European funding opportunities for water
Widnes, 12th May 2015
Ewa Bloch, Innovate UK
What is Horizon 2020? (1)
• €70.2 billion billion research and innovation funding programme (2014-2020)
• A core part of Europe 2020, the Innovation Union & the European Research Area:
• Responding to the economic crisis to invest in future jobs and growth
• Addressing people’s concerns about their livelihoods, safety and environment
• Strengthening the EU’s global position in research, innovation and technology
• Coupling research to innovation – "from research to retail", funding all forms of innovation
• Focus on societal challenges facing EU society, e.g. health, climate change, energy and transport
• Simplified access, for all companies, universities, institutes in all EU countries and beyond
What is Horizon 2020? (2)
Strong emphasis on expected impact (market relevance)
Market exploitation - industry participation and market impact very important
Innovative integrated solutions
Support to and involvement of industry, in particular high potential SMEs
Collaboration: industry-academia links, transnational links
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• RESEARCH & INNOVATION
The European Commission supports collaborative Research and Innovation projects by means of grants
• COLLABORATORS
The collaborators form a consortium which must include three independent partners from different EU member or associated countries
• BENEFITS
Important benefits to project participants include the development of knowledge underpinning new products and services, shared expertise, widened capabilities, enlarged networks, and expanded world view
• MAKING A PROPOSAL
Participation follows successful submission of a written proposal in response to a call for proposals referring to a Work Programme document which defines the technology and challenge areas to be addressed.
Proposal is submitted electronically by the leading partner of the consortium.
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• CONTENT
Proposals need to show that they offer an innovative approach and/or solution to a defined challenge/problem.
Innovation and market relevance of a project are its key aspects, followed by the implementation logic and arrangements.
• DECISION
The EC, supported by independent evaluators, evaluates proposals and draws lists of projects proposed for funding. Yes/No decisions are communicated to the leading partner 3-5 months after the submission deadline.
• TIMING
2015 calls for proposals are now closed, we’re in the process of finalising the contents of 2016/2017 Work Programme, which will be launched in Autumn 2015.
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Allocated funding (€ million, 2014-2020)
Health, demographic change and wellbeing 7 472
Food security, sustainable agriculture, marine and maritime and inland water research & the bioeconomy
3 851
Secure, clean and efficient energy 5 931
Smart, green and integrated transport 6 339
Climate action, environment, resource efficiency and raw materials
3 081
Europe in a changing world-inclusive, innovative and reflective societies
1 309
Secure societies-protecting freedom and security of Europe and its citizens
1 695
Science with and for society 462
Spreading excellence and widening participation 816
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• Research and Innovation Actions (RIA) new knowledge and/or to explore the feasibility of a new or improved technology, product, process, service or solution
– basic and applied research, technology development and integration, testing and validation on a small-scale prototype in a laboratory or simulated environment (100% direct + 25% indirect) x 100%
• Innovation Actions (IA) producing plans and arrangements or designs for new, altered or improved products, processes or services
– prototyping, testing, demonstrating, piloting, large-scale product validation and market replication (100% direct + 25% indirect) x 70%
• Coordination and Support Actions (CSA) standardisation, dissemination, awareness-raising and communication, networking, coordination or support services, policy dialogues and mutual learning exercises and studies (100% direct + 25% indirect) x 100%
• SME Instrument: 3 phases (feasibility, demonstration/market, commercialisation)
• Fast Track to Innovation (funding for industry-led close to market projects)
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The types of projects (funding actions)
• European funding is for research and development only
• The topics are narrow and defined
• Funding rates are not attractive
• First time applicants are never successful
• The application process is difficult, bureaucratic, time consuming and expensive
• The time-to-grant period is very long
• You have to pay for help with the application process
• National funding is easier and better
• I don’t know where to start
• It is not for me
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Common facts and myths
Collaboration
• Becoming involved 'for the money' is generally a bad place to start, ending in disappointment - or worse..
• The principal opportunity revolves around the collaboration which the scheme enables
[The vast majority of funded projects will involve at least three independent partners from different member states or associated countries]
• A participant with a particular skill can bring it to bear upon a problem which they could not address alone
• Necessary / missing skills / knowledge will be brought by their partners to the project
• This provides benefit for the consortium by enabling things which none of the partners could achieve alone
• In collaborating a participant may benefit in a number of ways – Sharing Intellectual property with others to achieve new things
– Growth of understanding of technology
– Growth of wider international networks
– Understanding of wider markets / exploitation opportunities
– Participation in standards setting / market making
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Finding Partners
Existing
Contacts
Friends of
Existing
Contacts
Partner
search
Normally….
