CIP Eco Innovation

CIP Eco Innovation

 

First Application and Market Replication Projects

 

 

Call for Proposal 2009

 

 

This initiative is part of the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Program (EIP) which seeks to support innovation and SME in EU. EIP is part of the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Program (CIP) which aims at encouraging the competitiveness of European enterprises.

With SMEs as its main target, CIP also comprises actions encouraging a better take-up and use of information and communications technologies (ICT) and promotes the increased use of renewable energies and energy efficiency.

The promotion of Eco-Innovation through the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme contributes to the implementation of the Environmental Technologies Action Plan (ETAP). one of the main objectives of this Action Plan is to tap the full potential of environmental technologies for protecting the environment while contributing to competitiveness and economic growth as laid down in the Lisbon Strategy. CIP Ecoinnovation will support projects connected with eco-innovative products, techniques, services or processes which aim at prevention or reduction of environmental impacts or which contribute to the optimal use of resources.

 

This Call relates to CIP first application and market replication projects on Eco-Innovation, which are managed by the Executive Agency for Competitiveness and Innovation (EACI) under powers delegated by the European Commission.

 

CIP Eco-innovation aims to support projects concerned with the first application or market replication of eco-innovative techniques, products, services or practices of Community relevance, which have already been technically demonstrated with success but which, owing to residual risk, have not yet penetrated the market.

They should contribute to remove obstacles to the development and wide application of eco-innovation, create or enlarge markets for related products and improve the competitiveness of EU enterprises on world markets. The projects should also aim at reducing environmental impacts, increasing resource efficiency or improve environmental performance of enterprises, in particular SMEs

 

 

CIP Eco-Innovation will support projects:

 

• Concerned with the first application or market replication of eco-innovative
• techniques, products, processes or practices, which
• have already been technically demonstrated, but
• due to remaining risks need incentives to penetrate significantly the market.

 

CIP Eco-Innovation will also support market oriented activities related to the uptake of environmental technologies and eco-innovative activities by enterprises and the implementation of new or integrated approaches to Eco-Innovation.

 

Projects concerned with land-use management and planning, management of natural areas, urban policies and projects with a public dimension should be presented to the LIFE+ programme14and/ or to the 7th RTD framework programme15.

Projects focusing at increasing the penetration of renewable energies and energy efficiency (including energy in transport) should be presented to the Intelligent Energy Europe programme

 Research and technology development, including demonstration projects at an early stage with a high technology risk or projects that develop prototypes, should be submitted to the 7th RTD programme.

 In its aim of market replication, CIP Eco-innovation should go beyond dissemination, show-casing and training, and the development of software and design tools or pure commercialisation of products..

 

 

3. MAIN PRIORITY AREAS OF THE CALL FOR PROPOSALS 2009

 

3.1 Materials recycling

 

Efforts to reduce and avoid the negative impacts of waste on the environment and human health have been central to EU environment policy. Despite all the progress achieved, the challenges for waste policy are still mounting and much still needs to be done. 

The EU "Thematic Strategy on the prevention and recycling of waste"18 sets out the objectives and means by which the EU can further improve the management of waste and make better use of its materials and energy resources. The recent Lead Market initiative in recycling, points out the need to promote business innovations in the recycling area19. The new Waste Framework Directive, sets the waste hierarchy which needs to be respected and also sets more ambitious targets for the re-use, recycling and recovery of some categories of waste. Innovation covers a wide range of recycling and re-uses processes, methods, technologies and approaches, such as for example: automation, sorting, treatment, post-shredder and separation technologies, as well as business innovations relating to recycling and re-use.

 

Scope of actions to be supported under this Call:

- Better sorting processes and methods for waste materials, construction waste, commercial/industrial waste, potential recyclables or recyclable waste from electrical and electronic equipment and end-of-life vehicles.

- Innovative products using recycled material or facilitating material recycling, matching international products' standards, advanced design requirements and high quality consumer needs.

- Business innovations to strengthen the competitiveness of recycling industries, such as new market structures for recycling products, supply chains or harmonized manufacturing and recycling processes.

 

 

 

4. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

 

Applications can be submitted by one or several entities. All applicants must be legal persons, whether private or public, established in the territory of the European Member States.

