2nd Edition Firefighting StartUp Europe Awards SEUA – CILIFO (2020)​

08.05.2020. The StartUp Europe Awards (SEUA) is an initiative promoted by the European Commission, supported by the Committee of the Regions and the European Parliament; and implemented by the Finnova Foundation (hereinafter Finnova) in collaboration with StartUp Europe.

SEUA is an open innovation tool that allows companies to identify new talented start-ups, which are able to solve current challenges in multiple areas. Finnova’s mission with this initiative is to help start-ups and scale-ups become more efficient, intelligent and successful.

On the occasion of Europe Day (9 May 2020), the Finnova Foundation, a beneficiary of the CILIFO project, launches the 2nd Edition Firefighting StartUp Europe Awards SEUA – CILIFO (2020). This methodology will identify those that offer products, services or methodologies that address the three phases in fire fighting 1) Prevention 2) Action 3) Regeneration They should provide an improvement in the efficiency of resources in fire fighting; technological tools; social awareness; fire behaviour; spatial and temporal patterns of fire; fire meteorology and fire danger classification; fire extinguishing techniques; terrestrial, aerial and spatial detection; restoration; etc. The aim is to identify and support these entrepreneurs and to implement these good ideas for the benefit of society as a whole by generating a public-private partnership that will lead to the drafting of projects and thus access to European Union funds.

OBJECTIVE: to help address the impact of climate change, as well as economic and human losses, by rewarding new companies or entrepreneurs, both in the research and implementation stages, offering solutions for fire prevention, extinction and recovery.

TARGETS: Entrepreneurs and start-ups with ideas/projects related to the fight against forest fires in the 3 action areas of the CILIFO project (Prevention, Action and Regeneration).

The second edition of the Firefighting StartUp Europe Awards is planned in the framework of the European Week of Regions and Cities 2020 (12-15 October), as it is the largest annual event based in Brussels dedicated to regional policy. The #EURegionsWeek brings together regions and cities from across Europe, including their political representatives, officials, as well as experts and academics. It is an event that promotes how regions and cities use EU funds to improve the daily lives of citizens.

The 2020 edition of the European Week of Regions and Cities (#EURegionsWeek) will take place from 12-15 October in Brussels, Belgium. During that week, the 2nd Edition Firefighting StartUp Europe Awards (SEUA-CILIFO) will be held and will reward companies and entrepreneurs who have an innovative solution in the framework of fighting forest fires; and their consequences for climate change adaptation and mitigation.

To participate, apply at the following link: https://www.f6s.com/startupeuropeawards/apply

Contact: beatriz.martinez@finnova.eu / seua@finnova.eu

Thinkforest webinar: Science Insights to the European Green Deal and Forests-

28/04/2020. Insights to the European Green Deal and Forests-webinar.

Organised by the European Forest Institute (EFI), this webinar aims to discuss the following questions:

  • What are the main objectives of the EU Green Agreement and how do they relate to the forest sector?
  • How does the forest sector in general view the Green Deal?
  • What are the strengths and weaknesses of the proposed Green Deal with respect to the forestry sector from the perspectives of ecological, economic and social sustainability?
  • How could the Green Deal be developed to better exploit the capacity of the EU sector to contribute to the main objectives of the Agreement?

ThinkForest is a high-level science policy forum that brings together policy makers, the scientific community and stakeholders to build bridges on pan-European forest and bio-economic issues.

Date: Wednesday, 20 May 2020

Time: 10:00 – 12:30 CEST

Location: Webinar
Register here
The webinar will be conducted using Zoom.us. A link to the webinar will be sent to you by e-mail the night before the webinar, May 19.

Download the program at the following link

More information on the following website

 

Call: EIC Fast Track to Innovation (FTI)

23/04/2020. Projects that also help to prevent or combat epidemics such as Covid19 are particularly welcome.

OBJECTIVE:
Fast Track to Innovation finances «Bottom-Up» projects whose innovation activities are close to the market, regardless of their technological area and/or application. It is a financing tool designed to promote interdisciplinary cooperation between companies from different sectors and countries. The objectives of this initiative are to stimulate the participation of new companies in European public funding programmes and to increase private sector investment in R&D&I.

DETAILS:
Proposals for funding must be submitted as a consortium including between three and five legal entities established in at least three EU member countries or associated countries. In each consortium at least 60% of the budget must be allocated to industry participants, or the consortium must include at least two industry participants who are in a consortium with three or four partners. Another option is to have three industry participants in a consortium with five partners.

BENEFICIARIES:
This is a call open to any area, sector or theme with pillars of industrial leadership and social challenges (industries, universities, research centres, industrial associations, incubators, public sector) whose projects can be interdisciplinary and preferably oriented towards generating an impact on sustainability, climate change or any of the transversal objectives of Horizon 2020.

