Archives: September 2010

The European Commission has unveiled a EUR45 million investment budget for research projects on maritime activities. The 'Ocean of Tomorrow 2011' call for proposals is designed to encourage innovative, forward-looking and sustainable approaches to maritime activities. Large-scale multidisciplinary research projects involving partners from different EU and partner countries to address challenges in ocean management may apply.

The call is split into four themes:
* Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, and Biotechnology (EUR14 million)
* Energy (EUR5 million)
* Environment (including climate change) (EUR16 million)
* Transport (including Aeronautics) (EUR10 million)

Deadline: 18 January 2011
Further details

The European Commission unveiled the new CIVITAS Plus II call for proposals on 14 September. Under the initiative, part of the Seventh Framework Programme, and drawing upon the Commission's Action Plan on Urban Mobility, cities can apply for funding to support them in designing, procuring, deploying, managing and evaluating ambitious new policies and technologies for more sustainable urban passenger and freight transport.

Included amongst the expected impacts are the:
* promotion of integrated approaches to urban transport planning and financing;
* development, demonstration and validation of new policy approaches and innovative transport technologies and systems for improving urban mobility whilst reducing accidents, congestion, energy consumption, air and noise pollution, etc.
* networking of cities to promote dialogue, shared learning and pooling of resources (e.g. for procurement); and
* development of methods of assessing the cost-effectiveness and long-term viability of integrated mobility measures.

An indicative budget of EUR18 million is available.

Deadline: 12 April 2011.
Further details

In order to facilitate and encourage the promotion and movement of European audiovisual and cinema works, a call for proposals providing support for the implementation of audiovisual festivals was launched on 3 September. Events which commit to screening a minimum of 70% European films from at least 10 States participating in the MEDIA Programme and take place between 1 May 2011 and 30 April 2012 are eligible. Factors to be assessed in applications include the European dimension, cultural and geographic diversity and quality and innovative nature of the programming as well as audience impact. Maximum grants of EUR75,000 are available to finance up to 50% of eligible costs incurred.

Deadlines: 2 November (for events starting between 1 May and 31 October 2011) and 30 April 2011 (for events starting between 1 November 2011 and 30 April 2012).

Further details

On 2 September, MEPs voted to redirect approximately EUR115 million set to remain unspent under the EUR4 billion 2010 allocation to energy by the European Economic Recovery Plan (EERP) towards green investment projects to be delivered at local and regional level. The Commission proposal was unanimously approved by the European Parliament's Industry, Research and Energy committee and will go before the Plenary session in October.

MEPs had been critical of the recovery plan's emphasis on long-term carbon capture and storage ahead of more immediately deliverable investments in the field of energy efficiency and renewable energies. That emphasis had in fact represented a major row-back on the original proposal to provide EUR500 million for local 'smart cities' energy actions which were ultimately deemed to lack European added value.

The money will be used to create a dedicated 'Sustainable Energy Financing Initiative' to support local and regional projects which will need to be able to contribute significantly and in a measurable way towards economic recovery, boosting energy security and cutting greenhouse gas emissions. Innovative green projects relating to combined heat and power and district heating networks, intelligent public lighting systems, urban public transport and electric vehicles, linking decentralised renewable production into grids, electricity storage, and smart energy-use metering are among the topics likely to be eligible for support.

Further details