Scottish Enterprise is a partner in a new European Research Area Network project that will provide funding for collaborative research and demonstration projects on the digitalisation of energy systems and networks, to support the green energy transition.
The overall aim of the Joint Call 2020 – Digital Transformation for Green Energy Transition – is to support transnational research and innovation activities, unleashing the potential of digital transformation for a sustainable energy society. By accelerating the implementation, adaption and knowledge creation of digital solutions also in energy systems and networks, this call supports the following objectives:
• Advance the green energy transition in all sectors of the energy system while ensuring security of supply
• Shaping new transnational business and investment opportunities by sector coupling and development of new value chains in innovative and cost-effective energy solutions, thereby creating new employment opportunities and contributing to the development of an environmentally sustainable financial growth
• Ensuring social sustainability and coherence with digitalisation in other sectors in the progression of the green energy transition
Projects are expected to address challenges and opportunities in these areas, and can consider social sustainability, energy and ICT infrastructure and energy marketplaces, business models and communication.
€25m of funding has been committed by agencies from 20 countries, 16 European plus India, Israel, Morocco and Turkey, together with the European Commission. To be eligible, projects must have a minimum of 2 independent partners from two different EU or EEA countries (The UK is still counted for the Horizon 2020 programme).
Around £2m of grant funding is available for partners in the Scottish Enterprise area participating in trans-national, collaborative R&D projects.
The deadline for Expressions of Interest is 17th February 2021. The submission of an Expression of Interest by the deadline is compulsory.
The deadline for Full Proposals will be 6th May 2021. Eligibility check and evaluation of Full Proposal will take place from May to October and applicants will be informed of the outcome in November 2021. Selected projects would start in 2022.
All the call information, document etc. can be found on the call webpage.
Smart Energy Systems ERA-NET will hold a Webinar on 13 January 2021, to explain the call and the application procedures. Please register here. A second Webinar will be held on 24th March for projects invited to Stage 2.
To support partner search and project development, the following resources are available:
Cooperation and Networking Platform – for partner search, profiling of potential partners and projects, with on-line meeting facility – this is already up and running.
Registers of Living Labs and Data Platform Providers which can offer services or partnering opportunities.
Please contact Karen Fraser at Scottish Enterprise (karen.fraser@scotent.co.uk Tel. 0141 468 5658) for more information and to let her know that you may have an interest in this call.
Scottish Enterprise is able to provide grant support to companies and research organisations operating in the Scottish Enterprise area. Research organisations can only participate if there are at least two companies in the consortium, one of which is Scottish. The maximum grant rates are 25% for large companies, 35% for small and medium-sized enterprises and 50-100%
for research organisations. A summary of eligible costs and activities is included in the National Annex to the Call Text. More detailed guidance in available from karen.fraser@scotent.co.uk.