Guidance on selected
calls for proposals and topics (2014/2015)
for Ireland’s local & regional government sectors
Compiled by Ronan Gingles, January 2014
Horizon 2020 guide
Irish Regions Brussels Office
January 2014
Contents:
Click on the links below to directly access the relevant text elsewhere in the document.
Introduction
1) Programme structure and operation

Pillar 1: ‘Excellent Science’

Pillar 2: ‘Industrial Leadership’

Pillar 3: ‘Societal Challenges’

Other aspects

Budget

Types of action

Operation of the Programme

Evaluation Criteria

Opportunities for local and regional actors?

National Contact Points for Ireland

Strategically influencing the future shape of Horizon 2020
2) Opportunities within the ‘Societal Challenges’ pillar:
i) Health, demographic change and wellbeing


Call: PERSONALISING HEALTH AND CARE
o
Understanding health, ageing and disease
o
Effective health promotion, disease prevention, preparedness
and screening
o
Improving Diagnosis
o
Innovative treatments and technologies
o
Advancing active and healthy ageing
o
Integrated, sustainable, citizen-centred care
Call: HEALTH CO-ORDINATION ACTIVITIES
ii) Food security, sustainable agriculture and forestry, marine, maritime
and inland water research and the bio-economy


Call: SUSTAINABLE FOOD SECURITY
o
Sustainable food production systems
o
Safe food and healthy diets and sustainable consumption
o
Global drivers of food security
Call: BLUE GROWTH: UNLOCKING THE POTENTIAL OF SEAS AND OCEANS
Horizon 2020 guide
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Irish Regions Brussels Office
January 2014
o
Sustainably exploiting the diversity of marine life
o
New offshore challenges
o
Horizontal aspects, socio-economic sciences, innovation,
engagement with society and ocean governance across the blue
growth focus area
Call: INNOVATIVE, SUSTAINABLE AND INCLUSIVE BIOECONOMY
o
Sustainable Agriculture and Forestry
o
Sustainable and competitive bio-based industries
o
Cross-cutting actions covering all activities
iii) Secure, clean and efficient energy



Call: ENERGY EFFICIENCY
o
Buildings and consumers
o
Heating and cooling
o
Finance for sustainable energy
Call: COMPETITIVE LOW-CARBON ENERGY
o
Renewable electricity and heating/cooling
o
Modernising the European electricity grid
o
Providing the energy system with flexibility through enhanced
energy storage technologies
o
Sustainable biofuels and alternative fuels for the European
transport fuel mix
o
Enabling the decarbonisation of the use of fossil fuels during the
transition to a low-carbon economy
Call: SMART CITIES AND COMMUNITIES
o

Enhancing the roll-out of Smart Cities and Communities
solutions by stimulating the market demand
Call: SMEs AND FAST TRACK TO INNOVATION FOR ENERGY
iv) Smart, green and integrated transport

Call: MOBILITY for GROWTH
o
Road
o
Urban Mobility
o
Logistics
o
Intelligent Transport Systems
o
Infrastructure
o
Socio-Economic and Behavioural Research and Forwardlooking Activities for Policy Making

Call: GREEN VEHICLES

Call: SMALL BUSINESS and FAST TRACK to INNOVATION for
TRANSPORT
Horizon 2020 guide
Irish Regions Brussels Office
January 2014
v) Climate action, environment, resource-efficiency and raw materials

Call: WASTE: A RESOURCE TO RECYCLE, REUSE AND RECOVER RAW
MATERIALS

Call: WATER INNOVATION: BOOSTING ITS VALUE FOR EUROPE

Call: GROWING A LOW-CARBON, RESOURCE-EFFICIENT ECONOMY WITH
A SUSTAINABLE SUPPLY OF RAW MATERIALS

o
Fighting and Adapting to Climate Change
o
Protecting the Environment, Sustainably Managing Natural
Resources, Water, Biodiversity and Ecosystems
o
Developing Comprehensive and Sustained Global Environmental
Observation and Information Systems
Call: CROSS-CHALLENGE TOPICS
vi) Europe in a changing world - Inclusive, innovative and reflective
societies

Call: OVERCOMING THE CRISIS: NEW IDEAS, STRATEGIES AND
GOVERNANCE STRUCTURES FOR EUROPE

Call: THE YOUNG GENERATION IN AN INNOVATIVE, INCLUSIVE AND
SUSTAINABLE EUROPE

Call: REFLECTIVE SOCIETIES: CULTURAL HERITAGE AND EUROPEAN
IDENTITIES

Call: NEW FORMS OF INNOVATION
vii) Secure societies - Protecting freedom and security of Europe and its
citizens

Call: DISASTER-RESILIENCE: SAFEGUARDING AND SECURING SOCIETY,
INCLUDING ADAPTING TO CLIMATE CHANGE
o
Crisis Management
o
Disaster Resilience and Climate Change
o
Ethical/Societal dimension
3) Opportunities within the ‘Industrial Leadership’ pillar
i) Call: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGIES
o
Future Internet
o
Content technologies and information management
o
Micro- and nano-electronic technologies, photonics
o
Horizontal ICT Innovation actions
ii) Call: ENERGY-EFFICIENT BUILDINGS
iii) INNOVATION IN SMEs
o
Call: ‘SME INSTRUMENT’
Horizon 2020 guide
Irish Regions Brussels Office
o
January 2014
Call – ENHANCING SME INNOVATION CAPACITY BY PROVIDING
BETTER INNOVATION SUPPORT
iv) ACCESS TO RISK FINANCE
o
Financial Instruments
o
Call: CAPACITY-BUILDING IN TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER
o
Call: BOOSTING THE INVESTMENT-READINESS OF SMES AND
SMALL MIDCAPS
4) Opportunities within the cross-cutting themes
i) ‘Spreading excellence and widening participation’
o
Calls: ‘TEAMING’ and ERA CHAIRS
ii) ‘Science with and for Society’
o
Call: INTEGRATING SOCIETY IN SCIENCE AND INNOVATION
Horizon 2020 guide
Irish Regions Brussels Office
January 2014
Introduction
The landscape of Horizon 2020 is vast in scope and highly-complex in its construction. This guidance document
has been put together in an attempt to more clearly present the programme and its instruments as well as
setting out the extent of possible opportunities on offer for Irish local and regional government and its
stakeholders to get involved. As such, it aims to contribute to informing and facilitating the active and strategic
engagement of the sector in this programme and its funded projects.
This has entailed a thorough analysis of all the initial calls for proposals as published in December 2013 to cover
2014 and 2015 with a view to identifying the designated ‘’topics’’ of potential relevance to this target audience.
This selection has been influenced by themes which reflect local and regional government actors’ interaction
with this office in relation to EU affairs over recent years as well as their past areas of involvement in EU
funding initiatives. An emphasis has been placed here on primarily picking out ‘Research Actions’ and ‘Research
and Innovation Actions’ (see ‘Types of Action’ in the first section) as opposed to other forms of project as these
would generally seem to present the best opportunities for the sector.
The document has been compiled with a particular emphasis in section 2 on the 7 ‘Societal Challenges’ which
offer good scope for involvement from public authorities – particularly by providing a ‘living lab’ environment
for the fine-tuning of innovations in a real-world setting (see ‘Opportunities for Local and Regional Actors’ in
section 1). Equally, a good deal of attention is given to other calls for proposals and schemes under those
elements of the ‘Industrial Leadership’ pillar relating to direct support for SMEs’ own innovation activities in
specific fields (see ‘SME Instrument’ in section 3.iii) and to the provision of better innovation support services
to small firms, as well as to the instruments to assist with leveraging private investment in innovative firms,
particularly SMEs (see 'Access to Risk Finance' in section 3.iv). These should be of interest to the Local
Enterprise Offices (LEOs). This section also examines potential opportunities in relation to ICT and to energyefficient buildings.
As the topic titles are not always self-explanatory, a paragraph of explanatory text is provided in each case to
offer a degree of detail and analysis along with the submission deadlines and direct hyperlinks (where
available) to the official documentation which should be relied upon. As budgets are largely indicative and, in
many cases, relate to more than one topic, these details have not been provided here below the level of each
overall call.
It should be understood that the topics profiled here represent only a selection of those published as part of
each call and that not all calls have been included – most notably with the ‘Excellent Science’ aspect of the
programme not being analysed in any depth.
Horizon 2020 guide
Irish Regions Brussels Office
January 2014
Section 1
PROGRAMME STRUCTURE and OPERATION
Horizon 2020 – the EU financial instrument for research and innovation (R&I) activities over the 2014-2020
period, implementing the Innovation Union flagship initiative of the Europe 2020 Strategy for smart,
sustainable and inclusive growth can be characterised by reference to a series of broad topics intended to
address the entire innovation chain ‘’from research to retail’. It is largely structured around three main sections
intended to support different R&I focusses:
Pillar 1
‘Excellent Science’
Activities under this pillar are intended to strengthen the quality of cutting-edge research and technology
activities, infrastructure and careers in Europe - largely through bottom-up funding for individual
researchers or teams:

Grants for the European Research Council (ERC) to support frontier research at different stages:
o
‘’Starting’’ – to support up-and-coming researchers of proven potential to become
independent research leaders who are about to establish a proper research team.
o
‘’Consolidator’’ – to strengthen independent and excellent research teams that have been
recently created.
o
‘’Advanced’’ – for exceptional established independent research leaders to pursue groundbreaking, high-risk projects that open new directions.
o
‘’Proof of Concept’’ – to establish the innovation potential of ideas arising from previous ERCfunded frontier research projects.
o
‘’Synergy’’ – to bring together research teams’ complementary skills, knowledge, and
resources in new ways, in order to jointly address a research problem.
Horizon 2020 guide
Irish Regions Brussels Office
January 2014

‘Future and Emerging Technologies’ (FET) mechanism for collaborative ‘high risk’ interdisciplinary
research to identify and realise new opportunities for technology to make an impact. This will operate
under three different streams: FET Open, FET Proactive and the FET Flagships.

‘Marie-Sklodowska-Curie Actions’ (MSCA): training and career development in academia, industry
and other non-academic sectors through individual mobility grants and projects (fellowships,
Innovative Training Networks, Doctoral Programmes, Research and Innovation Staff Exchange).

‘Research Infrastructures’: funding for e-infrastructures and access to infrastructures for researchers.
NB: Due to the nature of these activities, this document will not address this pillar.
Pillar 2
‘Industrial Leadership’
Support to break down barriers against the adoption and application of new discoveries, concepts,
technologies and processes in an industrial context via innovation to commercially exploit research –
including financing and capacity-building assistance to enable more SMEs to get involved in bringing new
or significantly improved products, processes and services to the market – is the objective of the second
pillar:

‘Leadership in Enabling and Industrial Technologies’ (LEITs) will provide dedicated support for
research, development and demonstration and, where appropriate, for standardisation and
certification, on information and communications technology (ICT); the Key Enabling Technologies
(KETs) of nanotechnology, advanced materials, biotechnology, advanced manufacturing and
processing; and space. Emphasis will be placed on interactions and convergence across and between
the different technologies and their relations to societal challenges. Other aspects of the LEIT area
will focus on a series of public-private partnership (PPPs) vehicles to implement technological
roadmaps in particular areas and achieve leverage of private funding. These are to be implemented
either through two Joint Technology Initiatives (JTIs) – for Electronic Components and Systems for
European Leadership; and for Bio-based Industries – or through dedicated calls for proposals and
topics (contractual PPPs) – for Robotics; Photonics; Advanced 5G Network Infrastructures; (all
covered by the ICT measure) plus Factories of the Future; Energy-efficient Buildings; and Sustainable
Process Industries (SPIRE). The latter three themes are cross-thematic, in that some of their topics
are placed elsewhere in the Work Programme.

'Access to Risk Finance': European Investment Bank (EIB) and European Investment Fund (EIF)
support to leverage further private investment in innovative firms from financial institutions as a
bridge between research and commercialisation:
o
A Debt Facility providing guarantees and other forms of risk-sharing to enable loans to
entities of all forms and sizes, notably research and innovation-driven SMEs and technology
start-ups (This is based on the successful Risk-Sharing Finance Facility (RSFF) and RiskSharing Instrument (RSI) for SMEs from the previous 7th Framework Programme (FP7).
o
An Equity Facility providing risk capital finance, primarily in the form of venture capital, for
mainly early-stage investments, in SMEs with the potential to carry out innovation and grow
rapidly, with a particular focus on technology transfer. (This will operate in conjunction with
the COSME Programme for the Competitiveness of Enterprises and SMEs which will focus
on firms’ growth and expansion phases).
Horizon 2020 guide
•
Irish Regions Brussels Office
January 2014
‘Innovation in SMEs’ – support along 3 distinct phases of the innovation cycle, particularly for
research-intensive firms with significant international growth potential, though not necessarily hi-tech
fields [See ‘SME Instrument’ in ‘Types of Action’ (below) and in section 3.iii]
NB: Only the ICT, energy-efficient buildings, ‘access to risk finance’ and ‘SME innovation’ aspects of this
pillar will be analysed in this document.
Pillar 3
‘Societal Challenges’
Heavily based on the policy priorities of the Europe 2020 strategy, this pillar supports collaborative R&I for
the development of breakthrough solutions in response to 7 broad issues of major and urgent concern to
society and citizens:
1) Health, demographic change and wellbeing
2) Food security, sustainable agriculture and forestry, marine, maritime and inland water research
and the bio-economy
3)
Secure, clean and efficient energy
4) Smart, green and integrated transport
5)
Climate action, environment, resource-efficiency and raw materials
6)
Europe in a changing world - Inclusive, innovative and reflective societies
7)
Secure societies - Protecting freedom and security of Europe and its citizens
Other Aspects
The influence of the Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) – particularly cross-cutting themes of ‘Spreading
excellence and widening participation’ and ‘Science with and for Society’ – and ICT are mainstreamed across
the entire programme (see sections 3 and 4). Further cross-cutting objectives which activities will need to be
aware of as factors in the development of new knowledge, key competences and major technological
breakthroughs include ensuring sustainable development (earmarked to be linked to 60 per cent of the overall
programme’s budgetary resources), combating climate change (35 per cent), and SME support (20 per cent).
Other priorities supported by Horizon 2020 are:
 The activities of the European Institute of Innovation & Technology’s (EIT) various thematic Knowledge
& Innovation Communities (KICs) to bring together the expertise of the ‘Knowledge Triangle’ of higher
education institutions, research centres and the business community on a transnational basis.
 Activities of the Commission’s own science service, the Joint Research Centre (JRC).
 Nuclear research (Euratom).
The programme has also integrated the activities of a number of non-FP7 funding schemes, including Intelligent
Energy Europe (whose policy support, capacity building and financing elements are now part of the energy
efficiency call) and the ICT-Policy Support Programme (ICT-PSP) within its framework.
Horizon 2020 guide
Irish Regions Brussels Office
January 2014
Budget
At €78.6 billion over 7 years, the programme budget is greatly increased on what FP7 was able to offer. For
its initial two-year period, in excess of €15 billion has been made available. The constituent amounts are
provided at call for proposal level in this document. It can be assumed that the overall annual/biannual
budgets for activities will grow year-on-year towards 2020.
Types of action

‘Research & Innovation actions’:
Collaborative transnational projects of activities aiming to establish new knowledge and/or explore the
feasibility of a new or improved technology, product, process, service or solution. These may include
basic and applied research; technology development and integration; or testing and validation on a
small-scale prototype in a laboratory or simulated environment. [EU co-financing of up to 100 per cent
plus 25 per cent indirect costs]

‘Innovation actions’ (transnational):
Collaborative transnational projects of activities closer to the market, directly aiming at producing plans
and arrangements or designs for new, altered or improved products, processes or services. This may
include demonstration or piloting to validate technical and economic viability of a new or improved
technology, product, process, service or solution in an operational (or near to operational) environment.
Market replication, i.e. support for the first application or deployment in the market of an already
demonstrated innovation, is also supported. [EU co-financing of up to 70 per cent – or 100 per cent for
not-for-profit activities – plus 25 per cent indirect costs]
Horizon 2020 guide
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Irish Regions Brussels Office
January 2014
‘Coordination & support actions’
‘Accompanying measures’ (i.e. not undertaking research or delivering innovation per se) such as
standardisation, dissemination, awareness-raising and communication, networking, coordination or
support services, policy dialogues and mutual learning exercises and studies, including design studies for
new infrastructure. Complementary activities of networking and coordination between programmes in
different countries may also be included.

