible contributions from European key players to actively engage with the platform building process;

- Efficient information sharing across the programme stakeholders for horizontal issues of common interests;

- Maintaining and extending an active eco-system of relevant stakeholders, including start-ups and SMEs;

- Validation in usage context of usability, risk and security assessment and identification of gaps related to trust, security and privacy, respect for the scarcity and vulnerability of human attention, and liability and sustainability;

- Strengthening of the role of EU on the global scale, in particular in terms of standardisation activities and access to foreign markets;

- Increased prospects on productivity improvements in the construction sector, and on a contribution to a more sustainable construction sector.

Type of Action: Coordination and support action

ICT-11-2018-2019 - HPC and Big Data enabled Large-scale Test-beds and Applications

Specific Challenge: The Internet of Things and the convergence of HPC, Big Data and Cloud computing technologies are enabling the emergence of a wide range of innovations. Building industrial large-scale application test-beds that integrate such technologies and that make best use of currently available HPC and data infrastructures will accelerate the pace of digitization and the innovation potential in Europe's key industry sectors (for example, healthcare, manufacturing, energy, finance & insurance, agri-food, space and security).

Scope: a) Innovation Actions (2018 call - deadline in April 2018) targeting the development of large-scale HPC-enabled industrial pilot test-beds supporting big data applications and services by combining and/or adapting existing relevant technologies (HPC / BD / cloud) in order to handle and optimize the specific features of processing very large data sets. The industrial pilot test-beds should handle massive amounts of diverse types of big data coming from a multitude of players and sources and clearly demonstrate how they will generate innovation and large value creation. The proposal shall describe the data assets available to the test-beds and, as appropriate, the standards it intends to use to enable interoperability. Pilot test-beds should also aim to provide, via the cloud, simple secure access and secure service provisioning of highly demanding data use cases for companies and especially SMEs.

b) Innovation Actions (2018 call - deadline in November 2018) targeting the development of large-scale IoT/Cloud-enabled industrial pilot test-beds for big data applications by combining and taking advantage of relevant technologies (Big Data, IoT, cloud and edge computing, etc.). The aim is to develop industrial pilot test-beds addressing data flows from a very large number of distributed sources (such as sensors or IoT applications/infrastructures and/or involving remote data storage/processing locations) and clearly demonstrate how they will generate innovation and large value creation from such data assets. The industrial pilot test-beds shall also address the relevant networking connectivity and large-scale data collection, management and interoperability issues. The data assets available to the test-beds should be described in the proposal. Pilot test-beds should also aim to provide, via the cloud, simple secure access and secure service provisioning of highly demanding data use cases for companies and especially SMEs.

a) is called in the 2018 call with a deadline in April 2018. b) is called in the 2018 call with a deadline in November 2018.

For all subtopics a), b) above:

Proposals should be led by and show strong industrial commitment. They should explain how the proposed activities will be industrialized and have impact on the competitiveness and leadership of European industry. They should target a wide participation and/or applicability and use of the targeted industrial pilot test-bed by industrial members/users from different countries and regions. They should also define quantifiable outputs and impact Key Performance Indicators, in particular related to the "Expected Impact" of the topic.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU between EUR 12 and 13 million for subtopic a), and EUR 15 and 18 million EUR for subtopic b) would allow these areas to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Proposals could seek synergies and co-financing from relevant national / regional research and innovation programmes, including European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) addressing pre-identified smart specialisation priorities at regional / national level. Proposals combining different sources of financing should include a concrete financial plan detailing the use of these funding sources for the different parts of their activities.

All grants under both subtopics will be subject to Article 30.3 of the grant agreement (Commission right to object to transfers or licensing).

Expected Impact: Proposals should address the following impact criteria, providing metrics to measure success where appropriate:

- Demonstrated increase of innovation and productivity in the main target sector of the Large Scale Pilot Action;

- Increase of market share of Big Data technology providers if implemented commercially within the main target sector of the Large Scale Pilot Action;

- Effective integration of HPC/BD/Cloud/IoT technologies in the main target sector(s) of the Large Scale Action, resulting into integrated value chains and efficient business processes of the participating organizations;

- Widening the use of and facilitating the access to advanced HPC, big data and cloud infrastructures stimulating the emergence of the data economy in Europe;

- Stimulating additional private and public target investments in HPC and Big Data technologies from industry, Member States and Associated Countries, and other sources, as referred to in the contractual arrangements of the HPC and/or the Big Data Value Public Private Partnerships.

Type of Action: Innovation action

ICT-14-2019 - Co-designing Extreme Scale Demonstrators (EsD)

Specific Challenge: To demonstrate in operational environments the successful integration of technology building blocks developed in previous R&I actions into world-class Extreme Scale Demonstrators. The challenges of power efficiency, resiliency and scalability of these systems require a strong co-design approach driven by ambitious applications involving technology suppliers, system integrators, supercomputing infrastructure providers and user communities, as well as ambitious HPC and extreme-data application owners or providers.

Scope: Proposals are expected to address the research, co-design, integration, validation and experimentation of extreme scale computing systems driven by a set of ambitious extreme data and HPC applications. EsDs should have the potential of being commercialised, operating in mode close to service delivery to users, and should integrate to a large extent technologies developed in projects funded by FP7, Horizon 2020 or other R&D actions in Europe. In particular, proposals will demonstrate how the building blocks developed in the FETHPC projects and other relevant actions supported in Horizon 2020 (e.g. the LEIT-ICT low-power microprocessor technologies) are integrated and leveraged in the EsDs (e.g. architectural work, software and parallel programming environments, etc.). EsDs are expected to demonstrate scalability up to exascale-class levels with specific design points and performance/power targets (e.g., design point target of 500 Petaflops to 1 Exaflop).

Each proposal should follow a 2-phase approach: Phase A consisting of development, integration and testing of a HW/SW system with a sufficient size to enable evaluation and validation of the design and that is fully usable by the end of this phase; and Phase B dedicated to deployment, use for relevant applications and validation in operational environments for real users. It is critical that the EsDs achieve well specified performance/power targets in both phases using a representative set of ambitious applications. These applications will address Big Data and extreme scale computing challenges combining fast response times, and advanced Big Data analytics and High-Performance Computing techniques.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between EUR 20 and 40 million would allow this area to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Wherever appropriate, actions should seek synergies and co-financing from relevant national / regional research and innovation programmes in line with already existing smart specialisation priorities.

All grants under this topic will be subject to Article 30.3 of the grant agreement (Commission right to object to transfers or licensing).

Expected Impact:

- Strengthening the competitiveness and leadership of European industry & science, in particular of the European technology supply

- Proof-of-principle for pre-exascale machines addressing strategic HPC and Big-Data applications

- New operational environments and capacity available for users with extreme-data application requirements

- Contribution to the realisation of the ETP4HPC Strategic Research Agenda

- Maximising the impact and leveraging the results of European R&D projects (in particular FETHPC and related LEIT-ICT actions) into operational extreme scale demonstrators

Type of Action: Research and Innovation action

ICT-19-2019 - Advanced 5G validation trials across multiple vertical industries

Specific Challenge: The challenge is to get the European 5G Vision of "5G empowering vertical industries25" closer to deployment with innovative digital use cases involving cross industry partnerships. It requires technological and business validation of 5G end to end connectivity and associated management from two perspectives: i) within the set of requirements specific from one application domain; ii) across all sets of heterogeneous requirements stemming from concurrent usages of network resources by different vertical domains.

Scope: a) Trials of various scales, depending on the target technology, in view of demonstrating that performance conforming to 5G PPP KPIs requirements are met in the context of specific vertical use cases. Target 5G technologies and architectures should also support specific performance requirements stemming from the considered vertical use case.

In addition, 5G technology and architecture trials are also targeting concurrent usage of resource by multiple verticals, addressing the 3 classes of ITU requirements26 (eMBB, mMTC, URLLC use cases). In practice, the 5G infrastructure (RAN, back/fronthaul, Core) will be shared among multiple verticals and applications, each asking for independent service guarantees and very different service requirements. Operations of one application in one vertical domain should not affect the performance of other domains/applications. The trials should hence demonstrate that 5G architecture and technologies (notably slicing and virtualisation) enabling multi domain management of resources, beyond the ETSI NFV Management and Orchestration (MANO) and with cross domain orchestration capabilities are in line with these concurrent performance requirements.

Trials leverage results of 5G PPP phases 1 and 2 and go beyond the proof of concepts of phase 2.

Vertical use cases may focus on those outlined in the 5G PPP White paper "5G empowering vertical industries" (Automotive, smart factories, energy, media, smart healthcare) though other may be considered (e.g. PPDR27). High density location and very high data volumes applications should be covered, as typically encountered with media/content applications in large events.

Trials are preferably implemented over the 5G end to end platforms developed under ICT-17-2018, and may contribute to 5G demonstration in the context of large showcasing events.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between EUR 10 and 15 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

b. Coordination and Support Actions

5G PPP projects under ICT-17-2018, ICT-18-2018, ICT-19-2019, ICT-20-2019 are implemented as a programme through the use of complementary grants. The respective options of Article 2, Article 31.6 and Article 41.4 of the Model Grant Agreement will be applied. This requires cooperation of the implemented 5G Research and Innovation Actions (RIA) and Innovation Actions (IA) towards joint leveraging of results. The proposed CSA shall liaise with the 5G RIA and IA actions to exploit synergies for:

- Management and orchestration of 5G PPP project cooperation for horizontal issues of common interests (adherence to KPIs, security, energy efficiency, spectrum, standardisation, societal impact of 5G…) in support of the commitments of the 5G PPP contractual arrangement and mapping the strategic programme of the 5G industrial Association.

- Portfolio analysis, coverage, mapping and gap analysis, roadmaps for key PPP technologies and for experimental requirements and facilities, also taking into account national developments.

- Proactive support to key international co-operation activities with a proactive strategy to leverage relevant 5G PPP project outcomes in the context of key standard developments and of relevant spectrum related bodies.

- Organisation of stakeholder events, including reaching out to users and key verticals.

- Monitoring of the openness, fairness and transparency of the PPP process, including sector commitments and leveraging factor.

- Maintenance of the "5G web site".

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU up to EUR 2 million would allow this area to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected Impact: 

a) Advanced Trials

- Validated core 5G technologies and architectures in the context of specific vertical use cases and deployment scenarios, from high to low density regions.

- Validated core technologies and architecture for differentiated performance requirements originating from eMBB, mMTC, URLL use cases, notably for end to end slicing and virtualisation.

- Viable business models for innovative digital use cases tested and validated across a multiplicity of industrial sectors, including demonstration of required network resource control from the vertical industry business model perspective.

- Impactful contributions towards standardisation bodies, involving vertical actors, for what concerns the second phase of 5G standardisation. Participation of key European industrial partners with high standardisation impact is desired.

- Validation of relevant KPIs28 with services linked to specific vertical sectors.

- Europe 5G know how showcasing.

b) Coordination and Support Actions

- Organisation of the 5G PPP as a programme with clear links to the 5G Infrastructure Association.

- Maximised output and exploitation of 5G PPP project results in key domains (standardisation, spectrum) through managed projects cooperation on horizontal issues.

- Constituency building, stakeholder support, support to key international cooperation events; dissemination, support to core international cooperation activities, to relevant stakeholder events; definition of future R&I actions.

Type of Action: Coordination and support action, Research and Innovation action

ICT-25-2018-2020 - Interactive Technologies

Specific Challenge: Interactive technologies such as Augmented (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) are set to transform the ways in which people communicate, interact and share information on the internet and beyond. This will directly impact a larger number of European industries ranging from the cultural and creative industries, manufacturing, robotic and healthcare to education, entertainment and media, enabling new business opportunities. The challenge is to forge a competitive and sustainable ecosystem of European technology providers in interactive technologies.

Scope: The scope includes: 1/ support a pan-European coordination effort to strengthen the collaboration among the constituency; 2/ increase the European innovation capacity through the development of new authoring tools and the access to a broader community;

a) Interactive Community Building (CSA)

To better coordinate stakeholders the focus should be on:

 elaborating a common research agenda and a technology transfer strategy;

 building a platform to gather and share knowledge, algorithms and tools for the development and use of new interactive technologies. This may include the development of a dedicated open operating system;

 providing broad access and technical support for the platform as well as promoting its existence and establishing links with other existing platforms;

 supporting research and development teams in the integration of their tools into the platform. The task may involve financial support to third parties, in line with the conditions set out in part K of the General Annexes. Maximum 2M€ funding could be dedicated to it, with EUR 50.000 to 100 00036 per third party.

This action should result in a unique access point for innovators, SMEs and industrial companies interested in taking-up European interactive technologies in their product and services development. The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of EUR 3 million would allow this area to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

b) Future interaction (RIA)

To strengthen European research and industrial capacities the research and innovation actions should focus either on:

- Better exploiting opportunities offered by multi-user interactions, researching and developing technologies augmenting human interaction in groups within both professional and private contexts.

- Or developing future interactive systems offering higher quality experiences, for instance through systems which are mobile, support additional senses, have higher accuracy or incorporate bio or environmental sensors.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between EUR 2 and 4 million would allow this area to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected Impact: 

a) Establish a sustainable competitive ecosystem of European technology and solution providers for interactive technologies.

b) Strengthening European research and industrial capacities to develop future interactive devices.

Type of Action: Coordination and support action, Research and Innovation action

ICT-23-2019 - EU-Taiwan 5G collaboration

Specific Challenge: This activity, integrated end-to-end network for 5G trials, is to test 5G systems for specific applications and it follows up on the first targeted opening call with Taiwan in which 5G research and demonstration facilities offered by Taiwan towards collaborative 5G research with the EU.

The integrated end-to-end network for 5G trials activity is to utilize the infrastructure of the integrated 5G access/core networks in test beds, in Europe and Taiwan, to verify the requirements of 5G technologies in joint trials for specific applications such as AR/VR for entertainment, V2X communications, utilities, e-Health, drone, factory of the future (though not limited to those) featuring high peak data rates and network density, ultra-low latency, and high reliability.

Scope: The scope is to conduct 5G trials addressing technology and business validation of 5G end-to-end connectivity and associated management from applications in Taiwan that will support the development of mmWave, massive MIMO, new air interfaces, multi-user access and other technologies, aiming to increase the network capacity in an ultra-dense network and to provide access for a massive number of devices.

Proposals are encouraged to consider network virtualization approaches such as SDN/NFV and network slicing to make the best use of the resources for services with a reduction in CAPEX and OPEX.

The targeted 5G technologies and architectures should support the specific performance requirements stemming from the considered vertical use cases. The trials should go beyond proof of concept and leverage the results of related 5G PPP projects and Taiwan’s 5G Program.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of up to 2 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected Impact:

- Validation of core 5G technologies and architectures in the context of specific vertical use cases.

- Leverage cooperation towards industrial consensus between EU and Taiwan on 5G key aspects such as standard, spectrum, architecture and interoperability.

- Accelerate the pre-commercialization trials of the use cases introduced by IMT-2020 (eMBB, mMTC, URLLC).

Type of Action: Research and Innovation action

ICT-01-2019 - Computing technologies and engineering methods for cyber-physical systems of systems

Specific Challenge: Cyber-physical Systems of Systems (CPSoS), like transport networks or large manufacturing facilities, interact with and are controlled by a considerable number of distributed and networked computing elements and human users. These complex and physically-entangled systems of systems are of crucial importance for the quality of life of the citizens and for the European economy. At system level the challenge is to bring a step change to the engineering techniques supporting the design-operation continuum of dynamic CPSoS and to exploit emerging technologies such as augmented reality and artificial intelligence. At computing level the challenge is to develop radically new solutions overcoming the intrinsic limitations of today's computing system architectures and software design practices.

Scope: a. Research and Innovation Actions

The focus is on dependable physically-entangled systems for applications in industrial sectors. Work is complementary to the initiative on European low-power microprocessor technologies, which addresses technology for HPC applications, and to the ECSEL programme, which addresses computing for CPSoS at higher TRL.

Computing software and systems design for physically-entangled systems supporting the creation of reliable, robust and energy-aware solutions for autonomous and safety-critical systems. The issues of energy efficiency, testability, trust and cyber-security should be considered, as well as the support of different levels of criticality on the same computing platform where needed.

Models, tools and methods for design-operations continuum of dependable CPSoS supporting the complete lifecycle of Cyber-Physical Systems of Systems (CPSoS), from requirements capture to design, test, operation and decommissioning. Projects shall focus on autonomic solutions capable of guaranteeing the overall reliability and security even when the components or subsystems are not fully reliable and unforeseen conditions emerge in the course of operation.

Projects will target TRLs 2-5, and will deliver a working prototype tested in at least two different use cases, demonstrating improvement over the state of the art in industrial and professional domains. The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between EUR 3 and 5 million would allow this area to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts. In each area at least four proposals will be funded.

b. Coordination and Support Activities

The objective is to structure, connect and cross-fertilise the European academic and industrial research and innovation communities in Embedded Computing and Cyber-Physical Systems. The action should implement technology watch, facilitate take-up of technologies in real-world use cases and support know-how transfer. Activities will include constituency building, clustering of related projects, liaison with related programmes such as ECSEL and EUREKA, impact analysis, communication of project results, pre-normative activities and road-mapping for future research and innovation. One proposal will be funded.

Expected Impact: Proposals should address one or more of the following impact criteria, providing metrics to measure success where appropriate:

- Availability of innovative technologies supporting compute-intensive applications in industrial and professional domains, demonstrating significant and measurable improvement over the state of the art.

- Availability of engineering practices and tools for CPSoS, resulting in a demonstrable improvement in quality and cost of development and operation for large SoS.

- Increased synergies and collaboration between industrial and academic communities; dissemination of high-quality roadmap for future research and innovation activities in the relevant areas.

Type of Action: Research and Innovation action, Coordination and support action

ICT-03-2018-2019 - Photonics Manufacturing Pilot Lines for Photonic Components and Devices

Specific Challenge: Photonics is driving innovation in many different application areas. The challenge is to help European companies become more competitive by improving their business/production processes as well as products and services by means of photonics technology. The aim is to accelerate the design, development and uptake of photonics technology, by a wide range of industrial players, in particular SMEs by providing low-barrier access to volume production of advanced photonics components available to a wide range of industrial players, in particular SMEs which would otherwise not have easy access. Photonics Manufacturing Pilot Lines should form the basis for future Photonics Digital Innovation Hubs.

Scope: The focus is on Manufacturing Pilot Lines: actions should provide open access to manufacturing of advanced photonics components and systems and offer related services including design and characterization. They should cover all stages of manufacturing through to testing, provide a low entry barrier access to low and medium production volumes and the processes used should be scalable to high production volumes. Actions should include a validation of the pilot line offer with involvement of externals users in pre-commercial production runs. Activities should aim at long-term sustainability, including development of or integration into photonics innovation hubs.

Actions should make use of existing infrastructure and develop close links with on-going European and national initiatives in order to maximise impact. Proposals must present industrially relevant business cases for the manufacturing pilot line, a plan for long-term sustainability and a credible strategy for future high volume production in Europe at competitive cost.

Actions must address one or more of the following technologies.

1. Indium Phosphide (2018 call): providing open access to photonics integrated circuits based on Indium Phosphide, going beyond multi-project wafers and offering generic solutions for a wide class of applications.

2. Silicon Photonics (2018 call): providing open access to photonics integrated circuits based on Silicon Photonics, going beyond multi-project wafers and offering generic solutions for a wide class of applications.

3. Next generation free-form optics (2019 call): maturing a technology platform and providing access to optics with free-form shapes and exceptional surface finish, exploiting new optical materials and/or combining and integrating diffractive/refractive/reflective optical components, to obtain improved performances and capabilities.

4. Advanced optical medical device technologies for medical diagnostics (2019 call): maturing a technology platform and providing access to novel, reliable, robust optical based devices for in-vivo and/or in-vitro medical diagnosis.

At least one proposal will be selected to cover each of these technologies. The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU between EUR 8 and 15 million would allow these to be addressed appropriately. Nevertheless this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected Impact: Proposals should describe how the proposed work will contribute to the listed corresponding expected impacts and include baseline, targets and metrics to measure impact.

- Improve significantly the uptake of photonics technology by end-user industry, in particular SMEs, enabling a demonstrably more competitive European industry.

- Greatly accelerate the time to market.

- Create sustainable manufacturing capability in Europe.

Type of Action: Innovation action

ICT-05-2019 - Application driven Photonics components

Specific Challenge: Photonic technologies for health applications is a very promising field, where the EU has produced significant results during the past decades; however, industrialization is still lagging behind. The challenges are to develop methods that provide the clinicians with photonics enabled tools to improve or to assess the successes of therapies and to transform low TRL technologies into robust medical devices answering to clinician needs.

Photonic circuits are typically employed in combination with high performance electronics, micro-optics while the thermal management and the efficient integration of these technologies is accordingly of major importance. The challenge is to create and develop advanced techniques for intimate integration of sub-systems incorporating multiple technologies enabling application across multiple domains.

The European continuous process industries as well as the piecewise manufacturing sector are facing the continuous struggle to keep a leading role in the worldwide competition. The challenge is to deploy photonic sensor technologies for the exact monitoring of process and product parameters so as to optimize those processes, saving resources whilst guaranteeing optimum product quality.

Scope: The focus is on the following themes:

Innovation Actions

i. Photonics devices to support monitoring therapeutic progress: Actions should develop reliable (high sensitivity, specificity and accuracy), safe to operate, cost-effective and fast photonics enabled devices to support assessing the effects of treatments of major diseases like cancer (excluding skin cancer), infectious, degenerative and cardiovascular diseases, including determining individual dispositions (eg methods to assess drug resistance) and monitoring of therapy progress. The feasibility and validity of the proposed approach should already have been validated in clinical settings. A medical equipment manufacturer should drive the action, and physicians/clinicians/surgeons must be closely involved. Validation should take gender specificities into account. Small scale clinical studies should be included, but clinical trials are excluded.

ii. Sensor-Based Optimization of Production Processes: Sensor-Based Optimization of Production Processes: Actions should address prototyping, demonstration, optimization and validation in real industry settings of highly advanced smart broadband multimodal photonic sensing solutions operating in the spectral range from the ultraviolet to the far infrared, and intended for improving production process through the monitoring of relevant process and product parameters (e.g. physical, chemical, imaging, geometrical and environmental). The focus is on cost-effective process-integrated solutions that are optimized in terms of speed, quality, and resource efficiency. The solutions should also address embedded pre-processing and suitably interpreting the acquired raw data for the optimization of the processes.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU between EUR 3 and 6 million would allow these themes to be addressed appropriately. Nevertheless this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Research and Innovation Actions

i. Photonics System on Chip/ System in Package for optical interconnect applications: Actions should address advanced techniques for the intimate combination of photonic integrated circuit technology with other enabling circuits, devices and mother boards to realise major advances in the capability, performance and complexity of photonic system-on-chip and system-in-package components targeting photonic interconnect applications in the network, datacentre and consumer communication space. A holistic approach from design through to test is required. The targeted component technologies need to have demonstrable performance advantages in terms of speed, energy efficiency, cost and reliability and fit in the system and network architecture roadmaps of vendors.

ii. Photonics systems for advanced imaging to support diagnostics driven therapy: Actions should research ground-breaking, reliable (high sensitivity, specificity and accuracy), safe to operate, cost-effective and fast photonics enabled imaging system to support diagnostics during intervention and treatments of major diseases like cancer (excluding skin cancer), infectious, degenerative and cardiovascular diseases. Physicians/clinicians/surgeons and a medical equipment manufacturer must be closely involved from requirement specifications to validation in clinical settings. Validation should take gender specificities into account. Clinical trials are excluded.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU between EUR 3 and 6 million would allow these themes to be addressed appropriately. Nevertheless this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Coordination and Support Actions

i. Fostering careers in photonics: Actions should reach out to STEM graduates/PhD students and young postdocs in order to encourage more of them to pursue a career in photonics. Actions should help make students more industry ready and should provide the appropriate training, encourage innovation and entrepreneurship. Gender issues must also be addressed.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU between EUR 1 and 1.5 million (for theme i) would allow this to be addressed appropriately. Nevertheless this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected Impact: Proposals should describe how the proposed work will contribute to the listed corresponding expected impacts and include baseline, targets and metrics to measure impact.

Innovation Actions

i. Strengthened Europe industrial competitiveness in the biophotonics related market.

ii. Increased competitiveness of the European production industry and significant contribution to the digitization of European industry.

Research and Innovation Actions

i. A massive deployment of Photonic Integrated Circuit (PIC)-based optical transceivers in data center environments thanks to the drastically reduced cost.

ii. Increased European competiveness in the biophotonic areas and more effective medical interventions and treatments.

Coordination and Support Actions

i. More and better prepared professionals in the photonics sector.

Type of Action: Research and Innovation action, Innovation action, Coordination and support action

ICT-06-2019 - Unconventional Nanoelectronics

Specific Challenge: The challenge is to maintain Europe's position at the forefront of advanced nanoelectronic technologies developments. This is essential to ensure strategic electronic design and manufacturing capability in Europe avoiding critical dependencies from other regions. Advanced nanoelectronics technologies enable innovative solutions to industrial and societal challenges.

Scope: Projects will aim at demonstrating the viability of new approaches to computing components. The focus should be on demonstrating new concepts at transistor or circuit level which bring the potential of highly improved performance for generic or specific applications. This can be based on materials, computing unit architecture (transistor or beyond) as well as at circuit level. Still the focus is on devices and components, as well as related processing technologies.

The concept validation should be addressed in a controlled environment at a limited scale (laboratory, research line) amenable to transfer to larger scale developments in industrial environments (pilot lines, etc.).

Innovative concepts include, but are not limited to, the design, processing and integration of devices based on new approaches, e.g. spintronics, neuromorphic, resulting in computing devices and circuits. Proposals are expected to prove the industrial relevance of the intended approach.

The scope of the call covers Research & Innovation Actions on

- Energy-efficient computation devices beyond the current CMOS paradigm. These can address steep slope devices, quantum bits implemented in solid-state, spintronic-based devices, single electron devices, nanomechanical switches, etc.

- Energy-efficient computation circuit architectures. These can be based on the devices above but approaches based on neuromorphic computing or other hardware implementation are relevant.

- Specific technological developments may include (i) promising approaches for 3D stacks, both sequential and monolithic to address challenges of compactness, heat dissipation, reduced interconnect length, and (ii) development of cryogenic electronics to support advances in applications to computing (superconducting, quantum computing) or constraints faced in space. The aim is the demonstration of functionality at circuit level by integrating the adequate functional blocks.

- Design for advanced nanoelectronics technologies. Focus will be on design-technology solutions for energy efficiency, high reliability and robustness. All above topics can be addressed as well as the issues related to improving the devices and circuits in the advanced technology nodes.

The proposed demonstrations are expected to be validated in laboratory (TRL 4).

Proposal are also expected to specify the road to industrialisation and establish links to applications likely to benefit from the development.

In line with the strategy for EU international cooperation in research and innovation (COM(2012)497), international cooperation is encouraged, in particular with countries that have substantial research in the area (e.g. Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and the USA).

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between EUR 2 and 4 million would allow this area to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected Impact: Proposals should address one or more of the following impact criteria and provide metrics to measure and monitor success.

- Identify applications likely to benefit from the intended approach with indication of key parameters (power, energy-efficiency, size, frequency, and cost) and quantitative targets to be achieved (figures of merit).

- Contribute to the mid-term viability of the European Nanoelectronics industry ensuring that new technologies with high potential for computing emerge in time to be taken up by industry.

- Sustain the technological integration requirements by focussing on challenging 3D integration issues as well as for electronics at cryogenic temperature.

- Contribute to the European industry capability to design advanced circuits for its needs.

Type of Action: Research and Innovation action

ICT-08-2019 - Security and resilience for collaborative manufacturing environments

Specific Challenge: As addressed in the multi-annual roadmap7 of the FoF cPPP, physically-entangled systems used in manufacturing environments have some specific requirements in terms of reliability and security, which are now challenged by the need for manufacturing facilities to be digitally connected with external partners in the value chain. While free flow of data is a primary requirement for digitisation of industry, it poses significant challenges in terms of data security, which cannot be solved easily because the factory of the future must exchange digital information with the outside world just like raw materials and components. There is a need to develop practically usable solutions which can guarantee an adequate level of security without limiting the capability to exchange data and information both on the manufacturing floor and beyond the factory.

Scope: Proposals need to develop tools and services guaranteeing an adequate level of data security for digital collaboration between manufacturing environments and value chains. Solutions need to be practically usable in real manufacturing facilities, taking into account the operational requirements needed for factory usage in real-world conditions, including reliability and resilience. Issues of threat detection and implementation of countermeasures should be addressed, as well as evolution and real-time response when needed. Semi-autonomous or fully autonomous solutions, requiring little or no local supervision are encouraged.

Proposals will target TRL 5 to 7, and will include at least one use case which will demonstrate measurable and significant improvements over state of the art tools and methods under real-world conditions. The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between EUR 4 and 6 million would allow this area to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected Impact: Take-up by industry of practically usable solutions which guarantee significantly increased cyber-security levels in daily operations for manufacturing facilities and other actors in the value chains.

Type of Action: Research and Innovation action

ICT-09-2019-2020 - Robotics in Application Areas

Specific Challenge: While robots originated in large-scale mass manufacturing, they are now spreading to more and more application areas. In these new settings, robots are often faced with new technical and non-technical challenges. The purpose of this topic is to address such issues in a modular and open way, and reduce the barriers that prevent a more widespread adoption of robots. Four Priority Areas (PAs) are targeted: healthcare, inspection and maintenance of infrastructure, agri-food, and agile production.

User needs, ethical, legal, societal and economic aspects should be addressed in order to raise awareness and take-up by citizens and businesses. Privacy and cybersecurity issues, including security by design and data integrity should also be addressed, where appropriate.

Scope: a) Research and Innovation boosting promising robotics applications

Innovative approaches to hard research problems in relation to applications of robotics in promising new areas are particularly encouraged. Proposals are expected to enable substantially improved solutions to challenging technical issues, with a view of take-up in applications with high socio-economic impact. Driven by application needs, the work can start from research at low TRL, but proposals are expected to validate their results in realistic environments in order to demonstrate the potential for take-up in the selected application(s).

The call is open to all robotics-related research topics and to all new application areas. Excluded are the four priority areas which are already covered elsewhere in this work programme: healthcare, inspection and maintenance of infrastructure, agri-food and agile production. Proposals will be expected to plan efforts to connect and cooperate with the DIHs, Platforms and other relevant activities of this work programme, as appropriate.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU between €3 million and €5 million would allow this area to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

b) Innovation Actions - Robotics for infrastructure inspection and maintenance

Establish large-scale pilots capable of demonstrating the use of robotics at scale in actual or highly realistic operating environments; showcase advanced prototype applications built around platforms operating in real or near-real environments and demonstrate high levels of socio-economic impact.

Through large-scale pilots, proposals are expected to make a significant step forward in platform development in the area of infrastructure inspection and maintenance. Starting from suitable reference architectures, platform interfaces are defined, tested via piloting, and supported via ecosystem building preparing their roll-out, and are being evolved over time into standards.

Each proposal is expected to establish large scale pilots. They are expected to: consider utilising existing infrastructure and links to other European, national or private funding-sources; identify the long-term sustainability of the pilot; develop scalable technical solutions capable of meeting performance targets; develop metrics and performance measures for the pilot; engage relevant industry stakeholders, including SMEs, in the provision and operation of the pilot. Proposals will be expected to dedicate resources to disseminate best practice and coordinate access to platforms and demonstrators, in particular in connecting with the Robotics DIHs and Core Technologies actions and other relevant activities, in H2020 and beyond.

Pilots are expected to address both technical and non-technical issues, such as socio-economic impact, novel business models, legal and regulatory, ethical and cyber-security issues and connections to Big Data and IoT.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU between €7 million and €9 million would allow this area to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

c) Robotics Competitions

Competitions aims at reducing technical and commercial risks by allowing commercial and technical performance data to be gathered and assessed. They provide a real or near-real operating environment for long-term trials and the testing of deployment strategies.

Proposals (CSA) should address the delivery of challenge-led, robotics competitions focusing on the four application areas prioritised: Healthcare, Infrastructure Inspection and Maintenance, Agri-Food, and Agile Production. Besides the technological objectives, proposals are also expected to stimulate public engagement and engage with the Robotics DIHs. Proposals should address all aspects of running competitions as public events, and engage with the media and public. Proposals should seek to mobilise external partners in sponsoring and setting up the competitions.

Expected Impact: a)

- Strengthening European excellence in Robotics S&T

- Boosting the use of robotics in promising application areas

- Opening up new markets for robotics

- Lowering barriers in the deployment of robotics-based solutions.

b)

- Demonstration of the potential for robotics to impact at scale in the chosen application areas prioritised in this call (infrastructure inspection and maintenance).

- Reduction of technical and commercial risk in the deployment of services based on robotic actors within the selected application area.

- Greater understanding from the application stakeholders of the potential for deploying robotics.

- Demonstration of platforms operating over extended time periods in near realistic environments and promotion of their use.

- Develop the eco-system around the prioritised application areas to stimulate deployment.

- Contribution to the development of open, industry-led or de facto standards

c)

- Greater public exposure to actual robotics capability.

- Greater engagement with competitions from commercial organisations in the four prioritised application areas: Healthcare, Infrastructure Inspection and Maintenance, Agri-Food and Agile Production.

Type of Action: Coordination and support action, Research and Innovation action, Innovation action

ICT-10-2019-2020 - Robotics Core Technology

Specific Challenge: Autonomy in robotic systems is built on a combination of four core technologies:

AI and Cognition: AI provides tools to make systems cognitive. Cognition equips robots with the ability to interact with people and environments, to learn and to categorise, to make decisions and to derive knowledge.

Cognitive Mechatronics: Mechatronic systems where sensing and actuation are closely coupled with cognitive systems are expected to deliver improved control, motion, interaction, adaptation and learning, and safer systems.

Socially cooperative human-robot interaction: Cooperative human-robot interaction is critical in many work environments from collaborative support, e.g. passing tools to a worker, to the design of exo-skeletons able to provide motion that is sympathetic to the user.

Model-based design and configuration tools: Deploying robotics at scale in application areas where tasks need to be defined by the user requires easy-to-use configuration tools. Embedding and sharing of knowledge between tools is essential, as is standardisation across the interfaces to connect systems and modules (taking into account cybersecurity issues, including security by design and data integrity).

Scope: Proposals should address one of the four core technologies and target the development of core technology modules (modular, open and non-proprietary) and tool kits for use in deployable system platforms that meet the requirements of applications in the following four prioritised application areas: Healthcare, Infrastructure Inspection and Maintenance, Agri-Food and Agile Production. Proposals will be required to dedicate resource for connecting with the DIH actions arising from DT-04-2018.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between €5 million and €10 million would allow this area to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected Impact:

- Improved technical capability in each of the core technologies over the current state of the art.

- A greater range of applications in the prioritised application areas that can be demonstrated at TRL 3 and above.

- The lowering of technical barriers within the prioritised applications areas.

Type of Action: Research and Innovation action

ICT-13-2018-2019 - Supporting the emergence of data markets and the data economy

Specific Challenge: The lack of trusted and secure platforms and privacy-aware analytics methods for secure sharing of personal data and proprietary/commercial/industrial data hampers the creation of a data market and data economy by limiting data sharing mostly to open data. This need strongly emerges from recent evidence from stakeholders, both for personal data platforms12 and for industrial data platforms.13,14,15 The lack of ICT and Data skills seriously limits the capacity of Europe to respond to the digitisation challenge of industry. Specific attention needs to be put in involving SMEs and give them access to data and technology. IT standardisation faces new challenges as technologies converge and federated systems arise, creating new gaps in interoperability.

All grants under this topic will be subject to Article 30.3 of the grant agreement (Commission right to object to transfers or licensing).

Scope: a) Innovation Actions for setting up and operating platforms for secure and controlled sharing of "closed data" (proprietary and/or personal data). The actions should address the necessary technical, organisational, legal and commercial aspects of data sharing/brokerage/trading, and build on existing computing platforms. Proposals shall address one or both of the following sub-topics:

- Personal data platforms shall ensure respect of prevailing legislation and allow data subjects and data owners to remain in control of their data and its subsequent use. Solutions should preserve utility for data analysis and allow for the management of privacy / utility trade-offs, metadata privacy, including query privacy. Solutions should also develop privacy metrics that are easy to understand for data subjects and contribute to the economic value of data by allowing privacy-preserving integration of independently developed data sources.

- Industrial data platforms shall enable and facilitate trusted and secure sharing and trading of proprietary/commercial data assets with automated and robust controls on compliance (including automated contracting) of legal rights and fair remuneration of data owners.

The actions are required to link to and bring in industrial data providers (not necessarily as consortium members) that will populate the platforms. Conditions of use and practical arrangements of data sharing should be regulated.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between EUR 4 and 6 million would allow this area to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

b) Research and Innovation Actions to advance the state of the art in the scalability and computational efficiency of methods for securing desired levels of privacy of personal data and/or confidentiality of commercial data, particularly when they are combined from multiple owners. Proposals shall also analyse and address, as appropriate, privacy/confidentiality threat models and/or incentive models for the sharing of data assets.

c) CSA proposals are invited to cover both of the following tasks:

- Support the emergence of a data economy by ensuring SME inclusion, entrepreneurial support and trust-building, address the data skills gap. The CSA action shall liaise with and complement related initiatives16, and shall support and work in collaboration with the platforms under ICT-13 a).

- In line with the Communication on ICT Standardisation Priorities for the Digital Single Market17, promote standardization, interoperability and policy support in the field of data and federated/networked computing systems.

One CSA will be funded. The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of EUR 3 million would allow this area to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected Impact: 

a) and b)

- Personal data protection is improved, and compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (and other relevant legislation) is made easier for economic operators

- Citizens' trust is improved as privacy-aware transparency and control features are increasingly streamlined across data platforms and Big Data applications.

- Better value-creation from personal and proprietary/industrial data.

- 20% annual increase in the number of data provider organisations in the personal and industrial data platforms

- 30% annual increase in the number of data user/buyer organisations using industrial data platforms

- 50% annual increase in number of users (data subjects) in the personal data platforms

- 20% annual increase in volume of business (turnover) channelled through the platforms

c)

- Demonstrated success stories among clients as a result of the services offered by the CSA and at least 50 clients (e.g. start-ups, SMEs) served annually in partner finding, matchmaking, venture capital raising, training, coaching etc.

- Improved standardisation and interoperability especially in the context of cross-sector applications and technology convergence (data, Cloud, IoT, connectivity a.o.)

Type of Action: Research and Innovation action, Coordination and support action, Innovation action

ICT-15-2019-2020 - Cloud Computing

Specific Challenge: Develop competitive cloud solutions based on advanced cloud platforms and services and cloud-based software and data applications, as well as the opportunities brought by considering the edge devices capacities. Such solutions should also address stringent security, data protection, performance, resilience and energy-efficiency requirements to respond to the future digitisation needs of industry and the public sector. Addressing these challenges will also be part of and contribute to the technological ambitions for the Next Generation Internet (NGI) and the Internet of Things (IoT).

Scope: 

a) Research and Innovation Actions (RIA)

Proposals will address at least one the following areas:

i. New modelling techniques and mechanisms are needed to compose and coordinate resources across heterogeneous clouds, including micro local clouds, private enterprise clouds, aggregated and hybrid cloud models facilitating interoperability and data portability between cloud service providers. Techniques that guarantee privacy, security, identity are essential.

ii. Edge computing (fog computing) technologies that integrate the limited memory, storage and computation of fog nodes that are closer to where data are generated into the cloud architecture and allow to make intelligent decisions when to move computation from the edge to the cloud, while taking into account the network capabilities as well as the security and/or sensitivity of data.

iii. New management strategies aimed to design and develop an efficient, coordinated, robust, secure and service agnostic management of the set of resources brought by combining cloud, IoT, Big Data and fog computing. Solutions for consistent resources categorization, abstraction and monitoring are fundamental. Proposed solutions should also envision the development of novel collaborative (sharing) scenarios and innovative service execution approaches that allow the dynamic allocation of cloud services to improve performance, and to facilitate automatic discovery and composition of cloud services at IaaS, PaaS and SaaS levels (Infrastructure, Platform and Software as a Service). The provision and its user-friendly combination, usage and orchestration of such services should particularly look at SMEs and public sector users.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between EUR 3 and 5 million would allow this area to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

b) Coordination and Support Actions (CSA)

Proposals in this action will address the following:

- Facilitate awareness of stakeholders in research and policy matters related to Cloud Computing.

- Coordinate stakeholders in Cloud Computing and act as support to R&D programmes/activities by disseminating project results and organising scientific and policy events, developing research and innovation roadmaps, and addressing pre-standardisation initiatives.

Expected Impact: 

a) Research and Innovation Actions (RIA)

i. Contribute to the development of an ecosystem that will respond to the future digitisation needs of industry and the public sector;

ii. Assist the development of new cloud-based services and infrastructures in Europe and foster an industrial capability in the cloud computing sector;

iii. Create new opportunities to encourage European-based providers, in particular SMEs, to develop and offer cloud-based services based on the most advanced technologies;

iv. Leverage research and innovation projects to support the development and deployment of innovative cloud-based services and next generation applications, for the public and private sectors (including standardisation and applications for Big-Data and other sector-specific applications).

b) Coordination and Support Actions (CSA)

- Creation of a sustainable European forum of stakeholders representing the Cloud Computing research, industry and users.

Type of Action: Coordination and support action, Research and Innovation action

ICT-20-2019-2020 - 5G Long Term Evolution

Specific Challenge: Whilst 5G early introduction targets "local" network improvements (e.g. at radio access level), the longer term vision targets the realisation of pervasive mobile virtual services, through a network managing compute, storage and transport connectivity functions30 in an integrated way. The challenge is to transform the network into a low energy distributed computer, where processes and applications are dynamically created, moved and suppressed, depending on the information flows, customer needs, and where new terminal types in cars, objects, appliances, and new interfaces based on gestures, facial expressions, sound and haptics may be the basis of the interaction between humans and the infosystems.

Scope: Proposals may cover only one strand or cut across several strands.

- Strand 1: Extension of virtualisation technologies and architectures for Network Management to support i) recursive deployments of functional components for multi-tenancy; ii) high device heterogeneity through virtualisation of resource-constrained devices with load reduction approaches and new network control solutions to effectively handle the authentication, naming, addressing, routing and related functions for massive number of terminals; iii) end to end resource self-configuration and management according to service, traffic, channel or mobility conditions; iv) SDN intelligent network interface selection; v) ultra-dense network deployment with massive user generated traffic; vi) unified management of compute, storage and connectivity resources.

- Strand 2: Security31: hardware, software technologies and architectures, level of abstraction for information sharing enabling tenants workloads to trust the host systems. It enables trusted deployment of critical workloads across infrastructure and for infrastructure owners, differentiated services offers to tenants, whilst also improving their own control of their systems, vulnerabilities and compromises. It covers Trusted Execution Environments (TEEs) secure provisioning and their remote management, with categorisation of sensitive operations supporting trust domain definition and set up, with real -time identification of possible compromises or security breaches.

- Strand 3: Radio network enabling technologies, architectures and advanced signal processing targeting i) differentiated service requirements, including broadcast/multicast and strategies for spectrum sharing and usage optimisation in licensed and unlicensed bands; ii) terminals as moving nodes for coverage or service extension; iii) network assisted self-driving objects with optimised information fusion/processing from maps, sensors, and events communication; iv) simplified access points through distributed computing and optimised function placement; v) ultra low latency services; vi) applicability of mmWave frequency bands to use cases beyond eMBB; vii) usability of novel spectrum at Teraherz frequencies (incl. visible light communications).

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between EUR 4 and 6 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected Impact: 

- Evolution of networks towards OTT like platforms integrating connectivity, storage and computing resources opening for new service models to telecom/ISP providers - (Strand 1).

- Network scalability towards high number of resource constrained devices, multiplicity of service requirements, and new connectivity paradigms (user controlled) – (Strand 1).

