2nd Joint Call on Biotechnologies ERA CoBioTech

Deadline: Dec 14, 2018  
CALL EXPIRED

The ERA-Net Cofund on Biotechnologies is an ERA Net Cofund Action under Horizon 2020 building on the achievements of ERA-IB2 (ERA-Net for Industrial Biotechnology 2), ERASysAPP (ERA-Net for Applied Systems Biology) and ERASynBio (ERA-Net for Synthetic Biology).

The key mission of ERA CoBioTech is to

maximize synergies between current mechanisms of biotechnology research funding in Europe,
foster the exchange of knowledge across borders,
demonstrate how a bio-based economy can be beneficial for different groups in society, maintain and strengthen Europe’s competitiveness in biotechnology.

ERA CoBioTech pre-announces the upcoming second call for transnational research projects in the field of biotechnologies. The Joint Call, with an indicative budget of approximately 15.3 M€, brings together 18 funding organisations from 14 countries. The one-stage call (incl. “rebuttal” stage) is expected to open on 16.10.2018 with a closing date on 14.12.2018, 13:00 CET.

Aim of the joint call

The aim of this call is to contribute to the transformation of the global economy from a dependence on fossil raw materials to a sustainable bio-based economy.

The submitted proposals must be multidisciplinary and include at least two of the following scientific approaches:

Synthetic biology for the design and construction of new biological parts, devices, and systems, or re-design of existing, natural biological systems for useful purposes by use of e.g. (but not limited to) orthogonal bio-systems, regulatory circuits, minimal genome approaches and protocells.

Systems biology for optimisation of biological processes, including investigation of regulatory mechanisms in intra- and intercellular processes for bio-production, modelling, development of new computational methods and other new methodologies.

ERA-NET- Joint Call on Biotechnologies ERA CoBioTech

Use of bioinformatics tools (e.g. data standardisation, modelling, open repositories) for the identification and utilisation of metabolic pathways. Datasets can have different origins, e.g. appropriate datasets on genomics, phenomics, proteomics, metabolomics, transcriptomics etc.; mapping and exploitation of cellular processes and metabolic capacities for bio- production and for strain/variety improvement are also included.

Biotechnological approaches (possibly in combination with chemical ones) to transform bio-based building blocks into molecules in a sustainable way.

Project areas

Applications must be multidisciplinary and address one of the two topics as described below:

Topic A – Microbial communities (natural or synthetic), co-cultures and cascades of microorganisms for new products, value-added products and supply services as well as sustainable industrial processes.

Topic B – Pure cultures, cell free systems and enzymes for new products, value-added products and supply services as well as sustainable industrial processes.

Proposals should address the sustainable production and conversion of different types of feedstocks and bioresources into value-added products (e.g. bio-based materials, biofuels, biomedical products, flavours/fragrances, food/feed ingredients, pharmaceuticals, platform chemicals, pulp/paper products, textiles), or the development or improvement of sustainable industrial processes and supply services (e.g. upstream and downstream design, scale-up of biotechnological processes, systems approaches to bioprocesses and process development, gas fermentation).

Feedstocks and bioresources include, but are not limited to, syngas, waste and residues from households, agriculture, forestry, industrial by-products, and alternative raw materials

Projects are expected to have a TRL ranging between 2 and 6 and should increase their initial TRL by 2 levels.

The participation of one or more industrial partner(s) and end-users or stakeholders is strongly recommended but not mandatory.
As with previous funding calls, all projects will be expected to include aspects relating to ‘Responsible Research & Innovation’, communication and public engagement, and data management.

Previously unsuccessful ERA CoBioTech grant proposals must not be directly resubmitted in their original version. Resubmissions will only be considered if the proposal is substantially improved and will be accepted at the discretion of the ERA CoBioTech involved funders and Call Office. All proposals are checked in the peer review administration process to identify any direct resubmissions which will be rejected. Resubmitted proposals must be declared as such, and include details on the modifications which merit their re- consideration.

ERA-NET- Joint Call on Biotechnologies ERA CoBioTech

Intended timeline

Call opening
16.10.2018

Deadline for submission of proposals
14.12.2018 (13:00 CET)

Eligibility

In this call ERA CoBioTech expects proposals for collaborative research, development and innovation from transnational consortia composed of universities, higher education institutions, public research institutes, industries, large companies and small and medium-sized enterprises (SME). Where appropriate (according to national regulations), other partners such as non-for-profit organizations or civil society organizations are also encouraged. The participation of one or more industrial partner(s) in the consortium is also recommended, but not mandatory. National and regional eligibility rules, including the potential eligibility of the private sector, e.g. SMEs, must be followed and will be published together with the call text at http://www.cobiotech.eu.

Application procedures & Evaluation

In a one-phased submission process, the proposals will be evaluated by a panel of independent experts (IEP), following the evaluation criteria that will be published within the Call Announcement. Projects are expected to start from September 2019, depending on grant negotiations with the relevant regional or national funding organisations.