‘ERA-NET COFUND actions’
Support for the preparation, establishment of networking structures, design, implementation and
coordination of public-private partnerships to pool financial resources from participating national (or
regional) research programme activities and to implement joint transnational research and innovation
project calls across/between participating programmes with a top-up of EU co-funding. [EU cofinancing of up to 33 per cent]

‘Specific Support for Innovation in SMEs’ (‘SME Instrument – see section 3.iii)
Support and capacity-building for individual SMEs or consortia of small firms with international
ambition, covering their different needs throughout any/all of three sequential phases of the
innovation cycle, to transform innovative ideas into marketable products and services:
o
‘Phase 1’ (proof-of-concept) (6 months): Explore the scientific or technological feasibility and
commercial potential of a new idea in order to develop an innovation project, with the help of a
€50,000 grant, plus mentoring support.
o
‘Phase 2’ (development and demonstration) (12-24 months): Further development of sound,
ground-breaking ideas, for whom a solid business plan has been devised, into market-ready
products, services or processes, with the help of a grant in the order of €500,000 to €2.5 million.
o
‘Phase 3’ (go-to-market): Additional non-grant EU support to enter the market successfully,
including financing advice.
6 of the 7 ‘Societal Challenges’ and aspects of the ‘LEIT’ part of the ‘Industrial Leadership’ pillar will
apply the dedicated ‘SME Instrument’ and allocate an appropriate amount to it.

‘Procurement Cofund actions’
Support for the preparation, joint procurement and implementation of contracts and related additional
coordination activities for:

o
‘Pre-Commercial Procurement’ (PCP) of research and development services to bring forward
breakthrough solutions for quality and efficiency improvements in areas of public interest through
risk-benefit sharing under market conditions and phased competitive development (separation of of
the R&D phase from the deployment of commercial volumes of end-products). [EU co-financing of
up to 70 per cent]
o
‘Public Procurement of Innovative Solutions’ (PPI) where contracting authorities act as a launch
customer for innovative goods or services which are not yet available on a large-scale commercial
basis – thereby sharing the risks of acting as early adopters and overcoming the fragmentation of
demand. [EU co-financing of up to 20 per cent]
‘Fast-track to Innovation’ (FTI) instrument [from 2015]
Horizon 2020 guide
Irish Regions Brussels Office
January 2014
Support for innovation actions relating to any technology field, on the basis of a continuously open
call (under the Pillar 2 objective for ‘LEIT’ and the Pillar 3 societal challenges).

Inducement and recognition prizes (financial awards)
Operation of the Programme
The overall 7-year ‘Specific Programme’ sets out Horizon 2020’s structure and instruments along with the
broad issues and activities to be covered by funded actions. This in turn is to be implemented by a series of
biannual Work Programmes of defined, mainly challenge-based issues, linked to the areas covered by the 3
pillars and which detail precise focus, requirements, timing and financing arrangements – with the first set of
these as launched in December covering 2014-2015.
These broad priorities are made up of a series of calls for proposals, partly based on 12 areas identified as
meriting special focus over these initial two years with sustainable competitiveness, innovation and growth in
mind. The calls are in turn further broken down into individual topics which reflect particular challenges to be
addressed in the form of project activities to be carried out, and expected impacts.
Bear in mind that:

The scope of calls has been designed to be broader and less prescriptive than during FP7 in order to
encourage research institutions, enterprises and public authorities to develop and submit creative,
challenge-based proposals which are grounded in reality.

Many calls will operate in both years (i.e. repeating in 2015).

In some cases, calls may be cross-cutting in focus, comprised of a collection of topics from different
Societal Challenge areas but grouped under one overarching theme, such as ‘Blue Growth’ or ‘Smart
Cities and Communities’.

Some calls have a 2-stage submission procedure requiring an outline proposal to be followed by an
invitation to submit a full application. Others are continuously open, meaning that proposals may be
submitted at any time – although there may be “intermediate cut-off dates” for proposals to be
evaluated.

There will be an application period of at least 3 months from call publication to submission deadline.
In most cases it will be significantly longer than this.

Not all actions designed to support the implementation of the challenge are subject to calls for
proposals.
A simplified proposal submission system has been designed via a single common Participant Portal covering all
programme elements and instruments. This is allied to a commitment to speedier decisions on applications
with an indicative maximum evaluation period of 8 months from submission.
Other efforts to simplify the programme’s delivery by reducing the administrative burden on participation
include:

A single funding rate to cover all participants and activities within a given project.

A flat rate 25 per cent of direct eligible costs to cover overheads.

Wider acceptance of average personnel costs (scale of unit costs).

Use of lump sum payments in some cases.

Less stringent requirements for time records maintenance.
Horizon 2020 guide
Irish Regions Brussels Office
January 2014
Evaluation Criteria
The activities on which project bids are based will be assessed on the basis of the following criteria:
1) Scientific and/or technological excellence (relevant to the topics addressed by the call):



Soundness of concept, and quality of objectives.
Progress beyond the state-of-the-art.
Quality and effectiveness of the scientific/technological methodology and associated work plan.
2) Impact: “Potential impact through the development, dissemination and use of project results”:


Contribution, at the European (and/or international] level, to the expected impacts listed in the
Work Programme under the relevant topic/activity).
Appropriateness of measures for the dissemination and/or exploitation of project results, and
management of intellectual property.
3) Implementation:




Appropriateness of the management structure and procedures.
Quality and relevant experience of the individual participants.
Quality of the consortium as a whole (including complementarity and balance).
Appropriateness of the allocation and justification of the resources to be committed (staff,
equipment etc.).
Opportunities for local and regional actors?
Because much of the programme has been designed as being ‘’challenge-based’’, its designated topics are
broadly defined. This provides the opportunity for different ideas and approaches to be brought to bear in
these areas – requiring the involvement of a wide range of stakeholders in activities. Consequently, the
development of strong, cross-sectoral collaboration bringing a critical mass of perspectives from actors such as
researchers, Higher Education Institutions, the business community and public authorities together in order to
create multi-dimensional synergies and increase capacities, is a crucial factor. At a programme level, this is
required on a transnational basis. However, in a more immediate territorial sense, efforts to undertake such an
approach as part of ambitions to fine-tune local or regional ‘’innovation ecosystems’’ towards a particular
common cause could be considered a key first step in becoming involved in projects.
In this vein, Irish Local Authorities and regional bodies should find the third strand – Societal Challenges’ (which
represents the single largest portion of the Horizon 2020 budget) – with its emphasis on multi-disciplinary
collaboration to bring together resources and knowledge from across different fields, technologies and
disciplines, including social sciences and the humanities, to be of particular interest. Project involvement could
be based on ambitions to fast-track the deployment of new high-impact approaches to dealing with the various
challenges outlined. Additionally, Local Authorities should examine the scope for opportunities to partner with
innovative enterprises to help to bridge the gap between research and market uptake. This could entail being
key players in providing use of a real world environment (or ‘living lab’) setting for innovation-related activities
such as prototyping, testing, piloting, scaling, demonstration or market replication activities in order that the
potential application of new technologies can be better understood as part of the fine-tuning of the
development of such breakthroughs into viable products and services with real commercial potential.
It is essential to consider that the definition of ‘’innovation’’ envisaged under this programme is more open and
less restricted to deriving results from research and development (R&D) activities than was the case in FP7. It
includes finding new uses for existing technologies, developing new business models or new ways of interacting
with users (including the general public), and non-commercial applications such as for better public services
(e.g. access to cultural heritage) or for addressing social needs ('social innovation') in a citizen-centric manner.
Within pillars 2 and 3, demand-side measures (e.g. networking and collective actions such as ‘buyers’ groups’)
to stimulate uptake of R&D products and services by public bodies are also provided for. This will address
Horizon 2020 guide
Irish Regions Brussels Office
January 2014
market risk-sharing efforts to address identified challenges via ‘Pre-Commercial Procurement’ (PCP) (including
facilitating the participation of smaller innovative companies) and the first application and wider roll-out of (at
least partly) technically proven ‘Public Procurement of Innovative Solutions’ (PPI). Support for green
procurement to help environmentally-efficient innovations to break into the market is among the areas where
innovation by and for the public sector has been identified as a requirement in order to drive up the
performance of public services. The development of specifications for new standards to facilitate market entry
or diffusion of innovations is also covered here.
The SME measures provided for under the ‘Industrial Leadership’ pillar also represent a very significant
resource for the Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) in terms of both accessing direct support for SMEs’ own
innovation activities in specific fields (‘SME Instrument’) and of the provision of better innovation support
services to this clientele. The same can be argued in relation to the ‘Access to Risk Finance’ measure to
leverage private investment in innovative firms – particularly SMEs. A series of ICT measures within the same
pillar are also potentially relevant to local government.
National Contact Points for Ireland
A team of National Contact Points has been appointed to promote the various Horizon 2020 schemes and
measures and to facilitate competitive Irish involvement in partnerships and funding bids. It is important that
participants avail of this expertise in order to strengthen their chances of success.

National NCP coordinator
Dr Imelda Lambkin
Enterprise Ireland - Dublin
Tel: 01-7272665
Email: imelda.lambkin@enterprise-ireland.com

Legal and Financial Aspects
Ms Jill Leonard
Enterprise Ireland - Dublin
Tel: 01-7272751
Email: jill.leonard@enterprise-ireland.com
Excellent Science:

European Research Council
Dr Graeme Horley
(Life Sciences & Physical Sciences and Engineering)
Science Foundation Ireland
Tel: 01-6073118
Email: graeme.horley@sfi.ie

Future and Emerging Technologies
Mr Stephen O'Reilly
Enterprise Ireland - Cork
Tel: 021-4800217
Email: stephen.oreilly@enterprise-ireland.com
Mr Paul Kilkenny
(Socio-Economic Sciences & Humanities)
Irish Research Council
Tel: 01-2317143
Email: pkilkenny@research.ie
Horizon 2020 guide
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Irish Regions Brussels Office
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Marie Skłodowska Curie actions on skills, training and career development
Dr Jennifer Brennan
Irish Universities Association
Tel: 01-6764948
Email: jennifer.brennan@iua.ie

European Research Infrastructures
Mr Damien Kilgannon
Higher Education Authority
Tel: 01-2317135
Email: dkilgannon@hea.ie
Industrial Leadership:

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)
Mr Stephen O'Reilly
Enterprise Ireland - Cork
Tel: 021-4800217
Email: stephen.oreilly@enterprise-ireland.com

Nanotechnologies, advanced materials and advanced manufacturing and processing
Dr Liam Brown
Enterprise Ireland - Shannon
Tel: 061-777047
Email:liam.brown@enterprise-ireland.com

Space
Mr Barry Fennell
Enterprise Ireland - Dublin
Tel: 01-7272562
Email: barry.fennell@enterprise-ireland.com

SMEs
Mr Sean Burke
Enterprise Ireland - Shannon
Tel: 061-777048
Email: sean.burke@enterprise-ireland.com

Dr Gerard Kennedy
Enterprise Ireland - Shannon
Tel: 061-777052
Email: gerard.kennedy@enterprise-ireland.com
Access to Finance
Ms Evelyn Smith
Enterprise Ireland - Brussels
Tel: +32-2-6739866
Email: evelyn.smith@enterprise-ireland.com
Dr Sergio Fernandez-Ceballos
Enterprise Ireland - Dublin
Tel: 01-7272704
Email: sceballos@enterprise-ireland.com
Horizon 2020 guide
Irish Regions Brussels Office
January 2014
Societal Challenges:

Health, demographic change and wellbeing
Ms Kay Duggan-Walls
Health Research Board
Tel: 01-2345187
Email: kdugganwalls@hrb.ie

Dr Ciaran Duffy
Enterprise Ireland - Dublin
Tel: 01-7272760
Email:ciaran.duffy@enterprise-ireland.com
Food security, sustainable agriculture, marine and maritime research and the bioeconomy; &
Biotechnology
Mr Dale Crammond
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries & Food
Tel: 01-6072302
Email: dale.crammond@agriculture.gov.ie

Secure, clean and efficient energy
Mr Philip Cheasty
Enterprise Ireland - Cork
Tel: 021-4800216
Email: philip.cheasty@enterprise-ireland.com

Smart, green and integrated transport
Dr Bob Flynn
Enterprise Ireland
Tel: 061-777050
bob.flynn@enterprise-ireland.com

