Press Release
Latest call for proposals is part of the Horizon 2020 Framework Program, focusing on the European Green Deal – the EU strategic plan for developing a cleaner and safer continent and a greener economy
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Jerusalem, Israel. July 22, 2020. Aharon Aharon, CEO of the Israel Innovation Authority: “The European Green Deal is a new component of the Horizon 2020 R&D Program, aimed at bringing innovative technological developments in the fields of climate change mitigation and environmental protection to market within five years. The participation of Israeli companies and research groups in this framework will offer them opportunities to collaborate with international consortia – enabling them to learn from experiences and best practices gained in partner countries. This has the potential to bolster both academic research in Israel and the growth of Israeli tech companies by fortifying connections and integration with the European market, improving the quality of their products, and helping tackle barriers to development.”
As part of the European Green Deal program, the European Commission will publish 20 calls for proposals as part of the Horizon 2020 program, each of which relates to solutions to climate change and the environmental crisis, with a total value of €1 Billion. These calls for proposals will serve as a bridge between the current European R&D framework program and the upcoming one, offering a total of €1 Billion to projects selected under the Horizon 2020 Program. Investment in the European Green Deal through the upcoming Horizon Europe Framework Program is expected to total 30% of the program’s overall budget (approximately €30 Billion). The calls for proposals cover a variety of technologies in various sectors, including energy, environment, agriculture and food, transportation, security, construction and industry, as well as tools for mobilizing the public, raising awareness and changing lifestyles. The grants are offered for innovative solutions to address the challenges of climate change, environmental protection, conservation of natural resources and biodiversity in Europe and around the world.
Israel’s participation in the program is managed by ISERD (the Israel-Europe Research & Innovation Directorate), a department of the Israel Innovation Authority.
Nili Shalev, Director of ISERD: “These calls for proposals are an excellent opportunity for Israeli participants to join consortia in the fields within the program – as part of the final calls for proposals under the Horizon 2020 Program. The new program will allow Israeli entrants to establish collaborations within the Horizon Europe follow-up program, which is set to invest in this field on a much larger scale. Starting next week, ISERD will hold dedicated webinars for potential entrants in order to make the call for proposals more accessible and to provide all the information needed to submit effective proposals. ISERD will also host events aimed at recruiting international partners.”
Israel is an associate member of the Horizon 2020 Program, and as such, the calls for proposals will be open for submissions from Israeli entrants, which are part of consortia comprised of at least three different partners from three member countries of the European Framework Program. This is an opportunity for industry, academia, government and the private sector in Israel to collaborate, promote solutions and share knowledge with leading European partners from a wide variety of sectors in order to take on complex cross-border challenges.
The European Green Deal is a large-scale, comprehensive program aimed at advancing goals set by the UN – reversing climate change and achieving greenhouse gas emission neutrality in Europe by 2050, promoting the economy via green and clean technologies, and achieving a sustainable economy, industry and society. Under the program, Europe strives to develop a new growth strategy that does not depend on exploiting natural resources and works to develop an efficient and competitive circular economy that reuses resources and minimizes waste, in order to limit pollution. The funding for winning projects in this program will range from 70% – 100% of project costs, without any requirement to pay royalties and with 25% overhead contribution.
8 core fields which proposals may address:
- Solutions to the climate crisis
- Safe, clean and affordable energy
- Clean industry and the circular economy
- Energy-efficient buildings and building materials
- Smart and sustainable transportation
- From field to plate – agriculture and food
- Ecosystems and biodiversity conservation
- Environment and health – solutions for monitoring and treating pollutants
In addition, there are 3 supplementary fields:
Development of tools to strengthen the knowledge base in one or more of the program’s specified topics
- Public participation and empowerment of citizens towards a transition to a climate-friendly and sustainable world
- Cooperation with Africa geared towards implementing energy solutions and transitioning to green technologies
Israeli entrants cooperating with at least three different partners from three countries participating in the program (EU countries and 16 associated countries – which includes Israel) are eligible to submit a proposal for innovative R&D projects to address the scientific, technological, industrial or social challenges described in the calls for proposal.
The European Green Deal Program accepts entries from any legal entity – from academia, industry, research institutes, government and local authorities, NGOs, civil society organizations and more. The composition of each consortium formed prior to submission should be according to the demands of each call for proposal. At times there are clear guidelines regarding partners in the project, such as requirements to include startups, a national infrastructure entity, a manufacturing plant, or an energy company – but in general, the choice is flexible. Forming a consortium is also an opportunity to discover new customers and suppliers, gain access to research infrastructure and beta sites, improve government relations, and penetrate new markets in Europe.
The Horizon 2020 Program is Europe’s eighth R&D program, with a seven-year budgetary framework of approximately €77 Billion. Israel joined the European R&D framework programs in 1996. To date, more than 10,000 proposals have been submitted by Israeli companies and other entities through the program, in which more than 12,000 Israeli entities participated. 1,696 of these proposals received funding and grants totaling over €1 Billion, including €347 million for industry, €674 million for academia and about €20 million for other sectors such as government ministries, municipalities and NGOs.
In preparation for the submission date, ISERD, the Israel-Europe Research & Innovation Directorate at the Israel Innovation Authority, is inviting companies, academic researchers and other Israeli entities to a series of online meetings beginning July 26th, in which the terms for calls for proposals and submissions will be presented.
For more details on the meetings – click here.