- Characterisation and availability of secure and trusted environments for software based virtualised networks, enabling trusted multi-tenancy - (Strand 2).

- Improvements of radio spectrum usage, novel strategies for coverage/service extension, support of novel use cases and mobile edge cloud applications, usability of today unexplored spectrum - (Strand 3).

- Dynamic scalability of network capabilities through availability of managed and enhanced resources - (Strands 1 and 3).

- Network energy consumption reduction, a factor of at least 10 is targeted - (Strands 1 and 3).

Type of Action: Research and Innovation action

ICT-24-2018-2019 - Next Generation Internet - An Open Internet Initiative

Specific Challenge: This initiative aims at developing a more human-centric Internet supporting values of openness, cooperation across borders, decentralisation, inclusiveness and protection of privacy; giving the control back to the users in order to increase trust in the Internet. It should provide more transparent services, more intelligence, greater involvement and participation, leading towards an Internet that is more open, robust and dependable, more interoperable and more supportive of social innovation.

Scope: Involving today’s best Internet innovators to address technological opportunities arising from cross-links and advances in various research fields ranging from network infrastructures to platforms, from application domains to social innovation. Beyond research, the scope includes validation and testing of market traction with minimum viable products and services, of new economic, mobility and social models, and involves users and market actors at an early stage. Multi-disciplinary approaches are encouraged when relevant. Eventually this initiative should influence Internet governance and related policies.

a) Research and Innovation Actions

Each Research and Innovation Action (R&I Action) will focus on a given research domain supporting the objective of a human-centric Internet. It will build a European ecosystem of researchers, innovators and technology developers by selecting and providing financial support to the best projects submitted by third parties in a competitive manner.

Through an agile and flexible process, 'R&I Actions' will focus their support on third party projects from outstanding academic research groups, hi-tech startups and SMEs, so that multiple third parties will be funded in parallel contributing to the same research area, using short research cycles targeting the most promising ideas. Each of the selected third parties projects will pursue its own objectives, while the 'R&I Action' will provide the programme logic and vision, the necessary technical support, as well as coaching and mentoring, in order that the collection of third party projects contributes towards a significant advancement and impact in the research domain. The focus will be on advanced research that is linked to relevant use cases and that can be brought quickly to the market; apps and services that innovate without a research component are not covered by this model.

Beneficiaries shall make explicit the intervention logic for their specific research domain, their capacity to attract top Internet talents, to deliver a solid value-adding services package to the third party projects, as well as their expertise and capacity in managing the full life-cycle of the open calls transparently. They should explore synergies with other research and innovation actions, supported at regional, national or European level, to increase the overall impact.

For grants awarded under this topic for Research and Innovation actions beneficiaries may provide support to third parties as described in part K of the General Annexes of the Work Programme. The support to third parties can only be provided in the form of grants. The respective options of Article 15.1 and Article 15.3 of the Model Grant Agreement will be applied.

For the call closing in 2018 'R&I Actions' in the following three sub-topics will be called for. Proposals should address only one of these sub-topics.

i) Privacy and trust enhancing technologies: as sensors, objects, devices, AI-based algorithms, etc., are incorporated in our digital environment, develop robust and easy to use technologies to help users increase trust and achieve greater control when sharing their personal data, attributes and information.

ii) Decentralized data governance: leveraging on distributed open hardware and software ecosystems based on blockchains, distributed ledger technology, open data and peer-to-peer technologies. Attention should be paid to ethical, legal and privacy issues, as well as to the concepts of autonomy, data sovereignty and ownership, values and regulations.

iii) Discovery and identification technologies: to search and access large heterogeneous data sources, services, objects and sensors, devices, multi-media content, etc. and which may include aspects of numbering; providing contextual querying, personalised information retrieval and increased quality of experience.

'R&I Actions' should encourage, when relevant, open source software and open hardware design, access to data, standardisation activities, access to testing and operational infrastructure as well as an IPR regime ensuring lasting impact and reusability of results.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of EUR 7 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts. As a reference, 80% of the EU funding should be allocated to financial support to the third parties, through projects typically in the EUR 50 000 to 200 00034 range with duration of 9 to 12 months. Each 'R&I Action' is expected to run several cycles of third party projects, which requires an overall duration of 24 to 36 months.

In the call closing in 2018, at least one proposal will be selected in each of the three sub-topics. Another three sub-topics will be identified for the forthcoming call closing 2019; the new sub-topics will be published by the European Commission in the update to the work programme 2019 that will be done before the call is published.

b) Coordination and Support Actions

Coordination and Support Actions are called for in the following three sub-topics. Proposals should address only one of these sub-topics. At least one proposal will be selected in each of the three sub-topics.

iv) 'Technology Strategy & Policy': will engage leading-edge Internet stakeholders and will identify emerging research trends and policy needs, through a continuous public online consultation, open stakeholder engagement, fora and debates, and data analysis. It should also use the most innovative approaches and technologies, and unconventional ways to maximise involvement of those stakeholders who are new to community programmes and who will actually drive the evolution of the Internet. It should map and cooperate with national/regional initiatives and global activities where relevant. Driven by actors with a solid background and standing in today's NGI community, it aims at sustainability right from the beginning. It will be the intellectual spearhead of the 'Next Generation Internet – An Open Internet Initiative' and will closely engage with the other actions supported in this topic.

These activities could partially be implemented through small prizes; the maximum budget the project can devote to prizes is Euro 300.000. For grants awarded under this sub-topic beneficiaries may provide support to third parties as described in part K of the General Annexes of the Work Programme. The support to third parties can only be provided in the form of prizes. The respective options of Article 15.2 and Article 15.3 of the Model Grant Agreement will be applied.

The Commission considers that proposals with a duration of three years and requesting a contribution from the EU of EUR 3 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other durations or amounts.

v) 'Technology Harvest & Transfer': will support 'R&I Actions' and their third parties in ensuring the best use of the outcomes created by delivering specific exploitation strategies, including follow-up investment opportunities, industry relations, IPR/knowledge transfers, tech-transfer services to digital innovation hubs, mentoring / coaching services and linkage to national IPR exploitation programmes, in a most innovative and effective way. It will also support impact assessment at the level of the 'Next Generation Internet – An Open Internet Initiative' topic.

The 'Technology Harvest & Transfer' action shall start no earlier than 6 months after the start of the first 'R&I Actions' in 2018. The Commission considers that proposals with a duration of three years and requesting a contribution from the EU of EUR 2 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other durations or amounts.

vi) 'Outreach Office': will execute the programme communication strategy, branding and marketing activities, including extensive online and social media presence and events, establishing a positive brand image among young researchers, innovators, policy makers and people at large. Centralised, more efficient and professional, it will lead communications towards the outside world but also coach all actions under this topic in effective communications and marketing.

The Commission considers that proposals with a duration of three years and requesting a contribution from the EU of EUR 2 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other durations or amounts.

Expected Impact: Proposals should provide appropriate metrics for the claimed impacts.

- Shape a more human-centric evolution of the Internet.

- Create a European ecosystem of top researchers, hi-tech startups and SMEs with the capacity to set the course of Internet evolution.

- Generate new business opportunities and new Internet companies with maximum growth and impact chances.

- For sub-topics i, ii and iii: Integrating research and innovation communities; development of common visions and enhanced science – industry collaborations in each of the technology domains.

- For sub-topic iv: European research and innovation leaders driving the debate for a human-centric Internet research and policy strategy.

- For sub-topic v: New Internet applications / services, business models and innovation processes strengthening the position of European ICT industry in the Internet market.

- For sub-topic vi: global visibility in the media of the debate on a human-centric Internet; citizens' priorities influencing the evolution of the Internet.

Type of Action: Research and Innovation action, Coordination and support action

ICT-30-2019-2020 - An empowering, inclusive Next Generation Internet

Specific Challenge: Every citizen, from all walks of life, should be able to fully take part in the Digital Single Market. This means that the Next Generation Internet will have to empower users, including its most vulnerable or disabled one, to have access to the same digital learning opportunities, in forms that are accessible, perceivable and understandable by everybody.

Scope: The objective is to support actions on smarter, open, trusted and personalised learning solutions to optimise digital learning and to allow learners to engage and interact with content and with peers.

a. Innovation Action: Digital Learning Incubator

The objective of this action is to advance personalised and inclusive digital learning through a fast-paced adoption cycle of technological and methodological solutions. The work will build on cross-links and advances in the various NGI technologies (such as machine-learning, AR/VR, AI) research fields and foster synergies between all the relevant market players, researchers and educational agents working on promising and innovative products. The action will be based on a "push and pull" strategy whereby the research actors push the best research projects to enter the innovation cycle and the market actors pull for the ideas with best market traction.

The action will:

- set up an Incubator bringing together all relevant stakeholders to form strategic alliances that can jointly achieve fast-paced breakthroughs in the area of personalised and inclusive learning online. The Incubator will allow fast-track experimentations in form of small scale projects, providing access to knowledge, research prototypes, learning resources and data to parties interested to conduct these experimentations.

- launch open calls for highly promising small scale projects to work on a topic/challenge set out in a roadmap. It shall foresee suitable arrangements for oragnizing the corresponding competitive evaluation and selection.

The action shall select these small scale projects through the use of financial support to third parties. Up to 90% of the EU funding of the action should be allocated to the financial support of these third parties, typically of the size of EUR 100 000 to 200 000 per third party45 and a duration of about 9 to 12 months. Financial support to third parties should in line with the conditions set out in Part K of the General Annexes.

The Commission considers that up to 1 proposal requesting a contribution from the EU of around 7 million would allow this area to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

b) Coordination and support action in the area of Digital Learning

The action will:

- stimulate the collaboration between all EU-funded FP7 and H2020 projects on digital learning, analyse the outcomes and best practices carried out in these projects, support the dissemination of their results as well as ensure their integration within the Next Generation Initiative and link with other support measures.

- identify: a) emerging research challenges, notably those arising from digital certification of learning outcomes and blockchain technologies and their uptake for a more inclusive and personalised learning; b) address legal, organisational and technological challenges underpinning the uptake of the proposed solutions, notably in relation to their scalability; c) make policy recommendations in view of the priorities of the next programme for research, innovation and deployment.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of around 1 million would allow this area to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected Impact:

- Increase in the overall uptake of technology for personalised and inclusive learning for all, regardless of their age, gender or other socioeconomic factors.

- Increase in the number of distributed learning solutions for children with special educational needs.

- Increase in the number of start-ups/SME's deploying personalised and inclusive learning solutions to the market.

Type of Action: Innovation action, Coordination and support action

ICT-31-2018-2019 - EU-US collaboration on NGI

Specific Challenge: Building upon the EU-US collaboration in previous work programmes in the area of research experimentation, the aim is to reinforce cooperation and strategic partnerships in the area of Next Generation Internet, to establish a continuous dialogue among the key actors in the US and European programmes and to implement focused projects for joint developments. Proposals shall foresee twinning with entities participating in projects funded by the US to exchange knowledge and experience and exploit synergies. This collaboration will be implemented in accordance with the "Implementation arrangement between the European Commission and the government of the United States of America for cooperation between researchers funded separately by the European Union's and the United States framework programmes on research and innovation" signed on 17 October 201646.

Scope: a) Coordination and Support Actions. Proposals should cover one of the following two areas of this sub-topic:

- Organise workshops and other support activities: to facilitate the coordination of research and innovation initiatives in the EU and US, and to promote collaboration between the research groups. Create a Next Generation Internet open ecosystem engaging relevant initiatives and key actors from the EU and the US.

- Fellowship programme: support 3 to 6 months fellowships for Internet researchers notably from hi-tech startups, SMEs, mid-caps, research centres or academia to broaden the understanding of different approaches, perspectives and values, in view to then contribute to concrete NGI services and products 'Made in Europe'. The project will only provide financial support for travel and subsistence, and only citizens of the EU and associated countries will be eligible for funding. For grants awarded under this topic for the fellowship programme beneficiaries may provide support to third parties as described in part K of the General Annexes of the Work Programme. The support to third parties can only be provided in the form of grants. The respective options of Article 15.1 and Article 15.3 of the Model Grant Agreement will be applied

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of EUR 1 million for the first area of this sub-topic (Organise workshops and other support activities) and of EUR 1.5 million for the second area of this sub-topic (Fellowship programme) would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts. At least one proposal will be selected in each of the two areas of this sub-topic.

b) Research and Innovation Action.

Common experiments by EU/US teams on emerging topics for the Next Generation Internet / Tomorrow's Internet programmes on top of EU/US experimental platforms.

For grants awarded under this topic for Research and Innovation actions beneficiaries may provide support to third parties as described in part K of the General Annexes of the Work Programme. The support to third parties can only be provided in the form of grants. The respective options of Article 15.1 and Article 15.3 of the Model Grant Agreement will be applied. Only organisations established in the EU and associated countries will be eligible for European Commission funding.

The Commission considers that proposals for Research and Innovation actions requesting a contribution from the EU of EUR 3.5 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. As a reference, 80% of the EU funding should be allocated to financial support for the third parties. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected Impact: 

Proposals should provide appropriate metrics for the claimed impacts.

- Enhanced EU – US cooperation in Next Generation Internet, including policy cooperation.

- Reinforced collaboration and increased synergies between the Next Generation Internet and the Tomorrow's Internet programmes.

- Developing interoperable solutions and joint demonstrators, contributions to standards

- An EU - US ecosystem of top researchers, hi-tech startups / SMEs and Internet-related communities collaborating on the evolution of the Internet.

Type of Action: Coordination and support action, Research and Innovation action

ICT-33-2019 - Startup Europe for Growth and Innovation Radar

Specific Challenge: The challenge is to scale up innovative businesses across the EU, detect high potential innovations and support innovators in going to market. Actions under this heading reinforce the Startup Europe47 and Innovation Radar48 initiatives and link to the activities of the European Innovation Council in a complementary way by targeting exclusively ICT innovators that are not supported by the EIC.

Scope: Actions should help startups and scaleups achieve market success and mature the innovation excellence of high potential innovators. Actions should support the creation of new jobs and high growth businesses and support their growth on a pan-European and international level. Innovators identified, promoted and supported by the Innovation Radar are expected to enrich and benefit from the Startup Europe ecosystem49. Projects should demonstrate sustainability of proposed actions beyond the life of the project. Where appropriate, the projects should seek synergies with ESIF funds or ESIF supported actions in order to improve the synergies between H2020 and ESIF.

a. Innovation actions

Connecting local tech startup ecosystems and supporting cross-border activities: among the 4-5 startups ecosystems connected by each project, at least half of them will be located in less developed ecosystems. The project should develop a single online entry point to each one of the ecosystems and connect them to the Startup Europe one-stop-shop. Cross-border activities will include: connecting tech entrepreneurs with e.g. potential investors, business partners, accessing skills and services helping startups soft land in new international markets. Particular focus will be placed on stimulating partnerships between scaleups and corporates with a view to procurement, mergers or acquisitions. Similar attention will be placed to support SMEs, startups and scaleups, wherever situated in Europe, to access public procurement opportunities across borders.

b. Coordination and support actions

 Provide targeted and tailored support to SMEs, startups, scaleups, spinoffs and market-oriented researchers planning to launch a spin-off, who are supported by EU funded ICT projects50 and are delivering market-creating innovations that have scale-up potential.

 Insight and intelligence from the Innovation Radar is to be used to detect EU-funded innovators who face the biggest market opportunities (enhancement of Innovation Radar data by merging with relevant third party data sources is welcomed).

 Support is expected to include mentoring, coaching, investor readiness training, coaching on how to bid for public procurement sales opportunities, connecting innovators with potential customers, business partners and investors (Business Angels, Venture Capital, Crowdfunding and other relevant forms of financing).

Expected Impact: 

Proposals should address the following and provide appropriate metrics for measuring success with respect to a defined baseline:

a. Innovation actions

- Increased connectedness among members of tech startup ecosystems and their companies (startups and scaleups) and to the larger European business ecosystem seeking maximum synergies;

- Increased access to customers, private and public, better access to qualified employees, access to the right combination of finance and prospects for scaling up across border;

- Stimulate European investments in digital sectors through increasing the number of cross-border investments; Demonstrate sustainability of proposed actions beyond the life of the project.

b. Coordination and Support actions

- Increase the number of digital technology based spin-offs, startups and scale-ups or successfully transferred technology from EU funded projects;

- Enable innovative ICT based companies or technology to reach investment maturity and market introduction readiness, and/or winning for the first time public procurement contracts across the EU.

Type of Action: Innovation action, Coordination and support action

ICT-34-2018-2019  - Pre-Commercial Procurement open

Specific Challenge: The challenge is to enable public procurers to collectively implement PCPs in order to close the gap between supply and demand for innovative ICTs. The objective is to bring radical improvements to the quality and efficiency of public services by encouraging the development and validation of breakthrough solutions through Pre-Commercial Procurement51.

Scope: PCP actions targeting consortia of procurers with similar procurement needs that want to procure together the development of innovative ICT based solutions to modernize public services whilst creating growth opportunities for industry and researchers in Europe in new markets. This topic is open to proposals for PCP actions in all areas of public sector interest requiring innovative ICT based solutions. It is open both to proposals requiring improvements mainly based on one specific ICT technology field, as well as to proposals requiring end-to-end solutions that need combinations of different ICT technologies.

Proposals shall demonstrate sustainability of the action beyond the life of the project. Activities covered shall include cooperation with policy makers to reinforce the national policy frameworks and mobilise substantial additional national budgets for PCP and PPI, as well as awareness raising, technical assistance and/or capacity building to other procurers beyond the project to mainstream PCP/PPI implementation and to remove obstacles for introducing the innovative solutions to be procured into the market.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of up to EUR 6 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Specific requirements for PCP actions are described in part E of the General Annexes of the Work Programme.

Expected Impact:

- Reduced fragmentation of demand for innovative solutions;

- Increased opportunities for wide market uptake and economies of scale for the supply side through the use of joint specifications, wide publication of results and where relevant contribution to standardisation, regulation or certification.

Type of Action: Pre-Commercial Procurement

OA-10-2016 - Horizon prize for low cost access to space

Objectives pursued: The objective of this announced inducement prize is to provide innovative yet implementable, affordable and financially sustainable solutions enabling the delivery of nano- and micro- satellites to Low Earth orbit (LEO).

The prize aims at unlocking the expected capacity crunch of access to space for these class of payloads with the demises of several existing launchers and limited opportunities aboard available launchers for secondary payload launches (orbit suitability, responsiveness, primary mission constraints) as well as the prospective mandatory application of the Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee (IADC) guidance for debris mitigation (limiting the LEO orbit belt permitted for small satellites with no-de-orbiting systems).

The prize with a budget of EUR 4 million will reward a solution which presents one or several innovative development of a launch system dedicated to nano- and micro-satellites in order to improve cost-effectiveness and launch flexibility for this class of payloads.

Expected results: The launch system shall provide affordable, sustainable and innovative design-to-cost solutions towards complete launch systems dedicated to the delivery of nano- and micro-satellites, with a launcher performance of payloads up to 500 kg to LEO orbit35, operational as soon as possible and economically viable when considering mid-term (i.e. the year 2025) commercial nano- and micro- satellite launch market predictions.

Eligibility criteria: The contest will be open to any legal entity (including natural persons) or groups of legal entities from Member States and countries associated to Horizon 2020.Exclusion criteria foreseen in the provisions of articles 106(1), 107, 108 and 109 of the Financial Regulation (regulation 966/2012) will apply.

Essential award criteria: The prize will be awarded, after closure of the contest, to the contestants who in the opinion of the jury demonstrate a solution (which is at least a subsystem prototype demonstrated in an operational environment) that best addresses the following cumulative criteria:

• Technical achievements: demonstrated applicability of the proposed solution in relevant environment (in a scale that includes subsystem ground testing, significant systemdemonstrator testing, suborbital launch or orbital LEO launch up to 600 km Sun-synchronous orbit (SSO), with higher achievements scoring higher), expected/demonstrated performances and flexibility in terms of payload mass and available target orbits.
• Economic viability: business plan for sustained operations, recurring launch costs performance (including manufacturing and operational models), capability to launch repeatedly with the lowest idle time.The specific award criteria will be detailed in the rules of the contest to be published on the participant portal.
  The contest is expected to be published in 2019.

Type of Action: Inducement prize
The common Rules of Contest for Prizes are provided in part F of the General Annexes.

Indicative timetable: 2019-2020

Personalised Medicine

SC1-BHC-01-2019 - Understanding causative mechanisms in co- and multimorbidities

Specific Challenge: The increasing number of individuals with co-and multimorbidities poses an urgent need to improve management of patients with multiple co-existing diseases. A better understanding of their causative mechanisms is needed to develop early diagnosis, efficient prevention and monitoring, and better treatments adapted to co- and multimorbid patients throughout their life course. Furthermore, there are many different etiological models of comorbid conditions (e.g., direct causation model or a consequence of treatment). In this context, capturing and measuring patient's complexity in the context of co- and multimorbidities is crucial for adequate management of these conditions and requires innovative approaches.

Scope: Proposals should identify and validate causative mechanisms (e.g. molecular, genetic, correlative, drug-drug interaction) combining mental and physical disorders through the integration of basic, pre-clinical and/or clinical research . Applicants should prove the relevance of the identified mechanisms for co-morbid development. Where pertinent, development of biomarkers and other technologies for diagnosis and monitoring of comorbid conditions in patients is encouraged. A purposeful exploitation of existing data, biobanks, registries and cohorts is expected , but does not exclude generation of new data. Sex and gender aspects, age, socio-economic, lifestyle and behavioural factors and any other non-health related individual attributes should be taken into consideration. SME participation is strongly encouraged. 

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between EUR 4 and 6 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts. 

Expected Impact: 

•New directions for clinical research to improve prevention, diagnosis, prognosis, therapy development, and management of co- and multimorbidities.

•Whenever relevant identified biomarkers for more accurate and earlier diagnosis, prognosis as well as monitoring of patients' condition. 

Type of Action: Research and Innovation action

SC1-BHC-02-2019 - Systems approaches for the discovery of combinatorial therapies for complex disorders

Specific Challenge: Many complex disorders pose a challenge to identify the most effective therapeutic interventions because current therapies often target specific aspects of a disease, without achieving complete control or the best possible results for patients. Due to the multiple causes of such diseases and the heterogeneity between patients, approaches directed at single targets have had limited efficacy, overlooking important factors involved in disease pathophysiology. Hence, a promising therapeutic approach to meet this challenge is to combine different therapies, while increasing therapeutic efficacy in a cost-effective manner.

Scope: Research should aim to understand at systems level the pathophysiology of a disorder in groups of patients responding well or poorly to particular therapies and further develop combinatorial therapies tailored to the needs of individuals or stratified patient groups.

Projects should focus on already available and/or authorised therapies and have access to standardized biobank samples derived from retrospective or currently running clinical studies. These patient samples should be re-analysed with modern high-throughput technologies. The existing and newly produced data should be integrated using systems approaches, which could combine sub-cellular/cellular and/or organ level in-silico models and network analysis as appropriate, and used to build more sophisticated computational frameworks to predict patient responses to combinatorial therapies. These predictions should be validated in pre-clinical and clinical studies  taking into account sex and gender differences. Funding of late stage clinical trials is not within the scope of this topic.

Applicants should include a thorough data management plan for transnational data sharing to enable the computational analysis and it is strongly recommended to adhere to the state-of-the-art international standards and to the general concepts of the FAIR  principles.

The topic invites proposals in complex disorders of high prevalence and of a high economic burden (rare diseases are excluded). SME participation is strongly encouraged.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between EUR 4 and 6 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected Impact: 

•New concepts of combinatorial therapies for complex disorders tailored to the needs of individuals or stratified patient groups. 

•Improved efficacy and take-up in the clinical setting in comparison to established therapeutic interventions. 

•Enable the development of personalised medicine. 

•Increased research & innovation opportunities in this industry intensive field, particularly for SMEs.  

Type of Action: Research and Innovation action

Infectious diseases and improving global health

SC1-BHC-14-2019 - Stratified host-directed approaches to improve prevention, treatment and/or cure of infectious diseases

Specific Challenge: Despite major advances in development of new drugs and vaccines against infectious diseases, many of the therapies and preventive measures do not result in the expected favourable health outcomes for various reasons. The pathogen might be resistant to the treatment, or a required immune response might not be provoked to contain the infection; the used drug might not reach the pathogen, or the pathogen might escape the host defence mechanisms. In addition, each individual might be responding differently to the intervention, making it difficult to make one intervention fit all patients. A promising avenue to overcome treatment failure in infectious diseases is to develop novel therapeutic or preventive approaches on the basis of specific factors identified in the host or the host-pathogen interaction. This approach provides the basis for stratification of individuals based on these characteristics and tailor the treatment or the preventive measure accordingly.

Scope: Proposals should test emerging concepts in drug and/or vaccine development in order to address the problem of antimicrobial drug resistance and to optimize therapeutic, curative or preventive measures against infectious diseases of major concern for Europe. Proposals should capitalize on knowledge of the role of host factors, immune-modulators or of host-pathogen interactions influencing disease outcome that can be utilized to strengthen the response to treatment or prevention measures. This should lead to new enhanced therapies, cures and/or preventive measures. Differences in factors such as age, gender and genetic variation among the human population should be taken into consideration.

The proposals should focus on late pre-clinical and/or clinical research, supporting proof of concept and selecting relevant biomarkers for clinical validation. They should take advantage of existing or newly established cohorts to help identify factors for predicting the course of the disease and its response to the intervention in stratified patients.

The downstream constraints for the uptake of the intervention by national health systems should be taken into account. The suitability, acceptability and adaptability of the interventions to be developed should be addressed and assessed for different population groups and will thus require expertise from the social sciences and the humanities.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between EUR 6 and 10 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected Impact: 

•Increase Europe's capacity to control infectious diseases.

•Enriched product development pipelines with novel, potentially more effective, targeted treatments, cures and/or preventive measures for infectious diseases and/or validated biomarkers with potential for rapid uptake into clinical practice.

•Reduced burden of major infectious diseases.

•Contribute to the achievement of the European One Health Action Plan against Antimicrobial Resistance. 

•Contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goal 3, ensure health and well-being for all, at every stage of life. 

Type of Action: Research and Innovation action

SC1-BHC-19-2019 - Implementation research for maternal and child health

Specific Challenge: Each year, an estimated 213  million women become pregnant and 140 million newborn babies are delivered. However, many of the women and infants receive no appropriate care or care that is below evidence-based standards; others suffer from over-medicalisation. Access to quality care, during and after pregnancy, is essential to ensure good maternal health and the favourable early development of the child.

The gap between countries with the lowest and highest maternal mortality rates has doubled between 1990 and 2013 and huge differences exist within countries in Europe and globally. The burden of maternal mortality in both contexts falls disproportionately on the most vulnerable groups of women and girls: Every day approximately 830 women die from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth; 99% of maternal deaths occur in developing countries 

Although there is a consolidated evidence base of what works in improving maternal and newborn health, the "knowledge-do" gap has not been bridged and evidence based guidelines are insufficiently implemented or integrated in routine training and service provision. Therefore, more and better targeted implementation research is needed.

Scope: Proposals should focus on implementation research  for improving maternal and child health with a focus on the first '1000 days' from pregnancy until two years of age.  This research can take place in either high income countries or low and middle income countries, or in a combination thereof.

The implementation research in the first 1000 days may cover: 

•new or improved health service delivery interventions that strengthen maternal and child health; and/or

•the scaling up and/or adapting of existing evidence-based interventions to new contexts.  

Neither pre-clinical research nor clinical trials in the context of product development are within the scope of this call.

The research should take into account the specificities of different contexts and situations. The research should be integrated from different perspectives, e.g. recognising the interdependent relationship between mother and child; addressing prevention, health promotion and treatment; allowing for the specific needs of vulnerable groups (e.g. preterm infants, adolescents, migrants); addressing different concurrent pathologies; avoiding the creation of parallel or vertical programmes, etc;. Research may cover physical and/or mental health, as well as communicable and non-communicable diseases. The integration of social sciences including gender analysis and the use of mixed methods research  is strongly encouraged. In addition, particular attention should be given to equity issues.

The interventions should build on but may go beyond existing state-of-the art knowledge on biological, psychological and social determinants of maternal and child health. Research is expected to be carried out in continuous partnership, in particular with the end-users, i.e. the concerned women, the fathers, and their community, in addition to policy makers, politicians, and the media, to ensure that evidence can be translated into policy and practice.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting an EU contribution between EUR 2 to 4 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected Impact: 

•Research-supported solutions to maternal and child health challenges.

•Providing evidence of successful and/or innovative approaches for bridging the ''knowledge-do'' gap in improving maternal and child health.

•Better understanding of scaling-up processes with regard to different contexts and resource requirements. 

•Contribution to the achievement of SDGs 2 on improved nutrition (target 2), Goal 3 on health (targets 1 and 2 on maternal and child health) and Goal 5 on gender equality (targets 1 and 6) and Goal 10 (on reducing inequality within and between countries). 

Applicants may be interested in a separate but connected call topic on "Food systems Africa" under Societal Challenge 2.

Type of Action: Research and Innovation action

Innovative health and care systems - Integration of care

SC1-BHC-22-2019 - Mental health in the workplace

Specific Challenge: In most European countries, absences from work and early retirement due to mental illness have increased in recent years . Mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety and stress represent substantial financial costs for employers and employees, as well as a significant loss for society at large. An EU-level estimate of the overall costs, direct health costs and lost productivity is more than 450 billion EUR per year. ' '  Mental illness is an important cause of absence from work but it is also linked to high levels of presenteeism, where an employee remains at work despite experiencing symptoms resulting in lower productivity. It is important to create mentally healthy workplaces, i.e., promoting and protecting employees’ good mental health and supporting them when they experience mental health problems, and their return to work. A healthy workplace involves creating an environment that is supportive of the psychosocial aspects of work, recognising the potential of the workplace to promote workers’ mental health and wellbeing, and reduce the negative impacts of work-related stress. Many of the factors that influence the positive mental health and wellbeing of workers relate to the social environment at work such as the working conditions, style of management, working culture and levels of supports, as well as job security.

More knowledge is needed about effective interventions by employers to promote good mental health, and about the barriers to effective implementation of such interventions, in particular for smaller enterprises and public agencies with less resources and knowledge to manage these health issues.

Scope: Proposals should develop and implement intervention(s) that an employer/organization can take to promote good mental health and prevent mental illness in the workplace. These interventions can be newly developed or improvements on existing ones. They should address challenges in mental health in the workplace  in the EU. The interventions should be assessed in terms of direct and indirect individual and collective health outcomes and cost-effectiveness, implementation facilitators and barriers.

Proposals should build on existing knowledge but may well go beyond. Co-morbidities in mental and/or physical health should be addressed. Research should be multidisciplinary, including social sciences and the humanities. The stigma attached to mental ill health is important to consider as well as other social and cultural factors which may be relevant to improving the working environment. Mixed-methods research  is encouraged. Proposals should involve key partners such as employers and employees in the private and public sector, policy makers, insurers, social partners and civil society in developing initiatives. Proposals should address relevant gender issues (e.g. gender equality at the workplace). Ethics and data protection aspects should be addressed where they are relevant.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between EUR 2 to 4 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected Impact: 

•Improved mental health and reduced sickness absence in the EU working population. 

•Positive impact on productivity and economic results of workplaces by improved policies and action to promote mental health. 

•Improved policies on mental health in the workplace based on the broader evidence base of effective interventions.  

Type of Action: Research and Innovation action

SC1-BHC-25-2019 - Demonstration pilots for implementation of personalised medicine in healthcare

Specific Challenge: Personalised medicine (PM) has the potential to respond to, among others, the increasing burden of co-morbidities and thus enhance the sustainability of healthcare systems. With the increasing number of scientific approaches available, it is crucial to demonstrate the benefit of large scale deployment of personalised medicine to citizens and healthcare systems. This was also one of the conclusions of the Personalised Medicine Conference 2016 (http://ec.europa.eu/research/conferences/2016/permed2016/index.cfm).

Scope: The pilot projects should demonstrate the benefit for individuals as well as the implementability and economic viability of personalised medicine approaches in real life healthcare settings. The pilots should be tailored to the needs of citizens, making use of a wide variety of data and proposing prediction, prevention or treatment solutions, focussing on diseases with high burden to society (taking due account of sex/gender differences) and including multi-morbidity conditions if relevant. The use of big data approaches and high performance computing is encouraged. Applicants should ensure coordination with national, regional or local authorities engaging in healthcare environments and should aim at linking different institutions (hospitals, other healthcare facilities, public health authorities, payers etc.). The pilot projects should engage partners in regions or cities having adopted or that are in advanced planning for introducing PM approaches. Patient representatives as well as partners from countries that are in the process of upgrading their healthcare systems should be involved, ensuring a wide European dimension. Applicants should address the health economic, ethical, legal and societal aspects of the proposed action. Taking into account the advances already achieved for PM approaches in cancer and rare diseases, projects with primary focus on these diseases are excluded from the scope of this topic.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between EUR 18 and EUR 20 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected Impact: 

•Evidence for a PM-based model of care that can be used as a basis for the delivery of new ways of care organisation. 

•Demonstration of the viability and feasibility of PM approaches in real-life settings and at a large scale, exemplifying potential for savings in overall healthcare costs. 

•Widening of PM approaches to include diseases other than cancer and rare diseases. 

•Linking of different actors for healthcare, economy, lifestyle, healthy living and regulation, making use of the multitude of data available.  

Type of Action: Innovation action

DT-TDS-01-2019 - Smart and healthy living at home

Specific Challenge: Citizens in a rapidly ageing European population are at greater risk of cognitive impairment, frailty and multiple chronic health conditions with considerable negative consequences for their independence, quality of life and for the sustainability of health and care systems. The challenge is to foster large-scale deployment of integrated digital solutions which will bring improved quality of life to citizens while demonstrating significant efficiency gains in health and care delivery across Europe.

Scope: A mix of advanced ICT ranging from biophotonics to robotics, from artificial intelligence to big data and from IoT to smart wearables can address these challenges. A platform for smart living at home should integrate these technologies in an intelligent manner.

The pilots should build on open platforms, standardised ontologies, APIs and results from IoT-based smart living environments, service robotics and smart wearable & portable systems and clearly go beyond current state of the art in terms of scale, the capabilities for personalisation, adaptation, and user acceptance.

Pilots in the selected areas should clearly cover the supply and demand sides. For further expanding with other users, developers of additional applications, replication of the pilot through new sites, and complementary assessment of the acceptability of the use cases where appropriate, the actions in this topic may involve financial support to third parties as outlined in the chapeau 'Platforms and Pilots'.

A clear methodology and impact indicators for socio-economic impact assessment from using the platform should be included, where possible using the MAFEIP  framework. The number of users involved and duration of pilot services should be sufficient to ensure significance in impact analysis, with a minimum of 4 pilot sites in 4 countries.

The proposed pilots should also demonstrate feasibility of integration with other relevant application domains such as energy, transport, or smart cities, including interoperability, along with data security and integrity, and models for data sharing and valorisation are to be developed in order to create incentives for data aggregation across different platforms and application areas. Regulatory aspects and legal aspects of data ownership should be addressed. Relevant ethics and gender issues should be taken into account.

Proposals should address one of the two following areas:  

1.Intelligent and personalised digital solutions for sustaining and extending healthy and independent living

The objective is to develop and deploy innovative and user-led digital solutions capable of supporting and extending healthy and independent living for older individuals who are facing permanently or temporarily reduced functionality and capabilities.

Innovative ways for ensuring user-friendly and accessible interface design and new intuitive ways of citizen interaction and trust creation are needed. Special emphasis should be given to viable concepts that ensure security and privacy by design, data protection, safety, security and trust in the resulting system and service delivery inside and outside the home.

2.Personalised early risk detection and intervention

The objective is to develop and deploy innovative and user-led solutions building on big data for personalised risk detection, advanced health monitoring and early interventions for people facing increased health and social risks. Proposals should design and demonstrate innovative personalised treatments and therapies based on early detection and risk avoidance. Because of the personal and sensitive nature of health data, special attention needs to be paid to trust, privacy and data protection. 

For this topic, the four activities and impact criteria described in the chapeau 'Platforms and Pilots' have to be applied. Pilot projects are expected to contribute to the consolidation and coherence work that will be implemented by the CSA supporting the activities defined under " DT-ICT-14-2019: Digital Platforms/Pilots Horizontal Activities" below. This requires that they contribute to clustering their results of horizontal nature (interoperability approach, standards, security and privacy approaches, business validation and sustainability, methodologies, metrics, etc.).

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU between 15 and 20 EUR million for Innovation Actions would allow the areas to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts. At least one proposal should be funded for each of the above-mentioned areas

Expected Impact: 

•Emergence of European-led platform for smart and healthy and independent living at home; 

•Increased competitiveness of the European ICT industry in the domain, through enhanced interoperability, best practices for viable business and financing models and scalable markets; 

•Demonstrate links and build synergies with Member States' and regional initiatives in this area; 

•Improved and evidence-based efficiency of health and care systems with demonstrated added-value of underlying technologies; 

•Improved quality of life and health status for involved users and carers, with demonstrated added-value of underlying technologies; 

•User accepted, validated innovative solutions addressing accessibility, privacy, security, vulnerability, liability, and trust in connected data spaces.  

Type of Action: Innovation action

SC1-DTH-10-2019-2020 - Digital health and care services

Specific Challenge: Digital solutions supporting a continuum of care across a range of health and care services can relieve the pressure on governments to provide more cost-effective health and care systems by improving utilisation of healthcare and health outcomes. In this context the challenges are to network, lead and facilitate health systems research, innovation and digitisation in view of addressing key areas of interventions in health and care services including health promotion and disease prevention.

Scope: Support the health and care service provider to procure the development, testing and implementation of digital services and communication concepts that can facilitate the transition to integrated care models across health and social services and country-specific cross-institutional set-ups, including decentralised procurement environments and collaboration across institutions. Key challenges that could be addressed are patient empowerment, self-management, patient safety, patient involvement, chronic disease management, diagnosing, home-care logistics, hospital logistics, skills and independent living. These challenges could be addressed by applicable ICT domains e.g., telemedicine, mHealth, IoT, shared open source IT-based platforms, etc. as will be defined in the market consultation process. This should result in early adoption and demonstration of the potential for scaling-up the services and positive impact with evidence of appropriate incentives of various actors.

Proposals should deliver and:

•be driven by clearly identified user needs guiding the procurers of the buyers group ;

•be driven by public and/or private procurers from each country participating (at national, regional or local level) that have responsibilities and budget control in the relevant area of supply of health and care services;

•demonstrate strong commitment of end-users and their communities in the co-creation process;

•as applicable contribute to the use of interoperable solutions based on open platforms and take into account existing best practices and standardisation initiatives;

•provide robust safeguards to ensure compliance with ethical standards and privacy protection;

•include robust time-lines, a well-structured work-plan aligned to the objectives of the different phases and according particular importance to the role played by the preparatory phase; (templates made available by the Commission are strongly recommended to be used in particular as concerns the call for tender) and;

•identify and understand the implications for training (including aspects of organisational, digital health literacy and new collaborative innovation principles and practises), management, and retention of healthcare staff under this topic. 

The procurers, hospital clusters, care services providers and other parts of the regional ecosystems should be enabled to share knowledge, test results and needs to better coordinate the primary and community care towards more local responsibility for care services, monitoring and rehabilitation. This may include aspects such as organisational processes, digital health literacy, workforce training, financing and business models, hospital and telemedicine services, home care, patient centeredness, development of shared open source IT-based platforms, data integration, standards and regulatory issues, management and retention of healthcare staff.

The service innovation should facilitate the early adoption and transferability (to other local contexts) of successful solutions addressing the innovation gap. Multi-policy/strategy collaboration across institutions (hospitals and institutions under the responsibility of municipalities), industries, academia and user communities capable of establishing dedicated operational programmes are necessary to safeguard both the service and business performance metrics and the growth potential in the innovation chain.

The proposal should include the methodology foreseen to measure progress towards the key performance areas of quality of care, sustainability and economic value within the selected key area of intervention, see e.g. MAFEIP . Sufficient travel allowances for regular information days concerning the procedures and thematic networking events (e.g. related to relevant co-ordination support actions) should be safeguarded. A plan how to implement the services would be an asset if the outcome of the project is successful. Approaches towards value based procurement are encouraged.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of around €5-6M would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Proposals of this topic should follow the specific requirements for pre-commercial procurement (PCP) supported by Horizon 2020 grants as set out in Annex E of the WP.

Expected Impact: The proposal should provide appropriate indicators to measure its progress and specific impact in the following areas:

•Established path to innovation, evidence of benefits of disruptive technologies that can support the development of sustainable business models, improved user and market engagement, strengthened procurement community, evidence of healthy innovation ecosystem including researchers, users, eHealth and other solution providers and procurers. Evidence in key performance areas i.e., quality in health and care, sustainability of the delivery system and economic value.

•Increased opportunities for solution uptake across wider international procurement markets by aiming at interoperable solutions that are validated through field testing by participating procurers in multiple countries across Europe and contribution to standardisation where relevant. 

Type of Action: Pre-Commercial Procurement

Innovative health and care industry

SC1-BHC-07-2019 - Regenerative medicine: from new insights to new applications

Specific Challenge: Regenerative medicine offers hope for untreatable disease and the ageing population, improved quality of life and reduced medical costs. However, so far, regenerative medicine has not yet proved itself in the clinic beyond rare diseases or conditions of limited public health importance. With recent scientific discoveries opening up new approaches to regenerative medicine, the challenge is to use these to extend the regenerative approach to major diseases and conditions.

Scope: Regenerative medicine replaces or regenerates human cells, tissue or organs, to restore or establish normal function. Projects should focus on innovative translational research to develop regenerative processes towards the ultimate clinical goal of addressing unmet clinical needs of large patient groups. Proposals should be based on new approaches such as genome editing or gene therapy, transdifferentiation or in vivo reprogramming, cell therapy and transplantation, 3D bioprinting, organoids or use of combined products (non-exhaustive list for illustrative purposes only). In all cases, proposals should explain in what way their approach is regenerative. Research on improved methods of tissue and organ transplantation is included on the condition that there is a clear regenerative step in the process. The project may focus on any step(s) on the innovation chain, from early testing and characterization of regenerative mechanisms to preclinical research, proof of concept or clinical trial. Sex and gender differences should be investigated, where relevant. Projects should include a section on the proposed therapy's exploitation potential, regulatory and commercialisation strategy and how it would be made available and delivered to patients.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between EUR 6 and 8 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected Impact: 

•Potential new regenerative therapies to address unmet clinical needs of large patient groups identified.

•Europe's position in translational regenerative medicine strengthened.

•New therapies for major human diseases and conditions, and new approaches for therapy taken further in the development pipeline. 

Type of Action: Research and Innovation action

SC1-BHC-10-2019 - Innovation Procurement: Next generation sequencing (NGS) for routine diagnosis

Specific Challenge: We observe a progressive shift in routine diagnostics, and more particularly in personalised medicine practice, from a growing number of molecular tests to a next generation sequencing approach (NGS). NGS can provide insights on a person’s genetic susceptibility to disease, diagnostic information, and predictive indications about treatment outcome. It also allows to embrace simultaneously different molecular pathways of disease evolution and to identify actionable mutations in a patient for medical decision and further research. In addition, it requires less sample material than multiple tests and therefore reduces risk and inconvenience for patients. However, the introduction of NGS in clinical practice is hampered by its cost, the availability of proper NGS tests, and diagnostic errors resulting from insufficient quality assurance, technological bias and complex interpretation of data.

Scope: The objective is to implement NGS in routine diagnostics for personalised medicine and scale up demand-driven innovation for healthcare systems. This includes organisational, economical, technical and clinical aspects. It should lead to NGS tests, clinically validated procedures (including sex analysis), quality assurance schemes, tools and methods for data collection, management, analysis and interpretation, with a view to assist clinical decision-making and foster medical research and innovation. Transferability and cloud based NGS data analyses should be considered, as appropriate. Input from initiatives like the EJP Cofund on rare diseases and ERNs  should be considered when relevant. Ethical issues should be addressed.