Climate action, resource-efficiency and raw materials
Dr Alice Wemaere
Environmental Protection Agency
Tel: 01-2680146
Email: a.wemaere@epa.ie

Inclusive, innovative and reflective societies; science in and for society; widening participation
Mr Paul Kilkenny
Irish Research Council
Tel: 01-2317143
Email: pkilkenny@research.ie

Security
Mr Michael Murphy
Enterprise Ireland - Dublin
Tel: 01-7272516
Email: michael.murphy@enterprise-ireland.com

Mr Mark Sweeney
Enterprise Ireland - Dublin
Tel: 01-7272616
Email: mark.sweeney@enterprise-ireland.com
Euratom
Dr Ciaran Duffy
Horizon 2020 guide
Irish Regions Brussels Office
January 2014
Enterprise Ireland - Dublin
Tel: 01-7272760
Email: ciaran.duffy@enterprise-ireland.com

Joint Research Centre
Dr Imelda Lambkin
Enterprise Ireland - Dublin
Tel: 01-7272665
Email: imelda.lambkin@enterprise-ireland.com
Strategically influencing the future shape of Horizon 2020 (2016 onwards)
Some tentative guidance as to what may be prioritised subsequent to the first two years is already provided
via a three-year ‘Strategic Programme’ (2014-2016). The second ’Strategic Programme’ will cover 2016-2018
and is expected to be prepared during 2014 and early 2015. In order to proactively influence its development,
and the types of projects which will be funded, in a strategic manner so that its ultimate content and direction
are reflective of particular priorities, it is necessary to adopt a broad and long-term perspective that will
maximise the prospects of bringing forward highly competitive applications in subsequent years’ Work
Programmes, selection of calls for proposals and, ultimately, of topics.
This should entail identifying a particular aspect (e.g. the application of a specific technology) from within (or
across) the already-defined Pillar 3 societal challenges and developing an approach to set about placing it onto
the European policy agenda, including by suggesting research and innovation-based solutions and the impact
these may have – including the industrial and commercial potential. This process might best be based on an
international research community (i.e. future project partnership).
In general, the most important stakeholders to influence are officials within the Commission services, in
particular DG Research & Innovation but also relevant policy DGs who are seeking evidence-based feedback as
to how the evolving programme can be shaped and improved upon. Other contacts to consider include
members of the Horizon 2020 Advisory Groups (independent scientific or industrial experts) and Programme
Committees (Member States’ input forum) – both of which have key roles in the formulation of Work
Programmes.
The opening of communication channels can take such forms as participation in stakeholder consultations and
events as organised by the Commission; making direct, often informal, contact through bilateral briefings or
discussion meetings to raise an issue; or more publicly setting the agenda by organising thematic workshops in
Brussels which, if well targeted, can serve as a readymade platform for attracting attention towards topicrelated input.
Similarly, it may be worthwhile to ensure that the potential project has a degree of presence and profile within
a relevant network at European level (e.g. the ERRIN network of research and innovation regions). The same
applies to the European Technology Platform (ETP) which serves to gather together industry, research and
technology organisations, academia and other stakeholders across a specific sector. The ETPs prepare strategic
research agendas which define research priorities for their sector and draw up plans for implementation which
are used as input to the biannual Work Programmes.
Horizon 2020 guide
Irish Regions Brussels Office
January 2014
Section 2
SOCIETAL CHALLENGES
2.i)
Calls: ‘Health, demographic change and well-being’
(Challenge 1)
The Commission has argued that by better understanding the causes of health and disease and making best use
of Big Data, Europe's ability to develop better diagnostics, therapies and drive forward health promotion and
disease prevention strategies will be greatly improved at the personal and societal level. This will also work
towards increasing employment and developing new and improved technologies in one of the faster growing
sectors of the economy.
This societal challenge involves two calls to a value of €587.3 million in 2014 and €566 million in 2015.
Call: PERSONALISING HEALTH AND CARE
Budget: €549.3 million in 2014 and €537 million in 2015.
The focus on personalising health and care is informed by the ageing of the European population, an increasing
communicable and non-communicable disease burden and the fall-out from the economic crisis. In combination,
these factors are jeopardising the sustainability and equity of European health and care systems, on which
nearly 10 per cent of GDP is spent.
The call is structured into seven main themes:

Understanding health, ageing and disease

Effective health promotion, disease prevention, preparedness and screening

Improving diagnosis

Innovation treatments and technologies

Advancing active and healthy ageing

Integrated, sustainable, citizen-centered care

Improving health information, data exploitation and providing an evidence based for health policies
and regulation
Topics of relevance to the Irish local and regional government sector are:
Understanding health, ageing and disease

PHC-01-2014: Understanding health, ageing and disease: determinants, risk factors and pathways
This topic will aim to understand how interaction with behavioural, environmental, occupational,
nutritional and other modifiable lifestyle factors contribute to the development and preservation of
good health, and the occurrence and evolution of common diseases and disabilities. Using health
trends and determinants as a basis, this should assist the development of preventive and therapeutic
measures supporting prolonged active independence and a productive working life by improving risk
Horizon 2020 guide
Irish Regions Brussels Office
January 2014
identification and validation, and allowing for better diagnosis, risk-based prevention strategies and
policies.
Deadline: 11 March (Stage 2: 19 August)
Effective health promotion, disease prevention, preparedness and screening

PHC-04-2015: Health promotion and disease prevention: improved inter-sector co-operation for
environment and health based interventions
This topic will support using a multidisciplinary approach to institute a “health in all policies”
approach that fosters the development of inter-sector interventions (and/or policy initiatives) to
promote health or prevent disease by addressing the integration of environment, climate and health
sectors (including but not limited to air quality, water and sanitation, chemicals, occupational factors,
etc.).
Deadlines: 14 October (Stage 2: 24 February 2015)

PHC-06-2014: Evaluating existing screening and prevention programmes
Activities under this topic should relate to the systematic evaluation and assessment of existing
population-based screening and disease prevention programmes to avoid inappropriate
interventions, delayed provision of the correct treatment, increased disease burden, health
inequities and increased costs for health and care systems.
Deadline: 11 March (Stage 2: 19 August)
Improving Diagnosis

PHC-12-2014-1: Clinical validation of biomarkers and/or diagnostic medical devices
[See ‘SME Instrument’ in section 3.iii]
Innovative treatments and technologies

PHC-17-2014: Comparing the effectiveness of existing healthcare interventions in the elderly
Proposals should compare the use of currently available healthcare interventions in the elderly
(over-65) population (or subgroups thereof) – focusing especially on interventions with high public
health relevance, i.e. addressing conditions that are particularly frequent, have a high negative
impact on the quality of life of the individual and/or are associated with significant costs or where
savings can be achieved.
Deadline: March (Stage 2: 19 August)
Advancing active and healthy ageing

PHC-19-2014: Advancing active and healthy ageing with ICT: service robotics within assisted living
environments
Horizon 2020 guide
Irish Regions Brussels Office
January 2014
This topic seeks to develop new breakthroughs for active and assisted living based on advanced ICT
solutions as a means of lessening the risk of cognitive impairment, frailty and social exclusion among
ageing citizens. Proposals should focus on service robotics in assisted living environments which can
help an ageing population to remain active and independent for longer and should be modular, costeffective, flexible in being able to meet a range of needs and societal expectations, and applicable to
realistic settings.
Deadline: 15 April

PHC-20-2014: Advancing active and healthy ageing with ICT: ICT solutions for independent living
with cognitive impairment
Activities are intended to deploy innovative and user-led ICT pilot projects in support of independent
living with cognitive impairments and translate promising results into scalable practice across
Europe. Pilots should build on common, flexible and open ICT solutions which can be adapted to
specific users' needs, allowing them to live independently for longer while experiencing cognitive
impairment. Pilot deployment should develop best-practice and viable business and financing
models, as well as evidence for potential return on investment. Proposals should focus on innovation
in organisational and business models for service delivery, as well as standardisation and
interoperability work on required ICT platforms, services and data sources.
Deadline: 15 April

PHC-21-2015: Advancing active and healthy ageing with ICT: Early risk detection and intervention
Under this topic, attention will focus on the earlier detection of risks associated with ageing, using
ICT approaches in order to enable higher impact interventions to ameliorate their negative
consequences. Proposals should focus on the minimisation of risks including (but not limited to)
cognitive impairment, frailty, depression and falls and the development of innovative treatments and
therapies. This should build on multi-disciplinary research involving behavioural, sociological, health
and other relevant disciplines, and on stakeholder engagement in order to be driven by relevant user
needs (including featuring use of unobtrusive behavioural sensing, and large-scale collection of data
readily available in the daily living environment of older individuals) to ensure end-user acceptance.
Deadline: 15 April

PHC-22-2015: Promoting mental wellbeing in the ageing population
The understanding, prevention, early diagnosis, and treatment of mental conditions and disorders on
older people requires research – including into physical, psychological, environmental and social
determinants of healthy ageing and the role of external or internal determinants of mental illness.
This topic should address the burden posed by the increasing prevalence of neurological conditions
such as depression, anxiety, insomnia, dementia, personality disorders and substance use-related
disorders on older citizens’ working capacity, their quality of life and that of their care givers, and on
the delivery of other medical treatment. Clinical trials or comparative effectiveness research should
contribute to the establishment of integrated preventative or therapeutic intervention strategies to
improve mental health in the older population. Interventions with high public health relevance, i.e.
addressing particularly frequent or severe situations, with a high impact on the quality of life of the
individual and/or associated with a significant socio-economic burden, will be prioritised.
Deadlines: 14 October (Stage 2: 24 February 2015)
Horizon 2020 guide
Irish Regions Brussels Office
January 2014
Integrated, sustainable, citizen-centred care

PHC-23-2014: Developing and comparing new models for safe and efficient, prevention oriented
health and care systems
The integration of newly-identified approaches to prevention, primary care and treatment into
health services requires cooperation across sectors and between stakeholders. This topic provides an
opportunity to learn how action-oriented research, proposals could develop new, or improve on
existing, models for health systems which are more patient-centred, prevention oriented, efficient,
resilient to crises, safe and sustainable.
Deadline: 11 March (Stage 2: 19 August)

PHC-25-2015: Advanced ICT systems and services for integrated care
This topic will develop new approaches for integrated care models that are more closely oriented to
the needs of patients and older persons – these should be multidisciplinary, well-coordinated,
anchored in community and home care settings, and shifting from a reactive approach to proactive
and patient-centred care – as well as being supported by advanced ICT systems and services (going
beyond the current state-of-the-art in tele-health and tele-care). Proposals should address barriers
from technological, social and organisational points of view.
Deadline: 21 April 2015

PHC-26-2014: Self-management of health and disease: citizen engagement and Health
This topic will carry-out research into how socio-economic and environmental factors; dietary impact
and cultural values; behavioural and social models; attitudes and aspirations in relation to
personalised and mobile health technologies (e.g. new diagnostics, sensors and devices for
monitoring and personalised services and interventions which promote a healthy lifestyle,
prevention and self-care); improved citizen/healthcare professional interaction; and personalised
programmes for disease management can create more cost-effective healthcare systems by
empowering citizens to manage their own health and chronic diseases outside institutions.
Deadline: 15 April

PHC-27-2015: Self-management of health and disease and patient empowerment supported by ICT
This topic is a continuation of PHC-26–2014 (see above) giving more and different opportunities to
develop solutions and services for self-management of health and diseases. Solutions should be
developed and tested with the use of open innovation platforms such as large-scale demonstrators
for health and service innovation.
Deadline: 21 April 2015

PHC-29-2015: Public procurement of innovative eHealth services
This activity facilitates the specification, public purchasing and deployment of innovative ICT-based
solutions which have not yet been deployed on a large-scale and which can deliver sustainable
services and improve the application of innovative healthcare procurement approaches. Proposals
should improve sustainable deployment of new or improved services by healthcare service procurers
in line with the eHealth Action Plan. Examples of target outcomes may include addressing early
hospital discharge; delivery of healthcare in remote, sparsely populated and difficult to access
regions; eHealth services for mobile EU patients; and pre/post operation care outside the hospital
environment. Proposals should be driven by clearly identified procurement needs of healthcare
organisations and provide for appropriate public engagement.
Horizon 2020 guide
Irish Regions Brussels Office
January 2014
Deadline: 21 April 2015
Call: HEALTH COORDINATION ACTIVITIES
Budget: €38 million in 2014 and €29 million in 2015.
Topics of relevance to the Irish local and regional government sector are:

HCO-01-2014: Support for the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing
This topic will support facilitation measures (e.g. coordination of action group activities,
communication among partners and dissemination of results) for the implementation of existing
stakeholder action group action plans to deliver innovative services for the ageing population as
developed in line with certain priority action areas identified by the strategic implementation plan
(SIP) of the European Innovation Partnership on active and healthy ageing (EIP-AHA). Support will
also be provided for the development of additional action plans stemming from other priority action
areas addressing domains whose readiness towards implementation is maturing and may soon give
rise to additional action plans as identified.
Deadline: 15 April

HCO-14-2014: Bridging the divide in European health research and innovation
In order to tackle the large inter-regional divide in European health research and innovation
potential, current activities in this field in less-performing RDI regions/countries require examination.
A combination of evidence-based analysis (looking into determinants influencing performance) and
remedial actions (to develop new approaches to unlock excellence) is needed. Outcomes should
reveal the factors underlying the health R&I divide, identify common patterns and individual
differences within these regions, and set out suggested European and local actions to alleviate
differences. Proposals should create a networking platform where companies, research
organisations, universities, national authorities and managers of Horizon 2020 and European
Structural & Investment Funds can collaborate to identify needs, obstacles, best practice and
opportunities – including by reference to RIS3 (Research and Innovation Strategies for Smart
Specialisation).
Deadline: 15 April
'Health, Demographic Change and Wellbeing' - Work Programme 2014-2015
Horizon 2020 guide
2.ii)
Irish Regions Brussels Office
January 2014
Calls: ‘Food security, sustainable agriculture and forestry, marine,
maritime and inland water research and the bio-economy’
(Challenge 2)
The Food Security Work Programme has the dual objectives of securing sufficient supplies of safe, healthy and
high quality food, and also ensuring efficient provision of other bio-based products, by developing productive,
sustainable and resource-efficient primary production systems and fostering related ecosystem services. The
programme will also support projects to promote recovery of biological diversity and the development of
competitive and low-carbon supply chains. Overall, it is intended that this will accelerate the transition to a
sustainable European bio-economy, by bridging the gap between new technologies and their
implementation. Delivering this will require projects that cut across different fields of research and technology
with a market-driven approach. The involvement of end users including farmers, fishermen, consumers and
public authorities will be key to achieving this. In particular, several topics will involve a multi-disciplinary
approach that integrates social and economic sciences and humanities.
This societal challenge is divided into three areas: Sustainable Food Security; Blue Growth: Unlocking the
Potential of Seas and Oceans; and Innovative, Sustainable and Inclusive Bio-economy. It involves calls to a value
of €241.5 million in 2014 and €176.5 million in 2015.
Call: SUSTAINABLE FOOD SECURITY
Budget: €138 million in 2014 and €110.5 million in 2015.
This part of the Work Programme is broken down into three parts, looking at production systems, good and
healthy diets and global food security. Ensuring the availability of, and access to, sufficient safe and nutritious
food is a key priority, while at the same time the production and processing of food is a significant part of the
economy. Given the economic importance of the food sector, the potential gains from research and innovation,
and the structure of the sector – which involves many SMEs – the aim is to develop competitive and resourceefficient aquatic and terrestrial food production systems by funding projects on eco-intensification of production
and sustainable management of natural resources, while addressing climate change mitigation and adaptation.
Overall, this will cover the whole food chain, including both the supply and demand sides.
Topics of relevance to the Irish local and regional government sector are:
Sustainable food production systems

