Benefit from previous and current work to create a coherent and stimulating ‘environment’ for a sustainable bio-based industry in Europe - BBI.2018.SO4.S1

Deadline: Sep 6, 2018  
CALL EXPIRED

Specific Challenge:

Coordination and support actions (CSAs) funded by the 6th and 7th Framework Programmes1, Horizon 2020 including the BBI JU, various Interreg2 and other European programmes have addressed many aspects related to the bio-based industry. These include: standardisation; awareness and communication; identifying regulatory hurdles; technological and non-technological road-mapping; foresight and market studies; biomass availability; sustainability; and analysing bio-based industries in Member States and regions. Current CSAs continue to address similar and different aspects to help the bio-based industry.

However, there is no ‘global overview’ of the results of completed work, the objectives of ongoing actions or a gap analysis versus long-term objectives. Moreover, these results and analyses are not collected or made available centrally for use in follow-up and future work. More needs to be done to communicate these results to the relevant stakeholders and a wider public.

The specific challenge of this topic is to benefit from the results from previous projects and from ongoing actions in the bio-based industry at the regional, national and European levels.

1 See BIO-TIC integrated roadmap as an example: http://www.industrialbiotech-europe.eu/new/wpcontent/uploads/2015/08/BIO-TIC-roadmap.pdf

2 A series of programmes since 1989 to stimulate cooperation between regions in the EU, funded by the European Regional Development Fund.

Scope:

Map the (completed and running) CSA projects of all European programmes during the past ten years that address non-technological aspects for a bio-based industry in Europe.

Proposals should interlink the CSA projects where relevant, showing how they can work together and build on each other’s strengths.

Proposals should collect the results from studies and projects that address the bio-based industry, especially those funded under the BBI JU programme, displayed in a transparent, readily available and user-friendly fashion to facilitate their use in future work and communication activities.

Proposals should also identify what more needs to be done by different stakeholders (policy-makers, business, investors, the scientific community and others) to ensure a sustainable, strong and competitive bio-based industry in Europe, including the successful development of new markets for bio-based products and applications. The recommendations given in the BBI JU Interim evaluation report1 have to be taken into consideration as well.

This exercise should not be limited to pinpointing issues to address relating to legislation, standards, legal or fiscal policies, end-users’ concerns, etc., in a single sector or application area. It should also address the bio-based industry in its broad sense, looking especially at long-term EU-added value and job creation potentials, as presented in the BIC SIRA. It should also address possible business cases to stimulate and expand private investment in the bio-based industry. Analysing and presenting these issues in an industry-led CSA within the BBI framework will provide the basis for a comprehensive set of proposals from an industry perspective.

Proposals should include provision for dialogue with different stakeholders, including the scientific community, investors, trade unions and civil society, and ways should be found to reflect diverging views in the project results. Proposals should contain a communication plan to share the results of the project throughout Europe.

Proposals should lead the way towards creating a Europe-wide network of bio-based expertise that can play a significant role in setting strategic guidelines for the bio-based industry in Europe, feeding and tapping into related Member State and associated country strategies. This will position Europe as the leader in building a society where economic growth is decoupled from resource depletion and environmental impact.

The indicative length of time needed to achieve these objectives is approximately one year. This will involve delivering results at the latest in May 2020, so that hurdles can be addressed in the AWP 2020.

The Bio-based Industries Consortium (BIC) will set up an industry expert group from among its members to provide expertise in the implementation and follow-up of the different tasks and help organise meetings. This expert group should have an advisory role in the project, but as such is not a beneficiary in the consortium.

Indicative funding:

It is considered that proposals requesting a maximum of EUR 250 000 and a planned duration of not more than one year would be able to address this specific challenge appropriately. However, this does not preclude the submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts or durations.

Expected Impact:

• Put all different stakeholders (policy-makers, business, investors, the scientific community and others) in a better position to ensure a sustainable, strong and competitive bio-based industry in Europe;
• Put a stepping stone towards positioning (and making visible) Europe as the leader towards a society where economic growth is decoupled from resource depletion and environmental impact.

Number of projects: A maximum of one project will be funded under this topic.

Expected duration: Up to one year.

Type of action: Coordination and support action.

Cross-cutting Priorities:

Cross-cutting Key-Enabling Technologies (KETs)
Socio-economic science and humanities