For grants awarded under this topic for Pre-Commercial procurement it is expected that results could contribute to European or international standards. Therefore, the respective option of Article 28.2 of the Model Grant Agreement will be applied.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between EUR 9 and 11 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected Impact: 

•New NGS platforms and use of NGS tests in routine diagnostics for personalised medicine.

•Accepted new European standards and quality assurance schemes with respect to NGS.

•Strengthening of implementation of personalised medicine and improved clinical decisions and health outcomes for the benefits of patients.

•Contribution to the sustainability of healthcare systems.

•Growth and benefit to the European industry, in particular SMEs. 

Type of Action: Pre-Commercial Procurement

Infectious diseases and improving global health

SC1-BHC-13-2019 - Mining big data for early detection of infectious disease threats driven by climate change and other factors

Specific Challenge: A range of factors is responsible for the (re-)emergence of infectious disease threats, including antimicrobial resistance, altering the epidemiology and spread of disease in a changing global environment. These include drivers such as climate change and associated environmental impacts, population growth, unplanned urbanisation and high mobility, as well as animal husbandry or intensive farming practices.

At the same time, tools for infectious disease diagnostics and surveillance are evolving rapidly, allowing for ever more accurate diagnosis in ever shorter time. The use of next generation sequencing combined with surveillance data, health registries and societal data from informal/non-traditional sources (e.g. social media) holds promise for improving individual and population health. Current advanced IT technologies offer the opportunity to integrate such big data sets and could enable the rapid and personalised treatment of infected patients, and bolster the detection, tracking and control of infectious disease outbreaks.

Scope: It is expected that proposals develop:  

1.the technology to allow the pooling, access, analysis and sharing of relevant data, including next generation sequencing;

2.the innovative bio-informatics and modelling methodologies that enable risk modelling and mapping; and

3.the analytical tools for early warning, risk assessment and monitoring of (re-)emerging infectious disease threats. 

Proposals should be able to demonstrate the feasibility of such extended data mining for the purposes outlined above, as well as its European level added value. The ready-to-use analytical tools and services that are developed should be based on an assessment of the needs of potential end-users in the Member States and on European level, should as far as possible build on and be compatible with existing European initiatives, and should remain available for public use at the end of the project at a reasonable cost.

Proposals should be transdisciplinary and ensure an integrated One Health approach by linking data from a wide range of relevant sources depending on the infectious disease threat. These may include human (e.g. community, hospital or laboratory health services) and animal health surveillance, health registries, microbial and viral genomic data (including next generation sequencing), pathogen resistance data, mapping of vectors, climate and environmental data  as well as societal data that are correlates of disease; possible sex and/or gender differences should be taken into account. Solutions for gaps in existing data (addressing both a lack in quality and quantity) should be proposed.

Solutions for interoperability between different data sources should be addressed and integrated. It is expected that quality-controlled data are shared in accordance to the general concepts of the FAIR  principles. The use of harmonised protocols in collaboration with other actors is recommended for this purpose. Appropriate regulatory and governance mechanisms need to be foreseen, taking into account different data sharing needs, as well as data privacy and data security aspects for the different types of stakeholders providing and analysing data. The technology and tools developed should be functional outside of outbreaks (i.e. in "peace time"), so that all stakeholders involved develop a routine use of them. At the same time, flexibility is needed to enable adaptation to different outbreak contexts and situations. The proposal shall foresee, in case of public health emergencies, open access to data at the moment it is generated or no later than one month thereafter subject to any safeguards required to protect research participants and patients.

The use of advanced IT technologies like high performance computing, of geo-localisation data  are anticipated. The use of European health research (e-)infrastructures such as those included under CORBEL  is encouraged where relevant. The successful proposal(s) should foresee to consult with the end-users at both national (e.g. public health institutes) and European (e.g. ECDC, EFSA) level at key milestones of the project's timeline. If more than one proposal is selected, they are expected to collaborate. In addition, coordination will be needed with the selected proposal from the Horizon 2020 call topic SFS-36-2017 on the establishment of a European Joint Programme on One Health.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between EUR 12-15 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected Impact: 

•Strengthened EU preparedness to address threats from (re-)emerging infectious disease threats, by making available the appropriate technology and tools for risk modelling and early threat detection, to support an appropriate public health response.

•Contribution to the European One Health action plan against antimicrobial resistance. 

•Contribution to the digital transformation of health and care within the context of the EU Digital Single Market. 

•Contribution to achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3 and specifically the targets on 1) combating epidemics, and 2) strengthening capacity for early warning and response to health risks.  Contribution to achieving of SDG 13 and specifically the targets on 1) integrating climate change measures into national policies, strategies and planning, and 2) improving education, awareness-raising and human and institutional capacity on climate change adaptation, impact reduction and early warning.  

Type of Action: Research and Innovation action

Decoding the role of the environment, including climate change, for health and well-being

SC1-BHC-28-2019 - The Human Exposome Project: a toolbox for assessing and addressing the impact of environment on health

Specific Challenge: Despite the general acknowledgement by the scientific community that 'Genetics load the gun but environment pulls the trigger'  when it comes to the causation of major non-communicable diseases (NCDs) , there is persistent uncertainty as to the global burden of disease attributable to environmental (including life-style and climatic) factors, including healthcare costs and negative economic impact. Deciphering the human exposome  is a novel way of addressing the challenge to improve health and reduce the overall burden of disease. This will require improved knowledge of health risks, including combinations of several risk factors, and the mechanisms by which they affect health at different stages throughout the life course, including exposures in foetal life. Effective preventive action will need to be designed, building on knowledge of various risk factors, including exposure to pollutants in daily life, individual behaviour and the social context, taking into account gender issues.

Developing a Human Exposome Project would present a fundamental shift in looking at health, by moving research away from ‘one exposure, one disease’ understanding to a more complex picture upon which to build solid, cost-effective preventive actions and policies in the future. It would respond to the need for more complete and accurate individual-level exposure data in order to estimate the largely unknown environmental component of NCDs.

Scope: Applicants should take advantage of the last decade's rapid technological advances which have opened up new opportunities to collect, combine and analyse large data sets offering new possibilities to understand the contribution of environmental factors to the global health burden of common chronic diseases. Proposals should use innovative approaches to the systematic and agnostic identification of the most important environmental risk factors for the development of major NCDs across the life course (including in utero), leading to preventive interventions at the individual, group or population level and contribute to sustainable healthcare. Well-designed retrospective epidemiological studies may be included and proposals may envisage the creation of a prospective Europe-wide exposomics cohort and biobank, integrating behavioural, socio-economic factors and clinical records.

The following components should be considered: agnostic evaluation of the role of multiple and unknown exposures; assessment of individual exposure to multiple stressors; sensors that combine external exposure and health data measurements; integration of external exposome data with cross-omics responses and (epi)genetic data; systematic evaluation and simulations of the health impacts; socio-economic modelling and econometric analysis including ethical and sex/gender aspects where relevant; better data mining tools, including advanced statistical analysis of complex data and high-performance/high throughput computing and storage; a long-term host and a single shared data infrastructure, taking into account existing structures and ensuring open access to data generated.

Innovation and connections with industry are expected in the areas of sensor development (external exposome), omics technology and novel biomarker development (internal exposome), bioinformatics, and data processing and management. Proposals are expected to respond to a persistent or long-standing policy/regulatory need where the exposome approach would be useful to solve a scientific issue to underpin better regulation now or in the future (examples: indoor and outdoor air quality, waste, occupational health, noise).

In order to establish an overarching Human Exposome Project, an overall coordination mechanism between the projects funded will be required and will be added at the grant preparation stage to all selected proposals as a common work package. Grants awarded under this topic will be complementary. The respective options of Article 2, Article 31.6 and Article 41.4 of the Model Grant Agreement will be applied.

The Commission considers that a proposal requesting an EU contribution between EUR 8 to 12 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected Impact: 

•Innovation in environmental health sciences, in particular for external and internal exposure assessments and data management.

•Enabling researchers and policy makers to continuously include new knowledge in the policy making processes by using the toolbox to generate data and information.

•Better prediction of disease risk by acquisition of new knowledge on the influence of external exposures on biological pathways at different life-stages and identification of early signs of health damage caused by environmental factors.  

Type of Action: Research and Innovation action

Personalised Medicine

SC1-HCO-01-2018-2019-2020 - Actions in support of the International Consortium for Personalised Medicine

Specific Challenge: Personalised Medicine is a very broad and multifaceted area where success relies on a well-functioning collaboration between several disciplines and different actors. While great advances have been made in some fields of medicine, in particular in stratification of cancer patients and in addressing rare diseases, most of today's healthcare protocols do not include personalised approaches apart from occasional division into broad age groups (children/adults/elderly), sex or ethnicity. Furthermore the prevention aspect of personalised medicine, i.e. identifying individuals prone to develop certain diseases, is largely isolated from treatment options. As is the case for a relatively nascent field there is a need for standardisation of approaches, including for sampling, data storage, interpretation and data exchange and also for clinical trials design and reimbursement models. European countries with their social model of healthcare along with (in several cases) centralised cost reimbursement, are ideally placed to lead the way for an integrated health management system. Many needs for coordination and support activities have been identified by ICPerMed , which includes representatives from most EU countries along with several other European countries and Canada. Also the wider internationalisation of ICPerMed can be underpinned by coordinating networking activities with third countries.

Scope: Each action should focus on one of the following fields:  

1.International aspect: The action should focus on building links with third countries by analysing the potential and advantages of collaboration in personalised medicine (PM) with those countries, studying areas of interest for Europe in PM collaboration and promoting international standards in the field. In particular the uptake of personalised approaches in health systems and healthcare should be addressed, taking into account social and cultural aspects, health economy issues and equitable healthcare. For the 2018 call, the project should focus on CELAC  as a group of countries, and for the 2019 call on China. Due to the specific challenge of this topic, in addition to the minimum number of participants set out in the General Annexes, proposals shall include at least one participant from the international partner region CELAC or from China, respectively.

2.Regional aspect: The action should establish and support networking between regions and interregional cooperation in different European countries, in particular linking remote or sparsely populated regions with regions harbouring critical mass of medical and PM expertise while taking into account broader socio-economic and cultural aspects. The focus of the action can include aspects of genomic analysis, me-Health (mobile and electronic Health), telemedicine etc. but should aim at structuring PM application at regional level. Linkage to existing inter-regional projects (financed by INTERREG programmes) or interregional partnerships of Thematic Smart Specialisation Platforms will be actively encouraged. (2018 call)

3.Healthcare- and pharma-economic models for personalised medicine, interlinking European public health approaches with medical practice and financing. The action should carry out studies in support of research in and development of new health- and pharma economic models for PM, including prevention, to capture value and to develop relevant health financing models. Analysing mid- and long-term impacts of innovative products designated for sub-sets of patient populations on the patients themselves and on public health systems. Assessing the benefits of personalised medicine development for citizens and their broader social environment while ensuring patient safety, access, equity, solidarity, data safety and financial sustainability of public health systems in the EU. The action should involve different relevant stakeholders and take into account work being carried out by other EU funded initiatives, such as EUnetHTA . SME participation is encouraged. Results of the studies and workshops should be actively disseminated to a wider audience, including relevant authorities, professionals and the wider public. (2018 call)

4.Standardisation for clinical study design. Establishment of innovative clinical trial design methodology for PM, including guidelines for research and reflection papers. The action should take into account sex/gender differences as well as the work done by relevant stakeholders and authorities such as EMA  and the HMA network , as well as the European legal framework . SME participation is encouraged. The results of the studies and workshops should be actively disseminated to a wider audience, including, industry, researchers and other professionals. (2019 call) 

For grants awarded under this topic for Coordination and Support Actions it is expected that results could contribute to European or international standards. Therefore, the respective option of Article 28.2 of the Model Grant Agreement will be applied.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between EUR 1.5 and 2 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected Impact: Contributing to the implementation and reach of the ICPerMed initiative; furthermore:   

1.International aspect: Integrating the country/group of countries into ICPerMed activities. Support wider adoption of standards developed in Europe. Contribute towards the UN Sustainable Development Goal 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages. 

2.Regional aspect: Strengthened links between European regions setting up or planning personalised medicine healthcare approaches. Aligning research funding with ongoing and foreseen investments e.g. from Structural Funds. Recommendations on best practice in implementing PM at regional level. 

3.Healthcare- and pharma-economic models: Increased understanding of personalised medicine perspectives on how to capture value, develop institutional support and design relevant payment models. Recommendations for faster translation from discovery to patients'/citizens' access. Contributing to understanding of trends and dynamics in the pharmaceutical markets in relation to increased emphasis of research and development efforts on PM. Suggestions on how savings through prevention can be included in payment and reward models and contribute to the sustainability of public health systems in the EU. Improved knowledge and understanding among healthcare professionals and the wider public of potential benefits of PM approaches.

4.Standardisation for clinical study design: Contribute to standardisation of PM clinical trial design. Demonstrate feasibility and importance of PM approaches. Underpin accelerated market uptake. Improved knowledge and understanding among healthcare professionals, regulatory authorities and industry how best to adapt clinical trials designs to stratified patient populations.  

Type of Action: Coordination and support action

SC1-DTH-01-2019 - Big data and Artificial Intelligence for monitoring health status and quality of life after the cancer treatment

Specific Challenge: Currently available methods and strategies for diagnosis and treatment of cancer help clinicians continuously improve quality of care and prevent cancer deaths in the population. Accurate risk assessment, availability of genetic tests, timely diagnosis and effective treatment has created the impression of cancer being a chronic disease that can be cured. However, often rather aggressive treatment, psychological stress (anxiety and depression) can cause physical and psychological problems that may cause long-term after-cure consequences such as similar or other types of cancer, other types of (chronic) diseases and affect the quality of life of a patient. Therefore, the importance of addressing and, if possible, preventing long-term effects of cancer treatment is growing. In addition to patient-reported outcomes such as functional status, symptoms intensity and frequency, multiple domains of well-being and overall satisfaction with life, the use of big data can bring valuable information for monitoring health status and quality of life after the cancer treatment. Big Data can provide new opportunities to define statistical and clinical significance, but present also challenges as it requires specific analytical approaches.

Scope: Proposals should focus and deliver on how to better acquire, manage, share, model, process and exploit big data using, if appropriate, high performance computing to effectively monitor health status of individual patients, provide overall actionable insights at the point of care and improve quality of life after the cancer treatment. Relevant solutions include for example systems for determining and monitoring (taking also in account gender differences) the combined effects of cancer treatment, environment, lifestyle and genetics on the quality of life, enabling early identification of effects that can cause development of new medical conditions and/or impair the quality of life. Proposals preferably address relevant health economic issues, use patient reported outcome and experience measures (PROMs and PREMs) and take into account the relevant social aspects of health status and quality of life after cancer treatment. Integrated solutions should include suitable approaches towards security and privacy issues.

Information can be collected from traditional sources of health data (cohorts, comprehensive electronic health records or clinical registries, incl. genetic data, validated biomarkers for remission), from new sources of health data (mobile health apps and wearables) and from sources that are usually created for other purposes such as environmental data.

It is important to assure ethical aspects of data, confidentiality, and anonymity of data transfer and engagement of those who collect / code such data in its analysis and interpretation, in order to avoid misinterpretation and inappropriate conclusions by using proper annotation methodologies of the data. Involvement of those who work within healthcare systems, patients, family and relatives, and the general public is needed.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between EUR 3 and 5 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts. Participation of SMEs is encouraged.

Expected Impact: The proposal should provide appropriate indicators to measure its progress and specific impact in the following areas:

•Mapped comprehensive big data in a reachable and manageable way by applying principles for sharing and reusability, creating a network of knowledge by linking translation tools, heterogeneous data sources and biomedical texts for monitoring health status and quality of life after the cancer treatment;

•Emerging data driven analytics and advanced simulation methods to study causal mechanisms and improve forecasts of ill-health, identification of disease trajectories and relapse;

•Better and faster means of high quality response to prevent or timely address development of new medical conditions and/or improve the quality of life;

•Better knowledge for improved patient counselling as well as to improve follow-up of patients;

•Novel information on health maintenance, onset and course of medical conditions with a view to optimise prevention and treatment;

•Evidence base for the development of policy strategies for prevention, early diagnosis, therapies as well as addressing health inequalities, support to patient registries at national level;

•Improved quality of life after cancer treatment, strengthening personal confidence and enhancing employability;

•Preventative strategies are established which have a real effect of reducing the occurrence of health disorders and co-morbidities associated with cancer treatment. 

Type of Action: Research and Innovation action

SC1-DTH-05-2019 - Large scale implementation of digital innovation for health and care in an ageing society

Specific Challenge: An ageing population is increasing demand-side pressures on public health and social care providers across Europe. These pressures undermine the long-term sustainability of existing models for delivering care services to the ageing population.

The challenge is to scale up outcome-based innovative digital health and care solutions across EU borders through joining up actions in procurement of innovation. Digital health and social care solutions have been tested and have demonstrated success in smaller scale settings. However, despite cooperation initiatives amongst regions through INTERREG programmes  or the transfer of innovation schemes of the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing (EIP on AHA) , large-scale deployment of digital health and care solutions across EU borders remains limited. There is a lack of collaborative efforts in public purchasing of innovative ICT-based solutions for active and healthy ageing and successfully engaging demand and supply sides in scaling up innovation. This is the case in particular for digital solutions integrating health, social or community care and informal care, IoT enabled independent living solutions  that allow the citizens to live safely and independently at home therefore avoiding institutionalisation, or tele-care solutions and tools supporting for self-care and person-centred care. Moreover, take-up of these ICT-based solutions by both public care providers as well as people in need for care is a crucial factor in successfully alleviating the demand-side pressures on public health and care provision. Supporting the public procurement of innovation helps public authorities by aggregating demand and sharing the inherent risks associated to deploying new innovative solutions that can be integrated with existing public health and care provision systems.

Scope: This topic will contribute to the Digital Single Market Strategy priorities on digital transformation of health and care (notably to the priority on user-centred integrated care), to the Scaling-Up Strategy  of the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing (EIP on AHA) and will support the EIP on AHA Reference Sites contribution to the Digital Single Market Strategy, notably the priority focusing on user-centred integrated care. The actions supported will target large-scale deployment of digital health and care solutions across different regions in Europe. In line with the priority actions of the EIP on AHA Scaling-up Strategy, the scope of this PPI is to specify, purchase and deploy ICT based solutions (made up of services and ICT products to enable the provision of services) for active and healthy ageing through a common supply and demand side dialogue, which can deliver sustainable, new or improved health and care services promoting patient feedback in which public procurement approaches for innovative solutions lead to improved outcomes. Proposals should:

•Be driven by clearly identified procurement needs  of the participating organisations and building on a deep understanding of the needs of the ageing population, as well as the needs of the relevant health and care providers;

•Support sustainable deployment of new or improved person-centred and outcome-based services promoting patient feedback by providers involved in the procurement of solutions for digital health and care providers, including networking of inpatient and outpatient care, nursing services and care homes;

•Contribute to the creation of scalable markets across Europe in innovative solutions for active and healthy ageing;

•Specify measures that will ensure the sustainability of solutions beyond the lifespan of the proposed project, notably taking into account levels of acceptance with users and professionals as well as health economics considerations.

•Engage public and/or private procurers from each country participating (at national, regional or local level) that have responsibilities and budget control in the relevant area of care or supply of services;

•Be based on a complete set of common specifications for end to end services;

•Demonstrate that the implementation phase will reach "large scale" (i.e. sufficient scale to achieve statistical significance) through region-wide deployment across multiple regions of Europe;

•Contribute to the use of interoperable solutions based on open platforms and take into account existing best practices and standardisation initiatives;

•Provide robust safeguards to ensure compliance with ethical standards and privacy protections and take account of the gender dimension;

•Contribute with good outcome-based practices that are impact measured according to the MAFEIP  methodology and can be made available for replication across other regions (e.g. "detailed plans" for larger scale sustainable uptake of innovative solutions for active and healthy ageing, reference material and guidelines, manuals and education materials) through the EIP on AHA innovative practices repository.

•Contribute to the development of national strategies to stimulate the procurement of digital innovation for health and care services based on the outcomes achieved at national level. 

The European Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between EUR 2 and 5 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately through PPI. This does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Proposals of this topic should follow the specific requirements for innovation procurement PPI supported by Horizon 2020 grants as set out in Annex E of the WP.

Expected Impact: The proposal should provide appropriate indicators to measure its progress and specific impact in the following areas:

•Growing awareness and successful use of public procurement to boost ICT innovation applied to integrated care and active and healthy ageing, implemented across the whole chain of care ultimately benefiting the growing ageing population across Europe;

•Contribution with data and experiences to regulatory and legislative process development addressing potential barriers to procurement of innovative solutions for active and healthy ageing;

•Contribution of an open and comprehensive socio-economic evidence base for ICT investments in the field that can support the development of sustainable business models (e.g. cost-benefit analysis, increased efficiency of health and care systems, impact assessments, return on investments, quality of life improvements for users, ethics, safety gain and user satisfaction);

•Support initiatives on interoperability and standardisation that can contribute to defragmentation of the market for ICT based active and healthy ageing solutions;

•Creation of economic boundary conditions that can support long-term sustainability of health and care systems and emergence of new business models to develop ICT innovation for active and healthy ageing in Europe;

•Support forward-looking, concerted public-sector investment strategies that benefit from joint approaches across different regions;

•Create new opportunities for market uptake and economies of scale for the supply side for ICT based solutions and services for active and healthy ageing in a Digital Single Market for Europe.

•Contribute to inform policy measures that foster the take-up of ICT solutions for active and healthy ageing. 

Type of Action: Public Procurement of Innovative solutions

SC1-DTH-09-2019 - Scaling up the univocal Identification of Medicinal Products

Specific Challenge: Across the European Union, medicinal products display differences in names, variations in strength or their package size. The unavailability of a specific product may also necessitate substitution in many instances, if a patient is to be timely served in a pharmacy. Moreover, due to differences in marketing authorisation procedures, not every medicinal product is available in each Member State, and it is not unusual that the same product may have different names across Member States or the same name may identify a different product in another Member State. As substitution is regularly necessary to dispense a foreign ePrescription (eDispensation), a univocal identification of medicinal products would enable and enhance the dispensation of a foreign ePrescription and would provide benefits to patient health, patient safety, pharmacovigilance and would also allow better data analysis of clinical records. Most national ePrescription and medicines databases are not currently supporting relevant identification attributes and codes. As the EU-wide implementation of ISO IDMP (identification of medicinal products) standards is currently under way by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the EU Regulatory Network to comply with the EU Pharmacovigilance legislation, this action aims at enabling and fostering the use of a common EU medicinal Product repository (ISO IDMP compliant) to fulfil the ePrescription/eDispensation in a cross-border setting use case. This will provide a univocal identification of medicinal products across Europe and potentially beyond.

Scope: This innovation action is expected to support two goals: (i) the cross-border mobility of European patients by offering safer eDispensations across borders, (ii) the implementation of the IDMP standards in Member States drug databases (including a possible linkage to the EU SPOR - Substance, Product, Organisation and Referential master data database) allowing the identification of locally available medicinal products which are equivalent to the one identified in a foreign prescription.

This requires creating an EU ePrescription/eDispensing approach to use the future EU SPOR database. A common approach and operating model needs to be developed, including common processes for validation of contents, error mitigation, linkage of the EU SPOR database with the ePrescription/eDispensing systems, updates and mappings to other systems for at least 5 Member States' organisations. Harmonisation guidelines of prescribing and dispensation practices in a cross-border setting could be a further focus.

The proposal should demonstrate its ability to:

•Define the additional quality criteria, processes, actors, risk minimisation measures and safety nets to be applied to the data coming from the EU SPOR database to ensure that the data can be safely used by the ePrescription/eDispensing systems and any harm to patient is avoided;

•Define and implement APIs or use the ones that will be provided by the SPOR system) for data retrieval/view;

•Ensure the quality of data, usability of data for national agencies, determine and support the implementation and validation of adaptations needed at national or regional levels;

•Support integration with existing cross-border ePrescription services, such as implemented under the Connecting Europe Facility ;

•Improved pharmacovigilance, inclusion of pharmacovigilance modules capable of reporting adverse drug reactions to relevant regulators using the format defined by the ISO ICSR (Individual Case Safety Report) standard into clinical software systems, validation and diffusion;

•Establish a Working Group of European medicinal products database producers to support the implementation of the IDMP standard;

•Raise awareness and ensure coordination of pre-competitive activities, cooperation with EMA and the EU Regulatory Network (e.g. national competent authorities), and other relevant stakeholders (producers of ePrescribing, clinical record systems);

•Raise awareness and explore benefits for both regulatory and clinical contexts, use cases for public health, big data;

•Disseminate to clinical actors (prescribers, physicians, nurses) the ISO IDMP data base contents, usage, value generation and relevance for integrated care;

•Contribute to EU-US Trans-Atlantic cooperation and trans-border medicinal products data access and exchange (semantic interoperability);

•Ensure compliance with relevant EU legislation, in particular REGULATION (EU) 2016/679 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data;

•Contribute, where relevant, to the sustainability and diffusion of European eHealth services, such as implemented under the CEF. 

It is expected that Members of the Consortium should include a wide range of relevant stakeholders and experts including inter alia Pharmacists, National Competent Authorities, IT Integrators, producers of ePrescribing, clinical record systems. It should demonstrate its ability to deliver large scale implementation and coordination of European projects. Participation of Industry is encouraged in the most appropriate phases of the project.

The work should also provide an assessment of impacts based on benefits and costs to be anticipated. This should include not only regulatory impact, but also impact on setting global standards and best practice, and impact on clinical data quality and interoperability along with the spill-over effects on pharmaceutical companies, data base producers and competitive advantage of European companies.

Synergies with actions and activities supported by different programmes and policy initiatives of the Commission should be encouraged and resources from previous European projects should be considered.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between EUR 5 and 8 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected Impact: The proposal should provide appropriate indicators to measure its progress and specific impact in the following areas:

•Design and implementation of an IT solution based on the EU SPOR database to support ePrescribing/eDispensing in a cross-border setting is designed and implemented, open for integration with existing cross-border ePrescription and electronic health record services, such as under CEF  or H2020

•Better address adverse events/effects and safety issues by enhanced development of standard vocabulary for the related reporting;

•Better health data access across Europe for patients and healthcare providers;

•Improved quality of care resulting in enhanced patient safety;

•Improved efficiency gains in term of timeliness of intervention;

•Extended healthcare continuum across borders;

•Collection and re-use of a data set that is sufficiently large to detect (statistically) significant findings;

•Provision of medicinal products information for under-resourced stakeholders. 

Type of Action: Innovation action

SC1-DTH-11-2019 - Large Scale pilots of personalised & outcome based integrated care

Specific Challenge: Senior people are statistically at greater risk of cognitive impairment, frailty and multiple chronic health conditions with consequences for their independence, their quality of life (and the one of their families) but also for the sustainability of health and social care systems. There is also increasing evidence that interactions with the environment play an important role in the evolution of the patient's health status and condition. The challenge is now to foster secure, scalable and robust digital solutions for integrated care which will: 

•Ensure a truly personalized delivery of health and social care, whilst supporting outcomes-based significant efficiency gains in health and care delivery. 

•Promote a shift towards outcome-based delivery of integrated (health and social) care, which can be realised in a realistic operational, organisational and financial setting. 

•Ensure trust of users and policy makers with regard to data access, protection and sharing. 

•Design flexible but replicable solutions with a potential for financial sustainability, large scale deployment and further business and job creation opportunities.  

Scope: The scope of this topic is to foster the large-scale pilots for deployment of trusted and personalised digital solutions dealing with Integrated Care, with a view to supporting and extending healthy and independent living for older individuals who are facing permanently or temporarily reduced functionality and capabilities. This in turn is expected to contribute to a patient-centred and truly individualized strategy in order to develop trusted, robust and financially sustainable services potentially useable in any Member States and the Digital Single Market, and applicable to a very wide range of patient pathways. These approaches aim to enable people to remain independent as long as possible and prevent hospitalisation.

Expected outcomes are in priority:

•Efficiency gains in terms of resource utilization and coordination of care.

•Flexibility and replicability of service delivery patterns to combine personalization and large scale adoption of services with patient and citizen feedback.

•Ensuring secure and efficient sharing and processing of all data and information involved in the supply chain at each step of data stream: access, protection, sharing, processing and storage.

•Improvement of quality of life for the patient and his/her family and also of working conditions of all health care and social care providers involved in the supply chain, taking into account multi-disciplinary environment and constraints. Working conditions of professionals should cover in priority: work time management, quality of data/information exchange and multi-disciplinary coordination. 

Outcome indicators should contribute to the assessment of the action regarding trust, recruitment, added value for the patient (in terms of quality of life) and cost-efficiency altogether.

•Recruitment of professionals will be measured by the number of professionals registered as actual used compared with the number of professionals actually registered in the pilot site region.

•Quality of life should be measured on the basis of commonly used questionnaires (like SF36) but also if required on the basis of specific disease-oriented measurement tools.

•Measurement of cost-efficiency should be measured on the basis of work time information dedicated to each patient. 

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between EUR 4 and 6 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected Impact: Proposals should provide measurable progress towards:

•A common vision of technical prerequisites and framework to ensure users trust with regard to health and social data and information in IT supported environment, in line with existing EU data protection regulation (and if required with EU reflection on platforms).

•An evidence-based minimum data set on key points of the pathway:       

oClerical information: complete definition   

oClinical information: generic definition.  

•Harmonisation, certification, approval labelling or reliable identification of adequate solutions for integrated care.

•Robust and reliable and replicable business models for IT supported solutions in a truly personalized and multi-disciplinary environment. 

Type of Action: Innovation action

SC1-HCC-02-2019 - Support for the large scale uptake of open service platforms in the Active and Healthy Ageing domain

Specific Challenge: In the past years several open service platforms for Active and Healthy Ageing domains have been developed, originating from the medical, independent living, and IoT domain. These platforms aim at building a common basis for application development, assuring interoperability at the application and service level, and reducing development cost by re-use of components. As these platforms mature more insight is needed in the way they contribute to the development of a scalable and open market for digital solutions for health and ageing, and which value is actually achieved through them. The integration of platforms between different domains will introduce new interoperability issues that need to be tackled. A coordination and support action that addresses these issues and gathers the insight referred above is needed in order to promote the effective uptake and impact of open platforms.

Scope: Proposals should deliver an inventory of the state of the art and analyse the use of open service platforms in the Active and Healthy Ageing domain, covering both open platforms -such as universAAL  and FIWARE - and partly-open/proprietary platforms developed by industry. In addition, proposals should address interactions between platforms.

Proposals should elaborate a methodology that monitors open platform development, adoption and spread across Europe, with relevant KPI’s, factors that support or hinder the uptake of open platforms in Europe, including the associated evolution of the ecosystems and stakeholder networks.

Proposals are then expected to put this methodology into practice and study the use of open platforms by, amongst other possible actions, collecting and processing data from running and recently ended projects –including EU funded projects- and initiatives that use the referred platforms, with special focus on those building upon UniversAAL and FIWARE. They should also address the evolution in the further development and maintenance of the platforms as well as the use and sustainability of relevant open platforms.

Proposals should elaborate evaluation guidelines aimed at collecting evidence on socio economic costs and benefits of the use of open platforms as means for service delivery to serve as a reference for promoting further use of this approach.

Proposals are expected to include activities aimed at fostering integration efforts and knowledge exchange between the projects and initiatives referred above and also the user communities around the platforms. Proposals should collect best practices and practical experience with integrating multiple platforms. Technical, organisational, financial/business and legal aspects should be taken into account. Proposals should explore and link relevant on-going policy initiatives in the field such as the Blueprint for digital transformation of health and care .

Proposals should describe collaboration activities with other relevant European projects or initiatives, e.g. the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing. They are also expected to include dissemination activities for different stakeholder groups -technology developers, policy makers, end users-, preferably in the context of major events such as EIP-AHA summit, AAL Forum and eHealth Week.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of up to EUR 1.5 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected Impact: Proposal should present appropriate indicators to measure their progress and impact in these areas:

•Identification of the critical success factors of open platform development, deployment, and spread;

•Increased knowledge on the differences and synergies between open platforms, with regard to both their features and their interoperability on different levels (data / information / applications / services);

•Evidence for the socioeconomic benefit of open service platforms;

•Engagement of required stakeholders to ensure the reliability of the data collected and to maximize the value of results achieved;

•Increased levels of participation by service platform providers and platform users in networking and knowledge exchange events;

•Contribution to the effective implementation of relevant policy initiatives in the field;

•Enhanced synergies with other European projects to make joint progress on favourable framework conditions to scaling-up digital innovation for active and healthy ageing across the EU, including standardisation. 

Type of Action: Coordination and support action

CE-SC3-NZE-2-2018 - Conversion of captured CO2

Specific Challenge: Conversion of captured CO2, for example using hydrogen made from renewable energy, to produce fuels is not only a means to replace fossil fuels, but also a promising solution for seasonal energy storage. There are still relevant and significant scientific and technological challenges to be able to exploit the CO2 as a chemical and fuel feedstock in a systematic manner, the main challenge being that the chemical utilisation of CO2 is limited by its low energy content, and the conversion process is highly energy intensive. 

Scope: Development of energy-efficient and economically and environmentally viable CO2 conversion technologies for chemical energy storage or displacement of fossil fuels that allow for upscaling in the short to medium term. Projects have to substantiate the potential for the proposed CCU solution(s) as CO2 mitigation option through conducting an LCA in conformity with guidelines developed by the Commission or the relevant ISO standard. Proposals have to define ambitious but achievable targets for energy requirements of the conversion process (including catalytic conversion), production costs and product yields, that will be used to monitor project implementation.

Proposals are expected to bring technologies that have reached at least TRL 3-4 to TRL 5-6 (please see part G of the General Annexes). Technology development has to be accompanied by an assessment of the societal readiness towards the proposed innovations. Relevant end users and societal stakeholders will be identified in the proposal, and their concerns and needs will be analysed during the project using appropriate techniques and methods from the social sciences and humanities, in order to create awareness, gain feedback on societal impact and advancing society’s readiness for the proposed solutions.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU in the range of EUR 3 to 4 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

In line with the strategy for EU international cooperation in research and innovation (COM(2012)497), international cooperation is encouraged, in particular with relevant Mission Innovation  countries such as China .

Expected Impact: New solutions for the conversion of captured CO2, either from power plants or from carbon-intensive industry, to useful products such as fuels or chemicals for energy storage (CCU) that will create new markets for innovative industrial sectors, diversify the economic base in carbon-intensive regions, as well as contribute to achieving a Circular Economy.

Type of Action: Research and Innovation action

LC-SC3-CC-1-2018-2019-2020 - Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) aspects of the Clean-Energy Transition

Specific Challenge: The clean-energy transition doesn't just pose technological and scientific challenges; it also requires a better understanding of cross-cutting issues related to socioeconomic, gender, sociocultural, and socio-political issues. Addressing these issues will help to devise more effective ways of involving citizens and to better understand energy-related views and attitudes, ultimately leading to greater social acceptability as well as more durable governance arrangements and socioeconomic benefits.

Scope: In 2018, proposals should be submitted under the theme "Social innovation in the energy sector" and in 2019 under the theme "Challenges facing carbon-intensive regions". They should address one or several of the questions listed under the respective sub-topics below. All proposals should adopt a comparative perspective, with case studies or data from at least three European Union Member States or Associated Countries. 

2018:

Social innovation  in the energy sector: The energy transition has given rise to various forms of social innovation, such as the emergence of energy cooperatives or that of energy "prosumers" consuming but also producing energy. Urban areas have emerged as major hubs for these trends, given the close proximity between citizens, businesses and institutions, facilitating linkages between sectors and the emergence of new business and service models, as well as associated governance arrangements. These issues need to be studied in more detail, with a particular focus on the following questions: 

•What characterizes successful examples of social innovation in the energy sector? 

•What enabling conditions facilitate social innovation in the energy sector and how can it be encouraged? What factors work against it? 

•In what way does social innovation contribute to the preservation of livelihoods and the development of new business and service models in the energy sector? 

•In what way does social innovation contribute to making energy more secure, sustainable and affordable? Does social innovation lead to greater competitiveness and if so, how? 

•Under what conditions does social innovation lead to greater acceptance of the transition towards a low-carbon energy system?  

2019:

Challenges facing carbon-intensive regions: The transition to a low-carbon energy system and economy poses particular challenges for regions that are still heavily dependent on fossil-fuel-based industries or the extraction of fossil fuels themselves ("coal and carbon-intensive regions"). At the same time, this transition offers major opportunities for developing new lines of business and for increasing the competitiveness of structurally weak regions. Focusing on the past 5-10 years up to the present, particular attention should be focused on the following issues: 

•What are the principal socio-economic challenges facing coal and carbon-intensive regions today and what effect have these had on livelihoods and the sustainability of local and regional economies? 

•What coping strategies have emerged in recent years? What are the principal differences between regions that are coping well and those that are not? 

•To what extent have coal and carbon-intensive regions experienced outward migration in recent years and in what way has this affected their social and demographic composition? 

•What effect, if any, have these changes had on the rise of populism and of anti-democratic attitudes in the regions concerned?  

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between EUR 1 and 3 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected Impact: The proposed research will: 

•provide a better understanding of socioeconomic, gender, sociocultural, and socio-political factors and their interrelations with technological, regulatory, and investment-related aspects, in support of the goals of the Energy Union and particularly its research and innovation pillar; 

•yield practical recommendations for using the potential of social innovation to further the goals of the Energy Union, namely, to make Europe's energy system more secure, sustainable, competitive, and affordable for Europe's citizens;

•yield practical recommendations for addressing the challenges of the clean-energy transition for Europe's coal and carbon-intensive regions, including socioeconomic and political ones. 

Type of Action: Research and Innovation action

LC-SC3-CC-2-2018 - Modelling in support to the transition to a Low-Carbon Energy System in Europe

Specific Challenge: The energy system in Europe will follow a transition to a low-carbon future in accordance with the COP21 agreements and the European Union targets and objectives set for 2020, 2030 and 2050. Energy models that are currently used to plan, support and verify the energy policies at national and European level do not fully encompass and integrate all the new challenges posed by this transition, such as decentralisation and variability in electricity supply, the need for flexibility, short-and long-term market dynamics, integration of the energy systems, the deployment of innovative technologies and the interaction between increasing numbers of independently acting agents in liberalised markets. In addition, energy models do not always capture the determinants, barriers (including financing-related issues) and (macroeconomic) impacts of the necessary investments to secure the low-carbon transition.

Civil society is looking for improved access to the assumptions, tools and results underlying the assessment of policy options. Researchers are also looking for enhanced possibilities for open collaborative research and the use of open data sources. An enhanced transparency of modelling tools and a wider availability of data used and generated by the modelling exercises would improve access and understanding of the challenges ahead. In addition, Europe needs to continuously promote networks and platforms for dialogues on energy modelling across relevant actors and institutions in order to progress the scientific knowledge in the field and to reinforce the interaction between researchers and policy makers.

The challenge is therefore to develop new knowledge on energy system modelling to set up an open space for researchers at national and European levels to collaboratively innovate and progress in using modelling tools to understand and predict the requirements of the transition towards a low-carbon energy system. The aim is to support the development of effective and efficient policy measures, to increase consistency and comparability of modelling practices and their use in defining low-carbon transition pathways at regional, national and European level.

Scope: Proposals must target the development of a suite of modelling tools and scenario building exercises that will contribute to a better understanding of the issues below. Proposals will address all of the following issues:   

1.A better representation of recent and future aspects of the European energy system in transition. For power generation, it includes aspects such as decentralisation, variability, the need for flexibility, and real market functioning. For demand, it includes the behaviour of individuals and communities of actors. It should also help address issues such as the integration of energy sectors (electricity, heating/cooling and gas). 

2.Greater transparency and access to assumptions, data, model outputs and to tools used in modelling exercises. A collaborative environment for research on modelling, scenario and pathways development including ex-post validation and inter-comparison exercises should be proposed. Interaction with energy transition modelling activities in member states and with energy and climate policy makers. 

3.A better representation of the investment determinants, barriers (energy market and regulatory failures) and impacts of actors: individuals, communities, private and public actors and cover the deployment of innovative technologies. This should help represent policy measures that address barriers and market failures. The exploration of energy and macroeconomic relationships, including via the investment channels, would also create a clearer understanding of macro-economic impacts of the low-carbon transition.  

The organisation of an annual conference on energy modelling, bringing together the relevant experts and policy-makers, would be an important asset.

The Commission considers the proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between 4 and 5 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected Impact: The supported projects are expected to contribute to:   

a.A better adequacy of energy system modelling approaches to model the transition to a low-carbon energy system and to encompass the new challenges posed by the energy transition driven by the Energy Union with its targets and objectives for 2020, 2030 and 2050; 

b.Improve the understanding of energy systems by enhancing the transparency of modelling engines and practices and making data and knowledge more widely available. Increase the sharing of modelling infrastructures and databases: 

c.Increase openness to collaborative research on energy system modelling as well as the provision of more complete information on policy options and their assessment to civil society and decision-makers. 

d.Better representation of the determinants, barriers and impacts of investments by actors: individuals, communities, and private and public actors. Allow better design and representation of policy measures that address barriers and market failures; 

e.Promote a coherence of modelling practices at regional, national and European levels, allowing an assessment of cross-border effects and the comparison and integration of individual approaches; 

f.Provide a clearer understanding of the macro-economic impacts of the low-carbon transition.  

Type of Action: Research and Innovation action

LC-SC3-CC-5-2018 - Research, innovation and educational capacities for energy transition

Specific Challenge: The energy sector is evolving rapidly creating new job opportunities while requiring new skills and expertise to be developed. The challenges are significant. Over the coming years, the growing low-carbon energy sector requires many employees to be educated, trained or re-skilled. At the same time, energy innovation creates a massive need for new talents, able to cope and conduct the energy transition with a systemic approach. Therefore curricula and programmes, including the modules organised in operating environment, need to be upgraded or new ones developed.

Due to their interdisciplinary work in research, innovation, education and training, universities are core stakeholders in Europe's energy transition towards a low carbon society. They also are important change agents that will be instrumental in responding to the above mentioned challenges. 

In order that European universities contribute fully to the objectives of the Energy Union and to the SET Plan  they need to cooperate further with innovative businesses and offer appropriate curricula/programmes . To do so silos need to be broken between energy technologies and interdisciplinarity that is conducive to addressing the challenges of the whole energy system needs to be fostered. The appropriate skills for tackling the energy transition, going beyond separate technologies and incorporating social, entrepreneurial/managerial and market aspects of the energy system, need to be developed. 

In addition, solutions need to be clearly targeted, oriented to meet skills needs quickly, easily replicable in other domains and scalable to other European universities/institutions. For this purpose it is crucial to have active networks in place among universities and between universities and business.

Scope: Proposals will cover one or more of the following fields: 

•Renewable energy, 

•Energy storage, 

•Smart and flexible energy systems, 

•Carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS).  

Proposals will combine the relevant scientific and technological elements of these fields with relevant social sciences and humanities in a way that is balanced and provides an interdisciplinary approach (e.g. involving SSH scientists as partners; including SSH scientific subjects as parts of interdisciplinarity, developing special SSH curricula or similar). 

Proposals will deliver all the following, addressing the specific needs of the SET Plan objectives and its Implementation Plans: 

•Efficient and effective cooperation networks both among European universities and between European universities and business;

•Challenge and case-based modules that are linked to European university programmes (at least three per programme) to teach students about operational problems combining the social, technological and industrial dimensions;

•At least three innovative (such as using digitisation) and short (3-4 months) university tools/programmes in the chosen field or fields, which are replicable and scalable in Europe, and respond rapidly to urgent European industry needs and the rapidly evolving European energy landscape;

•Opportunities for student mobility between the academia and industry.  