SFS-01c-2015: Assessing sustainability of terrestrial livestock production
Proposals under this topic should undertake an assessment of diverse animal production systems in
terms of their sustainability and potential delivery of ecosystem services, social services, resilience,
competitiveness and possible trade-offs. The assessment should be holistic, encompass the main
facets of the concerned systems, including international trade, include the dimensions of supply chains
and territories and elaborate necessary indicators. Proposals should extend their reach to sociogeographic and demographic changes of the concerned farming community and projections looking
across the whole food chain. A farm-level observatory and knowledge exchange networks on the
sustainability of livestock should be established with a focus on innovative system solutions for short
and long-term needs, linking with Agricultural European Innovation Partnership (EIP-AGRI) which
works to foster competitive and sustainable farming and forestry that achieves more productive and
Horizon 2020 guide
Irish Regions Brussels Office
January 2014
higher quality outputs from reduced inputs. Proposals should combine socio-economic work and case
studies and sketch a roadmap for further research and policy making.
Deadlines: 24 February 2015 (Stage 2: 11 June 2015)

SFS-03a-2014: Native and alien pests in agriculture and forestry
In response to the negative and disruptive impact of native and alien pests and diseases on native
agriculture (including horticulture) and forestry species, food chains, biodiversity patterns and
terrestrial ecosystems (including inland water bodies) and landscapes (including economic and
recreational activities) – a problem set to worsen with the effects of climate change - this topic will
support the development of cost-effective, practical and integrated response measures, ranging
from prevention of entry to novel Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approaches. Advanced
solutions for pests (including weeds) and invasive alien species prevention and management, utilising
the latest plant health measures and technologies with biological and integrated approaches should
be sought. Allied to R&D activities, the technical and economic feasibility as well as the industrial
relevance of the proposed technologies and mechanisms should be proven through relevant
demonstration activities.
Deadline: 12 March (Stage 2: 26 June)

SFS-07a-2014: Traditional resources for agricultural diversity and the food chain
This topic will support coordinated efforts to capture more systematically the value of diverse and so
far untapped genetic resources (crops, forest trees and animals) and encourage their broader use in
breeding activities, in farming and in the food chain. As well as diversifying production to ensure
resilience and food security, proposals should enhance the management and performance of local
varieties and livestock breeds along with their respective farming and (seed) production systems by
entailing research, demonstration and dissemination activities as well as development of
(environmentally and economically) sustainable production schemes. Outcomes should also provide
economic development opportunities by offering a basis for new openings for high-quality products
with a regional identity but associated with lower productivity compared to modern, high yielding and
more uniform varieties. Proposals should have a relevant socio-economic dimension, tap into
knowledge from the formal and informal sectors, encourage the creation of networks within and
between regions and address the value chain for regional high quality products.
Deadline: 12 March (Stage 2: 26 June)

SFS-08-2014-1: Resource-efficient eco-innovative food production and processing
[See ‘SME Instrument’ in section 3.iii]

SFS-11a-2014: Optimizing space availability for European Aquaculture
This topic addresses the need for the establishment of reliable (inland, coastal and offshore) spatial
plans in order to facilitate investment in and environmentally sustainable development of the
aquaculture sector in compliance with the existing regulatory framework. Proposals should provide
operational tools for spatial planning (including Geographic Information Systems, remote sensing and
mapping for data management, analysis and modelling, decision-support tools) to support
administrations and business operators in identifying the potential for aquaculture to expand in terms
of space and high quality water requirements and avoiding conflicts with other users. Proposals should
also focus on the development of innovative applications allowing promotion of these tools and
training of all the potential end users. The development of these instruments should take into account
specificities of different European aquaculture segments, while covering regional diversity across the
sector.
Deadline: 12 March (Stage 2: 26 June)
Horizon 2020 guide

Irish Regions Brussels Office
January 2014
SFS-11b-2015: Consolidating the environmental sustainability of European aquaculture
As with topic SFS-11a-2014 (see above), this topic addresses the need for the establishment of reliable
spatial plans in order to facilitate investment in and environmentally sustainable development of the
aquaculture sector in compliance with the existing regulatory framework. It differs in that proposals
should compile existing and develop new tools for predicting and assessing the carrying capacity of
fresh water and marine ecosystems at different geographic scales, taking into account specificities of
the main aquaculture segments and diversity of ecosystems in the main producing regions in Europe.
Improvements to existing and/or development of new integrated operational tools for the timely and
cost-efficient environmental impact assessment of aquaculture production should be undertaken, in
line with the requirements for the allocation of licenses, as well as, for the implementation of the
Marine Strategy Framework Directive. Cost-efficient management tools and practices for improving
the environmental sustainability of European aquaculture should also be developed, including
forecasting and modelling tools that can assist and inform decision support systems, in situ
observation technologies and early sensing and alarm systems. Proposals should also develop
adequate methodologies and assess the environmental and ecological services that different
segments of the sector might provide.
Deadline: 24 February 2015 (Stage 2: 11 June 2015)
Safe food and healthy diets and sustainable consumption

SFS-16-2015: Tackling malnutrition in the elderly
Based on a better understanding of the mechanisms of the ageing process, dietary strategies to
prevent and treat malnutrition in the elderly (living at home, in nursing homes, hospitals, and/or
emergencies) should be developed through this topic. Proposals should address relevant research
and innovation aspects by taking account of specific nutritional requirements, dietary behaviours
and preferences, sensory aspects, the gender dimension, ethical, socio-economic and cultural
aspects. Proposals could include the development of smarter and more intelligent devices for the
monitoring of food intake.
Deadline: 24 February 2015 (Stage 2: 11 June 2015)
Global drivers of food security

SFS-18-2015: Small farms but global markets: the role of small and family farms in food and
nutrition security
In order to gain a better understanding of how to achieve sustainable food and nutrition security
(FNS), thorough assessment is required of the contribution of small family farms and other small and
micro-sized rural food businesses towards this goal. Placing an emphasis on positive factors at play in
entities of this scale – including complementarities between agro-food systems, environmental and
social aspects of sustainability such as the ability of small farms to maintain more diverse mixed
production systems, and the role of labour-inclusive family farms in maintaining an adequate
rural/urban balance and enabling territorial development – this work should also examine their
resilience in an increasingly globalised and uncertain world, despite not having the perceived
efficiency and economy-of-scale benefits of larger structures. Proposals should evaluate the means
by which such entities could respond to the expected global increase in demand for food, feed and
fibre under ever scarcer resources, as well as providing evidence and developing tools to guide
decision makers in regards to intensification options. Research should identify the optimal enabling
environment and the multiple dimensions of sustainability with respect to infrastructure (including
labour, transport, energy, communication, food safety, etc.), supply chain (local/regional markets)
and governance needs.
Horizon 2020 guide
Irish Regions Brussels Office
January 2014
Deadlines: 24 February 2015 (Stage 2: 11 June 2015)

SFS-20-2015: Sustainable food chains through public policies: the cases of the EU quality policy and
of public sector food procurement
This topic brings together EU quality schemes for agricultural products and foodstuffs – i.e. the
'protected designation of origin' (PDO); 'protected geographical indication' (PGI); and 'traditional
specialty guaranteed' (TSG) schemes – reflecting the diversity of EU agriculture and meant to allow
for remunerative prices to producers, especially in disadvantaged and remote agricultural territories,
with public procurement policies abilities to create new markets and foster the development of an
'economy of quality'. This area offers the potential to deliver economic, environmental and social
benefits (including health) by catering for different objectives such as improving the nutritional
balance of school canteens, contributing to education on food or fostering procurement from local
producers. Based on short food supply chains, proposals should investigate the impact of both sets
of policies on the overall sustainability of rural territories and their role in fostering the provision of
public goods as well as how public food procurement communities of practice and partnerships
involving a broad range of stakeholders can be utilised and the potential impact on territorial
development.
Deadline: 24 February 2015 (Stage 2: 11 June 2015)
Call: BLUE GROWTH: UNLOCKING THE POTENTIAL OF SEAS AND OCEANS
Budget: €59 million in 2014 and €26 million in 2015.
Rapid progress in working offshore in ever-deeper waters, coupled with the need to look at how the seas and
oceans can deliver food and energy in a sustainable way, have opened up an opportunity for blue growth. This
area addresses the overall challenge through five cross-cutting project areas: capitalising on the diversity of
marine life; sustainable harvesting of deep-sea resources; new offshore challenges; ocean observation
technologies; and the socio-economic factors. The aim is to improve the understanding of the complex
interrelations between various maritime activities and technologies, to boost the marine economy. To maximise
the impacts, there will be a specific effort to mobilise the critical mass to tackle these large cross-cutting
challenges with adequate scale and scope. In 2014, the sustainable exploitation of the diversity of marine life
will put emphasis on valuing and mining marine biodiversity, while in 2015 the focus will be on the preservation
and sustainable exploitation of marine ecosystems and climate change effects on marine living resources.
Topics of relevance to the Irish local and regional government sector are:
Sustainably exploiting the diversity of marine life

BG-01-2015: Improving the preservation and sustainable exploitation of Atlantic marine ecosystems
Addressing pressures on the biodiversity and functioning of the fragile environment of North Atlantic
aquatic living resources, as well as the products and services they provide, requires a strengthened
knowledge base, improved innovation and predictive capacity and the development of adaptive
management plans for sustainable exploitation and use of the marine resources. This topic seeks to
fill in knowledge gaps to deepen the understanding and the capacity to model, understand and
predict shifts in the dynamics of North Atlantic ecosystems, thereby supporting preservation and
unlocking the potential for the sustainable production of new products and industrial applications.
Horizon 2020 guide
Irish Regions Brussels Office
January 2014
Decision support tools and methodologies should be developed to support adaptive (ecosystembased) management approaches enabling good governance of the marine ecosystem by the
bordering countries so as to secure the sustainable exploitation of the resource whilst ensuring its
preservation. The work may draw upon related research expertise that has been developed within
other sea basins. Proposals should also develop genuinely cross-disciplinary, integrated, systemic
approaches – including the socio-economic dimension, as well as the engagement of the broader
stakeholder communities.
Deadline: 24 February 2015 (Stage 2: 11 June 2015)
New offshore challenges

BG-05-2014: Preparing for the future innovative offshore economy
Proposals should analyse and identify social and economic developments in the offshore economy
and the most promising associated business models for this sector in relation to environmental
sustainability and economic feasibility. This should include a review of marine renewable energy
farms (both wind and ocean energy), offshore aquaculture facilities, multi-use offshore platforms
projects, as well as issues of competing access to marine space between different activities and,
more broadly, social and environmental impacts (including impacts on coastal areas). Proposals
should also set-up a mechanism associating key stakeholders interested in the development of the
Blue Economy, with a view to:

Identifying the technological, challenges to be overcome to make these business models
operational and define a shared research and technology agenda.

Investigating solutions to overcome the non-technological challenges such as the infrastructure
and grid development within the relevant EU legislative framework (in particular the maritime
spatial planning and existing coastal and planning systems).