BUDGET: The maximum budget amounts to 3 million euros per proposal (funding rate of 70% for for-profit entities and 100% for non-profit entities).

DEADLINE: The deadline for submitting projects is 5 p.m. on 9 June 2020. (Brussels).

Contact: Adrian Noheda: adrian.noheda@finnova.eu

The LIFE programme funds nature conservation projects in the fields of biodiversity

13.04.2020. The Environment and Climate Action Programme (LIFE) is the European Union’s financial instrument dedicated to the environment for the period 2014-2020. Its overall objective is to contribute to sustainable development and the achievement of the objectives of the Europe 2020 strategy and the EU’s environment and climate strategies. One of the sub-programmes of LIFE is the Environment, which represents 75% of the total funding.

Projects in Nature and Biodiversity priority area receive up to 60% EU co-financing (within the Environment sub-programme), but the co-financing rate can be up to 75%, if at least half of the total estimated project costs are used for actions to improve the conservation status of priority habitats. In this sense, nature conservation projects in the fields of biological diversity, habitats and species are financed. The European Union (EU) provides grants for action on best practice, pilot and demonstration projects that contribute to the implementation of the EU Birds and Habitats Directives, the EU Biodiversity Strategy until 2020, and the development, implementation and management of the Natura 2000 network.

In the framework of the LIFE Programme and the 2020 call, interesting opportunities are presented to give continuity to various actions of the Iberian Centre for Research and Fight against Forest Fires (CILIFO). The project could obtain alternative sources of funding for some lines of study, research and dissemination being carried out by the project’s different working groups. Furthermore, a proposal promoted by CILIFO within the framework of the LIFE Programme could exploit the good practices of CILIFO and the results obtained by the CILIFO Working Groups.

The CILIFO project, which is a European project focused on the prevention and extinction of forest fires, as well as on the adaptation and mitigation of climate change, is led by the Andalusian Regional Government (Spain). CILIFO has the first accelerator/incubator specialized in the prevention and extinction of forest fires and co-founded by an Interreg programme in Europe, «Firefighting Open Innovation Lab – CILIFO«, which can contribute with innovative solutions. This Open Innovation Lab welcomes entities (entrepreneurs, spin-offs, start-ups, SMEs…) working in the field of climate change adaptation and mitigation, including forest fire prevention and extinction.

Target: the programme is aimed at consortia between public and private organisations at local level, councils, town halls, universities, public or private companies (including SMEs) and associations. Startups and entrepreneurs can also apply for the aid, as innovation in low-cost technologies for easy application in different areas is particularly encouraged.

Procedure: the Environment Subprogramme is divided into two stages: first a 10-page «concept note» is presented. You can modify a concept note submitted as many times as you wish until the call for project proposals is closed. Then, if the concept reaches the second stage, it will be necessary to send the complete project proposal based on the comments of the LIFE programme. The average budget per project is EUR 1 to 2 million.

Deadline for concept notes for nature and biodiversity projects closes on 16 July 2020.

Example of a project: LIFE-SINK (Innovative substrates for NOx capture and recovery of burnt soils)

The project focuses on finding circular economy solutions (waste recovery) for the recovery of soils damaged by forest fires. Specifically, one of the components of the substrate to be used will be properly treated sewage sludge, so as to improve the condition of this forest habitat. Therefore, the objective of the project is based on the design, development and implementation to the market of «artificial substrates» created by means of non-hazardous waste for the capture of NOx, as well as to fertilize the land. The project demonstrates how the developed «artificial substrates» (also called technological, amendments or techno-soils), coming from the recovery of «Non-Hazardous Waste», by means of specific formulations studied, are capable of reducing the pollution of NOx (nitrogen oxide) in cities or areas with a high degree of pollution, and it is viable to market them for the reduction of atmospheric pollution and improvement of the properties of the soils where they are applied.

Responding to the COVID-19 pandemic: Due to the COVID-19 health crisis, projects dedicated to the management of the COVID-19 pandemic have taken on special relevance for the European Commission, encouraging research into systems of contagion and control of pandemics. It is not only researching new drugs or vaccines that may be of special interest in the fight against the coronavirus but also looking for projects that have unique viability in this field so important at present.

EU applicants are encouraged to reflect on what elements of their project can help prevent, mitigate, manage the current crisis or recover from a similar health crisis in the future. The aim is that any project that has some element, however small, that can collaborate or add to a much larger and more coordinated response in the fight against the pandemic, can be investigated from a health approach in order to readapt it and turn it into a response that, coming from different projects, can become a solution greater than the sum of its parts.