The networks will also address needs for training the trainers. However, except for piloting, the actual teaching or training the trainer activities remain outside the scope of this topic. Modules and programmes will only be developed in English.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU in the range of EUR 2 to 4 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected Impact: The funded proposals are expected to lead to a generation of researchers and engineers who are equipped to develop, improve and deploy new energy technologies, thereby contributing to meeting the challenges of the energy transition.

At the same time, the capacities of the European universities in energy research, innovation and education will be enhanced, as will their ability to engage with industry, cities, regions and other key societal actors. This will increase European universities' abilities to facilitate the swift deployment of technological and non-technological innovations in the energy sector.

Type of Action: Coordination and support action

LC-SC3-CC-6-2018 - Transition in coal intensive regions

Specific Challenge: The implementation of the EU Energy Union transition towards a low-carbon economy poses significant technological, economic and social challenges, in particular for coal-intensive regions that have to prepare for the reduction or phasing-out of coal production, both due to market-driven trends and environmental policies. These regions need an effective roadmap to make the necessary transition to a more diversified economic base and a more sustainable energy system, while safeguarding the social cohesion for communities and regions dependent on coal production. 

Smart Specialisation strategies, which are also a precondition for benefiting from European Structural and Investment Funds, are expected to help organise the structural changes. The involvement of the private sector, researchers and local governments in the process of 'entrepreneurial discovery' is a key challenge in itself. Developing joint strategies, built on complementarities and respective strengths, can be valuable for better realising the individual and combined potential of coal-intensive regions.

Scope: The objective is to support European coal-intensive regions to design research and innovation strategies to facilitate their transition towards a sustainable energy system. The proposed action will assist policy makers to develop, implement and review their strategies by providing information, developing methodologies, expertise and advice. Main deliverables are a set of blueprints and tools for Member States, Associated Countries and regions. Special consideration will be given to the Implementation Plans jointly developed by European countries, as part of the EU's Strategic Energy Technology Plan (SET Plan). 

Specific issues to be addressed include: 

•Assist regional actors in developing Research and Innovation strategies for smart specialisation, including the development of public R&I capacities, consistent with the SET Plan; 

•Investigate relevant social challenges including the re-skilling needs of the workforce; 

•Identification and exchange of best practices, including industrial roadmaps from coal towards new technologies and transformation strategies for coal based combined heat and power production to low carbon electricity and district heating generation; 

•Guidance to regional actors for the access to available European funds and programmes, such as; (a combination of) the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI), Cohesion Policy funds and Horizon 2020, and leveraging additional national public and private co-financing.  

The project should develop synergies and complementarities to the European Commission's Smart Specialisation Platform on Energy (S3PEnergy) . 

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between EUR 1 and 2 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected Impact: The proposed action should lead to new and deepened cooperation in R&I between coal intensive regions that will facilitate their transition to a more sustainable energy system. This cooperation should in the short to medium term contribute to reach the targets set in the SET Plan and stimulate investment in the low-carbon energy sector, with the long term aim to boost innovation-driven growth and industrial competitiveness, create opportunities for employment, meet the COP21 targets and safeguard environmental protection. 

Type of Action: Coordination and support action

LC-SC3-NZE-1-2018 - Advanced CO2 capture technologies

Specific Challenge: Commercial deployment of CCS requires a significant reduction of the energy intensity of the CO2 capture process for power plants or other energy-intensive industries, and a substantial decrease of the cost of capture. A continuous effort is needed to develop and demonstrate new and advanced capture technologies, including new materials.

Scope: The objective is the validation and pilot demonstration of advanced CO2 capture technologies that have shown a high potential for reduction of the energy penalty and a significant overall improvement of cost-efficiency of the whole capture process, but that are not yet commercial. Projects will test operating conditions and operational flexibility, and provide proof of the reliability and cost-effectiveness of these concepts, whilst at the same time evaluating the cost, technical requirements and operational and safety impacts on the associated transportation infrastructure, storage or utilisation of CO2, as part of their integration in a CCS cluster based on a whole system approach. The proposal should state credible and clearly defined targets and key performance indicators (KPIs) for the energy penalty reduction, the capture rate and the relative incremental operating costs of the capture process. Environmentally benign technologies have to be pursued and their environmental impact addressed in the project also in view of future scaling up.

Proposals are expected to bring technologies to TRL 5-7 (please see part G of the General Annexes). Technology development should be balanced by an assessment of the societal readiness towards the proposed innovations, including by identifying and involving relevant end users and societal stakeholders and analysing their concerns and needs using appropriate techniques and methods from the social sciences and humanities.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU in the range of EUR 5 to 10 million (depending on the degree of demonstration) would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected Impact: Significant, step-change advances in reductions in energy penalty and thus in the fuel-dependent cost of CO2 capture, facilitating safe and economic integration into industrial clusters - which will lower the barriers to the wider uptake of CCS, in particular for those sectors vulnerable to carbon leakage.

Type of Action: Research and Innovation action

LC-SC3-NZE-3-2018 - Strategic planning for CCUS development

Specific Challenge: Establishing the necessary infrastructure for safe and cost-effective CO2 transport and storage is of high importance in Europe. Early CCS projects will most likely explore CO2 storage sinks in the vicinity of capture points, and the required infrastructure will therefore most likely be initiated at national level in CO2 hubs and industrial clusters in order to achieve economies of scale by sharing CO2 transport and storage infrastructure. A cross border transport infrastructure is ultimately necessary to efficiently connect the CO2 hubs and industrial clusters to sinks.

Scope: Elaboration of detailed plans for comprehensive European CO2 gathering networks and industrial clusters linked to CO2 storage sites via hubs, pipeline networks and shipping routes, with due attention to national and border-crossing permitting and regulatory issues. Mapping and understanding the nature and longevity of emission sources, identification of transport corridors and performing initial impact assessments, and developing local business models for delivery of CO2 capture, transport, utilisation and/or storage (including the separation of capture, transport, utilisation and storage responsibilities) within promising start-up regions. Industrial clusters may include for example power producers, cement and steel factories, chemical plants, refineries and hydrogen production facilities. A hubs-and-clusters approach could also include the coupling of hydrogen production and CCS, possibly using common infrastructure. The assessment of cost-effective ('bankable') storage capacity in selected regions is a key component of strategic planning, as it will provide additional certainty that the required CO2 storage capacity will be available when needed. Due attention has to be given to regions with potential for early onshore storage development (including enhanced oil recovery). Close cooperation with industrial players, as well as engagement with local stakeholders, is paramount. This includes identifying and involving relevant end users and societal stakeholders and analysing their concerns and needs using appropriate techniques and methods from the social sciences and humanities.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU in the range of EUR 2 to 3 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected Impact: Timely strategic planning will enable and accelerate the roll-out of a CCS infrastructure consisting of capture points and clusters, intermediate hubs, CO2 conversion facilities, safe and cost-effective CO2 transport and storage. Projects should pave the way for the development of operational storage sites as from the early 2020's, in particular linked to carbon-intensive industry. Proposals should clearly demonstrate how their outputs will contribute to achieving these expected impacts in the short term (up to 3 years), medium term (3-10 years) and long term (more than 10 years).

Type of Action: Coordination and support action

LC-SC3-JA-1-2018 - Joint programming actions to foster innovative energy solutions

Specific Challenge: The EU needs to accelerate the transformation of its energy system by bridging the gap between research and commercial deployment with innovative solutions. Bridging this gap often requires substantial volumes of investment which cannot be allocated by individual countries or by the European Commission on their own. Mobilising the necessary investment can only be achieved by pooling together financial resources from multiple countries, the Commission, and the private sector. This is a challenge because the funding landscape is complex.

One of the objectives of the SET Plan is to create funding synergies on such a big scale by organising joint programming actions between the entities responsible for public funding programmes and the Commission. ERA-NETs are a key instrument for joint programming actions within the SET Plan, and they also contribute to achieving the objectives of the European Research Area (ERA). In addition, they can play a key role in achieving the goal of the Energy Union of moving away from a fragmented system characterised by uncoordinated national policies and towards an integrated European R&I approach which accelerates the transformation of the energy system.

Areas suitable for ERA-NETs will be identified by Member States' / Associated Countries' representatives in the SET Plan governance bodies (in particular the Joint Actions Working Group). They will then be developed from the early stages in close collaboration with the European Commission and with input from the Programme Committee as needed. This collaboration will ensure that proposed ERA-NETs are in line with energy R&I and SET Plan policy objectives.

Scope: Actions should aim at coordinating the efforts of participating Member States, Associated Countries and Regions towards achieving SET Plan objectives and, where they exist, executing the Implementation Plans jointly developed by SET Plan countries' representatives, industry and research organisations within the SET Plan priority areas numbers 1 to 9  . In establishing their thematic scope, proposals will also take into due consideration support already provided through other topics in this work programme part. As for their technology development scope, proposals can support projects addressing any stage of the innovation chain through joint calls.

Proposals should pool the necessary financial resources from participating national or regional research programmes with a view to implementing a joint call for proposals resulting in grants to third parties with EU co-funding. Proposers are requested to also implement other joint activities, including additional joint calls without EU co-funding.

Proposals shall include provision for at least one joint call without EU funding on top of the compulsory co-funded joint call.

Proposals shall specify which additional activities will be carried out as part of the action in accordance with the definition given in General Annex D.

It is expected that actions funded through this topic will bring together national and regional programme owners and programme managers who represent diverse conditions and approaches from the EU.

Participation of legal entities from third countries is also encouraged in the joint calls and in additional joint activities, on the basis of common interest and mutual benefit. Participants from these countries may request a Union contribution (on the basis of the ERA-NET unit cost) for the coordination costs of additional activities.

Expected Impact: It is expected that actions will help to: 

•Establish long-lasting joint programming research efforts between Member States/Associated Countries/Regions in areas of common interest; 

•Accelerate the time to commercial deployment of affordable, cost-effective and resource-efficient technology solutions which decarbonise the energy system in a sustainable way; 

•Reduce the environmental impact of the energy system; 

•Make a measurable contribution to the objectives of the Energy Union, the SET Plan, and the European Research Area; 

•Achieve a funding leverage effect of at least 5:1 between national, regional and private sector contributions, on the one hand, and EU contributions on the other.  

Type of Action: ERA-NET Cofund

LC-SC3-JA-2-2018 - Support to the realisation of the Implementation Plans of the SET Plan

Specific Challenge: The Strategic Energy Technology Plan of the European Union focusses on ten actions structured around the Energy Union R&I priorities. Its goal is to accelerate the transformation of the European energy system making it more sustainable, secure and competitive as a fundamental enabler of a low carbon economy. This strategy relies on a strengthened partnership among SET Plan countries and the stakeholders from both the industrial (including the European Technology and Innovation Platforms, ETIPs) and research communities (including the European Energy Research Alliance, EERA). In 2016, the SET Plan adopted a set of ambitious targets for its ten actions through a wide participatory process and the corresponding Implementation Plans will be finalised in 2017 and beginning of 2018.

Scope: Proposals will support, when appropriate, the execution/realisation of a SET Plan Implementation Plan prepared by one of the following SET Plan Temporary Working Groups (TWGs):

•Solar thermal energy (CSP / STE);

•Offshore wind;

•Photovoltaics (PV);

•Ocean energy;

•Deep geothermal systems; and

•Driving ambition in carbon capture and storage deployment. 

Proposals should take into consideration the coordination needs of each specific sector and the emerging policy priorities for their implementation. Proposals should count with the participation of research organisations and/or companies (industry) committed in principle to execute all or some of the SET Plan related R&I activities specified in the corresponding Implementation Plan as endorsed by the SET Plan Steering Group . In this sense, proposals shall detail, to the extent possible, the financial contributions from public and private funding sources at national level needed for the execution of those R&I activities, and explain which processes or mechanisms will be put in place to actually execute and monitor the R&I activities.

Furthermore, proposals shall also establish and implement a dissemination plan to communicate their output (in connection to the achievement of specific SET Plan targets). Regardless of other communication means, all outputs shall be fed into the SET Plan information system (SETIS).

 In addition, proposals will ensure the coordination of the outcome of the relevant outputs of ongoing R&I actions listed in the Implementation Plan contributing to the achievement of the SET Pan targets.

The actions financed under this topic will be coordinated with the SET Plan Steering Group through the SET Plan secretariat.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU in the range of 1 EUR million per SET Plan Implementation Plan would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. This does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts that should be justified on the basis of the number and volume of the R&I to be coordinated. The specific characteristics and the different needs for support among the different SET Plan Implementation Plans needs to be considered. The duration of the projects should allow for a stable and continuous implementation of the R&I actions addressed (indicative duration: 3 years).

Expected Impact: The expected impact will be the achievement of the research and innovation goals of the Energy Union through the implementation of the integrated Strategic Energy Technology (SET) Plan, in particular the execution of the SET Plan Implementation Plans endorsed by EU Member States and SET Plan Associated Countries.

Type of Action: Coordination and support action

LC-SC3-RES-1-2019-2020 - Developing the next generation of renewable energy technologies

Specific Challenge: The renewable energy technologies that will form the backbone of the energy system by 2030 and 2050 are still at an early stage of development today. Bringing these new energy conversion solutions, new renewable energy concepts and innovative renewable energy uses faster to commercialisation, taking into account social acceptance and secure and affordable energy supply, is challenging. These new technologies must not only have a commercial potential but they should also have a lower environmental impact and lower greenhouse gases emissions than the current renewable energy technologies. 

Due to the pre-competitive nature of the research activities of this type, particular emphasis is put on including international cooperation opportunities, whenever relevant to the proposal and the domain.

Scope: Proposals are expected to bring to TRL 3 or TRL 4 (please see part G of the General Annexes) renewable energy technologies that will answer the challenge described. Beside the development of the technology, the proposal will have to clearly address the following related aspects: the potential lower environmental and climate impact on a life cycle basis, the better resource efficiency, issues related to social acceptance or resistance to new energy technologies, related socioeconomic and livelihood issues.

Support will be given to activities which focus on converting renewable energy sources into an energy vector, or the direct application of renewable energy sources.

One of the following technology-specific sub-topics has to be addressed:

•Developing the new energy technologies that will form the backbone of the energy system by 2030 and 2050. The challenge is to develop energy technologies currently in the early phases of research. It is crucial that these new, more efficient, and cost-competitive energy generation and conversion technologies, demonstrate their potential value in the future European energy system. Developments in sectors other than energy may provide ideas, experiences, technology contributions, knowledge, new approaches, innovative materials and skills that are of relevance to the energy sector. Cross-fertilisation could offer mutually beneficial effects;

•Innovative materials for geothermal heat exchangers to maximize energy transfer and improve the overall conversion efficiency of a geothermal system;

•Innovative testing methods and design tools for acceleration of wind energy technology development and increased life time extension;

•Sustainable fuels other than hydrogen for energy and transport application through ground-breaking conversion technologies, addressing for example development of novel microorganisms, enzymes, catalysts, photosentisizers and separation techniques, improvement of biomass and microalgae yields, and development of novel technologies of combined indirect and direct artificial photosynthesis with chemical/ biochemical/biological systems;

•Innovative very high efficiency thin-film photovoltaics concepts considering advanced, sustainable and low-cost materials and processes. 

Novel technology solutions for grid integration, storage, fuel cells and hydrogen – (other than integral to the technology solution developed), energy efficiency and smart cities will not be supported under this topic but in the relevant parts of this work programme part and other H2020 work programme parts.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between EUR 2 to 5 million would allow this challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected Impact: On its completion, the project is expected to advance the knowledge and prove the technological feasibility of the concept including the environmental, social and economic benefits. The proposal should show its contribution towards establishing a solid European innovation base and building a sustainable renewable energy system contributing to the decarbonisation of our economies. The proposed solutions are expected to contribute to strengthening the EU leadership on renewables.

Type of Action: Research and Innovation action

LC-SC3-RES-14-2019 - Optimising manufacturing and system operation

Specific Challenge: Renewable electricity technologies still require optimisation in several key processes of the respective value chains in order to achieve a more efficient conversion of their primary energy source into electricity, as agreed with the sectorial stakeholders in the context of the SET-Plan and stated in the respective Declarations of Intent.

Scope: Proposals will address one of the following sub-topics: 

•Monitoring system for marine energy (ocean and offshore wind): New intelligent sensors, fault detection and communication systems for accurate condition and structural health monitoring will enable predictive and preventive Operation and preventive Maintenance processes, crucial for innovative wind farm control and the realization of virtual power plants. Sufficient knowledge of potential failures and the right tools to detect and locate failures are crucial. 

•Geothermal fluids: Better understanding of the chemical and physical properties of these fluids (including super-hot and hot fluids) as transport media is necessary to optimize site development and operation. 

•Photovoltaics: Development of innovative crystalline silicon wafer growth techniques to produce high-efficiency solar cells and modules.  

Proposals are expected to bring the technologies from TRL 3-4 to TRL 4-5 (please see part G of the General Annexes). 

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between EUR 3 to 5 million would allow this challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected Impact: The improved performance of manufacturing processes and system operation is expected to lead to increased efficiency of the system and/or reduced operational costs of the renewable technologies. 

Type of Action: Research and Innovation action

LC-SC3-EE-17-2019 - European City facility - European Cities as key innovation hubs to unlock finance for energy efficiency

Specific Challenge: Mobilising investment in energy efficiency and renewables is key for Europe's energy transition. The European Commission proposed the Smart Finance for Smart Building (SFSB) initiative in the recently published Clean Energy for All Europeans winter package.

For the SFSB to succeed it is essential to boost project aggregation and build a substantial pipeline of energy efficiency investment projects across Europe. Cities and communities are the place where economic, social and environmental transformation actually happens. Cities and communities play a key role in aggregating smaller projects into sizable packages and in mobilising the significant amount of finance needed for the energy transition.

However, despite a tremendous potential, too few cities and communities in Europe succeed in developing and scaling up investment packages. A high degree of organisational, technical and financial innovation is needed to reach significant scale. A key gap is the lack of capacity of public authorities, especially of small and medium-sized municipalities to transform their overall long-term strategies e.g. Sustainable Action Plan or similar into credible investment concepts. Public authorities have limited resources, in particular, to access financial and legal expertise needed to collect additional data, develop an investment programme of scale i.e. pooling projects and/or bundling with neighbouring constituencies and to develop finance strategies with demonstrate sufficient maturity to enable access to different finance routes, i.e. to develop their 'investment concept'. 

These concepts would allow a large number of cities and communities to start the process for mobilising the investments in sustainable energy. When relevant these concepts could be combined with other EU financing streams and services to trigger the expected investment (EFSI , ESIF , PDA , National Investment Platforms).

Scope: Proposals are expected to set up and run a 'European City Facility' which offers financial support and services to cities and municipalities or their groupings:

•The City Facility should offer financial support to develop innovative investment concepts within a limited period of time, covering, inter-alia: a clear identification of the potential project pipeline, legal analysis, governance analysis, a description of how the investments will be financed and a design of the process to launch the investments.

•Proposals should foresee to provide support to third parties ('support scheme') as described in part K of the General Annexes of the Work Programme. At least 80% of the budget should directly benefit cities, municipalities or their groupings.

•Proposals should demonstrate the ability to run a support scheme at large scale in accordance with H2020 standards and that they are able to select the most cost-efficient and appropriate city and community applications.

•Proposers should be deeply rooted in the ecosystems of municipal sustainable energy planning and the challenge of finance of energy efficiency. Proposals should demonstrate that they are able to mobilise a critical mass of cities or their groupings and have a sound and inclusive outreach strategy to cities and communities across Europe.

•Proposals should foresee services to underpin European added value and earmark appropriate resources (10% of the requested EU contribution) for common actions that will underpin European added value.

•In order to qualify for support through the City Facility, cities and communities should demonstrate proof of political commitment, demonstrate additionally to existing planning processes and resources, a minimum population covered of 100.000 inhabitants (single or in groupings of municipalities), ambitious scale of potential investment and level of energy savings based on a politically approved SEAP, SECAP or plan of similar ambition, investment sector targeted and type of financial solution envisaged, governance to develop the investment concept, a plan for long-term capacity building within the public administration, a plan on how they will engage with representatives of the key segments and citizens and commitment for monitoring for 2 years. 

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of around EUR 10 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected Impact: Proposals are expected to demonstrate, the impacts listed below, using quantified indicators and targets wherever possible:

•Demonstration and documentation of increased leveraging of finance into energy efficiency investments by public authorities;

•Overall, the action should trigger for every million Euro of Horizon 2020 support energy efficiency investments worth at least EUR 20 million;

•Number of investment concepts delivered, and number of concepts that turned into tangible investments after the provided support;

•Number of public authority staff with increased capacity for developing investible energy efficiency projects;

•Innovation uptake by potential replicators;

•Primary energy savings, renewable energy production and investments in sustainable energy triggered by participating public authorities after the support of the action (respectively in GWh/year and in million Euro of investments). 

Additional positive effects can be quantified and reported when relevant and wherever possible: 

•Reduction of greenhouse gases emissions (in tCO2-eq/year) and/or air pollutants (in kg/year) triggered by the project.  

Type of Action: Coordination and support action

LC-SC3-RES-15-2019 - Increase the competitiveness of the EU PV manufacturing industry

Specific Challenge: The EU PV manufacturing industry has faced strong foreign competition in the last years, which has led to a dramatic reduction of its production capacity. The challenge is to develop innovative manufacturing solutions, spanning the entire production chain, that substantially improve competitiveness of the EU PV manufacturing industry and help regain a part of the potentially increasing worldwide PV market, while creating more secure and sustainable supply chains for the EU PV market. This challenge is in line with the priority identified in SET-Plan for an Initiative for Global Leadership in PV .

Scope: Demonstrating manufacturing innovation as well as product innovation for highly performing PV technologies (e.g. crystalline-silicon, thin-film and concentration PV). Innovative solutions will be demonstrated at pilot-line level, showing the potential to be scaled up to GW-size, high-yield-throughput and cost-effective industrial production of high-efficiency cells and modules. Possible examples range from the optimization of one or more steps in the value chain (by e.g. increased automation, laser processing, etc.) to the tailored development of production equipment, to the enhanced durability and/or recyclability of the final product, to the demonstration of production routes for cells and modules based on innovative materials and/or architectures (e.g. perovskite/crystalline-silicon tandem cells).

Proposals are expected to bring the technology from TRL 5-6 to 6-7 (please see part G of the General Annexes). 

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between EUR 10 to 13 million would allow this challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected Impact: Successful projects are expected to trigger new investments in the EU PV industry, via the establishment of pilot lines which target innovative/optimised production processes and/or tailored development of equipment for mainstream power PV technologies. The proposed solutions are expected to show the potential for cost and performance competitiveness of the final product.

Type of Action: Innovation action

LC-SC3-RES-17-2019 - Demonstration of solutions based on renewable sources that provide flexibility to the energy system

Specific Challenge: : Supporting the power grid balancing and increasing the flexibility of the energy system is possible by means of dispatchable renewable energy sources. The specific challenge is to increase the potential of renewable dispatchable technologies in providing flexibility to the energy system. Different technologies are suitable to address this challenge.

Scope: Proposals will address one of the following sub-topics:   

a.Intermediate bioenergy carriers: Focus will be on the demonstration of the most cost-efficient intermediate bioenergy carrier pathways for energy and transport, which improve the economic viability of the subsequent energy production by addressing solid, liquid and gaseous intermediate bioenergy carriers from biogenic residues and wastes with increased energy density, storage and trade characteristics where relevant. Reduced conversion costs and improved energy efficiency and GHG performance of the intermediate bioenergy carrier pathway will be demonstrated. Production at a scale of up to 5000 tons and process feasibility through applications to fuel production including for the heavy duty, maritime and aviation sectors, as well as to combined heat and power generation, are to be included. 

b.Hydropower: Focus will be on the improvement of the average annual overall efficiency of hydroelectric machinery. Projects are expected to provide high availability of hydropower plants and to maximise performance of hydropower plants of all sizes. The aim is adapting to variable speed generation the hydropower plants (new, refurbished and uprated and especially existing ones); it is important that by optimising maintenance intervals for all hydro plants (especially those delivering balancing power because of the related dynamic operation, dynamic loads and increased wear and tear) the outage time will be minimised. Digitalisation measures to increase the potential of hydropower in providing flexibility to the energy system can be included.

c.Thermal energy storage in Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) plants: The focus will be on the demonstration of innovative storage systems for CSP plants. The thermal energy storage solutions proposed will have to achieve much higher storage densities than current mainstream solutions (i.e. at least two times higher) while guaranteeing similar performance in terms of cycles.  

Proposals are expected to bring the technology from TRL 5 to TRL 7 (please see part G of the General Annexes).

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between EUR 12 to 15 million would allow this challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected Impact: The developed technologies will allow plant and system operators to operate successfully in the modern power markets and to make a significant contribution to European renewable energy objectives and policies.

Type of Action: Innovation action

LC-SC3-RES-24-2019 - Boosting pre-commercial production of advanced aviation biofuels

Specific Challenge: The aviation transport sector is growing fast and is expected to be responsible for more than 10% of the global greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Advanced biofuels achieve direct emission reductions and, as drop-in fuels, are the most attractive alternatives for reducing the carbon foot-print of aviation in the long-term. Due to the absence of a market, the specific challenge is to boost commercial availability of advanced biofuels for aviation. This challenge is in line with the specific targets for commercialization of advanced biofuels identified in the Declarations of Intent in the context of the SET-Plan .

Scope: Proposal will demonstrate pre-commercial production of sustainable and cost-competitive advanced biofuels for aviation for boosting their market up-take. Proposals will address large-scale production of aviation biofuels from non food/feed sustainable feedstock and through certified pathways according to international aviation fuel standards and thus suitable for commercial flight operations. 30 to 50 thousand tonnes of aviation biofuel and continuous plant operation of 1000 hr within the project will be included.

Proposals are expected to bring the technology from TRL 5 to 7 (please see part G of the General Annexes).

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between EUR 15 to 20 million would allow this challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected Impact: The supported projects are expected to facilitate the market entry and increase the commercial capacity of advanced biofuels for aviation. In particular, it is expected that pre-commercial plant(s) for advanced biofuels for aviation will be accomplished and the deployment of their technologies will allow the competitive production of biojet fuels on a commercial scale. 

Type of Action: Innovation action

LC-SC3-RES-28-2018-2019-2020 - Market Uptake support

Specific Challenge: Since the adoption of RES Directive in 2009, most Member States have experienced significant growth in renewable energy production and consumption, and both the EU and a large majority of Member States are on track towards the 2020 RES targets. The "Clean Energy for all Europeans" package adopted at the end of 2016 introduces further targets towards 2030 and introduces modifications in the energy market design that will empower individuals or communities to participate actively to the energy system transformation. Renewable energy technologies have the opportunity to play a crucial role in this transition, leading to an increased share of renewable energy consumed in the EU and to a more active role for the consumers. However, introducing and deploying at large scale new and improved technologies entails a number of challenges, notably as regards their initial high cost, the consumer acceptance and the legal and financial barriers arising from bringing novel solutions to a technical environment with already reliable solutions in place.

Scope: The proposal will develop solutions which can be easily implemented for overcoming barriers to the broad deployment of renewable energy solutions. In particular, the proposal will address one or more of the following issues: 

•Recommendation for harmonisation of regulations, life cycle assessment approaches, environmental impact methodologies of renewable energy solutions; 

•Development of additional features for RES to be compliant with the electricity market requirements, making them "market fit", such as developing the possibility to provide additional services to the grid such as peak power and having an active role in electricity balancing/reserve market; 

•Support sharing of best practice between public funding bodies for the cross-border participation in RES electricity support schemes, increasing the use of the "RES co-operation mechanisms" foreseen in the legislation; 

•Development of insurance schemes to be available to developers in Europe and worldwide to mitigate risks, such as in geothermal drilling and offshore installation; 

•Development of innovative financing mechanisms, schemes and sharing of best practices for cost-effective support for uptake of renewable sources, such as through the use of Public Procurement of Innovative Solutions instrument or smartly designed tenders; 

•Development of support tools to facilitate export markets, especially for technologies where export market potential is much higher than internal market e.g. for hydropower. The focus will be on capacity building for market activities in developing and emerging countries, including identifying research needs, within the objectives of developing country- specific technologies and solutions, and/or adapting existing ones, taking into account local aspects of social, economic and environmental sustainability. Participation of developing and emerging countries is encouraged, in particular if these countries have identified energy as a priority area for their development and whenever common interest and mutual benefits are clearly identified. 

•Development of tools (methods and models) for environmental impact assessments of renewable energy projects; 

•Development of tools or services using global earth observation data, (such as those available through COPERNICUS), to support development and deployment of renewable energy sources; 

•Determining conditions and defining options for retrofitting existing energy and industrial installations (first generation biofuels, pulp and paper, fossil refineries, fossil firing power and Combined Heat and Power (CHP) plants) for the complete or partial integration of bioenergy, with concrete proposals for such retrofitting for the different cases of bioethanol, biodiesel, bio-kerosene, intermediate bioenergy carriers and other advanced biofuels and renewable fuels and biomass based heat and power generation, on the basis of the assessment of the capital expenditure (CAPEX) reduction and market benefit; 

•Development of optimisation strategies regarding cost, energy-performance and LCA for bioenergy and sustainable renewable fuels in upgraded energy and industrial installations; 

•Development of cost-effective logistics, feedstock mobilisation strategies and trade-centres for intermediate bioenergy carriers.  

For all actions, the consortia have to involve and/or engage relevant stakeholders and market actors who are committed to adopting/implementing the results. The complexity of these challenges and of the related market uptake barriers calls for multi-disciplinary research designs, which should include contributions also from the social sciences and humanities. Where relevant, regional specificities, socio-economic, spatial and environmental aspects from a life-cycle perspective will be considered. Where relevant, proposals are expected to also critically evaluate the legal, institutional and political frameworks at local, national and European level and how, why and under what conditions these (could) act as a barrier or an enabling element.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between EUR 1 to 3 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected Impact: It is expected that the solution proposed will contribute to: 

•Facilitate the introduction of these technologies and increase the share of renewable energy in the final energy consumption; 

•Lead to substantial and measurable reductions for project developments, whilst still fully addressing the needs for environmental impact assessments and public engagement; 

•Develop more informed policy, market support and financial frameworks, notably at national, regional and local level, leading to more cost effective support schemes and lower financing costs for RES facilities.  

Type of Action: Coordination and support action

LC-SC3-RES-8-2019 - Combining Renewable Technologies for a Renewable District Heating and/or Cooling System

Specific Challenge: There is a large potential to integrate substantial shares of renewable energy generation in district heating and/or cooling systems. Innovative approaches are needed to exploit this potential in the different geographical regions of Europe, also considering the options of combining two or more renewable energy technologies and integrating excess heat. The operators and users expect the systems to be reliable and to have limited installation and running costs. This challenge is in line with what identified priorities in the context of the SET-Plan.

Scope: Support will be given to cost-effective solutions for district heating and/or cooling systems which allow satisfying at least 50% of the energy demand of the system by the use in the district of one or more renewable energy technologies. The integration of sources of otherwise wasted excess heat is in the scope. 

The solutions should be demonstrated in real conditions within an operational district heating and/or cooling system. 

The consortium is expected to engage operators and final users (in particular if the users need different supply temperatures) so that they can contribute for an optimal and cost-effective design. The requirements of the final users (e.g., in terms of metering) for the day-to-day operation shall be taken into account.

Proposals are expected to bring the technologies to TRL 6 (please see part G of the General Annexes). 

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between EUR 8 to 15 million would allow this challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected Impact: A reduced dependency of district heating and/or cooling systems on fossil fuels and reduced greenhouse gas emissions are expected, as well as reduced emissions of air pollutants. Furthermore, the project should improve the attractiveness of "renewable" district heating and/or cooling systems, especially in those EU countries where such systems currently have very limited or no application. 

Type of Action: Innovation action

LC-SC3-ES-1-2019 - Flexibility and retail market options for the distribution grid

Specific Challenge: Today, a large share of variable generation electricity sources are connected to distribution grids that were originally designed to distribute electricity supplied by large centralised power generation plants through the transmission grid. In view of the expected growth of variable electricity production, and a shift towards more electrified heating, cooling and transport sectors, new approaches have to be found for managing electricity distribution grids in order to ensure affordability of energy, security and stability of supply, while avoiding massive investments in infrastructures. Electricity storage, in particular relying on batteries, power to heat/cold, power to X, vehicle to grid and other storage solutions will play a key role in providing services to the grid and improve and reinforce the networks capacities. 

Scope: Proposals will develop and demonstrate integrated solutions which will allow the distribution grid to function in a secure and stable manner with large shares of variable renewables. A combination of at least two of the following elements will be tested: 

•Flexibility measures and electricity grid services provided by storage of electricity (including batteries and vehicle to grid technologies), power to-X (in particular power to heat), demand response  and variable generation enabling additional decarbonisation; 

•Smart grids technologies for an optimum observability and tools for higher automation and control of the grid and distributed energy sources, for increased resilience of the electricity grid and for increased system security, including under extreme climate events; 

•Market mechanisms incentivising flexibility or other market tools should be defined and tested, for mitigating short-term and long-term congestions or other problems in the network (e.g. dynamic network tariffs and solutions to reduce the costs of energy transition, non-frequency ancillary services). Solutions should demonstrate the necessary cooperation with other system operators and particularly TSOs by facilitating the integration of wholesale and retail markets.  

Replicability and scalability of solutions is desirable to ensure the maximum impact of the use of the project results. 

Proposals should include a task on the analysis of obstacles to innovation under the current context but also under the future market design context and foresee the coordination on policy relevant issues and obstacle to innovation (e.g. regulatory framework, business models, data management, consumer engagement) with similar EU-funded projects through the BRIDGE initiative . An indicative budget share of at least 2% is recommended for the research work associated with these issues and an additional 2% for the coordination effort.

Proposals should build upon the insights and results of projects that have already been selected in this field under H2020 (information can be found on the BRIDGE web site ) and demonstrate their innovative character.

Proposals should comply with the requirements stated in the section 'Common requirements' of the introduction to the part on the Smart citizen-centred energy system.

TRL will range typically between 5 and 8 (see part G of the General Annexes). Proposers will indicate the estimated levels of TRL at the beginning and at the end of the project.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between EUR 6 to 8 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected Impact: Projects are expected to develop and demonstrate solutions which contribute to at least 2 of the following impacts:

•Enhance flexibility of distribution grids which are expected to operate in an overall context of 50% electricity production from renewables in 2030 (EU28 average, see ); 

•Contribute to define the conditions of a well-functioning electricity market which creates business case for stakeholders willing to provide such flexibility and allow to sustain the necessary investments (e.g. variable price strategies); 

•Improve the capability to manage future energy loads including electrical vehicles; 

•Improve distribution grid operations which guarantee security of supply and the use of flexibility products while integrating large shares of variable renewables avoiding unnecessary investments by solving congestion; 

Proposals are invited to identify and substantiate to which of the above impacts they contribute and include ad-hoc indicators to measure the progress against specific objectives of their choice that could be used to assess the progress during the project life.

Type of Action: Innovation action

LC-SC3-ES-2-2019 - Solutions for increased regional cross-border cooperation in the transmission grid

Specific Challenge: Today wholesale prices may vary significantly across the different market zones in Europe showing that the wholesale market is not operating under optimal conditions while some interconnectors are underutilised. More cooperation between TSOs and between TSOs and energy producers who are providing cross-border services, in particular at regional level (i.e. involving a group of countries), is an element that is promoted in the future market design to contribute to improving this situation.

Scope: Proposals will demonstrate integrated hardware and software solutions for cross border flows in the transmission grid in a regional context.

Proposals are required to integrate at least four of the following points:

•Improvements of the tools for communication and grid operations, in particular for intraday and real-time markets involving several TSOs in the context of regional cooperation; tools to analyse and simulate risks of the system at regional level;

•Better prediction of production from variable renewables and demand response forecast at regional level;

•Definition and testing of new cross border grid services called by an increasing share of renewables (flexibility, balancing, decrease of system inertia, congestion, etc.);

•Mechanisms to ensure a well-functioning wholesale market, efficient techniques for coupling real time markets;

•Enhance cross border flow and trading, enhanced exploitation of assets such as large bulk storage systems, hydropower plants, large scale batteries installations, etc;

•Demonstration in a regional context. Priority should be given to regions where this cross-border cooperation between TSOs is being less effective. The demonstration should be supported by the experience of more advanced regions (intra-EU and inter-EU); when dealing with EU-border countries, special attention should be paid to reduce external energy dependence through more efficient cooperation;

•Develop guidelines to avoid distortion resulting from the non-harmonisation of regulations between countries. 

Proposals should include a task on the analysis of obstacles to innovation under the current context but also under the future market design context and foresee the coordination on policy relevant issues and obstacle to innovation (e.g. regulatory framework, business models, data management, consumer engagement) with similar EU-funded projects through the BRIDGE initiative . An indicative budget share of at least 2% is recommended for the research work associated with these issues and an additional 2% for the coordination effort are recommended.

Proposals should build upon the insights and results of projects that have already been selected in this field under H2020 (information can be found on the BRIDGE web site ) and demonstrate their innovative character.

Proposals should comply with the requirements stated in the section 'Common requirements' of the introduction to the part on the Smart citizen-centred energy system.

TRL will range typically between 5 and 8 (see part G of the General Annexes). Proposers will indicate the estimates levels of TRL at the beginning and at the end of the project.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between EUR 8 to 10 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected Impact: The supported projects are expected to contribute to enhance regional cooperation: 

•in the operation of transmission grids so as to bring additional flexibility in the context of an increasing share of variable renewables; 

•in optimising infrastructure investments and making best used of large scale assets that are bringing flexibility; 

•in an improved functioning of the wholesale market across borders; 

•in the development of future common approaches to grid services. 

Proposals are invited to identify and substantiate to which of the above impacts they contribute and include ad-hoc indicators to measure the progress against specific objectives of their choice that could be used to assess the progress during the project life.

Type of Action: Innovation action

LC-SC3-ES-6-2019 - Research on advanced tools and technological development

Specific Challenge: A number of tools and future technologies need to be developed, matured and tested to cover gaps and/or to prepare the energy system of 2030 and beyond.

Scope: Proposals must address partially or entirely only one of the 3 following sub-topics:   

1.Advanced modelling tools for:       

othe modelling of the future electricity market to study and analyse the impact and the design of electricity pricing structure from the wholesale markets, to real time markets (balancing and congestion management) and retail markets;    

omodelling and forecasting energy production from variable renewables, associated frequency and voltage controls issues in the electricity grid and benefits associated with the use of storage.   

2.Advanced tools for       

othe design and planning and operation of electricity grid infrastructure including distribution and transmission level, taking into account environmental concerns, such as air quality, and footprints and the new constraints from variable renewable generation, the place and role of storage and flexibility; the optimisation of the use of existing electricity assets and network capacity;    

othe development of grid predictive management strategies with uncertainty (forecasting plus stochastic grid management tools), improving the maintenance of electricity assets (distribution and transmission) as well as the associated data management;    

oEnhanced TSO / DSO collaboration and coordination tools, secure data exchange across networks along whole the value chain, ICT tools for cross-border trading for nearly real-time balancing; definition of minimum set of specifications to allow automated digital cross-border electricity market.   

3.Technological developments:        

oDevelop a new generation of reliable, robust and cost-effective energy storage technologies, storage management systems, in particular batteries, able to provide high specific energy rates, large number of life cycles, fast response to the electrical network demands and low maintenance;    

oPower electronics for batteries and software to manage combined or hybridised decentralised energy systems, also combining several energy vectors: a key focus is on significant cost reduction of these key components for homes, districts and larger systems which have the potential to accelerate significantly the energy transition of the electricity network.   

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between EUR 2 to 4 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Proposal must clearly indicate which sub-topic 1, 2 or 3, they are targeting.

Proposals should comply with the requirements stated in the section 'Common requirements' of the introduction to the part on the Smart citizen-centred energy system.

Expected Impact:    

1.Advanced modelling tools are expected to: increase the knowledge on how to design of price structure and magnitude in order to be able to finance e.g. infrastructure and research and innovation; enhance the accuracy of the prediction of electricity production from variable renewables and better qualify and quantity associated issues and remedies

2.Advanced tools are expected to develop new approaches to electricity grid planning, monitoring and maintenance that are better suited to today's future characteristics of the grid and enable savings on infrastructure costs.

3.The technological developments are expected to reduce costs of key technology components to allow European Industry to keep and extend its leadership in power electronics for stationary battery systems of all sizes (from home to utility scale) and the integration of battery systems with high shares of renewable electricity and eventually also heating and cooling.  

Proposals are invited to include ad-hoc indicators to measure the progress against specific objectives of their choice that could be used to assess the progress during the project life.

Type of Action: Research and Innovation action

LC-SC3-ES-8-2019 - European Islands Facility - Unlock financing for energy transitions and supporting islands to develop investment concepts

Specific Challenge: Mobilising investment in energy efficiency and renewables is key for Europe's energy transition. In 2017 the European Commission and 14 EU Member States signed a political declaration to launch the new 'Clean Energy for EU Islands' initiative. Its aim is to help islands reduce their dependency on energy imports by making better use of their own renewable energy sources and embracing more modern, socially inclusive and innovative energy systems.

Europe's more than 2200 inhabited islands can be considered living-labs which can deliver a pipeline of energy investment projects across Europe. Energy transitions on islands often benefit from low opportunity costs due to the existing high prices of conventional liquid fuels in contrast to the variety of renewable sources they may have available.

However, despite tremendous potential, too few islands in Europe succeed in developing and scaling up investment packages. A high degree of organisational, technical and financial innovation is needed to reach significant scale. A key gap is the lack of capacity for islands to transform their overall long-term ambitions into a credible set of plan(s) and project outlines, i.e. investment concepts, that serve as the basis for concrete projects. In particular, local initiatives and/or public authorities on islands have limited resources to access the analytic, financial and legal expertise needed to collect additional data and develop an investment programme of scale i.e. pooling projects and/or developing financing strategies which demonstrate sufficient maturity to enable access to different sources of finance often mobilised locally on the island.

In order for islands to be microcosms of economic, social and environmental transformations they may often require assistance in designing coherent set of projects and selecting the most cost-effective option from the life-cycle perspective, aggregating smaller projects into island-size packages and in mobilising the significant amount of finance needed for a full energy transition. This may also include communication and engagement actions among island inhabitants to identify acceptable projects, which also can lead to projects co-ownership and mobilisation of local financing.

The investment concepts would allow a large number of islands and regions to access the various innovative financing streams which are being structured (e.g. PDA, ESIF Financial Instruments, National Investment Platforms), to increase the absorption rates of EFSI and to access private finance.