Proposing large-scale pilot initiative(s) which should demonstrate the feasibility of the most
promising business models.
Deadline: 26 June
Horizontal aspects, socio-economic sciences, innovation, engagement with society and ocean
governance across the blue growth focus area

BG-12-2014-1: Supporting SMEs efforts for the development - deployment and market replication of
innovative solutions for blue growth
[See ‘SME Instrument’ in section 3.iii]

BG-13-2014: Ocean literacy – Engaging with society – Social Innovation
In order to engage with citizens and stakeholders about seas and ocean challenges (arising from the
development of the new maritime economy together with the pressures from human activities and
climate change on the marine environment) towards developing ecosystem-based approach for
marine activities, proposals should focus on compiling existing knowledge in the broad area of ‘Seas
and Ocean Health’ (environmental status, pollution affecting marine biodiversity and ecosystems,
ecosystem services). Attention will be paid to the impact this has on citizens, including on human
health. Information collected should be turned into communication material, to be used for
dissemination and engagement with societal stakeholders and the public at large.
Horizon 2020 guide
Irish Regions Brussels Office
January 2014
Deadline: 26 June
Call: INNOVATIVE, SUSTAINABLE AND INCLUSIVE BIOECONOMY
AND Budget: €44.5 million in 2014 and €42 million in 2015.
The topics under this call include work to support sustainable agriculture and forestry management processes
providing public goods and innovative products for sustainable growth; fostering innovation, including social
innovation, in rural areas; and enhancing innovation in the bio-based industry for smart growth.
Topics of relevance to the Irish local and regional government sector are:
Sustainable Agriculture and Forestry

ISIB-01-2014: Provision of public goods by EU agriculture and forestry: Putting the concept into
practice
The concept of ‘public goods’, including ecosystem services, as provided by agricultural and forestry
activities, lacks a common understanding as regards the wider societal and non-market benefits of
these activities – in particular in the context of dynamic changes in land use and farming systems.
Thorough evidence on the nature, extent and function of these, often underappreciated, services is
required to identify demand as well as to create effective support measures (policy options,
incentives, public services) for their continued provision in response to societal expectations.
Proposals should develop a systematic and operational framework to map, characterise and quantify
the variety of such public goods throughout Europe, including identifying links between their delivery
(including conflicting demands) and economic activities in the primary production sectors.
Deadline: 12 March (Stage 2: 26 June)

ISIB-02-2014: Closing the research and innovation divide: the crucial role of innovation support
services and knowledge exchange
As with many sectors, despite the continued generation of knowledge through scientific projects,
results of research into fostering economically viable and sustainable development in agriculture,
forestry and rural areas are often insufficiently exploited and taken up in practice. In a bid to close
this divide, it is necessary to facilitate the exchange on existing knowledge on innovative approaches
in agriculture, the supply chain, and rural areas and to stimulate the transition to innovation-driven
research, interaction and knowledge exchange between, research services and farmers and other
actors in the agricultural innovation chain. This topic will support the development of mechanisms to
optimise resource use in this way – thereby putting existing research into practice and capturing
creative ideas from the grassroots-level. Two types of networks are foreseen: one focusing on
innovation support services, whose activities would include exchange and development of methods
for innovation brokering and advisory activities, and a number of separate networks on specific
themes which would address synthesising, sharing and presenting best practices and research results
that are close to being put into practice. The resulting innovative knowledge and accessible end-user
material should feed into the European Innovation Partnership (EIP) for 'Agricultural Productivity and
Sustainability' in order to achieve broad stakeholder dissemination.
Deadline: 26 June
This topic will be repeated under ‘’ISIB-02-2015’’ with an 11 June 2015 deadline.
Horizon 2020 guide
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Irish Regions Brussels Office
January 2014
ISIB-03-2015: Unlocking the growth potential of rural areas through enhanced governance and social
innovation
In order to facilitate the transition towards sustainable agriculture, forestry and rural development,
this topic aims to explore and develop support to underpin the concept of social innovation as a
collective learning process in which different groups and actors participate towards the development
of new forms of organisation – e.g. promoting institutional capacity-building for appropriate skills
development – and interactions to respond to societal challenges, particularly in marginalised rural
areas with fragile social structures. Associated efforts should encompass the potential impact of
social innovation on enabling different regional contexts to capitalise on their inherent territorial
capital. Proposals should establish appropriate methods for the evaluation of outcomes resulting
from such approaches in the form of new skills and practices as well as in new attitudes, values,
behaviours and governance mechanisms. Special attention should be paid to different learning
arrangements (e.g. multi-actor networks, territorial alliances) as well as to innovative governance
mechanisms at various levels, and their potential implications. The role of different policy
instruments, other relevant incentives and diverse entities (public/private, local/non-local, active
citizens, etc.) as catalysts or constraints should also be addressed. Activities should cover diverse
types of rural areas but also seek to identify reasons why regions with ostensibly similar initial
conditions often have diverging relationships with social innovation.
Deadlines: 24 February 2015 (Stage 2: 11 June 2015)
Sustainable and competitive bio-based industries

ISIB-07-2014: Public procurement networks on innovative bio-based products
Many product areas could potentially feature products made entirely or partly from renewable biobased material. Likewise, many types of services could potentially benefit from bio-based inputs.
Proposals under this topic should undertake coordination and support activities to investigate the
feasibility and prepare the launch of a Public Procurement of Innovation (PPI) where, by introducing
requirements for sustainability in tender specifications, the demand from public authorities could
significantly increase the market for bio-based products and drive technological innovation in this
market area. Activities should include:

Developing and promoting the use of common environmental and functional/performancebased requirements specifications, including the need for standardised measurement and
testing methodologies, as well as other approaches for criteria setting and their verification;

Facilitating collaboration to intensifying the link between public procurers and standardisation
bodies;

Improving procurers knowledge and capabilities through joint training, workshops and other
networking activities;

Carrying out the necessary legal work to ensure that the procurement complies with European
and national law;

Engaging on public dialogue on bio-based products.
Deadline: 26 June
Cross-cutting actions covering all activities

ISIB-08a-2014: Engaging society, reaching end-users and linking with policy makers for a
participative governance of the bioeconomy
This topic considers the need to comprehensively address the inter-connected societal challenges
and implications related to the many different sectors and research and innovation fields covered by
Horizon 2020 guide
Irish Regions Brussels Office
January 2014
the bio-economy. This will require a two-step participatory approach based on engaging society,
reaching end-users and linking with policy makers a) Ensuring a responsible and participative
governance, by overcoming the current lack of information and public debate on the bio-economy,
while responding to citizens' needs and concerns, by providing adequate support to new promising
markets, and by reconciling conflicting policies and ethical concerns; and b) Integrating efforts
undertaken throughout all steps of the research and innovation chain, to facilitate the flow from
discovery to market applications and to speed up the innovation process.
Deadline: 26 June

ISIB-08b-2014: Bridging research and innovation efforts for a sustainable bioeconomy
Proposals should create links among various bio-economy-related research and innovation activities –
encompassing the production of renewable biological resources and the conversion of these resources
and waste streams into value added products – as carried out under different parts of Horizon 2020
and of FP7. This should foster knowledge transfer of best practice in sustainable process and
technologies and facilitate the flow from discovery to further research and innovation (e.g. through
twinning, networking, exchanges) and help discoveries to reach the market faster.
Deadline: 26 June
'Food security, sustainable agriculture and forestry, marine and maritime and inland water
research and the bioeconomy' - Work Programme 2014-2015
Horizon 2020 guide
Irish Regions Brussels Office
January 2014
2.iii) Calls: ‘Secure, clean and efficient energy’
(Challenge 3)
Europe needs greater energy security and to develop new energy technologies with an ability to compete with
existing ones on both price and reliability. The primary instrument for coordinating EU energy research and
innovation policy, the 2007 Strategic Energy Technology (SET) Plan is now being updated by the European
Commission to be able to take on the upcoming challenges. The ‘Secure, Clean and Efficient Energy’ challenge
contributes to three focus areas of the SET Plan: Energy Efficiency; Competitive Low-Carbon Energy; and Smart
Cities and Communities – each of which is represented by a call for proposals.
Call: ENERGY EFFICIENCY
Budget: €97.5 million in 2014 and €98.15 million in 2015.
The call covers four main areas of research and development into more efficient technologies and action to
remove market barriers:

Buildings and consumers

Heating and cooling

Industry and products

Finance for sustainable energy
Topics of relevance to the Irish local and regional government sector are:
Buildings and consumers

EE-02-2015: Buildings design for new highly energy performing buildings
Activity under this topic is to investigate how to deliver more affordable solutions which will
encourage investment in highly energy-performing construction in compliance with the impending
Energy Performance of Buildings Directive obligations for new builds. Action should at least meet
'nearly zero-energy' performance levels using innovative, cost-optimal technologies with integration of
renewable energy sources on site or nearby.
Deadline: 9 December (2014)
 EE-03-2014: Energy strategies and solutions for deep renovation of historic buildings
This topic is motivated by the need to make energy cost savings in the significant proportion of
building stock dating from prior to the mid-twentieth century – often valued for their cultural,
architectural and historic significance yet reliant on costly and inefficient conventional fossil-fuel based
energy systems – without resorting to drastically scaling back on energy consumption which can
worsen conditions for conservation of the buildings and their contents.
Deadline: 20 March
 EE-05-2014: Increasing energy performance of existing buildings through process and organisation
innovations and creating a market for deep renovation
Horizon 2020 guide
Irish Regions Brussels Office
January 2014
This topic aims to address non-technological barriers to the implementation of the Energy
Performance of Buildings Directive and the Energy Efficiency Directive provisions to increase
renovation rates, especially for public buildings, and which also prevent other market actors in the
residential and private sectors from following the example that the public sector is expected to set.
Deadline: 5 June
This topic will be repeated as ‘’EE-05-2015’’ with a 10 June 2015 deadline.
 EE-06-2015: Demand response in blocks of buildings
This topic relates to enabling end users to participate actively in energy markets and profit from
optimal price conditions, making the grid more efficient and contributing to the integration of
renewable energy sources. The focus of activities should be on real-time optimisation of building
energy demand, storage and supply (including self-production when applicable) using intelligent
energy management systems with the objective of reducing the difference between peak power
demand and minimum night time demand, thus reducing costs and greenhouse gas emissions. Costeffective and interoperable solutions that do not compromise the comfort of occupants should be
demonstrated for a block of buildings consisting of at least 3 different buildings in real life operating
conditions. Solutions should be compatible with smart grids and open international standards and
with the distribution network infrastructure.
Deadline: 10 June 2015
 EE-07-2014: Enhancing the capacity of public authorities to plan and implement sustainable energy
policies and measures
Empowering public authorities to develop, finance and implement ambitious sustainable energy
policies and detailed action plans at various scales such as the local-level Covenant of
Mayors initiative, on the basis of reliable data and analysis is the objective of this topic. Activities
should address sectors with high energy saving potential such as the renovation of buildings, the
application of high-efficiency cogeneration, efficient district heating and cooling systems, industry, and
urban mobility.
Deadline: 5 June
This topic will be repeated as ‘’EE-07-2015’’ with a 10 June 2015 deadline.
 EE-08-2014: Public procurement of innovative sustainable energy solutions
This topic will support public authorities in procuring fast-evolving information and communication
technologies (e.g. Green Data Centres) to stimulate market transformation towards more sustainable
energy products, buildings and services. This should build in part on the recent Energy Efficiency
Directive requirement to procure only products, services and buildings with high energy-efficiency
performance by addressing operational barriers to such an approach such as lack of knowledge,
practical training and tailored guidelines; the lack of willingness to change procurement habits; or
perceived legal uncertainties. Activities to support networking of public procurers or the use of PPI
(Public Procurement of Innovative solutions) or PCP (Pre-commercial Procurement) are to be included.
Deadline: 5 June
 EE-09-2014: Empowering stakeholders to assist public authorities in the definition and
implementation of sustainable energy policies and measures
The aim of this topic is to address the general lack of capacity and coordination among private
stakeholders and civil society in order to maximise their involvement in the effective implementation
of public energy efficiency policies and plans through concrete actions.
Horizon 2020 guide
Irish Regions Brussels Office
January 2014
Deadline: 5 June
This topic will be repeated as ‘’EE-09-2015’’ with a 10 June 2015 deadline.
 EE-10-2014: Consumer engagement for sustainable energy
This topic seeks to change the everyday behaviour of consumers (e.g. at home, at work, at school),
using market segmentation and an emphasis on action. Among possible activities are use of
educational activities or tools to enable participation in community renewable energy projects such as
cooperatives, the use of social innovations and innovative technologies (e.g. smart meters/appliances).
Deadline: 5 June
This topic will be repeated in 2015 as ‘’EE-10-2015’’ with a 10 June deadline.
 EE-11-2014: New ICT-based solutions for energy efficiency
This topic addresses the need to motivate and support citizen's behavioural change to achieve greater
energy efficiency by taking advantage of ICT services and applications making use of information
generated by consumers (e.g. through social networks) or captured from sensors (e.g. smart meters,
or smart plugs) and micro-generation. The proposed solutions should be deployed and validated in
real life conditions in publicly-owned/used buildings (including social housing). Validation should
provide socio-economic evidence for ICT investment in the field and include detailed plans for
sustainability and large-scale uptake beyond the project's life time. Specific attention should be given
to development and testing of 'cleanweb' solutions, which not only bring opportunities for consumers,
but also represent a promising investment field.
Deadline: 5 June
This topic will be repeated as ‘’EE-11-2015’’ with a 10 June 2015 deadline.
Heating and cooling
 EE-13-2014: Technology for district heating and cooling
This topic seeks to develop and deploy more efficient, cost-effective and intelligent district heating and
cooling systems using smart metering and control solutions for optimisation and consumer
empowerment while exploiting multiple energy resources, including waste heat recovery, heat pumps,
thermal storage, cogeneration and renewable energy integration. This should be accompanied by a
roll-out of solutions for the integration of intelligent thermal network with smart electricity grids.
Deadline: 5 June
This topic will be repeated as ‘’EE-13-2015’’ with a 10 June 2015 deadline.
 EE-14-2014: Removing market barriers to the uptake of efficient heating and cooling solutions
Actions to remove non-technological (including legislative) barriers to exploiting the full potential of
efficient heating and cooling solutions will be supported under this topic. This is envisaged as involving
the active participation of local governments including through integrated planning and integration of
heating/cooling into the territorial context; adaptation and compatibility/connectivity with low-energy
building standards; inclusion of heating/cooling in building renovation strategies; and empowerment
and involvement of consumers through innovative metering, billing and complaint handling processes.
Deadline: 5 June
This topic will be repeated as ‘’EE-14-2015’’ with a 10 June in 2015 deadline.
Horizon 2020 guide
Irish Regions Brussels Office
January 2014
Finance for sustainable energy
 EE-19-2014: Improving the financeability and attractiveness of sustainable energy investments
Tackling inadequate levels of investments in sustainable energy (in particular energy efficiency) due to
factors such as the risk aversion of investors and financiers due to perceived lack of financial viability in
the sector; lack of capacity of the public and private sector; split incentives (e.g. rental buildings); and
lack of large-scale successful flagship projects is at the core of this topic.
Deadline: 5 June
This topic will be repeated as ‘’EE-19-2015’’ with a 10 June 2015 deadline.
 EE-20-2014: Project development assistance for innovative bankable and aggregated sustainable
energy investment schemes and projects
This topic will provide dedicated project development technical assistance facilities and capacitybuilding covering aspects such as the carrying-out of investment inventories, developing feasibility
studies, investigating financial engineering instruments, and addressing legal and procurement issues
for public authorities as promoters of large-scale sustainable energy investment projects with planned
budgets in the region of €6 - 50 million.
Deadline: 5 June
This topic will be repeated as ‘’EE-20-2015’’ with a 10 June 2015 deadline.
 EE-21-2014: Development and market roll-out of innovative energy services and financial schemes
for sustainable energy
Activities under this topic may focus on:

The roll-out of business models for innovative energy efficiency services (e.g. energy performance
contracting), enabling the resulting energy savings to be fully monetised.

Replication of successful innovative financing solutions already implemented across the EU as well
as successful innovative energy services – paying particular attention to innovative solutions
enabling aggregation, securitisation, project bundling, structuring of clearing houses, or
developing new investment mechanisms (e.g. crowd-funding for sustainable energy).