• Look to your own supply chain first
• Partner search facilities, Enterprise Europe
Network, Cordis etc)
• Go to brokerage events, European and national
conferences
• Join relevant UK Knowledge Transfer Networks
• Start early…
Most partnerships are formed on an individual basis with universities and companies, rather than as part of a broader ‘relationship with academia / industry,’ each with different starting points and aims 11
The value of water
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Rationale: Water resources are under pressure from climate change, urbanisation, pollution,
overexploitation of fresh resources and increasing competition between various user groups
Improvement of the state of water resources (quality and quantity) will trigger significant economic benefits. Europe has a strong potential to become world leader in water innovation – 9.000 SMEs active in the water sector, 600.000 direct jobs in water utilities. Just 1% increase of the rate of growth could create up to 20.000 jobs.
The world market for drinking and waste water €250bn in 2008, investments over €33bn per annum. The cost of repairing damages (floods and droughts) is x6 higher than the cost of adaptation.
Focus on: Thematic priorities: water reuse and recycling, water and waste water treatment (incl.
recovery of resources), water and energy integration, flood and drought risk management, and the role of ecosystem services in the provision of water related services.
Horizontal priorities: water governance, decision support system and monitoring, and financing for innovation.
Climate services
Rationale: Building foundations for developing European climate services
Climate services: demand-driven services for both mitigation and adaptation to climate change, for a range of end users, including businesses, public decision-makers and policy-makers, and citizens.
Building the ability and capacity to translate, transform and use climate-related data into customised products and practical applications, covering the links between physical, chemical, biology, social, gender, health and economic aspects.
Supporting climate policy through developing strategic capabilities in climate projection, prospective economic analysis, international cooperation and preparing for future IPCC reports
Focus on:
Translating data into usable information, developing the capacity of end users to understand what information they need in order to help design new solutions for climate change mitigation and adaptation
Turning climate change into a business opportunity, in particular working with urban areas/cities to look at the different subsystems – energy, water, material flows, transport, socio-cultural system, knowledge base and labour market.
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Managing natural resources
Rationale To establish Europe as a leader in innovation through nature-based solutions (solutions
inspired and supported by nature, while maintaining and/or enhancing natural capital) for improving our economic, social and environmental resilience
Focus on urban areas to complement existing European investments in Smart Cities
Focus on: Integrating nature-based solutions into urban areas
For example: solutions to enhance surface water retention from storm water or flooding
can also help preserve biodiversity, improve air quality, mitigate heat island effect, and provide health and recreational benefits
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Case study 1 – Eco-UV
Title: Low carbon footprint and eco-innovative UV water disinfection Type of action: Innovation Action Consortium: Hanovia Ltd (UK), Karlsruher Institut fuer Technologie (DE), DVGW (DE), IVL
Svenska Miljoeinstitutet AB (SE) Duration: 36 months Budget: 4,494,958.00 € (EU grant 3,949,371 €) Objective: demonstration and characterisation of an innovative UV lamp and driving
electronics technology for chemical-free water treatment and disinfection. Innovation: The technology provides up to four times increased lifetime with greatly increased efficiency, the energy consumption reduced by 80% (therefore a lower carbon footprint, much improved energy use and hence greatly reduced lifetime costs). The technology will be introduced with a mercury-free configuration, removing the need to handle with this hazardous substance in manufacture and disposal, hence providing a sustainable and eco-innovative technology. The project will prove the lamp technology by demonstration in real applications with full characterisation in terms of long-term stability, ageing effects and dose-response-relationship.
Impact: The technology will be installed at three demonstration sites for an extended running period. At each, the treatment performance of the UV systems will be evaluated according to the inactivation of micro organisms and the reduction of application specific chemicals, e. g. antibiotics and pesticides. A full Life Cycle evaluation of cost and environmental benefits will be disseminated via EU ETV forums to ensure active uptake of the technology offering by comparing it to traditional UV technology in terms of energy, infrastructure and lifetime costs.
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Case study 2 - MASLOWATEN
Title: MArket uptake of an innovative irrigation Solution based on LOW WATer-ENergy consumption Type of action: IA Consortium: 13 partners (ES, IT, NL, AT, PT) led by University of Madrid (ES) – 9 companies Duration: 36 months Budget: 4,873,799.00 € (EU contribution 3,996,465 €) Objective: Market uptake and market replication of a new green product for irrigation at TRL9 consuming
100% renewable electricity and 30% less water. Innovation: This project proposes activities to integrate large power photovoltaic (PV) pumping systems
at TRL5 with already tested integrated systems with, in one hand, automatisms and ICT solutions that reduce the water consumption (30%) detecting in real-time the actual needs of the specific crop in a certain moment, and in the other hand, low pressure systems that reduce the energy needs. both developments at a TRL9 for the first application and market replication of a new green product at TRL9 consisting of PV pumping systems for productive agriculture irrigation consuming zero conventional electricity and 30% less water. Main objectives: To show the technical and economical viability of efficient and intermittency-free large scale PV pumping systems for irrigation allowing 100% renewable energy consumption, To reduce the water consumption, using Automatisms and ICT and Precision Agriculture-based solutions.