Scope: Proposals are expected to set up and run a 'European Islands Facility' which offers expertise and/or financial support and services to islands:

•The Islands Facility should offer expertise and/or financial support to develop, within a limited period of time, innovative cost-effective investment concepts based on (or the development of – if they do not yet exist) a transition plan and a coherent set of projects that will lead to a decarbonised, efficient and resilient island energy system using local energy flows and resources;

•The Islands Facility should be able to provide, inter-alia: translation of ambitions into a holistic energy transition plan, assistance in modelling of the energy transition on the island(s), a clear identification of the individual potential project pipeline(s), legal analysis and support, a description of how the investments will be financed and, if relevant, how the financing will be mobilised locally, advice on available funds and a design of the process to launch the investments. It can also cover the support for information and engagement actions among the islands inhabitants in the view of ensuring their acceptance, projects participation and co-ownership, also mobilising local financing;

•The Islands Facility should develop in-house expertise to coordinate, support the implementation and critically evaluate the outcomes on the above-mentioned issues, i.e. preparation of energy transition plans, modelling of the energy transition on the islands, identification and financing of project pipelines, legal analysis, so that it will create synergies between requests for assistance from different islands;

•Besides the technical assistance, the Islands Facility will maintain a public, searchable portal with the energy transition plans and project proposals that it has supported and developed, share and spread knowledge and best practices based on a sound and inclusive outreach strategy, with the aim to engage as many islands as possible in the energy transition;

•Proposals should foresee to provide support to third parties ('support scheme') as described in part K of the General Annexes of the Work Programme. At least 30% of the budget should be directly allocated for spending to island cities, municipalities or their groupings;

•Proposals should demonstrate that they are deeply rooted in the ecosystem of island communities, of sustainable energy planners and project initiators, and of the financing community of energy efficiency and energy system transformations;

•Proposals should include a strategy to include contributions from 3rd parties to its funding such as local, regional or national authorities (while maintaining autonomy in its activities), and a strategy to continue its work after the granted budget is finished;

•Proposals should demonstrate that they are able to mobilise a critical mass of islands and set up the support scheme of the Islands Facility in accordance with H2020 standards;

•Proposals have to foresee services to underpin European added value and earmark appropriate resources (+/- 50% of the requested EU contribution) for common actions based on in-house expertise, in particular in relation to (coordination of and advise on) energy transition plans and modelling, that will underpin European added value;

•Proposals should demonstrate how they are able to select and prioritise islands for support under this facility, based on the following requirements: in order to qualify for support through the Islands Facility, islands must demonstrate proof of political commitment, an ambitious scale of potential investment and level of energy savings relevant to the island, investment sector targeted and type of financial solution envisaged, governance to develop the investment concept, a plan for long-term capacity building within the public administration, a plan on how they will include citizens and other stakeholders, and a commitment for monitoring for 2 years;

•Proposals should include a task to establish links and synergies with R&I projects selected under LC-SC3-ES-4-2018-2020: Decarbonising energy systems of geographical Islands under the BRIDGE initiative. 

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of 10 million EUR would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected Impact: Proposals are expected to demonstrate the impacts listed below using quantified indicators and targets wherever possible:

•Demonstration and documentation of increased leveraging of finance into energy transition investments by public authorities;

•Overall, for every million Euro of Horizon 2020 support the action should trigger energy transition investments worth at least EUR 10 million;

•Number of investment concepts delivered, and number of concepts that turned into tangible investments after the provided support;

•Number of public authority staff with increased capacity for developing investible energy transition projects;

•Innovation uptake by potential replicators;

•Primary energy savings, GHG reductions, renewable energy production and investments in sustainable energy triggered by participating public authorities after the support of the action (respectively in GWh/year and in million EUR of investments). 

Type of Action: Coordination and support action

LC-SC3-SCC-1-2018-2019-2020 - Smart Cities and Communities

Specific Challenge: The COP21 Paris Agreement recognises the role of cities and calls on them to rapidly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to climate change. The EU is committed to implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including Sustainable Development Goal 11 ("Make cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable"). Many forward-looking cities have set themselves climate goals whose achievement rests on wide scale roll out of highly integrated and highly efficient energy systems.

To achieve the necessary energy transition in cities, it is essential to increase energy systems integration and to push energy performance levels significantly beyond the levels of current EU building codes and to realize Europe wide deployment of Positive Energy Districts by 2050 .

This call will also contribute to the specific objectives of the SET Plan action 3.2 - Smart cities and communities - focussing on positive-energy blocks/districts .

Scope: Integrated innovative solutions for Positive Energy Blocks/Districts will be developed and tested and performance-monitored in the Lighthouse Cities. Projects will consider the interaction and integration between the buildings, the users and the larger energy system as well as implications of increased electro-mobility, its impact on the energy system and its integration in planning.

Lighthouse Cities will closely collaborate with the Follower Cities and should act as exemplars helping to plan and initiate the replication of the deployed solutions in the Follower cities, adapted to different local conditions.

As a sustainable energy transition will see increased electro-mobility, its impact on the energy system needs to be understood and well integrated in planning.

Definition: Positive Energy Blocks/Districts consist of several buildings (new, retro-fitted or a combination of both) that actively manage their energy consumption and the energy flow between them and the wider energy system. Positive Energy Blocks/Districts have an annual positive energy balance . They make optimal use of elements such as advanced materials, local RES, local storage, smart energy grids, demand-response, cutting edge energy management (electricity, heating and cooling), user interaction/involvement and ICT.

Positive Energy Blocks/Districts are designed to be integral part of the district/city energy system and have a positive impact on it. Their design is intrinsically scalable and they are well embedded in the spatial, economic, technical, environmental and social context of the project site.

To increase impact beyond the demonstration part of the project, each Lighthouse City and Follower City will develop, together with industry, its own bold city-vision for 2050 . The vision should cover urban, technical, financial and social aspects. Each vision should come with its guide for the city on how to move from planning, to implementation, to replication and scaling up of successful solutions.

Proposals should also:

•Focus on mixed use urban districts and positively contribute to the overall city goals;

•Develop solutions that can be replicated/gradually scaled up to city level. The technical, financial, social, and legal feasibility of the proposed solutions should be demonstrated in the actual proposal.

•Make local communities and local governments (particularly city planning departments) an active and integral part of the solution, increase their energy awareness and ensure their sense of ownership of the smart solutions. This should ensure sustainability of Positive Energy Blocks/Districts;

•Promote decarbonisation, while improving air quality.

•Incorporate performance monitoring (ideally for more than 2 years) of deployed solutions from the earliest feasible moment. All relevant performance data must be incorporated into the Smart Cities Information System database (SCIS) . 

Projects should also deliver:

•Effective business models for sustainable solutions;

•Practical recommendations arising from project experience on:        

oregulatory, legal aspects and data security/protection;   

ogender and socio-economics (Social Sciences and Humanities);   

ostorage solutions (from short-term to seasonal);   

obig data, data management and digitalisation;   

oelectro-mobility: i) its impact on energy system and ii) appropriate city planning measures to support large scale roll-out;  

Eligible costs are primarily those that concern the innovative elements of the project needed to:

•connect and integrate buildings;

•enable Positive Energy Blocks/Districts;

•foster innovative systems integration;

•complement the wider energy system. 

Costs of commercial technologies are not eligible, for example:

•Buildings: purchase, construction, retrofitting and maintenance;

•Electric vehicles and charging stations: purchase, installation and maintenance;

•City-level ICT platforms: purchase, development and maintenance;

•Standard, commercially-available RES: purchase, development and maintenance. 

Projects are expected to cooperate with other Smart Cities and Communities projects funded under Horizon 2020    as well as the European Innovation Partnership on Smart Cities and Communities (EIP-SCC) .

Therefore, proposals should foresee a work package for cooperation with other selected projects and earmark appropriate resources (5% of the requested EU contribution) for coordination and communication efforts and research work associated with cross-cutting issues.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between EUR 15 to 20 million  would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Typically, projects should have a duration of 48 to 60 months.

Expected Impact: Projects should contribute to: 

•Meeting EU climate mitigation and adaptation goals and national and/or local energy, air quality and climate targets, as relevant; 

•Significantly increased share of i) renewable energies, ii) waste heat recovery and iii) appropriate storage solutions (including batteries) and their integration into the energy system and iv) reduce greenhouse gas emissions; 

•Lead the way towards wide scale roll out of Positive Energy Districts; 

•Significantly improved energy efficiency, district level optimized self-consumption, reduced curtailment; 

•Increased uptake of e-mobility solutions;

•Improved air quality. 

The higher the replicability of the solutions across Europe, the better.

Type of Action: Innovation action

LC-SC3-CC-3-2019 - Support for the opening of low-carbon energy research databases in Europe

Specific Challenge: Recent advances in the collection and exploitation of large data sets open the possibility for major industrial and social innovations. The European Open Science Cloud initiative aims to maximise the incentives for sharing data and to increase the capacity to exploit them, to ensure that data can be used as widely as possible.

Increasing aspects of research in the transition to a low-carbon energy system in Europe rely on the collection, analysis and processing of large data sets. Insights, information and knowledge are increasingly extracted from data sets in individual sectors and in the combination of data from different sectors.

The challenge is to promote the opening of research databases for low-carbon energy in Europe, and to support a European-level approach to defining the development of future research data bases; this action focuses on the area of low-carbon energy. As the energy transition combines different scientific disciplines, particular attention has to be paid to agreed metadata in order to allow for the joint exploitation of data from these disciplines.

Scope: Proposals will develop together with energy research communities several of the items below:

•Development and use of data management practices that follow findable, accessible, interoperable, re-usable (FAIR) principles, and to the validation of data quality measures;

•Coordination of existing data repositories and databases, including those from SETIS and from the IEA;

•Access to tools to manage energy data with FAIR principles; promotion of open source access of such tools;

•Access to analytics to exploit energy data; promotion of open source access of such tools;

•Capacity building of data experts for the domain of low-carbon energy research;

•New research topics based on the analysis of large data sets in the energy domain;

•Trans-disciplinary research combining data from different domains and at different scales;

•Development of partnerships with industry to promote the opening of large datasets of interest to foster research into future technologies and services. 

A broad coverage of the issues mentioned above is encouraged.

Recommendations that will be produced by the ongoing study on "Opportunities and barriers for opening of research databases in low-carbon energy research" should be taken into account .

Proposals should also follow developments of the European Open Science Cloud initiative, and plan to cooperate with and complement this activity.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between EUR 0.5 and 1 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected Impact: 

•Increasing/extending/widening the use of low-carbon energy research databases, particularly those from publicly financed R&I projects.

•Development of a critical mass of open research databases in Europe, and of researchers equipped with the know-how for the deployment, maintenance and exploitation of these.

•Easy and open access to these databases and to tools for their elaboration and exploitation, leading to increased efficiency of research investments.

•Strengthening of data-intensive research on low-carbon energy in Europe;

•Strengthening the development of industrial applications of data-intensive processes. 

Type of Action: Coordination and support action

LC-SC3-JA-3-2019 - European Pre-Commercial Procurement Programme for Wave Energy Research &Development

Specific Challenge: The challenge is the design, development and validation of cost-effective Wave energy convertors that can survive in a harsh and unpredictable ocean environment as the ocean through demand-driven Pre-Commercial Procurement. The challenge is open to proposals seeking to steer wave energy research and development in an effective way at a European level establishing convergence of wave energy technologies and to bring these technologies to the market. 

Scope: In the past years, Member States and the European Commission have been working closely together to use their public resources via previous Ocean ERA-NET Cofund actions but like to reinforce their cooperation to address the challenge through a different funding instrument. In this European PCP action it is the aim to elevate experience with national public procurement approaches at a European level to bring European Wave Energy Research and Development more efficiently into the direction of commercialization.

The proposed action is to be structured along the following phases:

Preparation phase: The participating users/buyers of R&D service should agree on common performance levels and associated specifications for the wave energy systems. The action should introduce the ocean energy phase gate procedure on a European level.

They will plan the research and the design of actions covering a broad variety of issues. The PCP will consist of several building blocks addressing different sub-challenges. The funding of the participating programme owners (national and/or regional) and the European Union will be used for different stages in the wave energy technology development. The results of phase 1 should lead to calls for tenders (for the procurement of R&D services) which focus on clearly identified technologies which contribute to the development of commercial wave energy devices. The procurement should be also open for developers, researcher organisations which are not located in the participating countries/regions.

The expected outcomes at this stage: 1) completed tender documents, 2) signed joint procurement agreement confirming the collaboration modus including the financial commitment of the buyers group and 3) final confirmation of the lead procurer.

Execution stage: The action will take care for the implementation of the Pre-Commercial Procurement and of the PCP contracts. The results will be shared within the European industry to accelerate technology development and the establishment of guidelines and standards to facilitate the transferability of the knowledge creation. The research and specification work should lead to at least 3 prototypes tested in an environment close to expected performance. At the end of the action at least one of the prototypes should be ready for testing in an operational environment at commercial scale.

Proposals have to describe the jointly identified challenge, indicating how it fits into their mid-to-long term innovation plans, why solutions currently available on the market or under development are not meeting their needs. Activities have to include: (1) networking related to preparation, management and coordination and (2) joint research activities related to the validation of PCP strategy.

The consortium should have at least three legal entities established in different member states or H2020 associated countries. In the consortium the participation of minimum two 'public procurers' is required. Other entities might be considered which can have a clear added value in the preparation and/or execution of the PCP or in coordination and networking activities.

Please see part E of the General Annexes for the specific proposal requirements for PCP actions.

The Commission considers that PCP proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between 15 and 20 million would allow this area to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission a selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected Impact: 

•Convergence of wave energy technologies, acceleration of technology development, proof-of-concept and validation of wave energy technology for the benefit of the wave energy sector and as such improved knowledge transfer. 

•Pool resources at national and EU levels dedicated to Research and Development and provide effectively a significant developmental boost of wave energy technology.

•More effective use of public resources for Research and Demonstration. 

Type of Action: Pre-Commercial Procurement

LC-SC3-JA-5-2019 - Joint Programming with EU and African partners for a R&I actions in the area of renewable energy

Specific Challenge: Providing sustainable and affordable energy to sub-Saharan Africa is critical to the development of a region that accounts for 13% of the world’s population, but only 4% of its energy demand. Sub-Saharan Africa’s energy resources are more than sufficient to meet its demands, but they are unevenly distributed and under-developed (IEA, 2014). 

Building local capacities and promoting research, including applied research, are recognized to be essential pillars in the development of sustainable energy in Africa. Africa-EU research cooperation in this area can contribute substantially to further technology take-up in the region. It can also strengthen the market position of involved European institutions through increased knowledge and competitive capacity. 

Several initiatives in the past decade have launched support projects aiming to promote research addressing African energy challenges. The participation of African researchers in related calls has however remained limited. African scientists and researchers in general are underrepresented in the international arena: there are only few scientific publications or patent applications related to renewable energy, and limited participation in international conferences. In addition to the limited exposure the international scientific community, limited research capacities both in the sense of human capital and financial resources hinder better representation of African researchers in abovementioned funding schemes.

Following the EU commitments under the Paris Agreement, Agenda 2030 on Sustainable Development and Cotonou Agreement, research and innovation cooperation in the field of renewable energy generation technologies between EU and Africa needs to be strengthened and further developed. Coordination of the existing bilateral activities between European and African countries is advisable. The challenge is bringing together the national funding agencies of EU member states and African states interested in developing joint research activities between the two continents to create synergies and to push forward common research and innovation cooperation in the field of renewable energy production and use.

Scope: The proposal will implement the common strategic joint research and innovation programme on renewable energy technology developed in the preparatory phase, topic LC-SC3-JA-2-2018, to adapt renewable energy technologies to the African environmental, social and economic conditions through joint research efforts.

The range of activities can include research projects, demonstration projects, technology transfer projects, and exchange of researchers between European and African actors. The activities will also create synergies with existing development programmes.

Expected Impact: The expected impacts are firstly the creation of long lasting research and development cooperation between European and African stakeholders through common understanding and trust, secondly the development of vibrant research and industrial frameworks and thirdly the development of renewable energy.

Type of Action: COFUND (European Joint Programme)

LC-SC3-CC-1-2018-2019-2020 - Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) aspects of the Clean-Energy Transition

Specific Challenge: The clean-energy transition doesn't just pose technological and scientific challenges; it also requires a better understanding of cross-cutting issues related to socioeconomic, gender, sociocultural, and socio-political issues. Addressing these issues will help to devise more effective ways of involving citizens and to better understand energy-related views and attitudes, ultimately leading to greater social acceptability as well as more durable governance arrangements and socioeconomic benefits.

Scope: In 2018, proposals should be submitted under the theme "Social innovation in the energy sector" and in 2019 under the theme "Challenges facing carbon-intensive regions". They should address one or several of the questions listed under the respective sub-topics below. All proposals should adopt a comparative perspective, with case studies or data from at least three European Union Member States or Associated Countries. 

2018:

Social innovation  in the energy sector: The energy transition has given rise to various forms of social innovation, such as the emergence of energy cooperatives or that of energy "prosumers" consuming but also producing energy. Urban areas have emerged as major hubs for these trends, given the close proximity between citizens, businesses and institutions, facilitating linkages between sectors and the emergence of new business and service models, as well as associated governance arrangements. These issues need to be studied in more detail, with a particular focus on the following questions: 

•What characterizes successful examples of social innovation in the energy sector? 

•What enabling conditions facilitate social innovation in the energy sector and how can it be encouraged? What factors work against it? 

•In what way does social innovation contribute to the preservation of livelihoods and the development of new business and service models in the energy sector? 

•In what way does social innovation contribute to making energy more secure, sustainable and affordable? Does social innovation lead to greater competitiveness and if so, how? 

•Under what conditions does social innovation lead to greater acceptance of the transition towards a low-carbon energy system?  

2019:

Challenges facing carbon-intensive regions: The transition to a low-carbon energy system and economy poses particular challenges for regions that are still heavily dependent on fossil-fuel-based industries or the extraction of fossil fuels themselves ("coal and carbon-intensive regions"). At the same time, this transition offers major opportunities for developing new lines of business and for increasing the competitiveness of structurally weak regions. Focusing on the past 5-10 years up to the present, particular attention should be focused on the following issues: 

•What are the principal socio-economic challenges facing coal and carbon-intensive regions today and what effect have these had on livelihoods and the sustainability of local and regional economies? 

•What coping strategies have emerged in recent years? What are the principal differences between regions that are coping well and those that are not? 

•To what extent have coal and carbon-intensive regions experienced outward migration in recent years and in what way has this affected their social and demographic composition? 

•What effect, if any, have these changes had on the rise of populism and of anti-democratic attitudes in the regions concerned?  

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between EUR 1 and 3 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected Impact: The proposed research will: 

•provide a better understanding of socioeconomic, gender, sociocultural, and socio-political factors and their interrelations with technological, regulatory, and investment-related aspects, in support of the goals of the Energy Union and particularly its research and innovation pillar; 

•yield practical recommendations for using the potential of social innovation to further the goals of the Energy Union, namely, to make Europe's energy system more secure, sustainable, competitive, and affordable for Europe's citizens;

•yield practical recommendations for addressing the challenges of the clean-energy transition for Europe's coal and carbon-intensive regions, including socioeconomic and political ones. 

Type of Action: Research and Innovation action

LC-SC3-NZE-4-2019 - Integrated solutions for flexible operation of fossil fuel power plants through power-to-X-to-power and/or energy storage

Specific Challenge: With a growing share of energy produced from renewable resources (RES), fossil fuel power plants will have to increasingly shift their role from providing base-load power to providing fluctuating back-up power (i.e. ramping up and down) in order to control and stabilise the grid. These strong fluctuations result not only in increased wear-and-tear, but (more importantly) also in a lower efficiency and hence higher greenhouse gas emissions per unit of produced electricity. Severe ramping up and down can be limited through load-levelling i.e. storing power during periods of light loading on the system and delivering it during periods of high demand.

Scope: Validation and pilot demonstration of the integration of energy storage and/or use of excess energy (including via power-to-X-to-power in fossil fuel power plants and showing that EU emission limits for such installations can not only still be met, but that emissions of air pollutants can even be reduced. This could include the enabling of the combustion system to deal with synthetic fuels and/or hydrogen enriched fuels, as well as a better integration of combined production of heat and power into the overall system. 

Proposals are expected to bring technologies to TRL 6-7 (please see part G of the General Annexes). Technology development has to be complemented by activities to create awareness, gain feedback on societal impact and advancing society’s readiness for the proposed solutions.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU in the range of EUR 6 to 10 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected Impact: Solutions will contribute to a smart, secure and more resilient power system through the integration of energy storage for the purpose of load levelling in fossil fuel power generation. Results of the project(s) should allow a smoother operation of these plants at optimal efficiency and environmental performance in order to better adapt to an energy systems that will increasingly be dominated by intermittent renewable energy.

Type of Action: Innovation action

LC-SC3-NZE-5-2019 - Low carbon industrial production using CCUS

Specific Challenge: CCUS in industrial applications faces significant challenges due to its high cost and the fierce international competition in the sectors concerned. However, these sectors currently account for 20% of global CO2 emissions, and in the 2 degree scenario, should represent half of the stored CO2 by 2050. Relevant sectors with high CO2 emissions are for example steel, iron and cement making, oil refining, gas processing, hydrogen production, biofuel production and waste incineration plants.

Scope: Projects will focus on integrating CO2 capture in industrial installations, whilst addressing the full CCUS chain. Projects will elaborate a detailed plan on how to use the results, i.e. the subsequent transport, utilisation and/or underground storage of the captured CO2. Important aspects to address are of technical (e.g. the optimised integration of capture plant with industrial processes; scalability; CO2 purity), safety (e.g. during transportation and storage), financial (e.g. cost of capture; cost of integration) and strategic nature (e.g. business models; operation and logistics of industrial clusters and networks).

Projects are expected to bring technologies to TRL 6-7 (please see part G of the General Annexes). Technology development has to be balanced by an assessment of the societal readiness towards the proposed innovations. Relevant end users and societal stakeholders will be identified in the proposal, and their concerns and needs will be analysed during the project using appropriate techniques and methods from the social sciences and humanities, in order to create awareness, gain feedback on societal impact and advancing society’s readiness for the proposed solutions. Projects should also explore the socio-economic and political barriers to acceptance and awareness with a view to regulatory or policy initiatives.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU in the range of EUR 10 to 12 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

In line with the strategy for EU international cooperation in research and innovation (COM(2012)497), international cooperation is encouraged, in particular with relevant Mission Innovation  countries such as China .

Expected Impact: Successful, safe and economic demonstration of integrated-chain CCUS from relevant industrial sources such as mentioned in the specific challenge will accelerate the learning, drive down the cost and thus help break the link between economic growth and the demand for industrial output on one hand, and increasing CO2 emissions on the other hand. The impact of projects under this call will to a large extent be determined by the extent to which the results will be exploited, i.e. the plan on how the captured CO2 will be actually utilised and/or stored, either in the project or planned as a future phase. This will be evaluated based on the maturity and quality of the proposed post-capture solutions. Projects under this call that are carried out in areas where there is both a high concentration of CO2 emitting industries and a nearby capacity for geological storage are considered prime sites for hub and cluster developments, and will generate the highest impact on full-scale deployment in the medium to longer term.

Type of Action: Innovation action

LC-SC3-RES-16-2019 - Development of solutions based on renewable sources that provide flexibility to the energy system

Specific Challenge: Supporting the balancing of the power grid and increasing the flexibility of the energy system is possible through dispatchable renewable energy sources, such as for example bioenergy and hydropower. The specific challenge is to increase the potential and performance of dispatchable technologies to provide flexibility services to the energy system by improving their technological characteristics.

Scope: Proposals will address one of the following sub-topics: 

•Bioenergy carriers: Development of intermediate bioenergy carriers for energy and transport from biogenic residues and wastes and energy crops from marginal lands not applicable to food or feed production through feedstock flexible technologies at a conversion cost reduced by at least 25% from the state-of-the-art, excluding the feedstock cost, and with increased energy density, storage and trade characteristics, where relevant, and improved GHG performance. The state-of the art for conversion costs per technology will be clearly presented in the proposal with cost figures and versatility of use where appropriate. 

•Hydropower: Development of low and ultra-low head and sea water resistant equipment (such as for example bulb-pump turbines) guaranteeing at least 70% round-trip efficiency and making low-head seawater storage and other low head applications of hydropower viable, for example at unexplored locations (e.g. like at coastal dams and islands), by minimising at the same time potential impacts on fish.

•Virtual Power Plant:  Increase the performance of an integrated portfolio of renewable energy sources (namely a combination of variable output and dispatchable renewable sources) to operate together as a Virtual Power Plant, capable of providing flexibility and ancillary services to the energy system. The solution has to be competitive compared with solutions combining variable output renewables with electrochemical storage.  

Proposals are expected to bring the technologies from TRL 3-4 to TRL 4-5 (please see part G of the General Annexes).

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between EUR 3 to 5 million would allow this challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected Impact: The increased flexibility of the energy system will allow the penetration of a higher share of variable output renewables in the energy mix without affecting system stability.

Type of Action: Research and Innovation action

LC-SC3-RES-23-2019 - Development of next generation biofuel and alternative renewable fuel technologies for aviation and shipping

Specific Challenge: Decarbonising the aviation and shipping transport sectors, which are expanding fast and increasing the overall fossil fuel consumption, relies on biofuel and renewable fuels. The specific challenge is to increase the competitiveness of next generation biofuel and renewable fuel technologies in aviation and shipping, compared to fossil fuel alternatives.

Scope: Proposals will develop next generation non-food/feed drop-in biofuel and alternative renewable fuel technologies for aviation and shipping transport, which improve substantially beyond the state-of-the-art the performance regarding conversion efficiency, cost and feedstock supply by addressing:

•liquid jet-like biofuels and alternative renewable fuels from biogenic residues and wastes through chemical, biochemical and thermochemical pathways, or a combination of them; and 

•bunker fuel-like biofuels for shipping uses. 

Proposals are expected to bring the technology from TRL 3 to 5 (please see part G of the General Annexes). 

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between EUR 3 to 5 million would allow this challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected Impact: The supported projects are expected to reduce costs and improve performance of renewable fuels for aviation and shipping regarding the efficiency, the environment and society. The proposed solution is expected to contribute to achieving European leadership in this area.

Type of Action: Research and Innovation action

LC-SC3-RES-7-2019 - Solar Energy in Industrial Processes

Specific Challenge: The potential of applying solar energy for industrial purposes is still largely untapped. Using solar energy to provide the heat or cooling necessary to industrial processes that need high reliability and high quality heat and cooling and continuous operation requires innovative advances in solar energy technology. Also, industrial processes might need to be adapted to the use of the solar resource. Industrial actors expect solutions with limited installation, maintenance and operation requirements and which are easy to operate. This challenge is also in line with the roadmap of the SPIRE cPPP.

Scope: Support will be given to solutions that cover by means of solar thermal energy the highest possible share of the heating and/or cooling demand of one or more industrial processes. In the case of heating, the process temperature shall be higher than 150°C. Individual industrial sites and/or industrial parks (coupled to a district heating and/or cooling network) are in the scope.

Proposals are expected to bring the technologies to TRL 4-5 (please see part G of the General Annexes).

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between EUR 3 to 5 million would allow this challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected Impact: An increased decarbonisation of the industrial sector, a reduced dependency on fossil fuels and a reduction of emission of air pollutants are expected. Furthermore, the project should create significant visibility to the potential of applying solar thermal energy in industrial processes, especially in those EU countries where such systems currently have very limited or no application. The knowledge generated by the project should contribute to the development of relevant BREFs under the Industrial Emissions Directive.

Type of Action: Research and Innovation action

LC-SC3-EC-1-2018-2019-2020 - The role of consumers in changing the market through informed decision and collective actions

Specific Challenge: A precondition for active demand is for consumers to be aware of their own potential to permanently or temporarily reduce energy consumption; and moreover, for them to know how to offer this potential to the market and what it would represent in terms of monetary value by bringing benefits to the energy system.

Different forms of collective action have the potential to assist consumers in forming critical mass and to facilitate increased uptake of energy efficiency & active demand solutions and services. Although collective actions on energy efficiency have emerged in recent years, a lack of awareness on the potential benefits of such actions, together with regulatory barriers, continues to hamper their full development and uptake.

Finally, important challenges involve installed appliances (such as boilers for space and/or water heating) of which a big share is inefficient and fossil-fuel based, resulting in increased fuel consumption and fuel costs for households. Informing consumers of the potential energy savings and their monetization, as well as other benefits such as increased comfort and improved air quality, can result in increased motivation for replacing inefficient appliances, thereby permanently reducing consumption.

Scope: 2018:

The proposed action should develop activities informing and motivating consumers to change old and inefficient installed appliances with the highest energy saving potential (e.g. boilers, local space heaters, air heaters) to more efficient and clean energy heating and/or cooling solutions. While financial aspects (cost savings, payback period) would be the main motivating factor and therefore should be presented in a precise and credible manner, other aspects such as increased comfort and aesthetics, safety, improved air quality, or possible participation in demand-response should be the integral part of the actions in order to unlock the full potential of multiple benefits of energy efficiency improvements.

2019:

The proposed action should set up and/or support consumer cooperatives, consumer collective purchase groups, and/or other consumer driven collective actions that form such energy communities to increase energy efficiency and/or optimise energy management within the community by for example combining collective solutions to distributed generation, distributed storage, and/or demand-response aggregation,

The proposed action should cover the following:

•Identify and address regulatory barriers and contractual conditions with utilities, suppliers, grid operators, technology providers etc. for cooperative actions, possibly linking activities with structural solutions involving public authorities;

•Demonstrate that collectively organised energy-related actions are financially viable and attractive to the consumer-members of the energy community. 

In addition, the proposed action could cover the following, as relevant:

•Identify and implement solutions to address split incentives (e.g. allowing tenants to set up/join the consumer driven collective action);

•Demonstrate collective actions of energy consumers based on the solutions and business approaches using digital tools and technologies (such as digital platforms or blockchain transactions). If the proposed action includes smart home/IoT solutions, it should link to the developments under the call DT-ICT-10-2018: Interoperable and smart homes and grids. 

Relevant for both years:

The proposed actions should address the risk of "rebound effects" and propose measures to counteract them, where relevant. All relevant stakeholders necessary for the successful implementation of the action should be involved and relevant consumer organisations, in particular, should be either directly involved or their support demonstrated in the proposal. Proposed actions should also take issues of consumer data ownership and data privacy into account, where relevant. The proposed actions are invited to build on experiences and lessons learned in other relevant projects and programmes 

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between EUR 1 and 2 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected Impact: Proposals are expected to demonstrate, depending on the scope addressed, the impacts listed below using quantified indicators and targets, wherever possible:

•Primary energy savings triggered by the project (in GWh/year);

•Investments in sustainable energy triggered by the project (in million Euro);

•Contribution to reducing regulatory barriers and improving contractual conditions;

•Increase domestic uptake of energy efficient products and services;

•Involvement of at least 5.000 consumers per million Euro of EU funding. 

Additional positive effects can be quantified and reported when relevant and wherever possible: 

•Reduction of greenhouse gases emissions (in tCO2-eq/year) and/or air pollutants (in kg/year) triggered by the project. 

Type of Action: Coordination and support action

LC-SC3-EC-2-2018-2019-2020 - Mitigating household energy poverty

Specific Challenge: European households continue to spend an increasing share of income on energy, leading to higher rates of energy poverty and negatively affecting living conditions and health. Recent estimates suggest that more than 50 million Europeans are affected by energy poverty . Although roots of this phenomenon lie mainly in low incomes and poor thermal efficiency of buildings, energy efficiency measures at the household level and increased use of renewable energy are key tools in addressing energy poverty and can bring energy savings, leading to lower fuel costs and improved living conditions. The issue is in part exacerbated by a lack of sufficient knowledge on how to identify energy poor households.

In this context, the role of local and national authorities, related networks and initiatives , and availability of support schemes are important to ensure the sustainability and larger scale uptake of the measures.

Energy Efficiency Obligation Schemes  can also be used to promote social aims, such as tackling energy poverty. The obligated parties (utilities) have potentially at their disposal the necessary data and means to identify energy poverty among their clients and effectively address it by fulfilling in this way the energy efficiency obligation. Building the capacity of the obligated parties is needed in order to spread such schemes across the EU.

Scope: Actions should contribute to actively alleviating energy poverty and developing a better understanding of the types and needs of energy poor households and how to identify them, taking into account gender differences where relevant, building on any existing initiatives such as the European Energy Poverty Observatory.

The proposed action should cover one or more of the following:

•Facilitate behaviour change and implementation of low-cost energy efficiency measures tailored for energy poor households (e.g. provision of information and advice, energy efficiency services such as draught proofing or optimisation of existing building technology systems, as well as energy efficiency devices & kits such as low-energy lighting);

•Support the set-up of financial and non-financial support schemes for energy efficiency and/or small scale renewable energy investments for energy poor households. These actions should be embedded in, and add value to, structural frameworks and activities involving local, regional, and national authorities, and/or networks such as the Covenant of Mayors;

•Develop, test and disseminate innovative schemes for energy efficiency/RES investments established by utilities or other obligated parties under Article 7. 

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between EUR 1 and 2 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

The proposed actions are invited to build on experiences and lessons learned in other relevant projects and programmes .

Expected Impact: Proposals are expected to demonstrate, depending on the scope addressed, the impacts listed below using quantified indicators and targets, wherever possible:

•Primary energy savings triggered by the project (in GWh/year);

•Investments in sustainable energy triggered by the project in(million Euro);

•Contributions to policy development and to best practice development on energy poverty;

•Support schemes established for energy efficiency and/or small-scale renewable energy investments and to be sustained beyond the period of EU-support.

•Involvement of at least 5.000 consumers per million Euro of EU funding. 

Additional positive effects can be quantified and reported when relevant and wherever possible: 

•Reduction of greenhouse gases emissions (in tCO2-eq/year) and/or air pollutants (in kg/year) triggered by the project. 

Type of Action: Coordination and support action

LC-SC3-EE-1-2018-2019-2020 - Decarbonisation of the EU building stock: innovative approaches and affordable solutions changing the market for buildings renovation

Specific Challenge: The market for deep renovation of buildings needs to be transformed in terms of technologies, processes and business models. The multiple benefits of improved energy efficiency are well known, but more action is needed for Europe to achieve the higher rates of renovation that would reduce energy use and decarbonize the building stock in order to meet long-term climate and energy targets. In particular, deep renovations need to become more attractive to all relevant stakeholders, more reliable in terms of performance, less disruptive for occupants (especially in residential buildings), less time-consuming, less energy-intensive from a life cycle perspective, more environmentally friendly regarding applied materials and more cost-effective. There is a need to demonstrate and roll out holistic consumer-centred solutions that involve the whole value chain, ensuring high levels of comfort and a high quality of the indoor environment.

Scope: Proposals should demonstrate solutions addressing building fabric and/or technical systems that ensure faster and more cost-effective deep renovations that result in high energy performance. Proposals should include innovations in technology and in design and construction methods with low embodied energy and on-site works organisation, industrialization and lowering cost of energy retrofitting and they should take into account any architectural constraints. They should also include innovations in business models and the holistic integration of disciplines across the value chain. Proposals should also consider energy efficient and low carbon solutions to retrofit building-level heating and cooling systems and the integration of on-site renewable energy generation , energy storage systems which allow for optimisation and flexible consumption, and, if relevant, integration with district heating and cooling systems. Proposals could address drivers of building renovation that go beyond a desire to reduce energy consumption and related energy costs. For example, decisions to renovate may sometimes coincide with structural repairs. They could also consider further development and improvement of hybrid energy systems using fossil fuel based heating systems coupled with RES based heating systems as well as the integration of highly-efficient buildings and local energy system solutions such as District Heating and Cooling, including hybrid solutions.

Solutions should include quick and simple installation of components and systems, minimizing disruption for building occupants and the time spent on site. Proposals should include monitoring and displaying of real time energy performance and other relevant data and consider the ways in which consumers and others could access and make use of such information. Solutions should ensure high levels of occupant comfort (thermal, visual and acoustic) and indoor environmental quality (e.g. air quality, humidity) if possible based on bio-based materials, as well as low risk of moisture-related problems, summer overheating and other harmful unintended consequences, and should address the multiple benefits of energy efficiency. Proposals should demonstrate solutions that aim for large scale roll-out according to defined business models and financial schemes for owners.

Projects are expected to bring the technology to TRL level 8-9 (please see part G of the General Annexes).

This topic contributes to the roadmap of the Energy-efficient Buildings (EeB) cPPP.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between EUR 3 and 4 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected Impact: Proposals are expected to demonstrate the impacts listed below using quantified indicators and targets wherever possible:

•Primary energy savings triggered by the project (in GWh/year);

•Investments in sustainable energy triggered by the project (in million Euro);

•High energy performance in the renovated buildings;

•Measurable cost reduction compared with a typical renovation (i.e. a renovation that meets current minimum requirements of existing building regulations) or major energy performance improvement at comparable cost;

•Reduction of time needed on site for renovation works by 20% compared to current national standard practice;

•Demonstration of the effectiveness and replicability of the proposed solutions to lead to an increased rate of renovation for defined building typologies in several districts/cities/regions. 

Additional positive effects can be quantified and reported when relevant and wherever possible: 

•Reduction of the greenhouse gases emissions (in tCO2-eq/year) and/or air pollutants (in kg/year) triggered by the project.  

Type of Action: Innovation action

LC-SC3-EE-10-2018-2019-2020 - Mainstreaming energy efficiency finance

Specific Challenge: Energy efficiency is not yet considered as an attractive investment by the financial sector which limits the possibility to use external private finance on top of equity of project owners and available public funding. The lack of statistical data on the actual energy and costs savings achieved by energy efficiency investment projects, as well as on payment default rates, results in financial institutions attributing high risk premiums to energy efficiency investments.

Energy efficiency represents high transaction costs for rather small investments, which is not financially very attractive. Technical and legal standardisation is highly needed at all steps of the investment value chain in order to simplify transactions and increase the confidence of financial institutions. The lack of standardisation of projects also prevents securitisation of energy efficiency assets (loans or equity) so that financial institutions are not able to refinance their debt on the capital markets .

Whereas energy efficiency investments are usually expected to be paid back exclusively through the reduction of the energy bill, there is increasing evidence that non-energy benefits play a key role in the decision to invest in energy efficiency. This includes for instance increased building value, lower tenant turnover or vacancy rates etc. These benefits need to be quantified through data collection and monetised in order to evolve the parameters used by financiers to assess an energy efficiency investment.

Scope: Proposals should address at least one of the following issues: 

•Development, demonstration and promotion of frameworks for the standardisation and benchmarking of sustainable energy investments. This could include for example, but not exclusively, labelling schemes, project rating methodologies and risk assessment tools, standardised legal and financial structures of assets (loans, guarantees, energy performance contracts etc.) in order to develop securitisation for energy efficiency based financial products. Proposals integrated in a broader approach such as socially responsible investment should focus on the energy component; 

•Capacity building for banks and investors at the national and local level, in particular on underwriting sustainable energy investments; 

•Gathering, processing and disclosing large-scale data on actual financial performance of energy efficiency investments, in order to create a track record for energy efficiency in different sectors (buildings, industry, transport, etc.) Proposals should build upon or complement the work of the Energy Efficiency Financial Institutions Group (EEFIG) e.g. the De-risking Energy Efficiency Platform ; 

•Further integration of non-energy benefits in project valuation, in particular in the building sector, leading to evolution of existing financial products or creation of new targeted products; 

•Targeting institutional investors (e.g. public pension schemes) in order to increase the share of their funds invested in energy efficiency, or to develop specific funds or investment products. Supporting the integration of energy efficiency in portfolio management strategies for institutional investors and/or fund managers, including through re-definition of fiduciary duties; 

•Exploring the impact of revised risk ratings and requirements for energy efficiency on financial regulations (Basel III, Solvency II).  

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between EUR 1 million and EUR 1.5 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected Impact: Proposals are expected to demonstrate, depending on the scope addressed, the impacts listed below, using quantified indicators and targets wherever possible:

•Number of financial institutions and other stakeholders reached as well as their potential volume of investment concerned;

•Frameworks, standardisation, benchmarking, standardised descriptions and data evidence of financial returns of energy efficiency investments agreed and accepted by the market;

•Higher allocation of institutional investments to energy efficiency; standardisation of assets enabling securitisation; development of a secondary market for energy efficiency assets (in million Euro of investment within 5 years after the end of the project);

•Primary energy savings triggered by the project (in GWh/year);

•Investments in sustainable energy triggered by the project (million Euro). 

Additional positive effects can be quantified and reported when relevant and wherever possible: 

•Reduction of the greenhouse gases emissions (in tCO2-eq/year) and/or air pollutants (in kg/year) triggered by the project. 

Type of Action: Coordination and support action

LC-SC3-EE-11-2018-2019-2020 - Aggregation - Project Development Assistance

Specific Challenge: Investors and lenders need to gain more confidence on investment projects related to energy efficiency which are still seen as risky and fragmented. EU added value can be realised in particular where projects introduce innovation to the market regarding project aggregation and financing solutions minimising transaction costs and engaging the private finance community. EU added value could also be realised where projects demonstrably remove legal, administrative and other market barriers for mainstreaming large scale sustainable energy investment schemes.

Scope: Project Development Assistance (PDA) will be provided to public and private project promoters such as public authorities or their groupings, public/private infrastructure operators and bodies, energy service companies, retail chains, large property owners and services/industry. The action will support building technical, economic and legal expertise needed for project development and leading to the launch of concrete investments, which are the final aim and deliverable of the project.

Proposals should focus on one or more of the following sectors:

•existing public and private buildings including social housing, with the aim to significantly decrease energy consumption in heating/cooling and electricity;

•energy efficiency of industry and service;

•energy efficiency in all modes of urban transport (such as highly efficient transport fleets, efficient freight logistics in urban areas, e-mobility and modal change and shift); and

•energy efficiency in existing infrastructures such as street lighting, district heating/cooling and water/wastewater services. 

The proposed investments will have to be launched before the end of the action which means that projects should result in signed contracts for sustainable energy investments to that effect, e.g. construction works, energy performance contracts, turnkey contracts.

Whilst proposals may address investments into distributed, small-scale renewable energy sources in combination with energy efficiency, the main focus should lie on capturing untapped high energy efficiency potentials.

Proposals should include the following features:

•an exemplary/showcase dimension in their ambition to reduce energy consumption and/or in the size of the expected investments;

•deliver organisational innovation in the financial engineering (e.g. on-bill financing schemes, guarantee funds, or factoring funds) and/or in the mobilisation of the investment programme (e.g. bundling, pooling or stakeholder engagement);

•demonstrate a high degree of replicability and include a clear action plan to communicate experiences and results towards potential replicators across the EU;

•build on the experiences from previous PDA projects . 

This PDA facility focuses on small and medium-sized energy investments of at least EUR 7.5 million to EUR 50 million. Large scale investments are covered by the ELENA facility.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between EUR 0.5 and 1.5 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected Impact: Proposals are expected to demonstrate, the impacts listed below, using quantified indicators and targets wherever possible:

•Primary Energy savings triggered by the project (in GWh/year); 

•Investments in sustainable energy triggered by the project (in million Euro); 

•Delivery of a series of sustainable energy investment projects and innovative financing solutions and/or schemes;

•Every million Euro of Horizon 2020 support should trigger investments worth at least EUR 15 million;

•Primary energy savings, renewable energy production and investments in sustainable energy triggered in the territory of participating parties by the project (respectively in GWh/year and in million Euro of investments);

•Demonstration of innovative and replicable investment financing solutions, documenting feedback/uptake from potential replicators. 

Additional positive effects can be quantified and reported when relevant and wherever possible:

•Reduction of the greenhouse gases emissions (in tCO2-eq/year) and/or air pollutants (in kg/year) triggered by the project. 

Type of Action: Coordination and support action

LC-SC3-EE-13-2018-2019-2020 - Enabling next-generation of smart energy services valorising energy efficiency and flexibility at demand-side as energy resource

Specific Challenge: Energy Efficiency services (e.g. Energy Performance Contracting (EPC)) are available on the market already for quite some time. However, there is a big untapped potential in sectors and with actors not yet engaged in services triggering energy, CO2 and cost savings. At the same time, new technologies have emerged opening the door for new types of services which use ICT to better control and steer energy consumption according to market and system needs and to the availability of renewable energy; others are able to integrate energy services with non-energy benefits such as comfort. By bundling various services and benefits, additional target groups, sectors and financial resources can be accessed. Actions are also needed to structure and label the quality of demand side service providers (like ESCOs aggregators and energy cooperatives) and improve their accessibility for end energy users.

Finally, ICT-tools and big data generated by smart meters, smart devices and sensors will help monitor and verify energy savings and flexibility and thus provide for appropriate remuneration of optimised consumption. A particular challenge for energy services of this kind is that while they aim to involve different services (e.g. system services) and benefits (e.g. comfort) towards increasing their viability, they should nevertheless result in real, measurable energy savings and performance improvements of the overall energy system.