Implementing large-scale capacity building for public authorities and SMEs to set-up or use
innovative financing schemes for sustainable energy.
Deadline: 5 June
This topic will be repeated in 2015 as ‘’EE-21-2015’’ with a 10 June deadline.
Call: COMPETITIVE LOW-CARBON ENERGY
Budget: €361.8 million in 2014 and €374.73 million in 2015.
The 2050 EU energy roadmap sets the target of reducing the Union’s greenhouse gas emissions by 20 per cent
of the 1990 levels by 2020, followed by a further reduction of 85-90 per cent by 2050. Equally, renewables
should cover a growing share of energy consumption. This call has a special focus on new technologies, biofuels,
renewable electricity and modernising the grid, while providing flexibility in the system with energy storage
technologies.
Horizon 2020 guide
Irish Regions Brussels Office
January 2014
Topics of relevance to the Irish local and regional government sector are:
Renewable electricity and heating/cooling

LCE-03-2014: Demonstration of renewable electricity and heating/cooling technologies
Proposals should address one or more of a menu of specific technology challenges relating to
photovoltaics, wind, ocean, solar, geothermal, renewable heating and cooling, bringing the proposed
solutions to a higher level of technological readiness, aiming at their “demonstration”, accompanied,
where appropriate, by supporting research activities and actions targeting market uptake.
Deadline: 10 September
This topic will be repeated as ‘’LCE-03-2015’’ with a 3 March 2015 deadline and somewhat different
technology focuses.

LCE-04-2014: Market uptake of existing and emerging renewable electricity, heating and cooling
technologies
To ensure the level of growth needed to deliver the EU targets for renewable energy, and to create
the appropriate business environment for EU industrial leadership in low-carbon energy technologies,
a number of important market-uptake challenges are to be addressed by this topic, notably:

Ensuring sustained public acceptance of renewable energy projects and renewable energy
overall, while taking into account the implications of the substantial increase in renewable
energy sources (RES) share in the final energy consumption;

Ensuring speedy and user friendly permitting procedures;

Implementing renewable energy policies, codes and legislations at EU, national, regional and
local levels in a coordinated manner using best practice examples with significant replication
potential;

Capacity-building and contributing to the further development of renewable energy policy,
legislation and regulation, and informing the debate on post-2020 horizons;

Capacity-building and facilitating the deployment of improved business models and
innovative financing schemes for mobilising investments in innovative and established
renewable energy systems and services.
Deadline: 7 May
This topic will be repeated as ‘’LCE-04-2015’’ with a 3 March 2015 deadline
Modernising the European electricity grid

LCE-07-2014: Distribution grid and retail market
This topic addresses solutions to grid challenges through system integration demonstration and
validation in real-user environments. Activities should focus on:

Development of ICT tools, and integration and innovative use of ICT for smart grid services to be
provided in an open and competitive electricity market. This includes services for next generation
distributed renewable energy integration and demand-response systems.
Horizon 2020 guide
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Irish Regions Brussels Office
January 2014
Demonstration of innovative solutions (innovative integration of existing technologies into the
system) offering services to all actors in the retail markets of the electricity system. The projects
should improve medium and low voltage network monitoring and control in a secure and
economic way. They should also validate innovative models for local dispatching of distributed
generation, and methods and tools for grid asset maintenance and management to mitigate the
costs of grid upkeep, replacement and development in the presence of a very large share of
renewable generation.
Deployment of a flexible architecture for smart metering systems allowing for smart grid
functionalities to be added during system exploitation. Connection to building management
systems (BMS), intelligent appliances, local generation and storage shall also be included.
Deadline: 7 May
Providing the energy system with flexibility through enhanced energy storage technologies

LCE-08-2014: Local / small-scale storage
This topic will address the need to progress energy storage and reduce the barriers associated with
new storage concepts integrated into the distribution grid and at building level. Actions are expected
to be linked to either energy balancing, increased grid security and stability or improved grid
congestion management at local level – including enhanced supply independence of remote areas by
means of local renewable energy generation and storage. They are expected to demonstrate the
technical and economic synergy between local storage (ideally of several energy vectors), smart grid
management, demand response and their integration with advanced ICT. They should also
demonstrate the integration of storage services in network management, particularly exploiting
storage with electronic interfaces to facilitate the integration and back-up of highly variable renewable
generation and dispersed demand response. Demonstration proposals shall include market uptake
measures for integrating energy storage in the electricity network and power system management
and cost-benefit analyses of the possible uses of the technology from a system perspective.
Deadline: 7 May

LCE-09-2015: Large scale energy storage
The high penetration rates of variable renewable energy resources entail the need for large-scale
energy storage to balance the production and consumption of high quantities of electricity and during
longer time periods. Demonstration activities in this topic will aim to progress large-scale energy
storage and reduce the barriers associated with new storage concepts. An important market uptake
challenge is to reduce the barriers (technological, economic, regulatory, environmental, social and
other acceptance, etc.) associated with the deployment of existing or new storage concepts.
Deadline: 3 March 2015
Sustainable biofuels and alternative fuels for the European transport fuel mix

LCE-14-2014: Market uptake of existing and emerging sustainable bioenergy
In order to foster the development of the bioenergy sector and to ensure its sustainability, and to
address concerns regarding indirect and direct environmental impacts, sustainable bioenergy
technologies (both existing and emerging) need to further penetrate the market. Proposals should
address one or more of the following issues using well-developed technologies and systems:
Horizon 2020 guide
Irish Regions Brussels Office
January 2014

Setting up or strengthening sustainable local bioenergy supply chains that meet highest
environmental criteria and quality standards, including consideration for indirect impacts and
energy balances;

Ensuring development and/or implementation of quality and sustainability standards for
bioenergy in all its forms;

Creating a market for sustainable intermediate bioenergy carriers to enable better
technology competitiveness through economies of scale;

Encouraging farmers and foresters to produce non-food bioenergy or bioenergy carriers
alongside food, feed and other products.

Development of methodologies for the traceability of biomass feedstocks from which
bioenergy is produced (e.g. to distinguish first-generation from advanced biofuels);

Removing non-technical barriers to widespread production and use of biogas/biomethane
from manure and other wastes as one of the most sustainable fuels available today for use in
transport and for incorporation into the grid;

Ensuring sustained public acceptance of sustainable advanced biofuels;

Exchange of information on best practices for bioenergy policy, regulations and support
schemes to allow the most sustainable and energy efficient use of bio-resources.

Cooperation between different policy areas at national/regional level (e.g. energy,
agriculture, environment, waste, transport, etc.) to optimise the regulatory framework and
implementing measures for the bio-economy through exchange of information and best
practices;

Specific capacity-building activities to enact the EU legislation targeting the main stakeholders
(e.g. biomass suppliers and users, decision-makers, financial institutions, auditors and
verification bodies).

Tailored financing schemes for supporting investments in innovative and established
bioenergy technologies.
Regional specificities, socio-economic and environmental aspects from a life-cycle perspective shall be
considered.
Deadline: 7 May
This topic will be repeated as ‘’LCE-14-2015’’ with a 3 March 2015 deadline.
Enabling the decarbonisation of the use of fossil fuels during the transition to a low-carbon
economy

LCE-16-2014: Understanding, preventing and mitigating the potential environmental impacts and
risks of shale gas exploration and exploitation
This topic will address the environmental concerns associated with hydraulic fracturing, in particular
through a better understanding and monitoring of the process and its effects (including in the longterm), treatment and recycling of flow-back and produced water, and mitigation of induced seismicity
and emissions to air (including greenhouse gases). Activities should include data collection (which
could include satellite observation data), model development and identification/assessment of
environmental impacts and risks of different exploration and exploitation techniques, and
establishment of scientific recommendations for best practices.
Deadline: 1 April (Stage 2: 23 September)
Horizon 2020 guide
Irish Regions Brussels Office
January 2014
Call: SMART CITIES AND COMMUNITIES
Budget: €92.32 million in 2014 and €108.18 million in 2015.
Sustainable urban development requires cities to assume a major role in the transition towards a low-carbon
economy. This ambition requires interaction between different fields including energy, transport and ICT. The
goal is to deliver commercial-scale solutions in technologies such as smart buildings, smart digital services for
better-informed citizens; identification, optimisation and integration of flows (of data, energy, people and
goods); smart and sustainable digital infrastructures; smart and sustainable energy systems and smart mobility
services including the use of space-enabled applications.The challenge will be to meet local and regional
specifications, and in recognition of this, the European Innovation Partnership for Smart Cities and Communities
(EIP-SCC) will fund collaborations between cities and industry that propose to deliver projects in particular cities
that can be scaled for deployment elsewhere. Smart Cities activities should build on the types of lessons learned
in FP7 Concerto projects (for energy communities) by taking this approach to the next level.
Topics of relevance to the Irish local and regional government sector are:
 SCC-01-2014: Smart Cities and Communities solutions integrating energy, transport, ICT sectors
through lighthouse (large scale demonstration - first of the kind) projects
This topic will identify, develop and deploy replicable, balanced and integrated solutions (‘lighthouse
projects’) at the intersection of the energy, transport, and ICT sectors, through partnerships between
municipalities and industries. These projects will target primarily large-scale demonstration of
replicable SCC concepts in city contexts where existing technologies or very near-to-market
technologies will be integrated in an innovative way.
The proposals should address the following areas:

(Nearly zero) or low energy districts: through the integration and management of: i) the supply
of energy with predominant exploitation of local resources (e.g. waste heat, renewables, storage)
and the active participation of consumers (e.g. use of aggregators); ii) the cost-effective
refurbishment of existing buildings without significant disruption for tenants (use of sustainable
materials) with a special focus on residential buildings iii) cross-cutting ICT solutions for the
design and overall management of energy/ transport systems

Integrated Infrastructures: through the integration of physical infrastructures such as core
networks, lighting, industrial sites etc. to create new forms of value through re-use and
repurposing. This should lead to quantifiable benefits such as reduction of capital expenditure as
well as reduced carbon/energy footprints. This might also imply exploitation of synergies
between requirements for smart grids, broadband infrastructures and in general networks (eg
district heating).

Sustainable urban mobility: through the integration of energy/fuelling infrastructure with
vehicle fleets powered by alternative energy carriers for public and private transport, including
logistics and freight-distribution. Implications on energy management, and in the case of
electromobility, the impact on the electricity grid, of the deployment of high numbers of vehicles
and/or the alternative fuel blends performance must be assessed.
Proposals should also entail a strategy that addresses appropriate enabler actions to support
commercial exploitation. This includes: commitment of authorities; citizens' engagement and
empowerment; optimising policy and regulatory frameworks; open, consistent data and performance
measurements; and dissemination and unlocking of market potential.
In order to empower citizens and ensure the replicability of the solutions, each project should:
Horizon 2020 guide
Irish Regions Brussels Office
January 2014

be realised in 2-3 cities or communities;

include industry, local planning authorities (which should also reflect the view of the
consumer organisations), research communities, and local SMEs;

co-involve 2-3 ‘’follower cities’’ who will participate in definition of user requirements and
methodology of transferability of solutions, data collection etc and have access to the know-how
and results of the project in order to carry out replication of solutions. Follower cities should aim
at improving their energy performance or the share of use of renewables.

ensure that activities should also lead to the development of integrated urban plans bringing
together buildings planning, energy networks, ICT, and transport/mobility planning. For the
lighthouse cities or communities these plans should be finalised and submitted with the proposal
as a supporting document(s).

guarantee that funding is available from various sources (e.g. private or European Structural &
Investment Funds) for the other (non-lighthouse) parts of the initiative

demonstrate and validate attractive business plans that allow large-scale replication of economic
recovery approaches in cities of varying size and economic character.
Deadline: 7 May
This topic will be repeated with a 3 March 2015 deadline.
Enhancing the roll-out of Smart Cities and Communities solutions by stimulating the market
demand
 SCC-02-2014: Developing a framework for common, transparent data collection and performance
measurement to allow comparability and replication between solutions and best-practice
identification
Actions under this topic are to develop a framework for a common data and performance
measurement collection system which should be open, transparent and allow comparability of
solutions. These should consider performance indicators on energy, ICT and transport matters as well
as joint indicators to measure possible rebound effects and systemic values. Work should build on
results from the FP7 CONCERTO and CIVITAS initiatives, the Green Digital Charter as well as ICT-PSP
pilot projects. In addition to methodologies and tools, proposals should establish a framework for
cities' cooperation to exchange best practices and compare achievements. Performance
measurements should consider the solution's impact on greenhouse gas emission reductions,
improved energy efficiency and increased integration of renewables into a city's energy mix.
Moreover, quantification of economic, and possibly even social, performance of the solution at hand
should be included to evaluate the potential value for money and consumer engagement.
Deadline: 7 May
 SCC-04-2014: Establishing networks of public procurers in local administrations on smart city
solutions
Networks supported by this topic should aim at bringing together public procurement bodies in order
to establish ’buyers' groups’ for innovative smart city solutions that improve the potential impact of
investment for cities and their citizens, and improve framework conditions for innovation. These
networks will help procurers to increase their capacity to undertake a better coordinated and
articulated dialogue with suppliers about future needs by exchanging experience in procurement
practices and strategies and by undertaking joint or coordinated actions. The networks must have core
sets of deliverables (additional actions can also be proposed): identifying procurement around a
common need by European cities for goods and services at the intersection of ICT, energy and
transport in urban areas; preparing a number of formats/scenarios for possible future joint
procurements; assessing the state-of-the art of potentially available solutions by developing different
approaches for "market consultations" involving the supply chain (paying special attention to SMEs
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and locally-based businesses); carrying out legal work to ensure that the procurement of innovative
solutions complies with European and national law; and improving procurement capabilities through
joint training, workshops and other networking activities.
Deadline: 7 May

SCC-05-2015: Smart solutions for creating better cities and communities – assistance for a prize
competition
Inducement prizes to stimulate new and innovative solutions in the key area of smart solutions for
creating better cities and communities will be awarded on the basis of a contest once a pre-defined,
audacious yet feasible target has been reached. The specific rules of the contest will be published in
2015.
Deadline: 3 March 2015
Call: SMEs and FAST TRACK TO INNOVATION FOR ENERGY
Budget: €33.95 million in 2014 and €37.26 million in 2015.
Topic of relevance to the Irish local and regional government sector:

SIE-01-2014-1: Stimulating the innovation potential of SMEs for a low-carbon energy system
[See ‘SME Instrument’ in section 3.iii]
'Secure, clean and efficient energy' - Work Programme 2014-2015
See also, ‘Energy-Efficient Buildings’ call within '‘Leadership in Enabling and Industrial Technologies’ - Work
Programme 2014-2015 (‘Industrial Leadership’ pillar)(Section 3.ii of this guide)
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January 2014
Calls: ‘Smart, green and integrated transport’
(Challenge 4)
With a budget of €6.3 billion over seven years, the ‘Smart, green and integrated transport’ challenge aims to
make Europe’s transport system more competitive and resource-efficient, climate- and environmentallyfriendly, safe and seamless for the benefit of all citizens, the economy and society. The Work Programme is
structured along four broad lines of activities:
a) Resource-efficient transport that respects the environment: this will aim to make more efficient use of
natural resources, while reducing dependency on fossil fuels
b) Better mobility, less congestion, more safety and security: to meet growing mobility needs, while also
providing modern transport systems
c) Global leadership for the European transport industry: Aim to reinforce the competitiveness and performance
of European transport manufacturing industries and retain areas of European leadership, such as aeronautics
d) Socio-economic and behavioural research and forward-looking activities for policy making: Improved policy
making to promote innovation and meet the challenges raised by transport, whilst responding to citizen’s needs
These activities are addressed under three calls for proposals:
1. Mobility for Growth
2. Green Vehicles
3. Small Business and Fast Track Innovation for Transport

Call: MOBILITY for GROWTH

Budget: €374.5 million in 2014 and €184 million in 2015.