 

 

7. MAIN AWARD CRITERIA

 

 

The Executive Agency for Competitiveness and Innovation will base its selection of actions and the rate of Community co-financing on the written proposal. The actions will be evaluated against five award criteria which will carry equal weighting within the overall assessment. However, a mark of at least 7 (out of 10) will be required for the first criterion and a mark of at least 6 (out of 10) for the remaining criteria. In addition, the total of the marks for all the award criteria should be equal to or greater than 34 (out of 50). Proposals that pass all these thresholds will be considered for funding. A ranking will be established by the evaluation committee and approved by the authorising officer. Grants will be awarded within the limits of the budgetary resources available.

The following award criteria apply to project proposals:

 

 

 

 

1. Relevance of the actions proposed in view of the objectives established in the Call (score 0-10, minimum threshold 7): Innovation and environment.

This award criterion is aimed to select actions that are most relevant and support best the above mentioned policy objectives and priorities. It includes an assessment of the innovative character of the project and of its environmental benefits. It has the following subcriteria:

- Importance of the action in relation to EU policies and priorities, targets and legislation and in relation to this Call for Proposals.

- The extent to which the proposed solutions are innovative.

- Technical advancement of the proposed solution, clearly beyond the prototype stage.

- Clear and substantial environmental benefits including resource efficiency and the appropriateness of targets and performance indicators.

- Considering and clearly addressing the main target group of SMEs.

 

2. Quality of the proposed actions (score 0-10, minimum threshold 6):

This award criterion is aimed to assess the soundness and coherence of the project from the technical and project management perspective and concerning the chosen methodology. It has the following subcriteria:

- Structure, clarity, consistency and suitability of the proposed approach (definition of work packages, schedule and deliverables) to achieve the expected results.

- Composition, balance of skills and responsibilities of the team and its members.

- Management, including project management structure, work plan, co-ordination and project team communications.

 

3. Impact on target audience, replication and impact on the market (score 0-10, threshold 6):

This award criterion is aimed to select actions with a high factor of replication, able to create or enlarge markets. Project proposals should provide a clear and realistic assessment of the market for the eco-innovative solutions. It has the following sub criteria:

- Replication factor of the solution (to be applied by other companies or in other countries), realised during the project and its potential for short- and medium-term replication.

- Appropriateness of the market assessment and of the approach to remove the identified market barriers to the eco-innovative solution.

- Quality of the planned exploitation and business approach.

 

4. Budget and cost-effectiveness (score 0-10, threshold 6):

This award criterion will help to select projects with reasonable and well-justified costs. It has the following sub criteria:

- Appropriate level of effort (hours and budget) both for the work packages and tasks and between partners considering their skills and responsibilities.

- Appropriate weight of costs per cost category, notably equipment (including justification for the parts of the equipment linked to the innovative action).

- Coherence and transparency of the co-financing scheme.

 

5. European added value (score 0-10, threshold 6):

This award criterion will help to select projects with a good European added value. It has the following sub criteria:

- Justification for and benefits of addressing the subject of the proposal at European level as opposed to purely national/regional/local projects.

- EU dimension of the market barriers and how these barriers will be tackled.

- Level of European cooperation in the project

 

 

 

 

 

 

8. DURATION

The maximum duration of an action is 36 months.

 

9. PERCENTAGE OF COMMUNITY CO-FINANCING

The financial contribution under CIP Eco-Innovation takes the form of a grant to off-set part of the total eligible costs of the project, under a maximum rate of 50% per project.

 

Only the costs directly linked with the innovative action, including materials, processes, techniques or methods proposed, are considered eligible. This applies also to costs for equipment and infrastructure.

 

10. ESTIMATED TOTAL AMOUNT OF AVAILABLE BUDGET FOR THIS 2009 CALL

 

The indicative total amount available for this Call is EUR 30 million.

 

 

Projects that have won:

 

1. new use for old tyres
2. a new lease of life for old medium density fireboard
3. recycled rubber making towns safer
4. more smart sensors for electronic recycling
5. paper mill sludge to mop up oil spills
6. sorting of textile waste – going up a gear
7. recovering extracted metal in the surface engineering sector
8. recovering non-ferrous metals – a new system for sorting
9. recycling plastic to use in construction
10. the beauty of real stone tiles – a fraction of the environmental cost
11. cleaning up the glazing process in the ceramics industry
12. rising from rubble – constructive use for recycled ceramic
13. roofing felts recycled
14. sewage, from sludge to cinders
15. tannery waste as a fertilizer
16. a longer life for artificial turf
17. using plants to decontaminate dredged sediment
18. innovative thermal cleaning for shredder residue
19. water treatment plant

slag as a substitute for natural resources in road con