Scope: 2018 (Coordination and support action):

Actions should allow different market actors to get together and focus on developing integrated concepts and models which

•enhance and refine successful energy performance contracting models and/or;

•include pay-for-performance schemes and/or;

•include customer individualized energy services as a result of better understanding of customer behaviour and needs derived of new data analytics tools;

•engage new sectors and actors and/or;

•integrate energy efficiency services with other energy services like distributed generation and demand response and including storage/hybrid energy systems and/or non-energy related services; these should be endorsed by relevant stakeholders and validated (for example tested around existing projects or projects under development);

•factor in potential legal and contractual aspects (e.g. in relation to existing contracts or warranty, safety and data security issues linked to existing and newly deployed equipment). 

Proposed actions should cover at least two (but not necessarily all) of the relevant areas and aspects identified below:

•Energy service models (like EPC) and services that target new sectors and new actors;

•Business models which work equally for energy efficiency and other services, building on contractual arrangements across different actors (ESCOs, aggregators, DSOs, energy cooperatives, obliged parties under the Energy Efficiency Obligation Schemes implementing art 7 EED and eventually the consumers) which traditionally cover different use cases business interests and different revenue;

•"Pay for performance"-schemes which focus on permanently reducing power consumption in particular at peak times, thus attracting new sources of financing;

•The use of 'big data' generated by smart meters, equipment, sensors and tools for standardised processes enabling a more accurate and dynamic measurement and verification of energy savings and flexible consumption, also in order to ex-ante identify and develop business opportunities;

•Additional non-energy features that support the up-take of innovative energy efficiency services and technologies;

•Improving the accessibility and quality of demand side service providers while enhancing their access to the market. 

Proposals are expected to include clear business model development and a clear path to finance and deployment. Key partners should have the capability and interest in making the developed solution a core part of their business/service model to their clients.

The Commission considers that proposals for Coordination and Support Actions requesting a contribution from the EU of between EUR 1 million and 2 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

2019 (Innovation action): 

Projects should focus on demonstrating and testing innovative energy services in a real environment, across several market segments and across different actors in the value chain. To be economically viable, these services need to be able to rely on sound measurement and verification methodologies. They should cover several but not necessarily all of the relevant areas and aspects identified above, blending in innovative manner different revenue streams coming from different market segments and they should in all cases include innovative verification and monitoring measures. Moreover, they should demonstrate how potential legal and contractual aspects (e.g. in relation to existing contracts or linked to the use of equipment) have been accounted for.

Proposals should demonstrate that the tested business models and services are self-sustainable after the end of the project. The upfront investments in energy efficiency measures (e.g. upgrading of building energy performance) and in smart building systems should be paid back at least in part by revenues coming from energy savings and remunerated flexibility.

The Commission considers that proposals for Innovation Actions requesting a contribution from the EU of between EUR 3 and 4 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Where available and appropriate, the actions should build on the results of the DT-ICT-10-2018: Interoperable and smart homes and grids, DT-ICT-11-2019: Big data solutions for energy and LC-SC3-ES-6-2018-2020: TSO-DSO-consumers: Large-scale demonstrations of cross-border markets for innovative grid services. All innovative energy service concepts and in particular IoT based energy service concepts developed in the frame of the pilot DT-10-2018 should be tested under real market conditions, gathering relevant market actors and exploring user acceptance.

Expected Impact: Proposals are expected to demonstrate the impacts listed below, using quantified indicators and targets wherever possible:

•Primary Energy savings triggered by the project (in GWh/year);

•Investments in sustainable energy triggered by the project (in million Euro);

•Improved viability of innovative energy services. 

In addition, proposals are expected to demonstrate, the impacts listed below, using quantified indicators and targets wherever possible:

•A growing offer and up-take of services that combine energy efficiency with other energy services, technologies and non-energy benefits;

•A growing up-take of innovative data gathering and processing methods in the monitoring and verification of energy savings and flexibility;

•The application of methods and concepts to ensure that: (i) innovative energy services are reliable and verifiable, (ii) service providers are trustworthy and accessible. 

Additional positive effects can be quantified and reported when relevant and wherever possible: 

•Reduction of the greenhouse gases emissions (in tCO2-eq/year) and/or air pollutants (in kg/year) triggered by the project. 

Type of Action: Coordination and support action, Innovation action

LC-SC3-EE-14-2018-2019-2020 - Socio-economic research conceptualising and modelling energy efficiency and energy demand

Specific Challenge: In the Energy Union Strategy, Energy Efficiency was recognised as a resource in its own right which should be enabled to compete on equal terms with generation capacity and to have primary consideration across all policies . However, the structure of energy demand as well as the real value beyond the fuel's cost and the (energy and non-energy) impacts of energy efficiency are still not well understood with the effect that benefits of energy efficiency are not sufficiently taken into account in financial and political decision making, and planning, while prices of fossil fuels remain relatively low.

The topic addresses three different dimensions of this challenge with the aim to trigger actions which  

1.make the energy efficiency first principle more operational (2018);

2.substantiate the demand side aspects in energy modelling (2019). 

Scope: 2018:

The research projects should help to make the Energy Efficiency First principle more concrete and operational and to better understand its relevance for energy demand and supply and its broader impacts across sectors and markets. In particular, it needs to be analysed how energy efficiency programmes along the efficiency chain, i.e. end-use, operation, transmission and generation/utilisation of resources, can compete in reality with supply side investments (e.g. additional generation capacities or import capacities) including at the level of countries and having in mind limited public budgets. It would also be necessary to describe and assess how it interacts with and correlates to other policy objectives, at a policy level as well as at the level of implementation.

Actions which conceptualise and assess the impacts and model the energy efficiency first principle, in particular as regards: 

•its role and value in the energy system (e.g. for planning of generation assets and networks adequacy etc.) and the energy market (participation in capacity market, participation and impact on prices and costs on wholesale and balancing/reserve markets); 

•its role and value in financing decisions (considering as well that in some Member States retail prices do not reflect real costs); 

•its economic and social impacts; 

•its correlation and interaction with other policy objectives (e.g. renewable energy, demand response); 

•existing best practices worldwide where energy efficiency projects are given priority over additional supply side measures.  

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between EUR 1 million and 1.5 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

2019:

The aim of the action is to deepen the demand side-related parameters in existing models and to include new aspects and data sources (e.g. by tapping DSOs modelling for forecasting of distributed loads). In general, it is to be expected that the introduction of smart meters and smart equipment will lead to more accurate consumption data providing for a more holistic mapping of the demand side and thus for better projections inside energy policy development and a more effective regulatory framework.

The action should complement the existing demand side energy models by developing multiple-agent energy models and/or modelling segments and/or developing methodologies on how to improve and enhance the demand side aspects in modelling.

These models and/or methodologies should: 

•be compatible with the energy models most commonly used at European level; 

•model more accurately those aspects not yet sufficiently considered in the existing models; 

•make use of new data sources, including big data as for example generated by smart meters, smart buildings and smart equipment; 

•identify and refine the structure and patterns of demand and how it will develop; 

•contribute to an enhanced demand-side model to be consistently used at European level.  

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between EUR 1 million and 2 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected Impact: 2018:

Actions are expected to support policies aiming to promote and implement the "energy efficiency first-principle" based on a sound assessment of the concept and its impacts. To this end, actions should lead to a better understanding of: 

•all relevant aspects linked to the "energy efficiency first-principle"; 

•its impacts (e.g. technical, economic, socio-economic, and ecological etc.) on the relevant sectors and markets; 

•its potential across the different policy areas and sectors; 

•its consideration and valorisation in modelling and assessments; and 

•its interaction with other policy objectives both at policy level (e.g. climate and renewable policies, circular economy) and at the level of concrete application (e.g. design of buildings).  

2019:

Proposals are expected to demonstrate the impacts listed below, using quantified indicators and targets wherever possible 

•More accurate and holistic mapping and modelling of the demand side and to a better assessment of energy consumption trends for different categories of economic agents. 

•More accurate follow-up of energy efficiency measures implemented at the demand side; 

•Better assessment of demand-side policy needs at European level.  

Type of Action: Research and Innovation action

LC-SC3-EE-16-2018-2019-2020 - Supporting public authorities to implement the Energy Union

Specific Challenge: The delivery of the Energy Union targets requires the full engagement of the public sector at all governance levels.

Local and regional public authorities have a crucial role in setting ambitious energy efficiency strategies, for instance in the framework of the Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy and Smart Cities & Communities or the Clean Energy for All islands initiative. The political commitment at local level should be enhanced and the focus should turn to implementation and effective monitoring of concrete energy efficiency solutions and actions, which can contribute to modernise and decarbonise the European economy. Synergies should be sought, whenever possible, with local and regional air quality plans  and air pollution control programmes  to reduce costs since these plans rely to a large extent on similar measures and actions .

Support should continue and be reinforced in building capacity of public authorities and empowering them to take up their role of energy transition leaders at regional and local level, by permanently improving their skills as public entrepreneurs and supporters of market transformation towards more efficient energy systems.

At national level, the Energy Efficiency Directive has triggered numerous positive developments in the Member States by setting targets to incentivise and enable investment in energy efficiency programmes across all sectors. However, Member States have yet to fully implement the Directive and additional support in building capacity and know-how is needed.

Scope: a) Support to local and regional public authorities

Proposers should aim to focus their proposed action on one of the following points:

•Deliver higher quality and consistency of energy efficiency measures implemented through enhanced coordination of different administrative levels. Actions should lead to politically approved and jointly applied monitoring and verification schemes of energy efficiency measures across local and regional authorities, enhanced and better coordination of the energy efficiency measures implemented and more efficient use of public spending in energy efficiency;

•Support public authorities in the development of transition roadmaps that clearly outline the path to the European long-term 2050 targets and inform the ongoing implementation of SEAPs/SECAPs or similar plans and the development of future plans/targets for 2030 and beyond. Actions should link closely to the Covenant of Mayors and/or Smart Cities and Communities initiatives;

•Innovative ways to enable public engagement in the energy transition, developing interface capacities within public authorities to engage with civil society;

•Deliver large-scale and action-oriented peer-to-peer learning programmes targeting cities and/or regions, with a strong replication potential European-wide. Proposals should develop transparent, effective and compelling programmes, building on existing initiatives and real needs and ensure embedded conditionalities such as institutionalisation of the skill base and impact monitoring. Programmes should deliver public entrepreneurs able to drive the sustainable energy transition in their respective territories within the Covenant Mayors and beyond. 

b) Supporting the delivery of the Energy Efficiency Directive

Support will be provided to actions that are assisting Member States to fulfil their obligations under the Energy Efficiency Directive and help with its efficient implementation taking into account existing effective practices and experiences from across Europe. Actions may address, for example, the harmonisation of energy savings calculations under Article 3, implementing Energy Efficiency Obligation Schemes or alternative measures and setting up effective and consistent monitoring and verification systems under Article 7 or the removal of barriers to higher efficiency of the generation, transmission, distribution systems including demand response under Article 15.

Proposals should link into existing, relevant initiatives such as ManagEnergy and target a specific sector with high energy saving potential such as buildings, transport mobility, heating and cooling, or water infrastructure operation etc., as seen relevant by applicants.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between EUR 1 and 1.5 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected Impact: Proposals are expected to demonstrate, depending on the scope addressed, the impacts listed below, using quantified indicators and targets wherever possible: 

•Primary energy savings, renewable energy production and investments in sustainable energy triggered in the territory of participating parties by the project (respectively in GWh/year and in million Euro); 

•Number of public officers with improved capacity/skills; 

•Number of policies influenced through the action; 

•Number of Member States with improved implementation of Art 7. (Energy Efficiency Obligation schemes or alternative measures) / Energy savings achieved through successfully implemented Energy Efficiency Obligation schemes or alternative policy measures; 

•Number of Members States with improved and consistent monitoring and verification systems for energy savings across governance levels.  

Type of Action: Coordination and support action

LC-SC3-EE-2-2018-2019 - Integrated home renovation services

Specific Challenge: Many project promoters – public authorities, individuals or businesses – lack the skills and capacity to set up, implement and finance ambitious low-energy and clean energy building projects. In addition, many project developers still face obstacles in raising the necessary up-front costs for their projects – particularly as the small-size of investments and the lack of turnkey solutions increase implementation cost – and lack access to attractive and adequate financing products from the market.

Scope: This topic aims at creating or replicating innovative local or regional "integrated home renovation services". The developed services should cover the whole "customer journey" from technical and social diagnosis, technical offer, contracting of works, structuring and provision of finance (e.g. loans or EPCs), to the monitoring of works and quality assurance. Such integrated services should be operational at the end of the project and create more demand for holistic approaches as a result of improved offer by trustful market operators and better awareness from homeowners. They should also support the streamlining of standards and practices into consistent and transparent processes investors can rely on, and by doing so help connect the supply of finance with demand for it.

Proposals should build upon the promising experiences of integrated renovation services emerging in Europe  and aim at developing / improving economically viable business models, ultimately running without the need for public subsidies.

Projects funded under this topic will optimise the services required along the renovation process (based on a thorough analysis of the local needs and actors in place), improve trust and awareness of homeowners towards such services, reduce renovation costs and time on-site through standardised approaches (e.g. optimized business processes, standardised contractual arrangements, , branding of the proposed services, …), mainstreaming innovative technical solutions adapted to the local context, help improve their legal and regulatory environment, and overall improve financing conditions for energy renovation.

The services can be developed through dedicated operators (new public or public/private entity or mandated private operator) and/or through an improved co-ordination between existing local actors.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between EUR 0.5 and 1.5 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected Impact: Proposals are expected to demonstrate the impacts listed below, using quantified indicators and targets wherever possible:

•Implementation and upscale of economically viable business models, ultimately running without the need for public subsidies. Data evidence made available to market actors. Proof of the replication of these initiatives by other market actors;

•Availability of adequate financing offer for integrated renovation services;

•Strong and trustworthy partnerships with local actors (e.g. SMEs, ESCOs, financial institutions, energy agencies, NGOs) and quality of the proposed services recognized by market actors;

•Development of large, locally-developed investment pipelines for home renovation, connecting the supply of finance with demand for it (in million Euro of investments within the first 5 years);

•Uptake of home energy renovation at local level and corresponding primary energy savings triggered (in GWh/year). 

Additional positive effects can be quantified and reported when relevant and wherever possible: 

•Reduction of the greenhouse gases emissions (in tCO2-eq/year) and/or air pollutants (in kg/year) triggered by the project.  

Type of Action: Coordination and support action

LC-SC3-EE-3-2019-2020 - Stimulating demand for sustainable energy skills in the construction sector

Specific Challenge: Based on results of the BUILD UP Skills initiative, in particular the National Qualification Platforms and Roadmaps, as well as the qualification and training schemes developed in various Member States, the challenge is now to act at market level and to support legislative changes that will stimulate the demand for energy skills.

The objective is to increase the number of skilled building professionals and/or blue collar workers across the building design, operation and maintenance value chain (designers, architects, engineers, building managers, technicians, installers, blue collar workers including apprentices, and other building professionals), with a specific focus on the engagement of SMEs. Recourse to skilled professionals/workers both for renovations and new constructions of buildings and district scale solutions should be made more attractive and easier for companies and home owners alike.

Scope: The focus of submitted proposals should be on the direct stimulation of demand for energy skills in construction. This is calling for the development, up-scaling and combination of a range of tools and initiatives, e.g.:

•Tools facilitating the mutual recognition of energy skills and qualifications in the construction sector: development of sustainable energy skills passports/registers for workers at regional/national level and support for their take up at EU level, mobile applications facilitating the comparison of workers' skills and qualifications between countries (e.g. by enabling the direct comparison of learning outcomes);

•National, regional or local initiatives raising awareness of home and building owners and tenants about the benefits of sustainable energy skills and providing financial incentives for renovations done using skilled workers/professionals;

•Support to public authorities for the development of new legislative frameworks, e.g. requirements for skilled workers in public procurement;

•Partnerships with producers and retailers of construction products (e.g. DIY stores) to raise awareness of the salesforce and of consumers about energy efficient products, skilled workers and good practice in construction/renovation;

•Initiatives reinforcing the link between skills/education and energy performance/quality of construction e.g. tools showing the reduction of the performance gap as result of an increase quality of the works. 

Proposals need to be focused and are not necessarily required to address the whole range of professions and crafts involved in the building sector. They may however consider the entire design chain (e.g. manufacturers). If the proposal addresses specifically design, material life cycles and embodied energy shall be considered. Adequate consideration should also be given to improved appreciation of the end user's needs including the quality of indoor environment (thermal and visual comfort, acoustics, air quality, etc.) as well as improved operation and maintenance.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between EUR 0.5 and 1 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected Impact: Proposals are expected to demonstrate, depending on the scope addressed, the impacts listed below using quantified indicators and targets wherever possible:

•Primary Energy savings triggered by the project (in GWh/year) Measurable energy savings and/or renewables production resulting from improved skills;

•Investments in sustainable energy triggered by the project (in million Euro);

•Increased number of certification schemes for energy efficiency skills;

•Improved mutual recognition of sustainable energy skills between Member States and neighbouring countries;

•Improved collaboration and understanding across different trades and professional groups;

•Increased market acceptance of sustainable energy skills;

•Legislative changes stimulating the demand for energy skilled construction workers/professionals;

•Demonstrated reduction in the gap between designed and actual energy performance through improved quality of construction. 

Additional positive effects can be quantified and reported when relevant and wherever possible: 

•Reduction of the greenhouse gases emissions (in tCO2-eq/year) and/or air pollutants (in kg/year) triggered by the project. 

Type of Action: Coordination and support action

LC-SC3-EE-4-2019-2020 - Upgrading smartness of existing buildings through innovations for legacy equipment

Specific Challenge: An essential part of Europe's clean energy transition is the changing role of buildings from energy consumers to actively controlling and optimising indoor environment while contributing to energy system flexibility by ensuring distributed energy generation from renewable energy sources, energy storage, facilitate smart charging of EVs, load reduction through energy efficiency and load shifting through demand response. Innovative technologies will enable smart buildings to interact with their occupants and the grid in real time and to manage themselves efficiently, so as to become an active element of the energy system. Intelligent and connected devices, sensors and controllers, supported by the development of new business models for new energy services, will create new opportunities for energy consumers.

Today in the EU, the existing building stock represents the main challenge for a more efficient energy use, in buildings as well as across the whole energy system. The smart readiness of buildings may evolve faster for devices and systems easily replaced and installed, than for other parts of the building's equipment such as HVAC and DHW systems etc. due to higher costs of replacement, longer lifecycles and difficulties related to the integration in buildings. This installed equipment remains highly relevant for buildings interactions with the energy system, making its upgrade to higher levels of smartness an essential step.

Scope: Proposals should develop and demonstrate cost-effective technological solutions to manage energy within existing buildings and interact with the grid providing energy efficiency, flexibility, generation and storage, based on user preferences and requests. These solutions should be aimed to upgrade existing buildings, either residential or tertiary, using automation and IT to offer new services and control to the building users, thereby improving their comfort and increasing their satisfaction.

Proposals should demonstrate how the smart systems, smart controls and smart appliances can be integrated seamlessly in existing buildings to interface and/or to control the major energy consuming domestic appliances that are already installed. These pilots should involve several types of domestic appliances and technical building systems with longer lifecycles (boilers, radiators, DHW preparation, motors for ventilation, windows opening and shading; lighting etc.) and with shorter lifecycles (dryers, washing machines, fridges, etc.), testing several types of control modes (ON/OFF, power modulation, etc.) possible for a given type of appliance. Recharging points for electric vehicles and other forms of energy storage should also be incorporated in the pilots. The proposed solutions should not adversely affect the original functionalities, product quality, lifetime, as well as warrantees of the appliances.

Proposals are expected to include clear business model development and a clear path to finance and deployment. Key partners should have the capability and interest in making the developed solution a core part of their business/service model to their clients.

Besides the pilot demonstrations, proposals should outline business models and strategies for the broad uptake of the proposed smart systems into specific building typologies in Europe and their integration with evolving electricity markets, e.g. dynamic pricing or other services and information offered by energy suppliers and/or aggregators. Integrations with other energy networks (e.g. DHC) can also be considered.

The solutions should focus on cost-effectiveness, interoperability and user-friendliness: easy installation and maintenance, maximising consumer comfort (e.g. self-learning) and information on own consumption (e.g. recommendations to the user in order to maximise savings) as well as on gains from its contribution to grid operation.

A realistic estimate should be provided on the total energy savings/year and on the impact of the innovations demonstrated in the project on the total power available for cost effective demand response actions. The projects should involve technology providers (e.g. manufacturers of appliances, movable envelope components, smart control/ home systems providers), energy services providers (aggregators and/or suppliers and/or ESCO's), user representatives, electricity system operators and other actors as relevant.

The activities are expected to be implemented at TRL 6-8 (please see part G of the General Annexes).

The Commission considers the proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between 3 to 4 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

This topic contributes to the roadmap of the Energy-efficient Buildings (EeB) cPPP.

Expected Impact: Proposals are expected to demonstrate the impacts listed below using quantified indicators and targets wherever possible:

•Primary Energy savings triggered by the project (in GWh/year);

•Investments in sustainable energy triggered by the project (in million Euro);

•Upgrade of existing buildings to higher smartness levels, including a significantly enlarged base of existing building equipment and appliances monitored by energy management systems and activated through demand response actions;

•Reduction in energy consumption and costs, exceeding the additional consumption from IT and its cost. 

Additional positive effects can be quantified and reported when relevant and wherever possible: 

•Reduction of the greenhouse gases emissions (in tCO2-eq/year) and/or air pollutants (in kg/year) triggered by the project. 

Type of Action: Innovation action

LC-SC3-EE-5-2018-2019-2020 - Next-generation of Energy Performance Assessment and Certification

Specific Challenge: Under the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive , all EU countries have established independent energy performance certification systems supported by independent mechanisms of control and verification. However, current practices and tools of energy performance assessment and certification applied across Europe face a number of challenges.

Assessment processes and certificates have to become more reliable, user-friendly, cost-effective, have comparable good quality and be compliant with EU legislation in order to instil trust in the market and incite investments in energy efficient buildings. They have to increasingly reflect the smart dimension of buildings and at the same time, facilitate convergence of quality and reliability of Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) across the EU. The building energy performance methodologies should also ensure a technology neutral approach, be transparently presented making use of International and European standards, in particular the ISO/CEN standards developed under Commission mandate M/480  aimed at enabling the presentation of national and regional choices on a comparable basis.

Next-generation energy performance assessment schemes will value buildings in a holistic and cost-effective manner across several complimentary dimensions: envelope performances, system performances and smart readiness (i.e. the ability of buildings to be smartly monitored and controlled and, to get involved in demand-side management strategies). The assessment should be based on an agreed list of parameters/indicators, such as e.g. calculated annual final energy use, share of renewable energy used, past (climate corrected) final energy consumptions and energy expenditure, comfort levels or the level of smartness. The assessment methods should increasingly take into account output measures of performance (actual measured data) making use of available and increasing number of building energy related data from sensors, smart meters, connected devices etc.. These new schemes should contribute to improving the effectiveness of certificates, by demonstrating how these could be strengthen, modernised and best linked to integrated national/regional certification schemes within a framework that aids compliance checking and effectiveness of financial support.

Scope: 2018 (Coordination and support action):

Proposals should involve relevant stakeholders (including national and regional certification bodies) to stimulate and enable the roll-out of next-generation of energy performance assessment and certification, with a view to achieve enhanced reliability, cost-effectiveness and compliance with relevant EU standards and the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive. Proposals should develop strategies to encourage convergence of EPC practices and tools across the EU so as to ensure a comparable level of high quality, independent control and verification. The applicability of assessment and the certification schemes should be assessed through a broad set of well-targeted and realistic cases, featuring various locations, building types, climatic conditions and field practices including existing national EPC schemes. The assessment will aim at demonstrating the potential of an EU-wide uptake of the proposed assessment and certification schemes, along well-defined criteria. Embedding the EPCs and their recommendations in broader concepts such as energy audits, wider-buildings related databases (e.g. national EPC databases, national housing surveys, EU Building Stock Observatory) and one-stop-shops including administrative, financial and supply side information and linking EPCs to related concepts such as buildings renovation passports, individual buildings renovation roadmaps or building logbooks should also be considered.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between EUR 1 and 2 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

2019 (Innovation action):

Proposals should address the definition and demonstration of innovative approaches for the assessment of building energy performance, focusing at first on the reliable assessment of building intrinsic performances (e.g. using inverse modelling) but working also towards output-based assessments using available building energy related data . Proposals should involve relevant stakeholders (including national and regional certification bodies). The proposed approaches should be more reliable as well as cost-effective and compliant with relevant EU standards , in order to allow for an EU-wide deployment. Such approaches should rely on the combination of existing and proven technology components (starting from TRL 6-7, please see part G of the General Annexes) with well-structured methodologies and protocols that can lead to the definition of new certification schemes. They could also consider implications when using EPCs in building passports and renovation roadmaps.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between EUR 2 and 2.5 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

This topic contributes to the roadmap of the Energy-efficient Buildings (EeB) cPPP.

Expected Impact: 2018 (Coordination and support action):

Proposals are expected to demonstrate, depending on the scope addressed, the impacts listed below using quantified indicators and targets wherever possible:

•Primary energy savings triggered by the project (in GWh/year);

•Investments in sustainable energy triggered by the project (in million Euro);

•Increased convergence of good quality and reliable energy performance assessment and certification and uptake and compliance with EU Directives and related standards;

•Increased rate of application and compliance of EPCs and independent control systems with the provisions of EU and national legislation, in a defined region;

•Increase of EPCs databases for compliance checking and verification, linking with financing schemes and building stock characteristics research etc. 

2019 (Innovation action):

Proposals are expected to demonstrate, depending on the scope addressed, the impacts listed below using quantified indicators and targets wherever possible:

•Improved user-friendliness of EPCs in terms clarity and accuracy of the information provided;

•Enhanced user awareness of building energy efficiency;

•Primary energy savings triggered by the project (in GWh/year);

•Investments in sustainable energy triggered by the project (in million Euro). 

Additional positive effects can be quantified and reported when relevant and wherever possible:

•Reduction of the greenhouse gases emissions (in tCO2-eq/year) and/or air pollutants (in kg/year) triggered by the project. 

Type of Action: Coordination and support action, Innovation action

LC-SC3-EE-6-2018-2019-2020 - Business case for industrial waste heat/cold recovery

Specific Challenge: Energy and fuels represent an important part of the production costs in several Resource and Energy Intensive Industries (REII). While a lot of technical progress has already been done in REII to reduce the energy consumption of the main industrial processes, significant parts of the input-energy are still lost in the form of waste heat/cold by gas, liquid or solid streams. Wide-scale deployment of industrial waste heat/cold recovery is hindered, among others, by the lack of financial/ economic justification for the required equipment and, at times, by the limited industrial applicability (i.e. process re-integration). Often, it is forgotten that directly or after an intermediate transformation step, the sources of heat/cold losses of a given industry can be a valuable resource for other industries and buildings/ District Heating and Cooling operators and that they could be of commercial interest for the waste heat/cold producer.

Scope: 2018 (Innovation action):

Cost-benefit models for industrial waste heat/cold recovery:

Proposals should develop integrated cost-benefit simulation tools that, based on the characterization of processes, heat/cold streams and other relevant variables, can determine the best utilisation options of recovered waste heat/cold and/ or surplus renewable energy from industrial and eventual other sources (when available). Proposals should also consider the possibility to contribute to efficient use/system integration of renewable energy sources through e.g. heat/cold storage and flexible production.

The proposals are expected to put forward simulation tools that would allow industrial sites/parks to determine the most financial attractive option for using their recovered waste heat/cold and/or surplus renewable energy. This should be based on, inter-alia, waste heat/cold recovery (and storage if necessary) costs (including equipment and process adaptation), retail and/ or whole sale energy prices, (new contracts) administrative and legal costs, (external connecting) infrastructure costs, internal and external demand, waste heat/cold as source of flexibility in electricity system. Other relevant variables should also be included, inter-alia, characterisation of barriers and opportunities on the DHC side (e.g. competition with other heat/cold sources, thermal storage, regulatory conditions). The simulation tools are expected to be flexible enough to allow a large number of different types of industrial sites/ parks to use it, i.e. should allow many energy intensive process characterizations irrespective of the industrial sector and geographic location, and should also take into account supply-demand dynamics.

The simulation tools should be validated through demonstration in real operating conditions in industrial facilities.

Proposals are expected to include clear business model development and a clear path to finance and deployment. Key partners should have the capability and interest in making the developed solution a core part of their business/service model to their clients.

Proposals are expected to look at relevant business models for the collaboration outside the plant/industrial park and have strong communication and dissemination components in order to reach many industries, large private facilities and public authorities.

This topic contributes to the roadmap of the Sustainable Process Industry through Resource and Energy Efficiency (SPIRE) cPPP.

The activities are expected to be implemented in the range of TRL 4-8 (please see part G of the General Annexes).

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between EUR 3 and 4 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

2019 (Coordination and support action):

Symbiosis in industrial parks and clusters- non-technological barriers

Proposals should improve the energy efficiency of industrial parks districts and clusters by unlocking the market potential and supporting the demand and offer of high-quality energy services by addressing at least one of the following:

•The development and testing of instruments facilitating, at customer/ business level, the actual implementation of energy cooperation such as setting up appropriate process and business organisation, operation and plant design, cooperation mechanisms, related contractual and financial arrangements, better planning, good practices. Proposals need to include capacity building activities such as skills development and engagement of senior and executive management (e.g., CEO, CFO, energy managers) of companies from industrial parks and other related stakeholders.

•The development and testing of replicable business models and service concepts, at service provider level (i.e. ESCOs or other relevant 3rd party organisations such as DHC operators), for joint energy services such as identification of horizontal energy services attractive for businesses, identification of the most relevant innovative technical solutions, setting up contractual and financial arrangements, best practices, cost-reduction models. Proposals need to include capacity building activities such as sharing skills, know-how and specific expertise of ESCOs or other 3rd party organisations that would boost the market uptake for such joint energy services contracting in industrial parks. 

This topic contributes to the roadmap of the Sustainable Process Industry through Resource and Energy Efficiency (SPIRE) cPPP.

Proposals need to also address legal issues in order to adapt regulatory and legal frameworks at local, regional and national level. Issues related to the sustainability of the proposed symbiosis in case one or more of the involved parties are changing activity (including leaving the park) should be taken into account. Proposals are expected to ensure applicability of the solutions to other industrial parks/ business sectors while strong communication and dissemination components will be needed in order to reach many industries, industrial park managers and ESCOs.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between EUR 1 and 2 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected Impact: 2018 (Innovation action):

Proposals are expected to demonstrate the impacts listed below, using quantified indicators and targets wherever possible:

•Accurate prediction and holistic modelling of industrial waste heat/cold and/or surplus renewable energy from industrial or other sources from different geographical and market settings;

•Better impact of the various factors/ variables on the cost-benefits of industrial waste heat/cold and/or surplus renewable energy from industrial or other sources;

•Valorisation in assessments of cost-benefit of industrial waste heat/cold and/or surplus renewable energy from industrial and eventual other sources;

•Number of industrial sectors/ sites/ parks, public authorities (including energy agencies), large private facilities (e.g. sport and shopping centres, non-energy intensive industrial parks) and DHC operators aware, interested and supporting the implementation of waste heat/cold and/or surplus renewable energy from industrial and eventual other sources recovery/use for process re-integration or commercial use, depending on the outcome of the simulations;

•Primary energy savings triggered by the project (in GWh/year);

•Investments in sustainable energy triggered by the project (in million Euro). 

Additional positive effects can be quantified and reported when relevant and wherever possible: 

•Reduction of the greenhouse gases emissions (in tCO2-eq/year) and/or air pollutants (in kg/year) triggered by the project. 

2019 (Coordination and support action):

Proposals are expected to demonstrate, depending on the scope addressed, the impacts listed below, using quantified indicators and targets wherever possible:

•Primary energy savings triggered by the project (in GWh/year);

•Investments in sustainable energy triggered by the project (in million Euro);

•Number of (operational and organisational separated) plant sites (within one industrial park) and the number of industrial parks where businesses commit to energy cooperation;

•Number of relevant stakeholders (e.g., ESCOs, industrial park managers) aware of and/or interested in/ implementing joint energy services;

•Number of policies and legal frameworks created and/ or adapted to facilitate energy cooperation among businesses. 

Additional positive effects can be quantified and reported when relevant and wherever possible: 

•Reduction of the greenhouse gases emissions (in tCO2-eq/year) and/or air pollutants (in kg/year) triggered by the project. 

Type of Action: Innovation action, Coordination and support action

LC-SC3-EE-8-2018-2019 - Capacity building programmes to support implementation of energy audits

Specific Challenge: The Energy Efficiency Directive, in its art.8, requires Member States to develop programmes encouraging SMEs to undergo energy audits and to implement the recommended energy-saving measures. SMEs represent enormous energy saving potential. However, the lack of expertise, time and capital, including energy audit supporting scheme, often prevents SMEs from implementing energy conversation measures or from getting access to the energy services market.

The effectiveness of energy audit recommendations is influenced by people's behaviours and the improvement of enterprises' energy cultures. The availability of reliable energy consumption data is of utmost importance to monitor the impact of energy saving measures and behaviours. The actions should lead SMEs to become fully aware of the multiple benefits resulting from energy audits as well as facilitating their actual implementation. Moreover, capacity building programmes should also support implementation of the recommended energy-saving measures both for small and large enterprises.

Scope: Proposals should focus on one, or more, of the following issues: 

•Staff trainings and capacity buildings programmes, facilitating SMEs to undergo energy audits and to implement the recommended energy-saving measures, shall be developed according to SMEs specificities (size, sectors, lifetime of the company etc.) and highlighting the financial aspects. Programmes should aim at bridging the gap between demand and supply side (SMEs, auditors, finance institutions, managing authorities of supporting schemes). An active participation of both managerial and operational staff must be ensured. The proposed solution should be tailored to national/local conditions in order to ensure the effective uptake by the SMEs. 

•Capacity building to support the take-up of audits recommendations and undertake the actions necessary to reduce energy consumption (maintenance or investments in new equipment but possibly also behavioural actions) in the companies required to undergo energy audits (large enterprises). Development and implementation of corporate policy measures involving all actors (from decision makers/corporate board members to employees in each department) willing to undertake more efficient energy-related actions (motivations, behaviour change, mitigation of perceived risks and barriers). Evaluation of the total costs of building investments, in terms of financial, environmental and health impact. 

•Initiatives supporting Member States in empowering or establishing national supporting schemes for SMEs providing appropriate incentives to undergo energy audits and/or to implement the recommended energy-saving measures.  

Proposals should demonstrate how the proposed activities will be continued commercially beyond the project lifetime. Involvement of relevant multiplier organisations is also encouraged.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between EUR 1 and 2 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected Impact: Proposals are expected to demonstrate, depending on the scope addressed, the impacts listed below using quantified indicators and targets wherever possible:

•Primary energy savings triggered by the project (in GWh/year);

•Investments in sustainable energy triggered by the project (in million Euro);

•Market stakeholders with increased skills/capability/competencies (to be measured in number of people with increased capacity) and long-lasting training schemes;

•Number of people/enterprises with enhanced energy culture documenting why and how changes are an effect of particular measures taken as consequence of energy audits, as well in terms of the sustainability of the behavioural change;

•Policies and strategies created/adapted at national level (to be measured in number of initiatives/actions taken to improve/create audit supporting schemes and/or number of SMEs supported in the implementation of energy audit). 

Additional positive effects can be quantified and reported when relevant and wherever possible: 

•Reduction of the greenhouse gases emissions (in tCO2-eq/year) and/or air pollutants (in kg/year) triggered by the project. 

Type of Action: Coordination and support action

LC-SC3-EE-9-2018-2019 - Innovative financing for energy efficiency investments

Specific Challenge: There is a need to set up innovative financing schemes at regional or national level in order to create the conditions for adequate supply of private finance for energy efficiency investments. Innovative financing schemes for energy efficiency aim to progressively maximise the leverage ratio of public funds to private finance. This is in line with the "Smart Finance for Smart Buildings"  initiative that aims at using public funds more effectively.

Scope: Proposals should address the development or replication and implementation of innovative financing schemes for energy efficiency investments. They can involve different types of organisations, ownership structures and financing models such as dedicated credit lines; guarantee facilities; factoring/forfaiting schemes; on-bill (e.g. utility-financed) or on-tax financing schemes; citizen financing (e.g. crowd-funding) for energy efficiency; finance models for the deep renovation of buildings, addressing both property and rental markets; finance models for different industry sectors and cross-sectorial initiatives; financing solutions integrating existing market-based instruments relevant for energy efficiency (e.g. carbon finance instruments, including those under the European Emissions Trading System; energy efficiency obligations, including white certificates; etc.); or schemes based on project aggregators or clearing houses at regional or national level, which should support project development and match demand and supply of energy efficiency finance. These schemes should address the provision of finance as well as the structuring of demand, in particular at regional/national level, and target specific areas (e.g. energy-intensive industries, buildings etc.). Proposals should justify how the proposed schemes complement already available funding and how they are tailored and innovative for the targeted regions and market segments; as well as clearly demonstrate the market potential, as well as business case and financial viability of the scheme (including investment sizes targeted, expected savings, transaction and management costs, expected returns etc.).

Proposals should address one or more of the following points:

•Establishment of new innovative, operational financing schemes;

•Replication of previously successful solutions e.g. developed and implemented under various project development assistance (PDA) facilities under the Horizon 2020 and Intelligent Energy Europe programmes (including MLEI PDA or ELENA);

•Establishment of regional/national aggregators which are able to develop large (standardized) project pipelines;

•Creation of EU or regional/national energy efficiency investment roundtables/platforms to organise dialogue with and between the relevant stakeholders and (among others) develop roadmaps, propose improvements in the legal frameworks and develop and validate template documents and contracts leading to a better understanding of the market. Proposals should include a clear action plan to communicate across Europe towards potential replicators. 

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between EUR 1 and 1.5 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected Impact: Proposals are expected to demonstrate, depending on the scope addressed, the impacts listed below, using quantified indicators and targets wherever possible:

•Primary energy savings triggered by the project (in GWh/year);

•Investments in sustainable energy triggered by the project (in million Euro);

•Delivery of innovative financing schemes that are operational and ready to finance energy efficiency investments;

•Regional/national aggregators with demonstrated/traceable capacity to set up large-scale pipeline of (standardized) sustainable energy investments (in terms of number of and/or amount of investment);

•EU or regional/national energy efficiency investment roundtables/platforms providing a comprehensive range of support and/or services to facilitate access to energy efficiency finance. 

Additional positive effects can be quantified and reported when relevant and wherever possible: 

•Reduction of the greenhouse gases emissions (in tCO2-eq/year) and/or air pollutants (in kg/year) triggered by the project. 

Type of Action: Coordination and support action

DT-ART-03-2019 - Human centred design for the new driver role in highly automated vehicles

Type of Action: RIA (Research and Innovation action)

Project size: 4-8 M€

Specific Challenge:

Significant research efforts are addressing driver performance and behaviour in automated driving conditions still requiring the driver to be prepared to assume control (SAE automation level 3 and lower). In highly automated driving conditions (SAE automation level 4) the role of the driver will change dramatically since driver intervention is not required during defined use cases. This means that during a single trip there will be a coexistence of different automated driving functions demanding various degrees of human attention. When a vehicle is in highly automated driving mode the driver may take on different behaviours. Solutions need to be developed and they have to ensure both a safe transfer between use cases with different automation levels and that drivers always have a very clear understanding about the degree of automation enabled in each situation.

Scope:

Proposals for research and innovation should focus on the design of safe human-machine interfaces for vehicles with highly automated driving functions and the safe and controlled transfer between use cases of different SAE automation levels (between level 4 to/from levels 3 or 2) for all types of drivers.

The proposed actions should include all of the following aspects:  

•Research to characterise driver roles in SAE automation level 4 situations and for the transition between use cases with different automation levels. Upgrade of comprehensive models for driver behaviour/reaction, awareness, readiness and monitoring. Driver generational effects, considering in particular variations in IT usage experience and age, but also other cultural factors should be taken into account.  

•Impact assessment methods, especially for safety aspects, based on these models. The new relationship between driver and vehicle (mutual cooperation or even handover rather than continuous control) should be reflected, also considering the variety of activities a driver may engage in while the vehicle is in charge. Use cases where an operator controls the vehicle remotely may be included.  

•Develop easily understood solutions making it clear to the driver what is the operational capability (authority) of the automated mode or modes currently enabled, as well as ensuring safe and reliable function (re-)allocation and corresponding driver/operator readiness. Driver control handover, driver/operator state and impairment are among the aspects that should be considered and the intended driver reaction should be secured.  

•Demonstration of concept functionality in real world situations with various use cases and driving environments where automated systems receive and give back control from/to the driver. 

Proposed actions should build on the knowledge and results of ongoing projects addressing human machine interactions of automated driving systems.

In line with the Union's strategy for international cooperation in research and innovation, international cooperation is encouraged. In particular, proposals should consider cooperation with projects or partners from the US, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, and/or Australia. Proposals should foresee twinning with entities participating in projects funded by US DOT to exchange knowledge and experience and exploit synergies.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU between EUR 4 to 8 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected Impact:

•  Innovative solutions, concepts and algorithms for a safe human-machine interface of highly automated driving functions and for safe and controlled transfer between use cases of different automation levels.  

•Reduction of risks for driver behaviour related incidents by ensuring that drivers/operators are adequately alerted, made aware and engaged when the highly automated vehicle encounters situations or use cases that it cannot handle and thus will turn to lower automation levels.  

•The research will help achieve the European Transport White Paper "Vision Zero" objective by preventing road accidents caused by human errors. Once on the market the developed concepts and solutions will also contribute to Sustainable Development Goal 3 (Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages; in particular goal 3.6. "By 2020, halve the number of global deaths and injuries from road traffic accidents"). 

DT-ART-04-2019 - Developing and testing shared, connected and cooperative automated vehicle fleets in urban areas for the mobility of all

Type of Action: IA (Innovation action)

Project size: 15-30 M€

Specific Challenge:

Shared, connected and cooperative automated vehicles may become a game changer for urban mobility. They can provide seamless door to door mobility of people and freight delivery services, which can lead to healthier, more accessible, greener and more sustainable cities, as long as they are integrated in an effective public transport system. Since a few years the development of shared automated vehicle pilots are emerging around the world. Today, most of these pilots are small-scale and involve either on-demand ride services or low-speed shuttles operating in controlled environments. In order to accelerate the uptake of high quality and user oriented mobility services, based on shared, connected and cooperative automated vehicles, there is a need for demonstrating these services in real life conditions to test the performance, safety and viability of these systems and services and to prove that they are attractive for and accepted by users. Furthermore, the potential impacts on reducing CO2 emissions and pollutants, safety and overall transport system costs need to be assessed. 

Scope:

The proposed actions should include all the following aspects:  

•Thorough analysis of new, emerging business/operating models and related technologies for shared, connected and cooperative automated vehicle fleets that are complementing existing high-capacity public transportation systems.  

•Design innovative shared, connected, cooperative and automated vehicle concepts (road vehicles at SAE level 4 and higher) and the associated new business/operating models addressing user and customer needs, including cultural aspects, for mobility of people and/or delivery of goods. Specific user needs in different regional and operating environments and for different user groups, e.g. elderly, children and users with disabilities should be considered and attractiveness and acceptability by all users should be ensured. The potential of combining automated urban delivery and people transportation should be addressed.  

•Test robustness, reliability and safety of shared highly automated vehicle fleets that are operating in semi-open or open environments focusing on the interaction with other road users, including pedestrians, cyclists and public transport systems. The fleets should consist of electrified vehicles. Synergies with advanced energy efficient, smart and multimodal mobility concepts should be actively developed. Fleet management should include operational optimisation as well as energy management. Fleet tests should consider the entire "functional urban area" and explicitly include feeder services and other collective transport options in peri-urban and low-density urban areas.  