The Commission has identified mobility for growth as one of twelve priority focus areas for 2014-2015. One of
the main aims of this call is the deployment of traffic management and information systems, advanced traveller
services and efficient construction and maintenance technologies in transport networks. This will include
funding for research in low-emission vehicles and vessels, projects to reduce urban road congestion and
intelligent mobility. The call will be structured around aviation, rail, road, and water plus four cross-cutting
issues – urban mobility, logistics, intelligent transport systems and infrastructure.
Topics of relevance to the Irish local and regional government sector are:
Road
 MG-3.1-2014: Technologies for “super” low “real world” CO2 and polluting emissions
Proposals for research and demonstration activities to develop a new generation of transport
technologies to limit road traffic’s detrimental effects on the environment and public health, should
address one or more of the following domains:

Future spark-ignited non-hybrid engines and their pollution abatement systems for gasoline and
bio-based liquid fuels for passenger cars and light freight vehicles focussing on the optimal
combination of innovative engine and after-treatment technology and of modelling, sensing onboard emission monitoring and testing to improve the design and control capability.
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
Future diesel non-hybrid engines for cars and vans also focussing on the combination of the most
appropriate engine and after-treatment technologies and on modelling, sensing on-board
emission monitoring and testing to improve the overall design and control capability.

Preparation of the life-cycle assessment of proposed technology combinations to quantify their
environmental impacts along the entire well-to-wheel chain if not already covered by existing
studies in the field.

Low environmental impact brake systems to reduce micro and nano particles emissions while
improving the measurement and understanding of their effects on health and the environment.
Deadline: 18 March (Stage 2: 28 August)
 MG-3.2-2014: Advanced bus concepts for increased efficiency
In order to increase the modal share of public passenger transport, in particular by bus, and to also
promote co-modality, innovative solutions should be developed and tested in real operational
scenarios with the joint collaboration of industries and authorities/operators, adopting a system
approach. This will entail research and demonstration activities for the vehicle and its interfaces with
the transport system addressing the following aspects:

Testing of strategies for energy and thermal management of buses, in particular auxiliaries such as
climate systems for electrified vehicles lacking engine waste heat while excluding powertrain
development. Such strategies should be based on real driving measurements of the contribution
of auxiliaries to emissions in buses.

Specific drive assistance technologies, to encourage a driving style aiming at improving both fuel
consumption and passenger comfort.

New solutions for the exterior and interior design and layout of buses (seating, passenger
boarding/alighting, modularity and capacity, etc.)

Tools and applications for the efficient introduction of IT standards in an existing bus operation
scenario, in particular concerning the co-existence of different IT solutions in the same fleet.

Interface with the system: intelligent garage/maintenance of bus fleets (e.g. IT standard solutions
for predictive maintenance) and infrastructure (e.g. management of road space, bus stops and
urban elements to work as an optimised interface with the bus).
A strong involvement of the supply chain, in particular SMEs, is highly desirable.
Deadline: 18 March (Stage 2: 28 August)
 MG-3.4-2014: Traffic safety analysis and integrated approach towards the safety of Vulnerable Road
Users
The challenge of this topic is to assess the societal benefits of measures aimed at improving the safety
of Vulnerable Road Users (‘’riders of Powered Two Wheelers’’, cyclists, pedestrians, children, the
elderly and Persons with Reduced Mobility and their vehicles) and to update existing knowledge of
accident causation for all road users. Proposals should address one or both of the following:

Advanced safety measures involving vehicles, infrastructure and its environment, protective
systems, training and development of behavioural knowledge to reduce the number and severity
of accidents involving Vulnerable Road Users. All proposals should include assessment of the
effectiveness, and demonstration of relevant technologies, in real-life conditions.

Developing an in-depth understanding of road accident causation for all road users, covering all
aspects of road safety (vehicle, driver and infrastructure) together with appropriate actions for
prevention and mitigation. This shall include methods for conducting a comprehensive
assessment of socio-economic costs related to road accidents, taking into consideration
secondary costs related to congestion, material damage, vehicle uptime etc. as a basis for robust
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cost-benefit analysis of safety countermeasures at a transport system level.
Research will fill knowledge gaps at both European and national levels, and take into account regional
differences.
Deadline: 18 March (Stage 2: 28 August)
 MG-3.5a-2014: Cooperative ITS for safe, congestion-free and sustainable mobility
Additional research is needed to improve and demonstrate at a European scale the effectiveness and
efficiency of integrated smart mobility solutions based on people, vehicles, infrastructure and
businesses being connected into a cooperative ecosystem combining traffic and transport
management with new elements of ubiquitous data collection and system self-management in order
to solve problems related to congestion, traffic safety and environmental challenges. Research and
Innovation Action proposals under this topic should address the development of one or several of the
following domains:

Open in-vehicle platform architecture for provision of real-time ITS services and mechanisms to
provide seamless connectivity, interoperability and secure flow of information across
stakeholders.

Improved positioning technology, building on innovative features of European GNSS (Global
Navigation Satellite Systems), with standard interfaces to serve different ITS applications and new
concepts for flexible charging based on guaranteed positioning.

Highly accurate, dynamic maps for transport applications, leveraging technologies based on
advanced GNSS and cloud computing.

Innovative solutions for cooperative network management, multimodal transport services, safety
applications and hazard warnings.

Tailor-made solutions for heavy duty vehicles, integrating as much as possible tachograph, tolling,
inspection and (dynamic) route guidance functions, etc.
Proposed solutions should be demonstrated in real-life conditions, based on which the assessment of
their effectiveness and their respective deployment requirements should be carried out. They should
propose robust built-in data privacy and security measures based on appropriate public engagement
in the project. The scope of the work should extend towards full-scale early deployment, and should
address issues related to suitability for public procurement, identification of (multi-stakeholder)
business cases and value-added scenarios, users’ engagement, acceptance and willingness to pay.
Priority will be given to proposals with strong participation of innovative SMEs and to proposals
boosting international cooperation. Robust and convincing commercialisation strategies in view of
market roll-out of proposed solutions will constitute an advantage.
Deadline: 18 March (Stage 2: 28 August)
This topic will be repeated as single-stage topic ‘’MG-3.5b-2014’’ with a 28 August deadline.
Urban Mobility
 MG-5.1-2014: Transforming the use of conventionally fuelled vehicles in urban areas
Proposals under this topic of reducing the use of fossil fuels in urban mobility, whilst improving air
quality and increasing the accessibility and attractiveness of urban areas, should entail new, costeffective policy measures and tools to complement advances in vehicle technology, and address one
of the following domains:

Comparing innovative policies, measures and tools that will, inter alia, halve the use of
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January 2014
conventionally fuelled vehicles in cities, while increasing accessibility of urban areas and
improving air quality and road safety. This could include:

o
Assessing the role of regulatory measures, demand-side measures, innovative mobility
services and the promotion of alternative modes as part of a wider package of technologies,
policies and soft measures with a strong potential for replication. Related consensus-building,
and information and communication activities should be fully integrated in the work.
o
Exploring how changes in mobility behaviour, individual choices, and social norms can be
catalysed, accelerated and guided towards modal shift, changing vehicle use or ownership,
reducing the need for travel and new mobility patterns. The research should gather, evaluate
and disseminate techniques that can be employed, including approaches that use social
media.
Exploring policy frameworks and measures to ensure the uptake of alternative fuelled vehicle
fleets in urban areas. This could include:
o
Assessing the opportunities for large-scale deployment of alternative fuel distribution
infrastructure, including for electric vehicle recharging. Research on partnerships, business
models and planning/roll-out approaches could be undertaken and standardisation aspects
could form part of the work. Pre-commercial procurement initiatives could be facilitated.
o
Analysing the potentials for upgrading and/or regenerating electric public transport systems
while ensuring the safe integration of electric vehicles into infrastructure, in line with the
trend towards electromobility. This could include the evaluation of costs and benefits of
development schemes, also addressing noise aspects, as well as knowledge transfer,
exchange of experience and preparing policy recommendations. Activities to improve the
operational potential and energy performance of electric public transport may be included.
This topic complements topic GV-8-2015 of this Work Programme as well as work under the ‘Smart
Cities and Communities’ call of the Energy Challenge.
Deadline: 18 March (Stage 2: 28 August)
 MG-5.2-2014: Reducing impacts and costs of freight and service trips in urban areas
Achieving essentially CO2-free city logistics will require significant improvements in the efficiency of
goods, waste and service trips to reduce negative impacts (including on safety) and costs. In addition
to advances in vehicle technology, this will require an improved knowledge and understanding of
freight distribution and service trips and the development of best practice guidance on innovative
approaches and how to replicate them. Proposals under this topic should address one or several of the
following aspects:

Improving basic knowledge and understanding on freight distribution and service trips in urban
areas. This could address research on indicators, measurement and data (e.g. delivery/service
characteristics, operators, movements, and impacts); economic and behavioural modelling;
impacts of urban planning; effects of logistics sprawl (e.g. impact of decentralisation of logistics
facilities on transport movements); freight mitigation strategies; effectiveness of partnerships and
stakeholder engagement; and comparative analyses and evaluation of policies and experiments.

Assessing innovative policies and solutions to ensure a better use of infrastructure (e.g. delivery
spaces, off-peak deliveries, non-road modes, urban waterways) and vehicles (types, load factors);
improved network management; addressing demand-side measures, innovative use of transport
modes; new ways of stakeholder collaboration; and providing policy frameworks that allow
sustainable business models for urban logistics solutions.

Assessing innovative policies and solutions on consolidation and distribution centres in urban
areas, including design (e.g. cross-docking); business models for consolidation schemes (including
fleet and freight sharing and pooling and collaboration frameworks); integration of direct and
reverse logistics; tools to identify and measure consolidation opportunities; and governance
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models.
This topic complements the work under topic MG-6.1-2014 of this Work Programme.
Deadline: 18 March (Stage 2: 28 August)
 MG-5.3-2014: Tackling urban road congestion
An improved understanding of measures to reduce urban road congestion while increasing urban
accessibility for passengers and freight and contributing to the achievement of broader sustainable
urban transport policy objectives is required, along with new thinking and innovative business models
and service concepts for public transport, walking and (safe) cycling, adapted to increasingly limited
public budgets. Proposals under this topic should address one of the following domains:

Analysing measures and tools to understand and secure a long-term reduction in urban road
congestion: This should include sub-urban and peri-urban areas. In particular the links with other
aspects of urban mobility, e.g. public transport services; mobility management and travel
awareness; cycling and walking strategies; parking management and information; traffic and
travel avoidance; reallocation or multimodal use of road space; infrastructure development
including integration of underused links; capacity management; and access or road user charging
could be addressed.

Exploring how a favourable environment can be created to deliver significant growth in public
transport at limited extra costs: The research should provide an overview and analysis of
innovative approaches in areas such as fares, taxes and levies; infrastructure investment; rollingstock renewal; customer orientation; operational service concepts; synergies with other modes;
demand management; organisational setup; and regulatory frameworks. Recommendations, tools
and guidance material could be developed and tested to support operators and authorities in
developing business models that match their needs and circumstances. The work could be
accompanied by a platform with stakeholders from different organisational, economic and social
contexts.