Impact: market penetration of this innovative solution through five real scale first market systems (in Spain, Italy, Portugal and Morocco) and other technical, economical and dissemination actions for the market uptake. Also generation of a real market of 6GW of large-scale systems meaning a real business of 9000M€.
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Case study 3 - CENTAUR
Title: Cost Effective Neural Technique for Alleviation of Urban Flood Risk Type of action: IA Consortium: 7 organisations from UK, FR, PY, CH and DE, led by the University of Sheffield – 5 companies
(incl. Veolia) Duration: 36 months Budget: 3,532,122€ (EU contribution 2,548,397 €) Objective: to develop a radically new market ready approach to RTC of sewer networks with the aim of
reducing local flood risk in urban areas. Innovation: novel low cost de-centralised, autonomous RTC system. It will be installed, tested and
demonstrated in a number of pilot study catchments. This RTC system will utilise data driven distributed intelligence combined with local, low cost monitoring systems installed at key points within existing sewer infrastructure. It will utilise mechanically simple, robust devices to control flow in order to reduce flood risk at vulnerable sites.
Impact: the system will be informed and governed directly by sensors distributed within the local network, without the need for an expensive hydrodynamic model or real time rainfall measurements. This system will deliver many of the benefits of RTC systems, whilst avoiding the high costs and complex nature of extensive sensor networks, centralised control systems, communications systems and infrastructure modifications. It is anticipated that such a system will be of significant benefit to operators of small to medium sized sewer networks.
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Case study 4 - WATERINNEU
Title: Applying European market leadership to river basin networks and spreading of innovation on water ICT models, tools and data
Type of action: CSA Consortium: 8 organisations from ES, NL, DE, IT, BE, SK and UK, led by Spanish Centre for Ecology and
modelling. 5 businesses, UK partner Orion Innovations Ltd. Duration: 24 months Budget: 914,991.04 € Objective: to create a marketplace to enhance the exploitation of EU funded ICT models, tools, protocols
and policy briefs related to water and to establish suitable conditions for new market opportunities based on these offerings.
Innovation: Gather the outcomes of previous European funded projects, and contribute to their dissemination and exploitation to be used as an instrument for supporting the implementation of the Water Framework Directive (WFD).b ) Assess the level of standardization and interoperability of these outcomes as a mechanism to integrate ICT-based tools, and incorporate open data platforms and generate a palette of interchangeable components that are able to use the water data emerging from the data sharing processes and data models stimulated by initiatives such as the INSPIRE directive.
Impact: Create the marketplace as a service: a forum formed by water research projects representatives, stakeholders in the water domain, and companies (in particular SMEs), who are capable of moving current products into the market and offer them to, for example, river basin managers, at different levels.
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• Business-led innovation
• Involvement of a range of organisations (industry, academic, public, end users)
• Market and commercial focus
• International collaboration to address European/international issues by combining different disciplines and expertise
• Propose innovative solutions to the defined challenges
• Flexibility to involve a range of disciplines to solve the challenges
• Opportunity to pilot and demonstrate solutions (including cities as living labs)
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Key aspects
• Knowledge Transfer Network: thematic expertise and knowledge, collaboration and networking opportunities (KTN)
• Enterprise Europe Network: basic and general information on Horizon 2020, coaching for the SME Instrument, local presence, international networking and collaboration (EENW Manchester)
• National Contact Points: specific information and support to Horizon 2020 applicants (Ewa Bloch, Ian Holmes for food and agri)
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Support available
• Feedback to/from EC on work programmes
• Clarification of documentation and rules
• Guidance on choosing thematic priorities and instruments
• Scope queries with Project Officers
• Advice on administrative procedures and contractual issues
• Support with the application process (workshops and 1-2-1)
• Feedback on draft proposals
• Assistance with partner search
– through network support (EEN and KTN)
• Feedback on results
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NCP support
Thank you for your attention
Ewa Bloch UK National Contact Point Climate change, environment, resource efficiency and raw materials [email protected] Register for updates on www.h2020uk.org
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