•Vehicles should use connectivity technologies to allow communication and cooperation between vehicles, infrastructure and with other road users and to enable automated, smart mobility services, innovative fleet management concepts and higher performance of automated vehicle functions. Proposals should make the best use of EGNOS and Galileo which significantly improve the vehicle positioning availability and reliability. The development of solutions for the next generation of cooperative services  by efficiently combining C-ITS and automation for smart, smooth, safe and efficient traffic flows (including the development and testing of "open message definitions" for all C-ITS stakeholders) would be an asset.  

•Identify and provide for the needs of vulnerable road users (including their potential re-definition to include non-connected users, out-of-position passengers in automated cars, cyclists, pedestrians, etc.) resulting from this new automated/mixed environment (use of standard & highly automated vehicles).  

•Develop architecture, functional and technical requirements for ICT technologies, for secure data collection and processing needed for the operation of connected and cooperative automated vehicles. Develop ways to enhance the optimised use of big data in (road) transport for implementing smart and safe mobility solutions, innovative traveller services and (city) traffic management.  

•Fulfil all security requirements to protect the shared automated vehicles to any threats and avoid any conscious manipulations of the information enabling automated driving.  

•Assess and demonstrate benefits of the pilot implementation on energy efficiency, traffic flow, safety, user appreciation etc, based on holistic modelling solutions. 

In line with the Union's strategy for international cooperation in research and innovation, international cooperation is encouraged. In particular, proposals should consider cooperation with projects or partners from the US, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, and/or Australia. Proposals should foresee twinning with entities participating in projects funded by US DOT to exchange knowledge and experience and exploit synergies.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU between EUR 15 and 30 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected Impact:

Proposals will test the overall mobility impact, in particular, how shared mobility solutions using connected and cooperative automated vehicles can contribute to a more sustainable, inclusive, and safe mobility system and help residents of a city/region (in particular less mobile persons, elderly and children) to increase mobility and improve urban freight transport efficiency. Proposed actions will help to reduce the total number of passenger cars and goods km in cities, overall CO2 and air pollutant emissions and energy consumption. They will improve market opportunities for SME's and new-entrants by addressing and developing innovative cross-sector business models. Actions will create strategic partnering opportunities between public agencies and the private sector for developing sustainable and scalable business models. They will also support the accelerated deployment of electrified vehicles for shared automated mobility services and integrated strategies for a smart and multi-modal mobility system and urban development, including land use and ITS and infrastructure development.

LC-GV-03-2019 - User centric charging infrastructure

Type of Action: IA (Innovation action)

Project size: 8-15 M€

Specific Challenge: The market share of full electric vehicles is still low in many European member states. Several reasons have been identified for this. Charging infrastructure is considered as one of the central reasons when the urban model does not allow for widespread garage availability, or when frequent long range travel is involved. Currently most EV owners have their own garage and live in peri-urban areas.

Innovative solutions need to be evaluated and developed to allow EV drivers to have a similar or even better mobility experience than with conventional fossil fuel vehicles in terms of availability, convenience, performance and costs of the necessary charging infrastructure. At the same time, the infrastructure should not affect the noise environment around them, in order not to create resistance to their installation in urban contexts.

In the longer term, electric roads can be considered for further streamlining the user experience and optimising vehicle design, starting from urban and peri-urban applications such as bus, taxi and LDV lanes, for later extension to extra-urban applications.

The challenge will be to support the accelerated deployment of recharging infrastructure, on one hand a slow charging one for cities with low garage availability, on the other to support occasional ultrafast charging for long range travel. The responsible stakeholders need to be incentivized to take clear steps for a wide availability of charging points and to improve the conditions for a broad market acceptance in the electrification of transport.

Scope: Proposals will have to address all following technical areas including demonstration of the final solutions and their interoperability in multiple cities and TEN-T transnational road links:  

•Analysis of subjective perception of charging options and identification of decision influences and concerns of users. The results should provide the basis for strategies or solutions to encourage or incentivize users of different social groups to overcome acceptance barriers in order to accelerate widespread usage of EVs.  

•Attractive and convenient charging infrastructure access with connected vehicle systems avoiding waiting times (through for instance, charging facility reservation and scheduling, integration with route planning of multiple vehicles). User preferences like use of renewable energy and avoidance of frequent handling of heavy cables have to be considered. Automated conductive or wireless solutions are expected with highly reliable and interoperable devices. Test methods need to be further optimized, for instance to assess interoperability. Optionally, further extension of the developed stationary wireless charging technology towards urban and periurban "electric road" applications, with the aim of creating an installed base of wireless-ready vehicles to provide the critical mass needed for the deployment of electrified roads at a later stage.  

•Transparent, flexible and interconnected payment systems for maximum availability of the charging infrastructure also for drivers who do not regularly use the same car (company/family sharing, commercial car sharing, rental cars, …) or travel across Europe.  

•User survey about parking habits, considering for instance how much time is spent at a given location; what type of services are needed or expected during charging; how should the future charging station look like.  

•Improvement of the currently deployed or planned superfast charging systems according to the previous survey to convince all car owners of the advantages of electric mobility including a sufficient convenience for long trips. All technical possibilities for optimization, both on the vehicle (like temperature preconditioning), or for energy demand rationalisation (e.g. local renewable power support for solar panels, battery storage for peak shaving and other grid services, demand control by interconnected route management systems for incoming vehicles while taking into account the electricity grid availability and voltage and frequency control constraints in real-time) need to be taken into account.  

•Scalable charging infrastructure for ramp-up of expected electric mobility needs in terms of power levels and number of charging posts at one site, adequately managing the impact on the grid.  

•Cheap low power DC-Charging for highly efficient connection to future home and office energy systems based on DC-Networks with possibility of V2G by smartening the link between vehicle, charging infrastructure and the grid.  

•Low power DC-charging for LEV’s in combination with theft-proof parking for two-wheelers.  

•Analysis of market models, regulatory and harmonization recommendations to foster the deployment of EV charging infrastructure in all member states of the EU. Demand control also for slow charging in public or private parking garages shall be enabled by standardized communication to remove barriers of electricity installations in existing apartment blocks and garages considering smart grid implications.  

•Development of planning methods to optimize the location of charging sites, taking in consideration user needs and habits (volume of EVs in the area, type of mobility needs, accessibility to charging points, traffic volume, …) as well as time and costs associated to the availability and reinforcement of the necessary electricity network with easy scalability according to the different stages of EV penetration. Analysis and cost effective solutions for specific cases like availability of infrastructure in isolated mountain or seaside locations, or for special events, where high peak demand is associated with short periods of use. Consideration for local storage benefits in the different cases studied. 

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU between EUR 8 and 15 million depending on the level of involved demonstration would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected Impact: 

•  Wide user acceptance beyond early adopters, urban users and garage parkers;  

•Foster investors to invest in charging infrastructure;  

•Determine legal gaps which slow down infrastructure expansion and propose solutions;  

•Develop test methods and set up procedures to improve interoperability issues of vehicle-to-charger and charger-to-infrastructure communication;  

•Facilitate grid integration of high-power chargers;  

•Improve and standardize charging solutions and payment systems for LEVs for price reduction and higher market acceptance in urban environments. 

LC-GV-04-2019 - Low-emissions propulsion for long-distance trucks and coaches

Type of Action: IA (Innovation action)

Project size: 20-25 M€

Specific Challenge: Long-distance transport is a main consumer of energy and contributor to CO2 and air pollutant emissions in Europe, and requires specific attention due to very high demand on efficiency, dependability, reliability and cost. This topic considers heavy-duty trucks and bus-coaches in long-distance operation, and the challenge will be to reduce their energy consumption, CO2 ,regulated and non-regulated emissions (to anticipate future legislation and emerging issues such as extremely fine nanoparticles) through multi–technology vehicles operated on a mix of alternative and renewable fuels as well as recuperated heat and regenerated and externally supplied electricity.

Scope: Proposals will have to address all the following technical areas:  

•Sub-systems and component concepts including electro-hybrid drives, optimized ICEs and after-treatment systems for alternative and renewable fuels, electric motors, smart auxiliaries, energy storage and power electronics, suitable for real life operation under different mission conditions  

•Concepts for connected and digitalized fleet management, predictive maintenance and operation in relation to electrification where appropriate to maximise the emissions reduction potential.  

•Implementation of required adaptations in VECTO accordingly to facilitate early take-up of the innovations. 

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU between EUR 20 and 25 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected Impact: 

•  The internal combustion engine performance shall be further enhanced to reach a peak thermal efficiency target of 50%  

•Reduction of CO2 emissions based on new ICEs optimized (where sufficiently large benefits can be demonstrated) for different combinations using alternative and renewable fuels with additional energy savings using heat recuperation or plug-in hybrid. Emissions with high global warming potential will have to be taken into account in the total CO2 equivalent emissions target and methodologies to introduce such emissions in VECTO devised accordingly.  

•A total energy saving, excluding the effect of alternative fuels and plug-in electricity, of at least 10% with respect to the best in class conventional vehicle of 2018 (according to the ongoing monitoring exercise) is targeted at calculated vehicle level VECTO results, validated by propulsion system measurements  

•30% reduction of NOx, CO and hydrocarbons in an extended range of environmental conditions  

•Reduction of unregulated components (N02, N20, NH3, CH4 for NG powertrains, PN measured with a lower threshold of 10nm  

•Reduction of noise in environmental zones in electric modes  

•Implementation of needed simulation methodologies in VECTO. 

LC-GV-05-2019 - InCo flagship on “Urban mobility and sustainable electrification in large urban areas in developing and emerging economies”

Type of Action: IA (Innovation action)

Project size: 15-18 M€

Specific Challenge: Climate change, energy security and local air pollution are some of the key questions for the 21st century. Urban areas in developing and emerging countries are major driving factors in growing global energy demand and Greenhouse Gas emissions. 

Although cities cover only 2% of the earth's surface, 50% of the world’s population lives in cities, but they are responsible for three-quarters of the global energy consumption as well as approximately 80% of the global greenhouse gas emissions. While the trend towards urbanisation and the associated increase of personal and freight transport creates massive challenges, in particular in developing and emerging economies, it also offers the unique opportunity to shape energy use especially in the transport and urban form towards a low carbon pathway. Moving towards sustainable mobility will also help addressing urban congestion, access to jobs and public services, and local air pollution.

This is why urbanisation requires integrated mobility solutions that bring together technology opportunities with local and national policy, including land use and mobility planning. Efficient transport and mobility, based on a balanced mix of public and private transport and dependent on the characteristics of each city, is and will continue to be the backbone of cities’ growth and competitiveness. 

Whereas environmental issues are very high on urban mobility agendas, the importance of transport in urban social and economic structures is often neglected in discussions. All three aspects of urban sustainability must be treated with equal importance and have to be examined in parallel. 

Scope: Actions should bring together European, Asian (e.g. China), CELAC (Community of Latin American and Caribbean States) and African research partners, government agencies and urban authorities, private sector and civil society with relevant expertise and competence within the corresponding cooperation framework and foster participatory engagement in urban electrification in order to reduce air pollution and CO2 emissions. All types of vehicle are considered under this topic (powered 2 wheelers, cars, buses, trucks and LDV).

Proposals should address all of the following activities:  

•  Development of a toolbox for advanced management strategies towards a more efficient private and public electric mobility: E-mobility management strategies, focusing on smart deployment and operation of vehicles, in particular electrified vehicle, to increase mobility and energy efficiency, emission reduction and user acceptance of electrified vehicles         

o  A smart and cooperative management of the vehicle in urban operation, (intermodal route planning, ecorouting eco-driving charging and parking infrastructure availability…).    

o  Deployment and operation of infrastructure use charging infrastructure (conventional and wireless) and network, availability of parking places. Adaptation and integration of existing/ adapted vehicles of different types if necessary.    

o  Efficient integration of the operations of different electrified road public transport, from e-bike to bus rapid transit ( e- BRT) including mini-buses, taxi and mobility services on demand through smart navigation and routing, coordinated traffic management, demand-responsive service and dispatching   

•  Comparative demonstrations activities and pilots in cities in Europe, Asia, African and/or CELAC countries: Innovative concepts for electrified road public transport (passenger and freight), jointly designed through International Partnerships as a contribution to a wider sustainable mobility concept, from the perspective of a seamless mobility, taking in account the acceptance of users (travellers or freight operator). Comparative demonstrations activities and pilots (in European and Chinese’s Cities, African, CELAC countries) of such jointly designed concepts developed by local partners.   

•  Implementation concepts to scale up the demonstration activities. Evaluation of the relative outputs and accordingly the development of implementation concepts to scale up the demonstration activities and exploration of the sustainable mobility planning in the city transformation process :        

o  Sustainable planning of city and transportation infrastructure: link city planning with policy discussion and implementation solutions and city goals and with any Air Quality Plans 

o  Dedicated plans for financing solutions, including public and private operations.    

o  Regional and international replication conditions to reach out to a larger number of cities and countries   

Cooperation and synergies with ongoing activities undertaken with international initiatives such as Decarbonising Transport (International Transport Forum) and the Urban Electric Mobility Initiative (UN-Habitat) and other joint initiatives of European Member States international cooperation initiatives and the European Commission (e.g. Mobilise Your City) should be sought where appropriate.

In line with the strategy for EU international cooperation in research and innovation , international cooperation is encouraged.

Applicants are invited to read the eligibility and admissibility conditions for this topic.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU in the range of EUR 15 and 18 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected Impact: Proposals are expected to contribute to:  

•  Capability to quantify the potential reduction of greenhouse gas and pollutant emissions as well as traffic congestion, by demonstrating improvements that can be achieved with new urban mobility systems and electrification, for each stakeholder in the value chain (in line with the objectives set by the COP21 and the New Urban Agenda)   

•  Reference models of the mobility system to provide a basis in order to assess the ability to replicate sustainable concepts by demonstrating the short- and long-term benefit for the stakeholders involved, and especially considering the relevant boundary conditions (i.e infrastructure, vehicle, usage needs and patterns, governance, financing schemes, urban organisation, etc) and how the result contributes to key EU policy goals ( including climate goals and competitiveness of European industry   

•  A basis for strengthening the collaboration of the European Union with Asia (e.g. China, India, etc), Latin America (CELAC) and Africa, which also offers both a common starting point for common future legislative efforts, as well a favourable setting for new business opportunities for innovative local and European entrepreneurs.  

LC-MG-1-10-2019 - Logistics solutions that deal with requirements of the 'on demand economy' and for shared-connected and low-emission logistics operations

Type of Action: RIA (Research and Innovation action)

Project size: 2-4 M€

Specific Challenge:

Urban, metropolitan and peri-urban areas are experiencing a huge increase in demand for new logistics solutions that deal with the requirements of the 'on demand economy' and incorporate opportunities for shared, connected and low-emission logistics operations. Research is needed on how to prioritize and combine a number of competing interests from the private side and public (policy) side.

Scope:

Proposals should address all of the following aspects:  

•Developing value cases for integrated systems of logistics/ freight operations in urban, metropolitan and peri-urban areas, such as TEN-T urban nodes and consolidation centres in urban areas.  

•Addressing (and planning for) the integration of low-emission, and possibly connected (automated) delivery vehicles (e.g. cargobikes, drones) in urban logistics. 

In line with the Union's strategy for international cooperation in research and innovation international cooperation is encouraged. 

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between EUR 2 to 4 million each would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected Impact:

Actions will result in a clear understanding of cost effective (non-vehicle technology based) strategies, measures and tools to achieve essentially zero emission city logistics in major European urban centres by 2030.

Actions will deliver new tested, demonstrated practices and solutions for better cooperation between suppliers, shippers and urban/regions policy makers (planners). These actions should clearly provide inputs for the preparation and implementation of sustainable urban logistics plans (SULPs) and/or SUMPs and other planning (private and public side) tools, such as big data and real-time traffic management.

LC-MG-1-5-2019 - Advancements in aerodynamics and innovative propulsion systems for quieter and greener aircrafts

Type of Action: RIA (Research and Innovation action)

Project size: 3-5 M€

Specific Challenge:

Significant progress has been done recently in terms of environmental emission (including noise) by the development of Ultra High Pressure Ratio and Ultra High By-Pass Ratio engines. Technology assessments based on the turbofan engine configuration are indicating that there is still remarkable potential inherent in the turbofan engine configuration to be realised to further reduce gaseous and noise emissions. However, as far as noise is considered it is necessary to address the interaction between engines and aerodynamics surface and the engines interaction in aircraft architecture for a better assessment of the gain in term of noise reduction. This is necessary for the above mentioned advanced engines soon available but even more for future aircraft architecture displaying distributed propulsion or closer engine/wing integration.

Scope:

In order to substantially decrease the noise and environmental impact of aviation, in parallel to advances in propulsion technologies, the quest for a full understanding of the noise source mechanism (for example associated with the laminar-to-turbulent flow transition, fully turbulent flow regime, high lift devices, landing gears, etc) remains open especially for future aircraft configurations adopting breakthrough technologies. Hence, proposals should address at least two of the following areas:  

•Compatibility between thrust effectors (fan/propeller electrically or mechanically driven) and higher degree of integration into disruptive airframe configurations (e.g. Boundary Layer Ingestion, wing distributed propulsion).  

•A better understanding of the noise source mechanisms for high bypass ratio turbofan engines for evolutionary and disruptive aircraft architectures such as distributed propulsion or closer engine/wing integration.  

•A better understanding of the noise source mechanism associated with the laminar-to-turbulent flow transition and fully turbulent flow regime.  

•A better understanding of the leading/trailing edge noise generated at landing by high-lift devices and undercarriage, including new acoustic treatments on nacelle and aircraft structures.  

•Innovative propulsion technologies to address the critical topics related to the further increase of overall pressure ratio and gas temperatures needed to drive efficiency such as: reducing fuel consumption by improving thermal and propulsion efficiency, reducing Particle Number (PN), CO2 and NOx emissions by advanced combustion technologies, reducing engine weight and dimensions gaining substantial benefits on aircraft level. 

The proposals are expected also to develop multi-physics modelling, numerical simulation and optimisation exploiting High Performing Computing capabilities, innovative flow control technologies, and experimental methodologies.

Proposals should ideally address TRLs ranging from 1 to 4. The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU between EUR 3 and 5 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected Impact:

Results will contribute to ultra-efficient, more silent, regional, short-haul or long-haul commercial, transport aircraft that could result in demonstration activities in 2025. According to the Flightpath 2050 goals pursued by the ACARE SRIA, CO2 emissions per passenger kilometre have to be reduced by 75%, NOx by 90% and perceived noise by 65% by 2050, all relative to the year 2000. Recent achievements assessed by the CSA FORUM-AE and extrapolated at TRL6 in 2020 result in the following figures: CO2 emissions per passenger kilometre about 38% (aircraft, + engine + ATM), NOx at engine level reduced by about 60% and perceived noise reduced by about 50%. The proposals must demonstrate that their targets are going beyond these last and are approaching the ACARE 2050 goals. Proposals must substantially explain how and why their anticipated targets are realistic. 

LC-MG-1-8-2019 - Retrofit Solutions and Next Generation Propulsion for Waterborne Transport

Type of Action: IA (Innovation action) and RIA (Research and Innovation action)

Project size: 3-5 M€ (RIA) and 4-6 M€ (IA)

Specific Challenge:

Emissions from waterborne transport remain a challenge particularly concerning the water and air quality around coasts, ports and urban areas. For shipping and inland waterway transport retrofit technology including for example engine modifications, engine replacement, exhaust gas cleaning systems, PM filters, hybrid batteries, fuel changes, efficient emissions capture and storage system can potentially improve the environmental performance (CO2, NOx, SOx, PM) of existing fleets within the next five to ten years. However, new next generation vessels are expected to be both cleaner and more CO2 efficient. Vessels will be increasingly electrified and hybridised use clean fuels, on board energy storage and employ new technologies such as optimised design, batteries and high power fuels cells integrated within dual cycles and with combined heat and power. Novel large area propulsion systems also offer the possibility of large efficiency gains. To maximise efficiency gains from these technologies a radical rethink of ship design is needed.

Scope:

To address these challenges, proposals should address one of the following two subtopics and clearly indicate which subtopic is addressed:

Subtopic A) To be implemented through Research and Innovation Action.  

•Develop and validate a concept for a passenger ship powered primarily by high power fuel cells and if more efficient, in combination with a combustion engine or turbine as a combined cycle. On board power should exceed 5 MW and the concept should address issues concerning; combined heat and power, battery hybridisation, reliability, environmental performance on the whole life cycle, safety, regulatory, cost, ship design and layout, power system weight, volume and service requirements. The concept should be founded using LNG or LBG or CBG or synthetic fuels with the additional consideration of the consequences of 100% hydrogen operation. In addition, the critical barriers to development and deployment should be identified together with a road map for their solution. Work is expected to focus on the integration of fuel cell technology within the ship and not the detailed internal design of the fuel cell. Work should build upon other relevant activities such as the  development of the IGF code within IMO.

Subtopic B) To be implemented through Innovation Action.

Proposals should address one or more of the following aspects:  

•Develop and validate to at least TRL 5 innovative next generation high efficiency propulsion systems for ships using electrification and or clean fuels and or renewable energy sources. Consider all aspects of the ship propulsion system including related materials, electrical systems, energy storage and impact on ship design leading towards a zero emission maritime transport.  

•Develop and validate to TRL 5 highly innovative large area high efficiency or renewable energy assistance propulsion systems such as whale tales, novel wind power or bio mimic devices and their integration into the ship design. Demonstrate and assess on the whole life cycle, reliability, materials and efficiency at large model scale within a variety of conditions. Consider hydrodynamic and overall efficiency, endurance, reliability, materials, biofouling, noise, manufacture and cost.  

•Develop and demonstrate to TRL 6 innovative, cost effective retrofit solutions for marine shipping which will provide substantial improvements in terms of environmental impact and life cycle cost. Solutions must significantly reduce emission in line with water and air quality objectives and even exceeding current legislative requirements, particularly around ports and urban areas. In combination with distillate fuels, solutions must significantly reduce NOX, SOX and particulate matters (PM), particularly for the most harmful particle sizes, particularly within coastal and port areas. Operational requirements, cost benefits, including effluent disposal costs and procedures shall be considered. Disseminate outcomes and facilitate take up by key stake holders.  

•Develop and demonstrate to TRL 6 innovative, cost effective retrofit solutions for inland waterways which will provide substantial improvements in environmental performance. Solutions must significantly reduce emissions at least in compliance and preferably exceeding water and air quality requirements, particularly around terminals and urban areas. In combination with current compliance options (distillates or other low sulphur fuels, required engine operating parameters,…) solutions must meet regulatory requirements and significantly reduce NOX, SOX and ultrafine particulates, particularly for the most harmful particle sizes (including ultrafine particles), particularly within urban, port and terminal areas. Operational requirements, approvals, financing, cost benefits, including effluent disposal costs and procedures shall be considered. Disseminate outcomes and facilitate take up by key stake holders. 

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a budget from the EU of between EUR 3 to 5 million each for Subtopic A and between EUR 4 to 6 million each for Subtopic B, would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected Impact:

Next generation propulsion solutions will enable a large (>10%) increase in energy efficiency and CO2 reduction. Enable integration of large high power marine fuel cells into ship design and demonstrate their feasibility, cost effectiveness and identify technical barriers to adoption. Enable innovative high efficiency low emission ship propulsion system that may integrate several power sources. Demonstrate the feasibility, efficiency gains, reliability and cost effectiveness of large area propulsers. Retrofit solutions will reduce SOx, NOx and PM pollution from waterborne transport, particularly around ports, terminals, urban and coastal regions and in compliance with urban air quality standards but also at open sea since air pollution can travel large distances. Significantly, increase the take up of retrofit emission reduction solutions in existing vessels. Enhance European competitiveness and support European jobs and growth. Facilitate deployment of innovative green waterborne transport technology.

LC-MG-1-9-2019 - Upgrading transport infrastructure in order to monitor noise and emissions

Type of Action: RIA (Research and Innovation action)

Project size: 4-7 M€

Specific Challenge:

Noise and emissions from transport affect seriously people's health and environmental ecosystems requiring the implementation of mitigation measures to achieve a higher reduction in all transport modes. The fast development of technologies that facilitate connectivity of innovative sensors, -both on-board and on the side of the infrastructure- could allow real-time monitoring and control of transport noise and emissions. Current applications of different mobile systems and measurement methodologies make comparison of data rather difficult. The development of harmonized measurement methodologies will increase the reliability of collected data and the credibility of the consequent awareness/mitigation procedures. Systems embedded in the transport infrastructure can help in identifying vehicles not respecting prescribed limits and would either allow the operator to be informed swiftly of the environmental deficiencies of the vehicle, or would enable authorities to identify and prevent polluting vehicles from entering, hindering their access to specified low-emission zones, thus mitigating the effects of the non-respect of tolerance limits.

The integration in the infrastructure of absorbing materials and the utilization of negative-emissions solutions can also contribute to the reduction of the negative effects of emissions and noise.

Scope:

Proposals should address all the following aspects:  

•Development of equipment for integration into infrastructure that would be able to detect and identify (plate recognition) in real-time vehicles exceeding the limits of noise (Db(A)) and emissions (CO2, NOx, PM);  

•Development of related I2V systems aimed at informing the transgressor of the emissions/noise limits being exceeded and preventing access to delimited low-emission zones;  

•Development of automated tolling systems that take into account the level of emissions from individual vehicles;  

•Development of new materials and negative-emissions solutions for infrastructure application, apt to mitigate noise and emissions. 

Road and rail networks are primarily addressed, but research should not exclude solutions to reduce nuisance coming also from air and water transport.

Potential negative effects from fixed sensors on human health should be carefully considered and avoided.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU between EUR 4 and 7 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

In line with the Union's strategy for international cooperation in research and innovation, international cooperation is encouraged. In particular, proposals should foresee twinning with entities participating in projects funded by US DOT to exchange knowledge and experience and exploit synergies. 

Expected Impact:

Development of measures aimed at reducing the negative effects of noise and emissions. Increased monitoring and detection of transport unacceptable levels of noise and emissions; identification of transgressing vehicles and possible invitation to appropriate revision; limiting access to sensitive zones (e.g. urban centres). Development of technologies to be applied for better calculation of externalities and consequent charging methods. The application of solutions should bring to a reduction of at least 30% in emissions and 20% in noise in targeted zones based on the measured level at the beginning of the project.

MG-2-6-2019 - Moving freight by Water: Sustainable Infrastructure and Innovative Vessels

Type of Action: RIA (Research and Innovation action)

Project size: 5-10 M€

Specific Challenge:

Although it is a means of transport that can reduce transport CO2 and air polluting emissions and significantly contribute to reducing congestion on European roads waterborne transport around European coasts and on its inland waterways remains under-utilised and is not fully integrated in the multimodal European Transport system. Both technical and administrative requirements hinder the take up of Intra-European waterborne transport. Improvements are needed concerning: efficient and seamless integration between transport modes and last mile connection, inland waterway bottlenecks, capacity of small ports, loading times, efficiency of transferring cargo between modes, cost effectiveness of partial cargo loads, environmental impacts and the feasibility of mixed passenger/freight services. There is a need to stimulate the modernization of intra-European waterborne transport as well as waterborne transport with neighbouring countries, particularly in the case of the outermost regions by fostering automation and digitisation so as to enable their more efficient and reliable participation in the whole supply chain, to reduce environmental impacts such as noise and to respond to changing freight flows and supporting full implementation of synchromodality within inland waterways.

Scope:

Proposals should focus on either area a) inland waterways or area b) maritime transport. To address this challenge, proposals should address the first bullet (for Maritime transport), or the fourth bullet (for Inland Waterway Transport), and at least four others of the following aspects. Proposals should clearly indicate which area they are addressing:

• With a focus on the TEN-T network, develop to at least TRL5 one or more innovative inland waterway or short sea transport solutions incorporating innovative vessels which can operate more effectively within intermodal logistic chains with limited and affordable improvements to existing infrastructure. For example, solutions may combine freight with passenger services or ship to ship transfers so as to improve the cost effective feeding of freight from large to small inland ports. The role of smaller coastal ports, inland waterways and their urban waterfront, including those located in the outermost regions, should not be neglected as a means to exploit their high potential to contribute to innovative mobility solutions and last mile freight delivery.

• Solutions should address the entire business model including connectivity IT infrastructure and integration with other transport modes.

• Automated and connected inland waterway and/or port infrastructure should be addressed to enable more efficient operations. As appropriate, smart systems and automation should consider the automation of bridges, locks and dams, cargo handling and units, docking systems and shore side power. Digitisation, for example, EGNOS/Galileo services should facilitate efficient cross-border traffic and cargo information and ensure multi-modal interconnectivity and integration. The High Precision and Authenticated Positioning services of Galileo should be taken into account in optimizing the port operations.

• Proposals addressing inland waterways, should address solutions for infrastructure maintenance and operation that increase the network resilience as well as long-term reliable navigability forecast, and should ensure compatibility with existing and emerging harmonised cross border and intermodal traffic management systems.

• Environmental performance must be significantly improved compared to the current state of the art with regard to local air quality, noise, energy efficiency and risk of pollution. An environmental impact assessment and safety assessment of the developed solution in comparison to alternative forms of transport should be undertaken.

• Concepts should be proven, a cost-benefit analysis undertaken and experimental validation and demonstration should be undertaken where feasible.

• Dissemination, engagement and cooperation with logistics, shippers and intermodal transport operators are encouraged.

• Business cases should be developed for key routes including comparison with existing transport solutions.

• Recommendations should be made for optimising the conditions for intermodal solutions incorporating waterborne freight transport, including over shorter distances.

• Outcomes should be developed to a level which would be potentially suitable for deployment possibly with the support of CEF TEN-T, EIB loan, ESIF or other programme.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU between EUR 5 and 10 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected Impact:

Decongest road and/or city infrastructure. Reduce the CO2 and air pollutant emissions of intra-European freight transport. Enhance the performance of the CEF TEN-T network. Substantially increase the amount of freight fed from intercontinental European ports using waterborne transport. Modernise, increase the reliability and competitiveness of Intra European Waterborne transport. Proposal should demonstrate that the deployment of solutions can increase the quantity of freight moved by Inland Waterways or Short Sea Shipping by at least 10% by 2030 compared to 2010 baseline data. 

MG-2-7-2019 - Safety in an evolving road mobility environment

Type of Action: RIA (Research and Innovation action)

Project size: 4-8 M€

Specific Challenge:

The road mobility environment – the area which covers both road transport users and those affected by them – is evolving. Vehicle types are beginning to change as a result of increasing levels of automation. New vehicle types and new types of road user will operate with conventional vehicles and road users as part of an evolving mixed traffic environment. Vulnerable road users are still a continued concern, and in the increasingly connected transport system "vulnerability" may in the future also be more related to the non-connected users and people unable to fully use the potential of the Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) services offered to mobility. Automated vehicles may enable occupants to be placed out of the traditional seating position (e.g. face to face or in lounge/office environments) while undertaking new activities, thus making them more vulnerable in normal traffic.

(Active and passive) safety systems will need to adapt to the future types of the potential collisions, occupant positioning taking into account possible differences between men and women and vulnerable road users of the future, and address the need to reduce minor and major injuries, as well as fatalities.

Scope:

The scope is to assure the development of robust solutions in the context of the changing environment, leading to dramatic improvements in transport users' and road workers' safety. In order to be properly addressed, traffic safety needs to be articulated in terms that are relevant for the connected and automated transport system.

To respond to the challenges proposals should address the following:  

•Define road safety characteristics and properties as conditions and constraints in a traffic system (including road workers) which is undergoing increasing automation and is highly dependent on software, positioning/navigation systems and connectivity. The concept of vulnerability should be given appropriate consideration and be viewed in the evolutionary context of the mobility system also addressing "automotive digital divides", e.g. between urban and rural areas. Future traffic changes and new traffic scenarios will need to be considered taking into account aspects such as severe weather conditions, poor road conditions. Updated ways to assess accident risks should be developed and also take into account injuries causing longer-term disability. A reduction of at least 10% (compared with 2016 figures) for road traffic casualties (fatalities, injuries and incidents -where known) should be demonstrated for the solutions developed within the chosen theme(s) below. 

In addition at least one of the following themes should be addressed:  

•Development of tools and models which simulate how traffic scenarios are expected to change over time with the introduction of new vehicle types and new safety technologies for all road users. Human Body Models may need to be further developed to represent future collision scenarios (including pre-crash and near-crash behaviour) taking into account all road users. (such as gender, percentile, age, obesity, etc). Open source approaches are encouraged.  

•Design of (active/passive) protection systems for future collision scenarios as well as for occupants' variable body postures and different human body types in future interior concepts. These systems may require the further development of occupant monitoring functions and can make use of the sophisticated sensor systems which will be fitted to automated vehicles.  

•Development of (physical and/or digital) infrastructure and on-vehicle safety solutions as well as education and training schemes for all road users which match the pace of the increased implementation of automated driving functions. 

The cultural diversity of road users should be considered, as well as age, gender and IT-experience.

In line with the Union’s strategy for international cooperation in research and innovation  international cooperation is encouraged.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU between EUR 4 and 8 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected Impact:

A reduction of at least a 10% (with respect to 2016 figures) in injuries and fatalities in road accidents, contributing to the ambitions of the Transport White Paper’s goal to reach close to zero road fatalities by 2050. Contribution to the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), in particular goal 3.6 ("By 2020, halve the number of global deaths and injuries from road traffic accidents") and SDG 11 (“Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable”).

Innovative optimum protection systems enabling the occupants of automated vehicles to assume new seating positions and leverage the perceived benefits of automation. Solutions will contribute to industry competitiveness and EU leadership in road safety.

Harmonised and relevant methods for the assessment of safety solutions in both real-world conditions and in future mobility scenarios, e.g. based on virtual simulations with validated models and/or based on experimental results.

Safer use of vehicles, effective education and training schemes and increased awareness of all road users in the evolving road mobility environment.

MG-2-8-2019 - Innovative applications of drones for ensuring safety in transport

Type of Action: RIA (Research and Innovation action)

Project size: 3-5 M€

Specific Challenge:

The drone market is the fastest growing in aerospace, generating high-skilled jobs and enabling innovative services, both in the public sector at large (safety, security, environment monitoring, …) and in the private sector (farming, infrastructure, delivery, inspection, broadcasting, leisure, …), not only by large companies but also by many SMEs including start-ups. More services with drones and other emerging technologies can underpin safety and security in different transport modes: waterborne, railways, road transport and air transport.

The EU can strengthen its internal market and bolster its global market share by boosting in a consistent manner the development and safe and secure use of drones for civil and commercial purposes in the EU, notably allowing them to fly in the Single European Sky , including over European waters (e.g sea route and harbours) or to sail in European waterways and coastal areas. The development of vertical spatial + transport planning tools/methodologies and the development of technologies that help authorities in charge (e.g. city police officers) to ensure the enforcement of rules and to prevent abuse of drones for unwanted purposes can help to safely integrate drones in concepts for the last mile delivery in cities or rural areas..

Drones can be considered in a broad sense i.e. Unmanned Aerial Systems, including autonomous and remotely piloted systems. On the one hand drones can be problematic for transport safety and security. This is addressed in SESAR2020 and by the IMO at MSC 98, with a view to ensure enforcement of regulations on drones as well as safe and secure integration into Air and Maritime Traffic Management. On the other hand, drones can be enablers of safety and security of current transport means, for instance by monitoring large vehicles/vessels/air vehicles, transport infrastructure and transport operations and users in nominal and also contingency conditions, such as search and rescue. Furthermore, delivery by drones can enhance mobility services in line with the U-space concept set by the EU in the Riga Declaration. In any cases, public acceptance, privacy issues and other legal aspects of the widespread use of drones are recognised as essential, especially in urban environments.

Scope:

The proposals are expected to address both of the following research areas:

- Develop and test technologies, operational and business models for the application of drones or drone swarms and other emerging technologies to increase the safety, security, public acceptance and overall efficiency of air, waterborne and surface transport, both passenger and cargo, including search and rescue applications.

- Explore and develop innovative technologies and sustainable business models for pilot services, such as large vehicles/vessels/aircraft inspections, transport management (including emergencies), transport infrastructure condition monitoring and maintenance, logistics, on-demand cargo and/or personal mobility using drones and other emerging technologies safely. 

Efficient, reliable and secure (taking into account cybersecurity) collection, distribution (including wireless transmission) and automatic processing of data (on ground and on board) should be included (e.g including through sensor integration) while respecting privacy rights/personal data protection requirements. Also requirements from law enforcement agencies and insurance should be considered. 

Scaled demonstration of the services should underpin and accelerate the regulatory adaptation, certification, public acceptance, standards validation and follow-on deployment in Europe, including innovative commercial and public pre-procurement. Applications of drones should leverage synergies among EU satellite-based systems for navigation (EGNOS/Galileo), observation (Copernicus) and communication. 

Proposals should also ensure consistency with the overall regulatory framework, in particular with EASA's work for systems certification and standardisation and complementarity with SESAR2020 Programme (including SESAR 2020 RPAS Exploratory Research Call from 28 June 2016) EMSA and Shift2Rail IP2 activities and with other EU co-funded drone related projects and initiatives, notably under Horizon 2020 Security challenge or EDA's SARUMS activities. Proposals may include the commitment from the European Aviation Safety Agency to assist or to participate in the action.

Proposals should ideally address TRLs ranging from 3 to 5. 

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU between EUR 3 and 5 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected Impact: 

•  Contribute to increase safety and security of the overall civil transport system.   

•Contribute to enhance safe and seamless mobility of cargo and passengers.   

•Contribute to economic growth by unleashing new markets, new industries and new high-added value jobs in Europe while ensuring appropriate legal frameworks and advancing safety systems certification and setting standards with potential to become a global reference.   

•Building knowledge and acceptance within society for the steps described within U-Space. 

MG-2-9-2019 - Integrated multimodal, low-emission freight transport systems and logistics (Inco Flagship)

Type of Action: RIA (Research and Innovation action)

Project size: 3-7 M€

Specific Challenge:

Global as well as regional and local freight transport is massively changing due to accelerating technological changes, the establishment of new players in global trade, the rise of protectionism, and the slowing down of economic growth of important partners such as China. New logistics concepts (such as the Physical Internet) and new disruptive technologies, such as Blockchain, Industry 4.0, vehicle automation and truck platooning or new business models, like 'crowdshipping' and the circular economy models will have an impact on global freight transport, its optimisation and its environmental footprint that needs to be better understood and assessed. Furthermore new trade routes from and to Europe will probably change the traditional pattern of freight movement and will need new connections with European corridors and hubs at a time of budget limitation on investment for transport infrastructure.

Sustainable integrated multimodal freight transport is particularly important for the development of countries in special situations – least developed countries, landlocked developing countries, and small island states and outermost regions - which face common problems resulting from the under-resourcing of transport infrastructure and services, traffic-related air pollution and high accident levels, but also diverse geopolitical and trade situations. These countries/regions also have an enormous potential for sustainable development. International cooperation can support their economies both domestically and globally for a global benefit and ensuring better integration of these regions into the world economic landscape.

Scope:

Proposals should address one or more of the following aspects:   

•Understanding how new concepts in logistics, in combination with new national strategies to organize freight flows in ports and airports have an impact on global freight transport, and on related greenhouse gas emissions. Multimodal transfer zones from ports and airports from long-haul to last mile logistics need to be better analysed in order to find appropriate measures and for ensuring seamless door-to-door transport, exploiting the full potential of modularization and other innovative logistics concepts. International cooperation with major trade partner countries is essential to ensure the smooth transfer at all levels of the transport chain. Proposals should also address solutions that enable peripheral regions and landlocked developing countries to have proper accessibility to international trade.   

•Speed up the process and transition towards the Physical Internet paradigm, demonstrating how different technologies, business cases and standards come together in real-world applications, and are able to deliver added value to the users and have positive impacts in terms of emissions and energy consumption. Priority partners should be USA, Canada, China, Japan. Demonstrations of satellite-based applications using EGNOS and Galileo are also suggested.   

•Research the range of new issues and questions emerging with the new trade routes to and from Europe, such as the Northern Sea Route (across an ice-free Arctic in summer months) or the new Silk Road routes and the Chinese One Belt One Road strategy; the effect of the development of these new routes on trans-continental freight modal split; the additional interfaces needed between the new overland routes and the EU internal transport networks / corridors. Priority partners are those along the routes. The geopolitical and trade aspects of these developments, in particular on countries affected by these developments, should be considered.   

•Understand new disruptive trends emerging as on-demand logistics solutions such as crowd-sourcing of deliveries (or ‘crowdshipping’) which have the potential to be a logistics ‘game-changer’, evidencing different impacts in both emerging and industrialized countries, including the possible integration of passengers and freight flows. Research on the crowd-sourcing of logistics would benefit from international collaboration, partly to compare the development of the phenomenon in different markets, but also to explore whether it can be extended to long-haul / cross border freight delivery, taking in consideration economic, regulatory and security constraints.   

•Assess the impact of emerging technologies in other sectors than freight transport (e.g. Blockchain, Industry 4.0, 5G, 3D printing, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV's)) on the logistics operational system, and identify the potential development paths that lead to the optimal exploitation of their positive effect.   

•Collect best case models and develop decision support systems aimed at helping public authorities and private companies to determine the most likely scenarios and to promote a higher level of collaboration between the different stakeholders, including new emerging ones.   

•Consideration of aspects of governance, privacy and cybersecurity of and with regard to cargo.  

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU between EUR 3 and 7 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

In line with the Union's strategy for international cooperation in research and innovation , international cooperation is encouraged. In particular proposals should consider cooperation with projects or partners from the US, Japan, Canada, China, Latin America.

In particular, proposals should foresee twinning with entities participating in projects funded by US DOT to exchange knowledge and experience and exploit synergies.

Expected Impact:

Main impact from the R&I activities should be the improved integration of the European transport network (both hard – TEN-T – and soft – logistics and IT) with the global network, through the sustainable development of the transport nodes likely to benefit from the emergence of new trade routes and harmonised platforms and new and revised 'nodes', also in support of the sustainable development of new logistics routes and their link with national/regional markets. Better understanding of the impact of emerging technologies on freight flow and subsequent guidelines to optimize vehicle, infrastructure and operation accordingly. Facilitate the development of disadvantaged regions and their inclusion into the international trading system. Better understanding of links between technological development, trade and geopolitics. Research should be validated in a selected number of case studies through pilot demonstration, trials and testing involving service providers and end-users.

LC-MG-1-6-2019 - Aviation operations impact on climate change

Type of Action: RIA (Research and Innovation action)

Project size: 2-3 M€

Specific Challenge:

This action is part of the Aviation International Cooperation Flagship called "Safer and Greener Aviation in a Smaller World" mentioned in the introduction to this work programme 2018-2020.

Aviation alters the composition of the atmosphere globally, thus can potentially contribute to anthropogenic climate change and ozone depletion. The last major international assessment of these impacts was made by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in 1999. In addition to CO2, the climate impact of aviation is strongly influenced by non-CO2 emissions, such as nitrogen oxides, influencing ozone and methane, and water vapour, which can lead to the formation of persistent contrails in ice-supersaturated regions.

Beyond the perennial challenge in developing new technologies that can minimize the impact in the medium and longer term, the main objective of this action is expected to address mitigation strategies that will minimise those negative effects by aviation on climate in the short-medium term and are relevant for greener flight trajectories and operations.

Scope:

The proposals may aim at one or more of the following areas:  

A.Advance further the international state-of-the-art, through better scientific understanding of aviation emissions with high degree of uncertainty and high estimated impact to climate change, in order to enable greener flight operations.  

B.Propose and evaluate mitigation strategies towards operational improvements.  

C.Propose and evaluate mitigation strategies towards greener flight trajectories (ensuring complementarities with SESAR JU activities).  

D.Propose and evaluate mitigation strategies based on the use of alternative jet fuel pathways that have been approved under or intended to apply for the ASTM D7566 approval standard. A detailed Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) approach needs to be included taking into account the following key elements: proper co-product allocation methodology, system boundaries, attributional vs consequential LCA and uncertainties from the time horizon, the potential of Green House Gases (GHGs) reduction and economic implications. Regarding the feedstocks, the impact of indirect land-use change (ILUC) on GHGs emissions must also be taken into account and addressed. 

