- 10 July 2012 - Deadline to submit proposals within the CLEAN SKY Call 

- 11 July 2012 - Deadline to submit full proposals within the MANUNET 2012 Call  

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As anticipate in our previous issues, in July 2012 a lot of FP7 (7th Framework Programme) calls for proposals regarding several areas (Transport, Security, Environment, Energy, SMEs, etc.) are expected for publications.

In preparation of the calls, a number of Information Days will be held in Brussels. These are in July: 

- 04 July 2012 - Energy 2013 

- 09-10 July 2012 - Research PPPs 2013 (Factories of the Future, Energy-Efficient Buildings, Green Cars)

- 18-19 July - Transport 2013 (Sustainable Surface Transport and Air Transport) 

We invite all our readers to go through their to-do list and think of strategic priorities of their organisation (either public or private, large or small)  as there is a good chance that a funding scheme may be available to suit their needs and EPN Consulting can help them identify it and prepare a good proposal.

Heavy competition is expected so we advise you to start this process on time and get in touch with us as soon as possible for a free inquiry.  

P.S. Do you know that the time spent by your staff on preparing and attending dissemination events as well as expenses concerning travelling, producing brochures, leaflets, etc. are 100% funded? 

Last 17 Apr 2012, deadline of the ICT-9 call for proposals, 650 applications were received. The numbers of proposals submitted per topic are:

- 187 in ICT2011.2.1

- 030 in ICT2011.4.3

- 104 in ICT2011.5.2

- 178 in ICT2011.8.2

- 018 in ICT2011.9.9

- 047 in ICT2011.9.10

- 042 in ICT2011.9.11

- 010 in ICT2011.9.12 

- 034 in ICT2011.10.3

Applicants can expect to be informed of the results by early July 2012.

Last 15 May 2012, deadline of the CIP ICT-PSP call for proposals, 165 applications were received. The numbers of proposals submitted are:

- 010 Pilot A

- 102 Pilot B 

- 023 Thematic Networks

- 030 Best Practice Network 

Applicants can expect to be informed of the results by late July 2012.

06 June 2012 - The Cars 21 High Level Group on the Competitiveness and Sustainable Growth of the Automotive Industry in the EU published their Final Report 

This report covers the group's consensus on the strategic vision for the automotive sector at the horizon 2020 and specific recommendations on a number of policy areas that are of importance for the automotive sector. Main topics are:

1. A Strategic Vision for the EU Automotive Industry

2. Enhancing Business Conditions

3. Improving Competitiveness on Global Markets

4. Lowering CO2 Emissions

5. Deploying New Mobility Solutions

6. Reducing Pollutants and Noise Emissions 

Last 06 June 2012 the European Union confirmed it is committed to achieving a 20% share of renewable energy by 2020. This goal can be reached only in a cost-efficient manner if all policies currently in place are implemented across all Member States and if support schemes converge.

In the Communication adopted on 06/06/2012, the Commission therefore called for a more coordinated European approach in the establishment and reform of support schemes and an increased use of renewable energy trading among Member States. Moreover, the fact that investors need regulatory certainty makes crucial to start discussing the future and building a solid framework beyond 2020.

Energy Commissioner G�nther Oettinger stated: "We should continue to develop renewable energy and promote innovative solutions. We have to do it in a cost-efficient way. This means: producing wind and solar power where it makes economic sense and trading it within Europe, as we do for other products and services."

The Communication indicated four main areas where efforts should be stepped up until 2020 to achieve our renewable energy goals whilst being cost-efficient:

• Energy market 
• Support schemes 
• Cooperation mechanisms
• Energy cooperation in the Mediterranean 

Intelligent Energy - Europe II (IEE II) is one of the three pillars of the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP) and the main EU instrument for non-technological support in the field of energy.

Its objective is to contribute to removal of market barriers that hamper the efficient use of energy and increased use of renewable energy sources.

In the Commission's proposal for the next Multiannual Financial Framework (2014-2020), it has been proposed that the successor to IEE II (IEE III), will continue in the under the Energy Challenge of the future EU programme for Research and Innovation �Horizon 2020�. This public consultation will provide an important contribution for shaping IEE III in Horizon 2020.

More information and the online questionnaire link can be found here. 

Under the Directive 2003/30/EC on the promotion of the use of biofuels or other renewable fuels for transport, EU established the goal of reaching a 5.75% share of renewable energy in the transport sector by 2010.

Under the Directive 2009/28/EC on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources this share rises to a minimum 10% in every Member State in 2020. Regarding the expand of biofuels use in the EU, the Directive aims to ensure the use of sustainable biofuels only, which generate a clear and net GHG saving without negative impact on biodiversity and land use.