For more information contact the Coordinator of the CILIFO project at the Finnova Foundation, José Manuel Requena (jrequena@finnova.eu) or visit the website: https://ec.europa.eu/easme/en/section/life/calls-proposals#inline-nav-1

LIFE aid for Environment and resource efficiency traditional projects

08/04/2020. The Environment and Climate Action Programme (LIFE) is the European Union’s financial instrument dedicated to the environment for the period 2014-2020. Its overall objective is to contribute to sustainable development and the achievement of the objectives of the Europe 2020 strategy and the EU’s environment and climate strategies. One of the sub-programmes of LIFE is the Environment, which represents 75% of the total funding.

LIFE co-finances up to 55% of projects in the priority area of Environment and Resource Efficiency (the Environment Sub-Programme) especially in the areas of air, chemicals, green and circular economy, industrial accidents, marine and coastal management, noise, soil, waste, water and urban environment. The programme provides grants for pilot and demonstration projects to develop, test and demonstrate policy or management approaches. It also covers the development and demonstration of innovative technologies, the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of EU environmental policy and law, as well as best practices and solutions. In particular, the European Commission seeks new technologies and solutions that are ready to be applied under near-market conditions, on an industrial or commercial scale, for the duration of the project.

In the framework of the LIFE Programme and the 2020 call, there are interesting opportunities to give continuity to several actions of the Iberian Centre for Research and Fight against Forest Fires (CILIFO). The project could obtain alternative sources of funding for some lines of study, research and dissemination being carried out by the project’s different Working Groups. Furthermore, a proposal promoted by CILIFO within the framework of the LIFE Programme could exploit the good practices of CILIFO and the results obtained by the CILIFO Working Groups.

The CILIFO project, which is a European project focused on the prevention and extinction of forest fires, as well as on the adaptation and mitigation of climate change, is led by the Andalusian Regional Government (Spain). CILIFO has the first accelerator/incubator specialized in the prevention and extinction of forest fires and co-founded by an Interreg programme in Europe, «Firefighting Open Innovation Lab – CILIFO», which can contribute with innovative solutions. This Open Innovation Lab welcomes entities (entrepreneurs, spin-offs, start-ups, SMEs…) working in the field of climate change adaptation and mitigation, including forest fire prevention and extinction.

Target: the programme is aimed at consortia between public and private organisations at local level, councils, town halls, universities, public or private companies (including SMEs) and associations. Startups and entrepreneurs can also apply for the aid, as innovation in low-cost technologies for easy application in different areas is particularly encouraged.

Procedure: the Environment Subprogramme is divided into two stages: first a 10-page «concept note» is presented. You can modify a concept note submitted as many times as you wish until the call for project proposals is closed. Then, if the concept reaches the second stage, it will be necessary to send the complete project proposal based on the comments of the LIFE programme. The average budget per project is EUR 1 to 2 million.

Deadline for concept notes for traditional environment and resource efficiency projects: 14 July 2020.

Project example: HyperIN
Hyper [IN] is a revolutionary thermal and acoustic insulation material with permanent fire resistance. It is an internationally patented material that is biodegradable, insulating and fireproof, manufactured mainly from recyclable materials, which is mainly applied in the construction sector. A characteristic of this product is that a large part of its components are obtained from recycled products following the principles of the circular economy. This project is characterized by applying the principles of the circular economy, since it is composed of recycled materials that are reused (such as rice straw), with the aim of providing solutions to various environmental problems using 100% recycled and natural materials.

Responding to the COVID-19 pandemic: Due to the COVID-19 health crisis, projects dedicated to the management of the COVID-19 pandemic have taken on special relevance for the European Commission, encouraging research into systems of contagion and control of pandemics. It is not only researching new drugs or vaccines that may be of special interest in the fight against the coronavirus but also looking for projects that have unique viability in this field so important at present.

EU applicants are encouraged to reflect on what elements of their project can help prevent, mitigate, manage the current crisis or recover from a similar health crisis in the future. The aim is that any project that has some element, however small, that can collaborate or add to a much larger and more coordinated response in the fight against the pandemic, can be investigated from a health approach in order to readopt it and turn it into a response that, coming from different projects, can become a solution greater than the sum of its parts.

For more information contact the Coordinator of the CILIFO project at the Finnova Foundation, José Manuel Requena (jrequena@finnova.eu) or visit the website

 

DOWNLOAD HERE THE GUIDE TO THE LIFE CALL FOR ENVIRONMENT AND CLIMATE ACTION PROJECTS

CILIFO_Guideline_Finnova_LIFE_en_v1

CILIFO en la EU Sustainable Energy Week (EUSEW) 2020

25.03.2020. La Semana de la Energía Sostenible de la UE (EUSEW) 2020 tendrá lugar en Bruselas del 22 al 26 de junio de 2020. La “Policy Conference” es la mayor conferencia europea dedicada a las energías renovables y el uso eficiente de la energía en Europa.