Proposals are expected to address the need to design and implement international measurement campaigns, in order to contribute to better climate metric assessments and more reliable physical and climate models.

This action does not address new aircraft technologies on structures, systems, engines nor their integration, towards minimising the impact in the medium and longer term. The projects are expected to formulate specific recommendations for stakeholders on flight planning and on the use of alternative fuels.

In line with the strategy for EU international cooperation in research and innovation (COM(2012)497), international cooperation is encouraged. In particular bilateral international cooperation with China is encouraged for areas C and D with the aim at promoting substantial coordinated and balanced research and innovation cooperation between the EU and China. Proposals under those research areas C and D are encouraged to have an appropriate balance in terms of effort and/or number of partners between the EU and China. China-based participants have the possibility to apply for funding under the Chinese co-funding mechanism and other Chinese sources.

Although the association of TRL to better understanding aviation emissions is not uniquely defined, the implementation of the proposed topic may cover TRL spectrum from 2 to 4.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU between EUR 2 and 3 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected Impact:

The topic aims to deliver scientifically founded and globally harmonised policy, regulations and operational improvements to support climate-friendly flight operations. Expected impacts are:   

•Better understanding the impact of aircraft emissions on climate towards better policy.   

•International measurement campaigns and international validation of physical and climate models.   

•Operational improvements in support to achieve the collective medium term global aspirational goal of keeping the global net CO2 emissions from international aviation from 2020 at the same level (so-called "carbon neutral growth from 2020").   

•Enhanced role of the Union in International Organisations and multilateral fora as well as strengthened implementation, governance, monitoring and evaluation.   

•Collaboration and sharing expertise on operational improvements and global market-based measures with EU and National aviation and environment research programmes.   

•Contribution to UN's Sustainable Development Goal 13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.  

LC-MG-1-7-2019 - Future propulsion and integration: towards a hybrid/electric aircraft

Type of Action: RIA (Research and Innovation action)

Project size: 3-5 M€

Specific Challenge:

This action is part of the Aviation International Cooperation Flagship called "Safer and Greener Aviation in a Smaller World" mentioned in the introduction to this work programme 2018-2020. 

The third challenge of Flightpath 2050 is related to environmental protection and the security of energy supply. At the Paris climate conference (COP21), countries agreed to limit climate change to well below 2°C. Without considerable contributions from the aviation sector to global mitigation efforts, this goal cannot be achieved. Carbon Neutral Growth from 2020 is possible through a combination of non-market and market measures. Regarding aircraft technologies, there is growing evidence that indicates that for airframe as well as for Propulsion and Power Systems (PPS), the projected cumulative impact of developed technologies will fall short of the year 2035 target. These projections account for the latest developments in airframe, weight gains from more-electric aircraft systems as well as advanced gas-turbines, such as expected high thermal efficiencies through intercooling and recuperation and propulsive efficiencies from Open Rotor.

Against this background it is necessary to develop future aviation propulsion and integration technologies with emphasis on hybrid-electric and full-electric propulsion. There is also a need for establishing a common roadmap and prioritize the key enabling technologies for the hybrid/electric configurations, including energy storage (batteries), for the aviation sector.

Scope:

Proposals are expected to address feasibility design studies for aircraft energy system with integrated hybrid/electric propulsion and power generation architectures as well as sub-systems enablers in the context of appropriately projected advances in the next twenty-year framework. Each proposal may aim at several of the following areas:  

•Development of tools for tightly-coupled inter-disciplinary new architectural feasibility assessment for the hybrid/electric propulsion and power systems, including detailed feasibility design studies for innovative energy distribution, use and storage solutions.  

•Explore concepts on energy harvesting technologies to identifying, capturing, storing and re-using energy in flight and/or during take-off, landing, breaking and taxiing, which have potential to offer synergies with hybrid-electric architectures.  

•Explore emerging storage technologies that have potential to comply with aerospace requirements (e.g. performances, safety, dispatch…) for hybrid/electric propulsion and power systems.  

•Advance further Electro-Magnetic Interference solutions as well as thermal management trade-offs at system level. 

Projects are expected to perform an assessment on the applicability, availability and upgrade of research infrastructures for testing and validation with focus on electrical and propulsion benches and computational tools. (incl. wind tunnels, electrical and propulsion benches and computational tools). Projects are also expected to develop updated roadmap with reference to key enabling technologies towards fully electric or hybrid-electric aircraft and explore new relevant regulatory frameworks.

The implementation of the proposed areas of this topic should cover TRLs ranging from 1 to 4.

In line with the strategy for EU international cooperation in research and innovation , multilateral international cooperation is encouraged, in particular with countries such as Japan and Canada.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU between EUR 3 and 5 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected Impact:

Overall, the topic is expected to contribute to Flightpath 2050 goals, namely towards “environmental protection and the security of energy supply” as well as “maintaining global leadership”. Specific impact is expected in the following areas:  

•New paradigm shift towards emission-free aviation.  

•Strengthen the medium and long-term European aeronautics competitiveness.  

•Engagement of European aviation research community to a highly ambitious topic.  

•Establishment of roadmaps and prioritization key enabling technologies.  

•Foundations for next-generation European demonstrators.  

•Contribution to UN's Sustainable Development Goal 7: Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all. 

MG-4-4-2019 - Support for dissemination events in the field of Transport Research

Type of Action: CSA (Coordination and support action)

Project size: 0.5-0.7 M€

Specific Challenge:

An integral aspect of the Transport part of Horizon 2020 is to organise event(s) of a major strategic nature. The Transport Research Arena (TRA) Conferences and Aerodays are the examples of events organised in different Member States, with a high European dimension. The proposed actions should help promoting and disseminating Transport Research activities in Europe. 

Scope:

In 2019, proposals should address the following sub-topic:

Support for the organisation of the Transport Research Arena 2022 conference 

The action will prepare and provide support to the Transport Research Arena Conference (TRA) to be organised in 2022. TRA is the European Transport Research conference which brings together representatives of transport stakeholders from all over Europe and beyond around research and innovation results and policy.

The objective of the conference is to provide a platform for discussion of political, industrial, research and policy issues on a European and global scene, which pursues a smart combination of top-down and bottom-up approaches. In line with previous TRA conferences, the event should address the technological and industrial developments of the transport sector (road, rail, waterborne and aviation sectors and also cross-modal aspects) providing a high-level, future oriented perspective coming from politics, the industry and the research community, in response to Europe’s social needs and expectations.

In collaboration with the relevant actors, such as the European Commission services, the different European Technology Platforms (ERTRAC for road, ERRAC for rail, WATERBORNE TP for waterborne, ALICE for logistics and ACARE for aeronautics) and also the previous TRA conference organisers in order to maintain continuity, the action will define the overall planning of the conference, structure the technical and political sessions of the event, contribute to select the appropriate location for the venue and offer operational IT tools for the registration of participants, the handling of speakers’ contributions, contribute to the organisation of logistics, etc. Support to the organisation of demonstration activities should also be foreseen.

Proposals must demonstrate the commitment of the national authorities' support. Applicants are invited to read the eligibility and admissibility conditions for this sub-topic. A financial plan to organise the event is also necessary.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between EUR 0.5 and 0.7 million each would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected Impact:

The actions will contribute to a wide dissemination of the results of European transport research and to raise the visibility and weight of the EU policy in the field.

These actions are expected to increase the attractiveness of transport related studies and reinforce the pursuit of excellence in European transport research and innovation, by giving recognition and visibility to the best achievements.

It will allow creating links and exchanges between research and innovation stakeholders and policy makers, thus improving the development and deployment of innovative solutions for transport in Europe.

MG-4-5-2019 - An inclusive digitally interconnected transport system meeting citizens' needs

Type of Action: RIA (Research and Innovation action)

Project size: 1-3 M€

Specific Challenge:

Merging physical transport assets like infrastructure or vehicles with the digital layer, through the Internet of Things (IoT) and big data applications opens vast possibilities in terms of the development of new transport services, business/operating models and social innovations. This has been exemplified in the rapid development of services such as multimodal travel planners, transportation network companies, Mobility as a Service, public transport on demand, new airline ancillary products, various forms of tracking and tracing and many others.

Digitally based services and applications provide citizens with an increasing level of tailored real-time information and greater choice thus allowing for a travel process that is faster, more comfortable and which gives travellers greater control. These services and applications can also serve as basis for social innovations in mobility. In the longer time frame, digitisation of transport promises to lead towards fully personalised services and commercial offers. Despite this, important and often overlooked aspects are user impact and user's ability and readiness to take advantage of the new opportunities. Benefiting from digital technology requires specific skills, willingness and ability to assume a new role as an active participant of the digital travel ecosystem. The main challenge is therefore to ensure that all members of society can benefit from digitisation. In order to achieve this, it is necessary to better understand the needs and attitudes of various users, in particular vulnerable-to-exclusion citizens such as, for example, elderly, low-income, disabled or migrants, in relation to the requirements brought about by the digitised transport system as well as the skills and strategies necessary for all citizens in order to fully benefit from it.

Scope:

Proposals should address several or all of the following:  

•Identify the main characteristics of demands that digitally based mobility solutions place on the users;  

•Identify the needs and attitudes of all societal strata of transport users - in particular vulnerable to exclusion citizens - in the digitised travel ecosystem, taking into account interpersonal and intrapersonal (over time for the same person) variations(age, culture, etc);  

•Identify the obstacles to the appropriation of digital mobility by different user groups and possible nudges to facilitate it, including the potential for social innovations;  

•Investigate user requirements when transport is interrupted, e.g.: due to extreme weather, man-made or technical hazards.  

•Investigate gender related differences in the adoption of digitally based transportation products and services;  

•Identify skills and strategies needed in order to fully benefit from digitalisation in transport and thus to avoid digital exclusion or digital divide in terms of social and spatial aspects;  

•Analyse differences and particularities in relation to the adoption of new mobility solutions and social innovations across a representative sample of member states, both in terms of user uptake and service provision;  

•Provide recommendations for policy making and practical applications for designing an inclusive digital transport system and its related products and services with due regard to data protection and cybersecurity issues; 

Research should be validated in a selected number of case studies through pilot demonstration, trials and testing involving service providers and end-users. Furthermore, actions should be undertaken in view of ensuring take up of research results by key stakeholders.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between EUR 1 and 3 million each would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected Impact:

Research will help policy-makers design appropriate regulatory frameworks and social and educational strategies in order to create the best possible conditions for an inclusive, user friendly digital transport system, taking into account the needs and characteristics of all parts of society, with particular attention to vulnerable to exclusion citizens. Moreover, research will also help regional authorities and businesses in designing digital transport solutions that are better tailored to citizens' individual needs. 

MG-4-6-2019 - Supporting Joint Actions on sustainable urban accessibility and connectivity

Type of Action: ERA-NET Cofund

It is planned to include for 2019 a topic addressing specific challenges of sustainable urban accessibility and connectivity. The topic will be further defined with the update of the work programme 2019. It is planned to implement the action as ERA-NET Cofund action. Proposals should pool the necessary financial resources from the participating national (or regional) research programs with a view to implementing a joint call for proposals resulting in grants to third parties with EU co-funding in this area. Proposers will be requested to include other joint activities including additional joint calls without EU co-funding.

MG-BG-02-2019 - Ship emission control scenarios, marine environmental impact and mitigation

Type of Action: RIA (Research and Innovation action)

Project size: Up to 8 M€

Specific Challenge:

Increasingly strict emission standards apply to shipping around the coastlines of many developed countries. Presently these are mainly focussed on SOx, but in future, reflecting health concerns, increasingly strict limits are likely to address NOx and particulate matter. A variety of compliant solutions can meet present, and may be able to meet emerging and future standards. However, some of these solutions may lead to secondary impacts and new waste streams. The principal challenge is to better understand the comprehensive environmental impacts from the wide scale adoption of a range of potential emission reduction solutions together with any secondary effects on the on the marine environment. As well as building upon current state of the art modelling (e.g by IIASA and EMSA ), appropriate Earth Observation data and information provided by the Copernicus programme and its Marine Environmental Monitoring Service maybe taken into consideration.

Scope:

To address these challenges, proposals should address all of the following aspects:  

•  Assess the range of emission reduction technologies and designs which may be deployed, consider their cost benefits.   

•  Experimentally characterise waste streams from emission control technologies, identifying the substances and quantities involved.   

•  Considering several possible scenarios for the wide scale adoption of different emission control technologies depending on fuel costs, availabilities service needs etc model the disbursement of to the marine environment around the European coastline. Modelling should consider the main shipping routes, use real ship traffic, hydrological and weather data and the variety of constituents discharged. Consideration should be given to vulnerable regions such as estuaries and enclosed waters.   

•  For the scenarios modelled assess the environmental impact on the marine environment in the medium and long term including consideration of any potential bio accumulation.   

•  Considering SOx, NOx and particulate matter, assess and propose sustainable cost effective emission reduction strategies and technologies. Assessments should also include consideration of waste stream costs and their cost effective treatment.   

•  Open access to source and dispersion model data is encouraged.  

In line with the Union’s strategy for international cooperation in research and innovation, international cooperation is encouraged. The participation of civil society is also encouraged.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a budget from the EU of up to EUR 8 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected Impact:

For a variety of likely emission reduction scenarios, activities will provide comprehensive information concerning the predicted dispersion of discharges from shipping and any long term environmental impact. Identify the most effected locations. Provide a sound science basis for future policy decisions at local, national, European and international levels. Provide a valuable open data and modelling resource. Facilitate cooperation between industry and environmental scientists. Contribute to UN's Sustainable Development Goals 13 Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources and the target to prevent and significantly reduce marine pollution of all kinds. 

The Cryosphere

LC-CLA-07-2019 - The changing cryosphere: uncertainties, risks and opportunities

Specific Challenge: Globally, glaciers and the large ice sheets of Antarctica and Greenland are particularly vulnerable to climate change, risking a significant future contribution to changes in sea levels. At present, there are significant uncertainties, e.g. relating to their stability, which prevent an accurate assessment of their vulnerability. The 'Arctic amplification' of global warming is putting pressure on the ecosystems and communities of the region and having an impact at global level as well. The Arctic's fragile natural ecosystems and societies are under serious threat, and additional human activities, linked to the new economic opportunities that are made possible by climate change, are putting additional pressure on them.

Scope: Actions should aim at developing innovative approaches to address only one of the following sub-topics:
a) Sea-level changes (Research and Innovation action): Actions should assess the processes controlling changes to global ice mass balance - including ice dynamics - such as ice shelf-ocean and sea-ice interactions, surface components, effects of crustal de-loading (Glacial Isostatic Adjustments) on relative sea-level changes and/or gravitational effects of ice mass changes on the spatial patterns of sea-level changes. Actions should assess the status of ice sheets and glaciers, report on how their changes are likely to affect future sea-levels, and increase confidence in predicting changes in the cryosphere including through better representation of poorly represented processes. Actions should also analyse low-probability high-impact scenarios including those associated with the collapse of ice sheets (sea-level fingerprints). Actions may be focused on specific issues which substantially contribute to sea-level changes and to the assessment of the associated major risks to and impacts on coastal communities, coastal ecosystems and critical infrastructure across the globe.
The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU in the range of EUR 8 to EUR 10 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

b) Changes in Arctic biodiversity (Research and Innovation action): Actions should identify and analyse major drivers and implications of changing biodiversity in the Arctic, such as the role of invasive species, and how vulnerable land and/or marine ecosystems are with respect to combined human and natural influences. Actions should assess the ecosystems' responses to both external and internal factors and how these responses are impacting on indigenous populations and local communities at socio-economic level. Actions should also identify adaptation strategies in relation to the changes in Arctic ecosystems.
The participation of social sciences and humanities disciplines is important for addressing the complex challenges of this topic.
The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU in the range of EUR 5 to EUR 6 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately.

Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.
c) Sustainable opportunities in a changing Arctic (Research and Innovation action): Actions should assess the viability of new economic activities – such as resource exploitation, shipping and tourism – and their ecological and socio-economic impacts and feedbacks at various scales, and their impact on the provision of ecosystem services. Actions should investigate key processes with high societal and economic impacts and provide appropriate, solution-oriented adaptation and mitigation responses, as well as capacity building for sustainable livelihoods while considering – in a co-design approach – the needs, priorities and perspectives of indigenous populations, local communities and economic actors operating in the region.
The participation of social sciences and humanities disciplines is essential for addressing the complex challenges of this topic.
The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU in the range of EUR 5 to EUR 6 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

d) Arctic standards (Coordination and Support action): The action should propose guidelines and protocols to develop ‘Arctic standards’, also including the legal framework, based on the translation of research outcomes into cold-climate technologies and services with commercial potential and the assessment of the sustainability of associated processes and technologies. The action should cover a wide range of technologies and services that have the potential to bring broad social and economic benefits within and beyond the Arctic region. The action should also provide requirements on how to design, build, install, and operate equipment and services to safely perform activities in the Arctic and to respond to emergencies.
The participation of standardisation organisations is encouraged.
The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU in the range of EUR 2 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.
For all of the above sub-topics, in line with the strategy for EU international cooperation in research and innovation (COM(2012)497), international cooperation is encouraged22, in
22 Proposals should pay attention to the special call conditions for this topic.particular with countries – beyond the EU Member States and countries associated to Horizon 2020 – that took part in the first Arctic Science Ministerial of 28 September 201623.

Expected Impact: For projects addressing parts a), b) or c), the project results are expected to contribute to:

• the implementation of the new integrated EU policy for the Arctic24;
• the IPCC assessments and other major regional and global initiatives;
• enhanced engagement of and the interaction with residents from local communities and indigenous societies.

For projects addressing part d), the project results are expected to contribute to:

• enhanced stakeholder capability to operate in cold climate environments;
• better servicing of the economic sectors that operate in the Arctic (e.g. shipping, tourism);
•  promoting sustainable Arctic opportunities arising from climate change and supporting the leverage of regional (EU) funds into these opportunities;
• supporting the competitiveness of European industry, particularly SMEs, engaging in sustainable development of the Arctic.

Type of Action: Coordination and support action, Research and Innovation action

The conditions related to this topic are provided at the end of this call and in the General Annexes.

Decarbonisation

LC-CLA-02-2019 - Negative emissions and land-use based mitigation assessment

Specific Challenge: Most low-carbon pathways leading to well below 2°C (or 1.5°C) stabilisation of the global temperature – in line with the Paris Agreement goals – include negative emissions to compensate for residual emissions and/or temperature overshoot and highlight the critical role of land-use based mitigation. There is therefore a need to quantitatively assess the potential, effectiveness and impacts of negative emission technologies/practices and of land-use mitigation options, in achieving the long-term goals of the Paris Agreement, as well as linking these to what it would mean for concrete policy challenges.

Scope: Actions should address only one of the following sub-topics:

a) Feasibility of negative emissions for climate stabilisation: Actions should assess the potential, effectiveness, efficiency, risks and costs of existing and emerging negative emission technologies and practices for climate stabilisation and their impact on: land, subsurface, water, oceans and other resources, bio-diversity, human safety, food security, ecosystems and their ability to deliver services to society, including implications for resilience, sustainability, feedbacks on climate and the global carbon cycle, and other relevant issues. Actions should also cover the issue of public acceptance and explore the international governance requirements associated with large-scale deployment of negative emission technologies and practices.

b) Land-based mitigation: Actions should provide a comprehensive analysis of various land-use based mitigation options at the global and regional level, assessing their potential and effectiveness in providing large-scale reductions of greenhouse gases, in the context of trade-offs and/or co-benefits in relation to other pressures and goals (e.g. food, energy and water security, biodiversity) and should analyse feedbacks between land-use based mitigation and climate change impacts. Actions should also improve current methodologies to estimate emissions and removals associated with land use measures, also by leveraging observations from GEOSS and in particular the Copernicus programme.
For both of the sub-topics, in line with the strategy for EU international cooperation in research and innovation (COM(2012)497), international cooperation is encouraged.

For both of the sub-topics, actions should envisage resources for clustering with other actions funded under this topic.
The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between EUR 5 million and EUR 7 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected Impact: The project results are expected to contribute to:

• major international scientific assessments such as the IPCC reports and the IPBES, as well as to national and EU impact assessments of possible mitigation options;
• developing a comprehensive medium-to-long term vision and analytical framework on pathways to achieve climate neutrality in the perspective of reaching the PA goals;
• improved ex-post, spatially explicit monitoring of the mitigation performance of the land sector;
• enhanced international cooperation.

Type of Action: Research and Innovation action

The conditions related to this topic are provided at the end of this call and in the General Annexes.

LC-CLA-05-2019 - Human dynamics of climate change

Specific Challenge: As climatic changes increasingly place populations under pressure, human beings are already adapting. However, less developed countries – particularly in Africa – are often less resilient to climate change and require the deployment of appropriate support to adaptation, including in the form of bespoke climate services tailored to users' needs. There is some evidence that climate change may already be playing a role in shaping population migration patterns around the world (e.g. Africa to Europe). It is important to make use of the wealth of available socio-economic and geophysical data to better understand these patterns in order to develop appropriate policy responses.

Scope: Actions should address only one of the following sub-topics:

a) Climate services for Africa: Actions should exploit new, relevant climate data made available by Copernicus and other relevant sources (such as GEOSS) and create dedicated climate services for Africa for at least two of the following sectors: water, energy, land use17, health and infrastructure. Actions should develop and deliver tools/applications which demonstrate clear end-user engagement, consultation and participation, and which enhance planning and implementation of climate adaptation strategies in Africa. Actions should consider activities addressed by other initiatives such as the Global Framework for Climate Services (GFCS), Copernicus, and development cooperation activities, and provide added value. Actions should further consider the EU-Africa Research and Innovation Partnership on Climate Change and Sustainable Energy.

b) Climate and human migration: Actions should identify and analyse drivers relating to climate change that may affect human migration and displacement patterns. Actions should – using a multidisciplinary approach – identify and describe climate parameters, develop analytical methodologies, and demonstrate how these relate to human migration patterns, including the probability of migration/forced displacement and design adaptation solutions that may help in alleviating migration pressures at the source. They should also provide guidelines and policy recommendations for the European Agenda on Migration. Actions may also harness local knowledge and information by engaging with civil society organisations and citizen groups.

For both of the sub-topics, in line with the strategy for EU international cooperation in research and innovation (COM(2012)497), international cooperation is encouraged.

The participation of social sciences and humanities disciplines is encouraged to address the complex challenges of this topic, including challenges associated with relevant gender issues.
The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between EUR 5 million and EUR 7 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected Impact: The project results are expected to contribute to:

• better policy making for climate adaptation in partner countries and Europe;
• supporting international scientific assessments such as the IPCC Assessment Reports;
• stronger adaptive capacity and climate resilience.

Type of Action: Research and Innovation action

The conditions related to this topic are provided at the end of this call and in the General Annexes.

Inter-relations between climate change, biodiversity and ecosystem services

LC-CLA-06-2019 - Inter-relations between climate change, biodiversity and ecosystem services

Specific Challenge: The Paris Agreement notes the importance of taking action to ensure the integrity of all ecosystems and the protection of biodiversity in the context of combatting climate change and adapting to its impacts. An improved understanding of the interactions and feedbacks between ecological processes and climate change, together with evidence-based guidance, is crucial for the development of appropriate solution-oriented strategies and measures for biodiversity conservation and cost-effective ecosystems-based climate change adaptation and mitigation. Furthermore, there are opportunities to let biodiversity and ecosystems benefit multidimensionally from climate change adaptation and mitigation, because intelligent climate policy can simultaneously reduce other environmental stresses, such as air pollution.

Scope: Actions should investigate at all relevant spatial and temporal scales the way that ecological processes, biodiversity (including terrestrial and/or marine ecosystems as appropriate) and ecosystem services are impacted, both directly and indirectly, by climate change. Actions should consider the interactions and feedbacks between climate change and biodiversity, ecosystem functions and services. The vulnerability of biodiversity and ecosystems functions and services to climate change should be investigated and modelled across a range of European (including other European territories) climatic and ecological regions; this includes human activities with relevance to climate change. They should account for social, ecological and economic aspects and climate change relevant stressors and sources of uncertainty. These should include tipping points and safe operating spaces. The role of nature-based solutions in enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies should be assessed and synergies with other pollution-reducing environmental policies be explored. Work should build, as appropriate, on existing knowledge and activities such as relevant FP7/Horizon 2020 projects, European climate adaptation platforms and Copernicus Services, in particular on climate change, land monitoring and marine environmental monitoring, and contribute to long-term monitoring initiatives.
Projects should envisage resources for clustering with projects funded under the same topic and with ongoing and future projects funded under other relevant topics within Societal Challenge 5 and other parts of Horizon 2020. In line with the strategy for EU international cooperation in research and innovation (COM(2012)497), international cooperation is encouraged, in particular with CELAC21 countries.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU in the range of EUR 5 million to 7 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected Impact: The project results are expected to contribute to:

• more effective, integrated and evidence-based biodiversity conservation strategies and ecosystem management in the face of climate change;
• pushing the EU to the forefront in climate-change predictive capacity through models better accounting for the interactions and feedbacks between biodiversity, ecosystems and the climate system;
• more effective ecosystem-based adaptation and mitigation, through evidence-based design and implementation of systemic nature-based solutions ;
• enhanced ecosystem integrity, functionality, resilience and delivery of services;
• increased investment in nature-based solutions, and ecosystem conservation, restoration and management, to support climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies;
•  underpinning the EU Nature Directives, EU Biodiversity Strategy, 7th Environment Action Programme, and the EU Strategy on adaptation to climate change;
•  informing major international scientific assessments such as the IPCC reports and the IPBES;
•  the protection, restoration and enhancement of natural capital in line with the work of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the Intergovernmental science-policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and further relevant global processes and organisations.
• 
  

Type of Action: Research and Innovation action

The conditions related to this topic are provided at the end of this call and in the General Annexes.

The Cryosphere

LC-CLA-07-2019 - The changing cryosphere: uncertainties, risks and opportunities

Specific Challenge: Globally, glaciers and the large ice sheets of Antarctica and Greenland are particularly vulnerable to climate change, risking a significant future contribution to changes in sea levels. At present, there are significant uncertainties, e.g. relating to their stability, which prevent an accurate assessment of their vulnerability. The 'Arctic amplification' of global warming is putting pressure on the ecosystems and communities of the region and having an impact at global level as well. The Arctic's fragile natural ecosystems and societies are under serious threat, and additional human activities, linked to the new economic opportunities that are made possible by climate change, are putting additional pressure on them.

Scope: Actions should aim at developing innovative approaches to address only one of the following sub-topics:

a) Sea-level changes (Research and Innovation action): Actions should assess the processes controlling changes to global ice mass balance - including ice dynamics - such as ice shelf-ocean and sea-ice interactions, surface components, effects of crustal de-loading (Glacial Isostatic Adjustments) on relative sea-level changes and/or gravitational effects of ice mass changes on the spatial patterns of sea-level changes. Actions should assess the status of ice sheets and glaciers, report on how their changes are likely to affect future sea-levels, and increase confidence in predicting changes in the cryosphere including through better representation of poorly represented processes. Actions should also analyse low-probability high-impact scenarios including those associated with the collapse of ice sheets (sea-level fingerprints). Actions may be focused on specific issues which substantially contribute to sea-level changes and to the assessment of the associated major risks to and impacts on coastal communities, coastal ecosystems and critical infrastructure across the globe.The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU in the range of EUR 8 to EUR 10 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

b) Changes in Arctic biodiversity (Research and Innovation action): Actions should identify and analyse major drivers and implications of changing biodiversity in the Arctic, such as the role of invasive species, and how vulnerable land and/or marine ecosystems are with respect to combined human and natural influences. Actions should assess the ecosystems' responses to both external and internal factors and how these responses are impacting on indigenous populations and local communities at socio-economic level. Actions should also identify adaptation strategies in relation to the changes in Arctic ecosystems.
The participation of social sciences and humanities disciplines is important for addressing the complex challenges of this topic.
The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU in the range of EUR 5 to EUR 6 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately.Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

c) Sustainable opportunities in a changing Arctic (Research and Innovation action): Actions should assess the viability of new economic activities – such as resource exploitation, shipping and tourism – and their ecological and socio-economic impacts and feedbacks at various scales, and their impact on the provision of ecosystem services. Actions should investigate key processes with high societal and economic impacts and provide appropriate, solution-oriented adaptation and mitigation responses, as well as capacity building for sustainable livelihoods while considering – in a co-design approach – the needs, priorities and perspectives of indigenous populations, local communities and economic actors operating in the region.
The participation of social sciences and humanities disciplines is essential for addressing the complex challenges of this topic.
The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU in the range of EUR 5 to EUR 6 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

d) Arctic standards (Coordination and Support action): The action should propose guidelines and protocols to develop ‘Arctic standards’, also including the legal framework, based on the translation of research outcomes into cold-climate technologies and services with commercial potential and the assessment of the sustainability of associated processes and technologies. The action should cover a wide range of technologies and services that have the potential to bring broad social and economic benefits within and beyond the Arctic region. The action should also provide requirements on how to design, build, install, and operate equipment and services to safely perform activities in the Arctic and to respond to emergencies.
The participation of standardisation organisations is encouraged.
The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU in the range of EUR 2 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.
For all of the above sub-topics, in line with the strategy for EU international cooperation in research and innovation (COM(2012)497), international cooperation is encouraged22, in
22 Proposals should pay attention to the special call conditions for this topic.particular with countries – beyond the EU Member States and countries associated to Horizon 2020 – that took part in the first Arctic Science Ministerial of 28 September 201623.

Expected Impact: For projects addressing parts a), b) or c), the project results are expected to contribute to:

•  the implementation of the new integrated EU policy for the Arctic24;
• the IPCC assessments and other major regional and global initiatives;
•  enhanced engagement of and the interaction with residents from local communities and indigenous societies.

For projects addressing part d), the project results are expected to contribute to:

• enhanced stakeholder capability to operate in cold climate environments;
• better servicing of the economic sectors that operate in the Arctic (e.g. shipping, tourism);
• promoting sustainable Arctic opportunities arising from climate change and supporting the leverage of regional (EU) funds into these opportunities;
• supporting the competitiveness of European industry, particularly SMEs, engaging in sustainable development of the Arctic.
• 
  

Type of Action: Coordination and support action, Research and Innovation action

The conditions related to this topic are provided at the end of this call and in the General Annexes.

Raw materials

CE-SC5-08-2018-2019-2020 - Raw materials policy support actions for the circular economy 43

Specific Challenge: In order to secure the sustainable access to primary and secondary raw materials, including metals, industrial minerals, construction raw materials, wood, and particularly Critical Raw Materials (CRMs) for the EU economy, there is a need to tackle a number of specific non-technological challenges at local, regional, national, EU and global levels.

Illegal shipments of waste, both within the EU and to non-EU countries, and poor recycling have adverse effects on human health and the environment, create unfair competition for law
abiding operators and give rise to the loss of valuable resources in the case of poor or no treatment. However, port authorities and enforcement authorities have limited resources to control the ever increasing amount of material shipped and this without blocking normal traffic. In addition, at the moment there is no distinction in customs codes between “new goods” and “second hand goods” which implies that illegal waste shipments are often disguised as “second hand goods”.

Currently, at most only one third of waste wood is recycled, the rest being landfilled or incinerated and there are great differences between Member States in wood recycling performance. Increasing production costs combined with stagnating product prices in recent years have put pressure on the profit margins of the EU woodworking industries, mostly dominated by SMEs. There is a need for higher resource efficiency and increased use of recycled wood in wood processing that can provide measurable improvements in company profitability.


Requirements for responsible sourcing in the raw materials value chain have recently been strengthened in one aspect by the new EU Conflict Minerals legislation. However, the need for the industry to engage in responsible sourcing and responsible business conduct and to perform relevant due diligence goes beyond legislative obligations – it is rooted in the growing expectations of consumers, civil society, governments and procurement managers (buyers). While it is very difficult for individual operators to meet such expectations due to the limited availability of the necessary information, downstream industries increasingly require all operators in their supply chain to address risks by performing due diligence. Responsible sourcing of raw materials is becoming a new business reality; in the short term it may offer a competitive advantage to frontrunners and in the long term, it could become a necessary "license to operate" and, given the global character of today's supply chains, it is also a way to be integrated in global supply chains.

Scope: All actions should contribute to building the EU knowledge base of primary and secondary raw materials (EC Raw Materials Information System – RMIS44).

Actions should include a task to cluster with other relevant projects in the field funded by Horizon 2020, in support of the EIP on Raw Materials.

Actions should address only one of the following sub-topics45:

a)    Voluntary scheme for certification of treatment facilities for key types of wastes (2018): Actions should develop and launch a voluntary scheme for certification – including verification – of treatment facilities for key types of waste/recyclates containing significant amounts of critical raw materials (e.g. electronic waste and/or waste batteries). The scheme should integrate measurable and verifiable minimum quality standards and a verification procedure based on traceability through the supply chain from collection to end-processing.

Participation    of    relevant    stakeholders    –    including    waste    holders,    dealers,    brokers    and
operators of treatment facilities – from the conception phase of the scheme should be ensured. Full compliance with applicable WTO rules and with the rules and principles of the Basel Convention should be ensured, and existing certification schemes for waste should be taken into account.

In line with the strategy for EU international cooperation in research and innovation (COM(2012)497), international cooperation is encouraged.

The Commission considers that for this sub-topic, proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of up to EUR 2 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.


b)    Resource efficiency in wood processing, recovery and recycling (2018): Actions should identify, assess and document existing practices in a representative set of EU Member States/Associated Countries and possibly third countries, and create a network to widely disseminate and transfer good practices covering both issues: resource-efficient wood processing and wood waste recycling. Resource-efficient wood processing in the woodworking sector should improve companies' operational performance and hence the EU sector's overall competitiveness. Quality-oriented and cost-efficient wood waste collection systems, sorting and recycling, and design solutions should facilitate increased wood recycling together with increased product quality and market acceptance of recovered wood in new products. Involvement of relevant stakeholders across value chains is necessary, including wood processing industries, research & innovation institutes, woodworking products end-users, municipalities and other parties dealing with wood waste collection, sorting and recycling. Actions should also assess trade-offs between wood waste use for material and energy. This assessment should be based on life cycle analysis and all

sustainability pillars, and consider impacts on sustainable forest operations and ecosystems integrity (for all major EU forest regions) and impacts of intra-EU trade46. Proposals should include the participation of industrial SMEs, as far as possible.

The Commission considers that for this sub-topic, proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of up to EUR 3 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

c)    Responsible sourcing of raw materials in global value chains (2019): Actions should create a global business and stakeholder platform for exchange of information and the promotion of responsible sourcing and responsible business conduct involving a network of key international experts and stakeholders. The aim is to engage governmental and corporate partners from the EU/Associated Countries and third countries in developing a globally acceptable concept of a responsible sourcing in minerals and metals value chains.
The platform should develop ideas for creating incentives for responsible sourcing in raw materials value chains, strengthen EU outreach to third countries to promote the concept in intergovernmental forums and to establish responsible sourcing in EU business practice. Interaction with other related existing platforms, networks and initiatives is encouraged. Actions should consider the relevant aspects related to environmental sustainability.

In line with the strategy for EU international cooperation in research and innovation (COM(2012)497), international cooperation is encouraged, particularly with partners from advanced countries using raw materials47.

The Commission considers that for this sub-topic, proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of up to EUR 3 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.


Expected Impact: The project results are expected to contribute to:

sub-topic a)

•    achieving the objectives and the implementation of both the Raw Materials Initiative48 and the EIP on Raw Materials, in particular in terms of strengthening the enforcement of the Waste Shipment Regulation and improving access to critical raw materials (CRMs);

•    increased recovery rates in the EU as regards key types of waste/recyclates containing significant amounts of CRMs;

•    in the longer term, reduced EU dependency on imports of CRMs;

•    creating added value and new jobs in metallurgy, equipment manufacturing and/or downstream industries;

•    improving the environmental (control of emissions, residues, effluents), health and safety performance of operations throughout the whole life cycle;

sub-topic b)

•    achieving the objectives and the implementation of the EU Forest Strategy49, Circular Economy Action Plan and the EIP on Raw Materials on resource-efficient use of resources;

•    improving knowledge and conditions for efficient wood processing when compared to the state of the art, resulting in increased competitiveness of the EU woodworking industries;
•    increased wood waste recycling across the EU (including from furniture, construction and demolition, packaging, household) and increased acceptance in the use of secondary wood;

•    better informed decision-making at EU, national and local levels in the private and public sectors on wood recycling and resource efficiency; and improved knowledge of EU stakeholders about proposed solutions, including authorities involved in wood recycling;

•    in the medium and long term, creating added value and new jobs and increasing the overall competitiveness of the EU woodworking industries and related value-chains through an uptake of resource-, water- and energy-efficient solutions;


sub-topic c)

•    achieving the objectives of both the Raw Materials Initiative50 and the EIP on Raw Materials in terms of the access and responsible sourcing of raw materials;

•    improved awareness of consumers/corporates and improved perception of responsible sourcing as a source of competitive advantage through more responsible sourcing and responsible business conduct initiatives with regards to raw materials;

•    increased visibility of responsible sourcing in global political agenda-setting and emergence of a globally accepted definition of responsible sourcing.


Type of Action: Coordination and support action


43    It is expected that this topic will continue in 2020.
44    https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/en/scientific-tool/raw-materials-information-system
45    Proposals should pay attention to the specific call conditions for this topic
46    For example, country grouping applied by Forest Europe or other equivalent methodology
47    Proposals should pay attention to the specific call conditions for this topic
48    http://ec.europa.eu/growth/sectors/raw-materials/policy-strategy/index_en.htm
49    COM(2013)659
50    http://ec.europa.eu/growth/sectors/raw-materials/policy-strategy/index_en.htm

Protecting and leveraging the value of our natural and cultural assets: Earth observation

SC5-16-2019 - Development of commercial activities and services through the use of GEOSS and Copernicus data

Specific Challenge: Both GEOSS (Global Earth Observation System of Systems) and its key European contributor, Copernicus, offer a tremendous innovation opportunity for the EU inthe domain of Earth Observation (EO) as these initiatives enable long term access to a broad range of EO datasets, opening new avenues for the delivery of innovative environmental products and services. These data sources provide new opportunities for business sectors in Europe to deliver information and products that are vital inputs to help decision makers, industry and citizens adapt to changes occurring at different paces and affecting the Earth systems. The challenge faced today is to move from stand-alone observation data supply activities to more downstream integrated information services addressing citizens' needs directly within the context of their day-to-day lives.

However, those opportunities for the development of a new market of EO services and products cannot be fully exploited without a stronger involvement of commercial sector actors in both the GEO and Copernicus initiatives.


Scope: Actions should address only one of the following sub-topics:

a)    Coordination of European innovators in the domain of Earth observation (Coordination and Support Action): Actions should foster the development and implementation of a collaborative and integrated European research and innovation strategy for mass market applications based on space and non-space Earth observation. The action will support an industry-led stakeholder research and innovation forum in the domain of Earth observation in close collaboration with GEO and Copernicus, driving for innovation, knowledge transfer and European competitiveness.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU in the range of EUR 1 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

b)    Designing Earth observation services and products of the future, building on GEOSS and Copernicus assets (Innovation Action): Actions should deliver solutions addressing citizens' needs and contributing to the development of new markets of products and services through integrating Earth observation (EO) data and information, e.g. from GEOSS and Copernicus, with other data sources. These products and services should incorporate assimilation techniques and interoperability best practices, automation, systemization and integrated web-based services, and be brought – at least – into pre-operational service provision, going beyond the demonstration phase. Activities are expected to focus on Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs) 5 to 7.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU from between EUR 2 million and EUR 3 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected Impact: The project results are expected to contribute to:

•    effective engagement of the European commercial sector within GEOSS;
•    new commercial products and services using GEOSS and Copernicus data and services;

•    capacity building among current and potential developers of commercial products;

•    demonstrated capability and reliability of novel EO products and services through the whole value chain;

•    mobilising the most dynamic actors of the European commercial sector, developing new EO-derived mass markets and increasing cross-domain exploitation of EO data.


Type of Action: Coordination and support action, Innovation action

Connecting economic and environmental gains - the circular economy

CE-SC5-04-2019 - Building a water-smart economy and society

Specific Challenge: There is a growing demand for water from various economic activities and increasing stress on natural water sources. To secure water for our society, there is therefore a need to make available alternative water resources of various qualities and which are appropriate for different functions and multiple users, and to better exploit water resources and all the valuable substances that could be obtained through the wastewater treatment and reuse process. However, innovations in this domain remain fragmented and/or only experimented at small scales; testing and deployment in operational environments and at scales suitable for encouraging wider uptake is still missing.

Scope: Actions should demonstrate the feasibility of a 'water smart' economy and society in which all available water resources, including surface, groundwater, waste water, and process water, are managed in such a way as to avoid water scarcity and pollution, increase resilience to climate change, appropriately manage water-related risks, and ensure that all valuable substances that could be obtained from waste water treatment processes, or are embedded in used water streams, are recovered.

Actions should address only one of the following sub-topics:

a)    Symbiosis between industry and water utilities: Actions should demonstrate resource-efficient solutions derived from the systemic exploitation of symbiotic inter-linkages between wastewater treatment in industry and by water utilities. These might address, for instance, the reuse of treated wastewater, the use of substances or energy derived from wastewater treatment, or might demonstrate the concept of dynamic allocation of the right quality of water for the right purpose, while ensuring health and safety. Innovative solutions do not need to be only technological, but may also encompass other types of innovation such as innovative governance and stakeholder engagement or business models in industrial environments.

b)    Large scale applications with multiple water users at various relevant scales: Actions should test and demonstrate systemic innovation in real life, large scale operational environments. Actions should address multiple water users (urban, industrial, rural and agricultural) and various relevant scales (regional/national/international) for:

•    stimulating efficient and multiple use, recycling and reuse of water; recovery of energy and materials (such as nutrients, minerals, chemicals and metals) from water;

•    managing water demand and efficient allocation;

•    exploiting alternative water sources;

•    prevention of water pollution and degradation of the aquatic environment and soil; and

•    cost-effective and smart management of the water system and infrastructure.


As far as possible, the innovative solutions should include all of the above-mentioned activities. Actions should also consider: new marketing and financing concepts and strategies to maximise the multiple values of water and increase the attractiveness of the water sector for investors; new governance approaches and decision-making instruments for water managers; water systems vulnerability approaches and other sustainability assessments (e.g. footprint, Life Cycle Assessment).

The participation of social sciences and humanities, also addressing the gender dimension, is considered crucial to properly address the complex challenges of this topic, especially those related to human behaviour and attitudes towards water, the inter-linkages between policy and implementation, and acceptance of the solutions developed by both the public and other water users.

For both sub-topics, deployment of enabling digital solutions for the monitoring, control and optimisation of data and processes is also encouraged. Where appropriate, related regulatory and institutional barriers which prevent the wide application of developed innovative solutions should be addressed. Where technological innovation is concerned, TRL 5-7 should be achieved. To assure applicability and wide deployment of the innovative water technologies in different conditions (including different water resources, economic, social and regulatory settings) involvement of market take-up partners and/or end users from a wide range of different European regions is strongly encouraged, as well as SME participation.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between EUR 10 million and EUR 15 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.


Expected Impact: The project results are expected to contribute to:

•    significantly reduced use of water from freshwater sources;

•    improved recovery and use of resources (materials and water itself), including energy;

•    mobilisation of water-related investments and synergies with other funding instruments.

•    the creation of new business opportunities and increased competiveness of EU industries;

•    supporting, as appropriate, the implementation of EU water policies, the transition to a more circular economy at different scales and economic and social conditions31, water security, water use efficiency, enhanced resilience to climate change and achievement of the relevant Sustainable Development Goals;

•    the implementation of the objectives of the EIP Water and, where appropriate, supporting the implementation and evaluation of technology verification schemes, including the EU Environmental Technology Verification Pilot (ETV) programme.