Although crop residues have the advantage of not requiring additional land, residues are still integrated into the agricultural system as a physical and carbon resource.
To develop a full picture of the potential of advanced biofuels, a sustainability assessment is needed. This assessment should determine what environmental effects could be induced through the removal of crop residues for biofuel production, and which policy recommendations might follow to ensure sustainable use.

The WWF prepared a valuable paper: "Smart Use of Residues: Exploring the Factors Affecting the Sustainable Extraction Rate of Agricultural Residues for Advanced Biofuels".  

This paper represents an initial assessment, relying on the expanding field of research on advanced biofuels. The first part highlights the role of advanced biofuels in decarbonisation. The second part investigates the environmental impact of advanced biofuels, while the last part gives policy recommendations. 

The full paper can be downloaded here.  

On the occasion of the annual congress of the European Construction Industry Federation FIEC in Istanbul, the European Commission Vice-President Tajani presented the main lines of a strategy to boost the competitiveness of the construction sector which will be presented after the summer.

The proposed actions will include:

1) Stimulating favourable investment conditions, in particular in the renovation and maintenance of buildings and infrastructures, by promoting financial instruments such as loan guarantees and project bonds as well as encouraging incentives at national level such as reduced VAT rates

2) Boosting innovation and improving worker's qualifications by promoting mobility and the circulation of information on curricula, employment market and employer's needs

3) Improving resource efficiency and environmental performance, promoting mutual recognition of sustainable construction systems in the EU

4) Providing standard design codes of practice to construction companies making it easier for them to work in other Member States

5) Fostering the global position of European construction enterprises to stimulate good performances and sustainable standards in third countries.

The competitiveness of construction companies is an important issue not only for growth and employment in general but also to ensure the sustainability of the sector. In order to respond to the key challenges outlined above, a European strategy for the next decade will be presented soon and will include the introduction of Nearly Zero Energy Buildings (NZEB) as a major challenge for the construction sector.

More information can be found here.  

The Internet Protocol is the key by which data is addressed and routed in small packets across networks. This protocol makes Internet and World Wide Web browsing a relatively seamless experience. The final IPv4 addresses allocated to Europe (out of a total of 4.3 billion globally) was  handed out in June. Therefore updating the protocol is essential to ensure there are enough internet addresses for all the computers, mobiles and other devices people need to connect to Internet, and to ensure higher levels of security.

IPv6 makes available a practically unlimited number of addresses (340 trillions of trillions of trillions). IPv6 offers many technical advantages such as the simplified deployment of IP security, standard routing, and the plug & play capability. However, according to the IPv6 indicator in the Digital Agenda Scoreboard, less than 3% of all websites in the EU27 are IPv6-compatible.

More information can be found here.   

More information can be found here.    

More information can be found here.     

The world's centre of economic gravity has changed over past centuries. But since the mid-1980s, the pace of that shift-from the United States and Europe toward Asia- has been increasing dramatically (exhibit). We expect this trend to continue, so executives and policy makers must be prepared to respond.

A new report from the McKinsey Global Institute, Urban world: Cities and the rise of the consuming class, finds that the 600 cities making the largest contribution to a higher global GDP-the City 600-will generate nearly 65 percent of world economic growth by 2025.    

- 01-07 July 2012 - Ohrid (MK) - ENE+ENV - UNESCO Event - 7th Conference on Sustainable Development of Energy, Water and Environment Systems 

- 02 July 2012 - London (UK) - EUP+ICT+INN - FP7 INFORMATION DAY on COLLECTIVE AWARENESS PLATFORMS FOR SUSTAINABILITY AND SOCIAL INNOVATION 

- 02-06 July 2012 - Madrid (ES) - ICT - HPCS 2012 - The 2012 International Conference on High Performance Computing& Simulation 

- 03-04 July 2012 - London (UK) - ICT - IET Event - IPR 2012 - The IET Image Processing Conference 2012 

- 04 July 2012 - Birmingham (UK) - ENE+ICT - IET Event - SOLAR POWER: THE WAY FORWARD 

- 04 July 2012 - Brussels (BE) - ENE+EUP - FP7 INFORMATION DAY on ENERGY 2013 

- 04-06 July 2012 - Berlin (DE) - ICT - FUTURE NETWORK & MOBILE SUMMIT 2012 

- 10 July 2012 - London (UK) - ITS+LEG+TRA - ENFORCEMENT SUMMIT 2012 - 6th Annual Conference and Exhibition 

[...]

There are fantastic business opportunities for you.

It is possible to sponsor one or more events (Event Sponsor) or even become an Event Section Sponsor (Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze packages available). Please drop us an email if interested and we will provide you with all information.

Notice: EPN Consulting Members enjoy up to 20% discount on sponsoring packages. Join us!