Las sesiones organizadas por la Comisión Europea y las partes interesadas se centran en cuestiones de energía sostenible, debaten nuevos desarrollos de políticas, mejores prácticas e ideas de energía sostenible.

Energy Days son actividades y eventos organizados por organizaciones locales públicas y privadas de toda Europa para promover la energía limpia y la eficiencia energética. Son un componente clave de la Semana de la Energía Sostenible de la UE.

Dentro de las tareas de comunicación, internacionalización, explotación de resultados, capitalización y captación de tecnologías, emprendedores, start-ups y pymes para que participen en el “Firefighting Open Innovation Lab – Cilifo”, y poder hacer el catálogo de tecnologías innovadoras, la Fundación Finnova (beneficiaria del proyecto) solicitará la participación en la Energy Week 2020 mediante la organización de un Energy Day.

Organizar un Energy Days brinda la oportunidad de compartir el proyecto y sus ideas y debatir soluciones con la comunidad, con los que toman las decisiones y con el público en general; y mostrar cómo CILIFO está desempeñando un papel activo en el logro de los objetivos energéticos y climáticos de la UE.

Al registrar su evento como Energy Day, el proyecto CILIFO y su aceleradora, el Firefighting Open Innovatio Lab, se convierten en parte de la Semana de la Energía Sostenible de la UE, ya que se obtendrá visibilidad en toda la UE al convocar un evento en el sitio web de EUSEW y usar materiales con la marca EUSEW del kit de herramientas del organizador del Energy Day.

Cualquier beneficiario del proyecto interesado en hacer eventos deslocalizados, acciones formativas, de networking o comunicativas del proyecto CILIFO, puede participar y organizar su propio Energy Day.

Contacto: beatriz.martinez@finnova.eu

Finnova presents CILIFO to the European Commission’s Director General for Research and Innovation

23.03.2020. The European Commission invited the Foundation to Finnova to take part in the hackathon of the European Commission’s Directorate General for Research and Innovation on 27th February 2020.

During the event, the Foundation took the opportunity to inform, communicate and disseminate the CILIFO project, both internationally and within the European Commission. All this was done within the framework of the international communication tasks of the CILIFO project entrusted to Finnova; and of its actions in Brussels, which were included in the CILIFO project form.

The Hackathon is a working methodology used by the European Commission that allows it to extract innovative ideas in order to formulate its future policies and future financial programmes for the next period 2021-2027.

The day consisted of several working groups (in this case there were 4 working groups), where each group competed to generate the most innovative ideas that could be included in future Community policies. The winning group was given an honorary title. The group in which Finnova participated, together with other entities, won with respect to the challenge of «how to achieve a carbon neutral city by 2030». Finnova presented innovative solutions from incubated/accelerated companies in the «Firefighting Open Innovation Lab – CILIFO», among other contributions that were made.

EIT Climate-KIC #Accelerator in Spain opens call for entrepreneurship

The EIT Climate-KIC #Accelerator in Spain opens a new call for proposals (until April 8, 2020) for entrepreneurship grants, seeking to support the rapid growth of startups and their consolidation by overcoming the so-called «Valley of Death». Thus, it seeks to support the potential of businesses while at the same time supporting sustainable innovation, both environmentally and economically.

It offers an 18-month program where you will be tutored and mentored at all times and with all the resources, offering the knowledge and tools to get the most out of your business and success.

*As they inform: «Due to the current situation and the uncertainty caused by the coronavirus and the state of alarm, EIT Climate-KIC could make changes in the terms and conditions of this call. It is recommended to be aware of these possible changes through its website and social networks».

For more information: click here

The next EU LIFE Information and Networking day will be online, as a precaution, due to Coronavirus

19.03.2020. The European Commission is organising a Virtual Information Day on the LIFE 2020 call for project proposals. Due to the outbreak of coronavirus, as a precautionary measure, this event will now be a virtual conference, on 30 April 2020.

The event is open to potential applicants submitting project proposals on green technology, nature protection and climate action.

Centro Ibérico para la Investigación y Lucha contra Incendios Forestales (CILIFO) will be present, through the Finnova Foundation, at the next LIFE event as a project proposal on green technology, nature protection and climate action.

According to information on the website, the information session on the 2020 LIFE call will cover significant changes in the programme compared to previous years.

Main topics: Environmental technologies and solutions including water, waste, air quality, soil, forest, health, climate change adaptation; climate change mitigation; nature conservation and biodiversity; climate and environmental governance and information initiatives.

To participate in the event: https://www.sli.do/