The 15th edition of the EU Sustainable Energy Week (EUSEW) will take place in Brussels from 22 to 26 June 2020

29.05.2020. The EU’s Sustainable Energy Week (EUSEW) 2020 will take place in Brussels from 22 to 26 June 2020. It is the largest event dedicated to renewable energy and energy efficiency in Europe.

This year, participants will enjoy an interactive online event experience. Highlights include: a three-day political conference including a high-level opening session; the EUSEW Awards; networking activities and side events for participants; the Energy Days, digital events taking place across Europe. For the first time, a European Youth Energy Day will also be organised on 22 June.

During the EUSEW, a total of 30 digital sessions will bring together key players in the energy sector to discuss issues related to this year’s theme: “Beyond the crisis: clean energy for green recovery and growth”; and share good practices and discuss the way forward for a sustainable future for all.

Registration will open next week!

THE ENERGY DAYS

Energy Days are digital activities and events organised by local public and private organisations across Europe to promote clean energy and energy efficiency. They are a key component of the EU’s Sustainable Energy Week. You can apply for an Energy Day taking into account that:

  • takes place in May or June 2020.
  • is held in a region of the European Union.
  • is non-profit / has no admission fees.
  • aims to attract a minimum of 10 people (citizens and/or interested in energy)

Deadline: There is no deadline for registration.

More information about the Energy Days: https://www.eusew.eu/about-energy-days

Contact: beatriz.martinez@finnova.eu

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

Virtual Information Day Call LIFE 2020 (May 12, 2020)

08.05.2020. The CILIFO project and its beneficiary partners inform about this information day on the LIFE call.

On May 12th, the Virtual Information Day of the LIFE 2020 call will take place, with the participation of the Executive Agency for SMEs (EASME) and NEEMO.

The registration period is open: REGISTER HERE to participate in the virtual seminar.

This is the planned agenda.

IF YOU HAVE A PROJECT IDEA PLEASE CONTACT THE CILIFO TEAM WHO WILL HELP YOU THROUGH THE FIREFIGHTING OPEN INNOVATION LAB – CILIFO TO TURN YOUR IDEA INTO A POSSIBLE LIFE PROJECT FUNDED TO MORE THAN 1 MILLION EUROS.

Contact: José Manuel Requena (jrequena@finnova.eu)

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

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

EIC Accelerator call for green companies – Green Deal

This specific EIC Accelerator call contributes to the implementation of the Green Deal objectives. It aims to encourage impact investment by supporting the development and market implementation of innovations that can put our socioeconomic systems on a more sustainable path. Projects must support the implementation of the Green Deal by contributing significantly (and proposals must quantitatively estimate that contribution) to at least one of the following sustainability objectives:

  1. Clean energy
  2. A sustainable industry
  3. Build and Renovate
  4. Sustainable mobility
  5. Biodiversity
  6. From the farm to the table
  7. Removing contamination

It is a call for proposals from 0.5 to 2.5M euros and is aimed at SMEs, start-ups, spin-offs established in European Union member countries or associated countries.

Type of aid: Non-refundable grant

Equipment available: 303.000.000 €

For more information: contact Finnova Foundation (adrian.noheda@finnova.eu)

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/

The Firefighting Open Innovation Lab as an example of innovation in entrepreneurship days for young people

05.02.2020. On February 4, 2020, a conference on Training, Employment and Young Entrepreneurship was organized at the Spanish Embassy in Brussels, by the Finnova Foundation.

The General Director of the Finnova Foundation, a beneficiary of the CILIFO project (Iberian Center for Research and Fight against Forest Fires), Juan Manuel Revuelta, participated in a day founded by the organization on Training, Employment and Young Entrepreneurship, on February 4th, 2020. The event, which took place in the LAB Space of the Spanish Embassy in Brussels, was held with the aim of bringing the private programs that support young people to new generations so that they can get to know first-hand the work that is being done from the different organizations. Finnova Foundation organized the event, aimed at Spanish youngsters residing in Belgium, in collaboration with the Spanish Embassy and the support of the Spanish Chamber.

The Iberian Center for Research and Fight against Forest Fires was one of the projects of entrepreneurship, self-employment and return of talent, presented as an example of job creation by the director of Finnova. CILIFO is a project approved by the Interreg POCTEP Program (2014-2020) Spain-Portugal, which belongs to the Thematic Objective 5 of the Program, which promotes adaptation to climate change in all sectors. In addition, it responds to the investment priority, with respect to the POCTEP Program, 5B: Promotion of investment to address specific risks and the guarantee of adaptation to disasters and development of catastrophe management systems. One of the objectives of the CILIFO project is the promotion of the creation of durable and quality employment in the area and the reduction of the economic cost of fires creating a rural economy linked to the landscape.

In addition, the Firefighting Open Innovation Lab was presented, it is an accelerator managed by Finnova Foundation, based in Seville, which has the vocation of promoting a network of incubators, under a private-public partnership scheme, worldwide, to capture innovation and technology that pursues the fight against forest fires and the mitigation and adaptation to climate change.

Currently, youth unemployment has reached more than worrying levels. The European Union and the governments of the different member countries have implemented measures to try to solve the problem through entities such as the European Social Fund and the European Commission. In addition, many autonomous and municipal governments such as the local deputies have carried out actions that can be an example of good practices to combat youth unemployment. The European Union is committed to creating more and better jobs and contributing to a more inclusive society. These objectives constitute the core of the Europe 2030 strategy, which seeks to generate smart, sustainable and inclusive growth in the EU. In addition to the measures promoted by European institutions or by regional and municipal governments, there are also private programs, promoted by different organizations that aim to support young people and the fight against unemployment through entrepreneurship.