Assessing how the role of walking and (safe) cycling in the urban modal split can be increased:
This could entail, for example through awareness-raising activities, financial/tax incentives,
allocation of infrastructure space, planning approaches, service concepts, intermodal links, and
human-centred environments. The role of partnerships and the active involvement and
commitment of public administrations require special attention. Recommendations, tools and
guidance material could be developed and tested.
Deadline: 18 March (Stage 2: 28 August)

MG-5.4-2015: Strengthening the knowledge and capacities of local authorities
In order to ensure that local authorities’ strategic planning approaches undertake a sound analysis of
sustainable urban mobility trends, properly develop scenarios and provide the necessary long-term
perspective, their knowledge and capacities require strengthening. Activities under this topic should
address one of the following domains:


Promoting take-up of the innovative concept of Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMPs):
Proposals from large networked groups of local authorities should include instruments and
mechanisms for information exchange to assist them in preparing and implementing SUMPs. The
plans should build on a solid methodology and include quantified targets. Proposals should ensure
that the plans comprise a long-term vision, build on local consultation and interdepartmental
coordination, include monitoring and evaluation, address financing options, and consider a wide
range of measures, including newly-emerging technologies, policy-based measures, and soft
measures.
Enhancing the capacities of local authorities and other stakeholders to successfully plan and
implement innovative sustainable mobility measures, technologies and tools, on the basis of reliable
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data and analysis. Sustainable financing should play a key role, which means that special attention
should be given to setting up business cases, innovative procurement, the development of bankable
projects and partnerships.
Deadline: 31 March 2015 (Stage 2: 27 August 2015)

MG-5.5a-2015: Demonstrating and testing innovative solutions for cleaner and better urban
transport and mobility
The first part of this topic addresses Innovation Actions to be carried out by city-led consortia,
composed of four to five cities, led by at least two advanced cities, which are committed to establish
living laboratories where innovative solutions to urban transport issues can be implemented. The
participating cities should demonstrate their common interests and their vision on how they will
ensure a meaningful and close cooperation. Proposals should outline how the work will support
effectively the cities' efforts to follow a viable path towards sustainable mobility. Each city should
follow an integrated approach by demonstrating and testing under real life-conditions a set of
complementary and reinforcing mobility solutions. The solutions should combine newly-emerging
technologies, policies and soft measures with a strong replication potential. They should cover an
appropriate sub-set of the eight ‘CIVITAS measure categories’: 1) collective passenger transport; 2)
demand management strategies; 3) mobility management and travel awareness; 4) safety and
security; 5) urban freight logistics; 6) information systems and services; 7) clean fuels and low emission
vehicles; and 8) car-independent lifestyles. A thorough impact and process evaluation, on the basis of
a common framework using a clear baseline in each city, will provide qualitative and quantitative
information on the results of the local solutions implemented. The effectiveness of proposed
measures in achieving local policy objectives should be evaluated and the barriers to broad
deployment identified together with recommendations on how to overcome them. This should be
accompanied by effective mechanisms for cross-fertilisation of knowledge and best-practises among
the consortium members and beyond. Proposals may include preparatory, take-up and replication
actions, research activities, as well as tools to support local planning and policy making. A
demonstrated contribution to the development or revision of Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans will be
an advantage.
Deadline: 31 March 2015 (Stage 2: 27 August 2015)
This topic will be repeated as single-stage topic ‘’MG-5.5b-2014’’ with a 27 August deadline.
Logistics
 MG-6.1-2014: Fostering synergies alongside the supply chain (including e-commerce)
In order to decouple the growth of urban and inter-urban freight transport demand from its
consequences on traffic and the environment, horizontal collaboration is necessary to develop
synergies between the activities of the retail, distribution, logistics, traffic management, and vehicles
sectors and their users whilst exploiting synergies from the vertical integration down-stream to the
customer. This might include use of enhanced regional logistics platforms, including the set-up of new
transport structures/networks (e.g. improved trans-shipment terminals), multi-level logistics, or
ecological supply chain design including modal shift. Activities under this topic should establish and
demonstrate mechanisms through:

Improved collaboration and concerted actions between all authorities, shippers, retailers and
logistics service providers for door-to-door transport.

Co-operative Intelligent Transport Systems (C-ITS) and cloud-based services, integrated into an
on-line planning platform that offers new means of communication amongst vehicles, between
delivery vehicles & traffic management and to end users.
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
The design and delivery of a proof of concept model for e-commerce logistics execution.

Developed tools and test cases for the mutualisation of truck use.
Deadline: 18 March (Stage 2: 28 August)
 MG-6.2-2014: De-stressing the supply chain
A better understanding is needed of the technological and operational opportunities to deal with the
increasing length, complexity and vulnerability of supply chains while enhancing the performance,
quality and knowledge needed to plan seamless transportation of goods. Proposals under this topic
should assess the added value of, and the technical, economic, political, social (including the effect on
employment and safety) and organisational aspects of the whole transport and logistics supply chain
(both inland and overseas, long- and short- haul) regarding:

The impact of ‘’slow steaming’’ on supply chains, production processes, storage and warehousing
availability and trade lanes including opportunities that exist to de-stress other transport modes
and make de-stressing a positive economic as well as environmental success.

Information systems including e-Freight tools, infrastructures, smart coordination mechanisms,
policies, and legal possibilities to be able to use different transportation modes flexibly to deliver
maximum value to the shipper or end customer. This should demonstrate through
implementation the added value of ‘’synchro-modality’’ in networks and services.
The work should focus on technology specifications, business models and governance structures for
both slow steaming and synchro-modal vehicles/vessels and technologies as well as the provision of
technologies for communication to the transport mode and its driver/operator, in order to fulfil
logistics paradigms and new business models, including collaboration regimes. A profound benefit to
sustainability is expected.
Deadline: 18 March (Stage 2: 28 August)
Intelligent Transport Systems
 MG-7.1-2014: Connectivity and information sharing for intelligent mobility
The challenge of this topic is to come up with new, efficient, affordable, safe, secure and accessible
mobility solutions for individuals taking advantage of ever-growing connectivity; the availability of
location-based ICT services; advances in cloud computing; big, linked and open data; and the
propagation of Internet and social media. Proposals could address one or more of the following
activities:

Measures to improve and maximise the availability and (cross-border/cross-system)
interoperability of transport data, fostering open data policy, definition and monitoring of data
quality, while considering data security and integrity related challenges to enable an open market
for mobility as a service.

Communication network architectures and solutions for real-time information exchange and new
generation forecasting models to deliver high-quality traffic and travel information as well as
business services to support travellers.

Green driving-support systems for active traffic management based on European GNSS (Global
Navigation Satellite Systems) location data: solutions for integrated, customised and accessible
mobility services for various end-users with robust built-in predictive analytics capabilities and
ways to utilise these solutions to induce positive behavioural changes in citizens to opt for more
eco-friendly choices etc.
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January 2014
Activities should extend well beyond a purely technology-driven perspective and need to include a
comprehensive understanding of the relevant market structures and business segmentation, including
the identification of the key drivers and barriers that shape technology development. The integration
of social media for data crowd-sourcing and increasing user engagement and acceptance is key to
success. Stakeholders from all sectors along the value chain should be involved. The proposed
solutions should be tested in real-life conditions to prove the concepts' validity and business case.
Deadline: 18 March (Stage 2: 28 August)
 MG-7.2a-2014: Towards seamless mobility addressing fragmentation in ITS deployment in Europe
In a bid to improve modal integration through non-technological actions based on integrated travel
information, planning and ticketing services, activities under this topic should focus on one or more of
the following domains:

Interoperability and linking of the existing services, including necessary interfaces, in order to
achieve the widest possible geographical and modal coverage to enable an open single European
market for mobility services. The scope of the work should extend towards full-scale early take-up
and solutions should be tested on a large scale.

Developing EU-wide common minimum standards for interoperable navigation and ticketing
services, thereby facilitating regional solutions compatible with generic nomad devices (smart
phones etc.).

Exploring more effective and more efficient cooperation and decision-making mechanisms
between stakeholders, including coordination of existing European, national and regional
initiatives, to foster EU-wide consolidation and deployment of high-quality integrated multimodal
travel information, planning and ticketing services. This could encompass setting up a cooperation
platform.

Exploring mechanisms and structures for consensus-building among stakeholders to foster EUwide consolidation and deployment of cooperative ITS – including the possible setting up a
cooperation platform.

Exploring ways to overcome the fragmentation of knowledge with regard to ITS deployment
across the EU, by setting up a dedicated observatory monitoring all major developments in ITS
deployment across Europe, to facilitate fact-based policy-making at all levels and to engage a
large number of local authorities and industrial stakeholders. Special attention should be paid to
broad coverage both in geographical and thematic terms.
Deadline: 18 March (Stage 2: 28 August)
This topic will be repeated as single-stage topic ‘’MG-7.2b-2014’’ with a 28 August deadline.
Infrastructure
 MG-8.1a-2014: Smarter design, construction and maintenance
With a view towards increasing the performance of multi-modal transport infrastructure through
improving the productivity of assets, proposals in response to this topic should address one or several
of the following activities:

Advanced, quick, cost-effective and flexible (modular) design, manufacturing, construction,
maintenance, rehabilitation and retrofitting systems/techniques and materials.

Self-monitoring, self-reporting, non-intrusive inspection and testing methods, including advanced
predictive modelling.
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Reuse and recycling methods for low energy construction and maintenance of existing
infrastructure.
Research in this domain should aim at validation of innovative solutions, targeting specific
geographical areas where either new construction for the completion of an efficient transport
network is needed, or advanced maintenance systems are necessary to improve and extend the
capacity of the existing network. Proposals could also include, when suitable, novel design concepts,
such as shared space or self-explaining infrastructure. New procedures and technologies in using
Green Infrastructure to make transport infrastructure more resilient, less-carbon intense, maximising
multiple ecosystem services and minimising fragmentation effects should be developed and tested.
Active SME participation is strongly encouraged with the aim of fostering open innovation.
Deadline: 18 March (Stage 2: 28 August)
This topic will be repeated as single-stage topic ‘’MG-8.1b-2014’’ with a 28 August deadline.
 MG-8.2a-2014: Next generation transport infrastructure: resource-efficient, smarter and safer
In developing and enabling the management of transport infrastructure to accommodate increasing
demand in a more resource-efficient, smarter and safer manner, a range of innovative solutions will
be required across the board. As part of this topic, proposals should address one or more of the
following domains:

Infrastructure-specific solutions for enhanced cross-modal inter-connectivity and active traffic
management, leveraging real-time location data, capable of providing optimal responses to
changes in conditions of the network (e.g. weather, works, incidents) by all actors in the value
chain (infrastructure operators, owners and users).

Innovative concepts and methods for alternative fuels infrastructure (in particular for roads and
ports).

Energy harvesting infrastructure.

Infrastructure-based pro-active safety systems, including advanced predictive models and
simulations.

Methods for preventing disruption of critical infrastructure from malicious acts.
Deadline: 18 March (Stage 2: 28 August)
This topic will be repeated as single-stage topic ‘’MG-8.2b-2014’’ with a 28 August deadline.

MG-8.3-2015: Facilitating market take-up of innovative transport infrastructure solutions
As part of efforts to overcome highly fragmented demand among public sector decision-makers for
available technological solutions relative to transport infrastructure (including the use of public
procurement for innovation), actions under this topic should lead to the improvement and capacitybuilding in the field of public purchasing of innovative solutions in transport infrastructure leading to
implementation of best available solutions on cross-border TEN-T network business cases
representative of typical European situations. Proposals should be driven by clearly identified
procurement needs of infrastructure owners, including life-cycle and cost-benefit assessments and
should effectively control budgeting across various European regions. The work should contribute to
the revision/development of relevant standards and regulatory frameworks. Good practises should
be made available for replication.
Deadline: 27 August 2015

MG-8.4a-2015: Smart governance, network resilience and streamlined delivery of infrastructure
innovation
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In order to overcome the challenge of a lack of a common framework for governance, management
and finance of transport infrastructure projects (including methodologies and modelling), with the aim
to enable transparent, risk-based optimisation of investments within and across modes, owners and
operators are invited to use this topic to raise the productivity, quality and timeliness of infrastructure
projects through:

Development of whole-system planning environments (based e.g. on virtual design concepts) to
support the streamlined delivery of infrastructure projects from concept to deployment. In this
respect, the rail sector requires particular attention.

Innovative, harmonised and lean procurement processes, accompanied by adequate monitoring
systems, contracting and tendering methods; management tools to provide help in innovation
delivery.

Solutions for advanced infrastructure capacity planning and modelling for all transport modes.

Solutions for optimal cost-effectiveness, including network resilience, mapping of climate risk hotspots, including under climate change, together with appropriate adaptation measures and crossmodal implementation strategies.

Solutions for advanced asset management, advanced investment strategies and innovation
governance, including smart monitoring systems (such as Structural Health Monitoring) and
adequate indicators for cost and quality.
Deadline: 31 March 2015 (Stage 2: 27 August 2015)
This topic will be repeated as single-stage topic ‘’MG-8.4b-2014’’ with a 27 August deadline.
Socio-Economic and Behavioural Research and Forward-looking Activities for Policy Making
 MG-9.3-2014: Analysis of funding schemes for transport infrastructure
This action should provide a comprehensive analysis of alternative funding schemes (public, PPP or
other) based on the existing experiences in different transport sectors and geographical areas, and
assess their impact with regard to economic development, value for public money, user benefits, lifecycle investment (including maintenance), efficiency, governance and procurement modalities, etc.
Proposals should address the following aspects:

Drawing the lessons to be learned from the actual experience of different forms of PPP and other
procurement practices for funding infrastructure projects across the different transport sectors
and parts of Europe.

Identify and analyse possible limitations of PPP and other funding schemes (such as: lack of
flexibility, dependence on the banking sector, risk-sharing, pricing and social acceptance, etc.) and
suggest solutions in order to overcome them.

Analyse the effects of the recent economic and financial crisis on funding transport infrastructure
(including its operation and maintenance) throughout Europe and their impact on the different
funding schemes.

Assess the potential of transport investments and related funding schemes, including innovative
procurement schemes still in a pilot phase, to contribute to economic recovery, growth and
employment, in view of future infrastructure needs with a 2050 horizon.
Deadline: 27 March
Horizon 2020 guide
Irish Regions Brussels Office

Call: GREEN VEHICLES

Budget: €129 million in 2014 and €30 million in 2015.
January 2014
This call will back research and innovation to improve the energy efficiency of vehicles, including the use of
unconventional energies in road transport such as electricity and renewable fuels. Activities will include
advanced power-train technologies and new vehicle architectures, weight reduction, improved aerodynamics
and component development for alternative fuel vehicles. Projects will attempt to bridge the gap between
research and the market in areas such as electrical vehicles, which so far have failed to entice consumers. This
will include a complete revision of the electric and electronic architecture of electrical vehicles to improve
energy efficiency and ICT-based recharging system management.
Topics of relevance to the Irish local and regional government sector are:

GV-2-2014: Optimised and systematic energy management in electric vehicles
In addressing the issue of range limitation, due to the limited storage capacity of batteries, through
systematic electric vehicle energy management based on the integration of components and subsystems, proposals should address the combination of the following developments: comprehensive
thermal management system (including thermal insulation, innovative heating and cooling
approaches), battery life duration enhancement as a side effect of thermal management, electronic
control of energy and power flows, energy efficiency of electrified accessories, energy harvesting
functions and automated and eco-driving strategies.
Deadline: 28 August
 GV-8-2015: Electric vehicles’ enhanced performance and integration into the transport system and
the grid
In order to make a major contribution towards the transition to fully electric vehicles (FEVs), a bottomup re-design of the battery management system (BMS) is needed to fully take advantage of the design
freedoms. Information and communication technologies (ICT) significantly contribute to enhancing the
energy efficiency of the vehicle by providing accurate prediction of travel range and offering
personalised options and services to the driver. Furthermore ICT supports recharging that is
coordinated with the local electric grid capabilities. Proposals under this topic should address one of
the following domains (including areas of overlap):

EV concepts featuring a complete revision of the electric and electronic architecture to reduce
complexity and the number of components and interconnections, whilst improving energy
efficiency, functionality and modularity.

BMS research

In-vehicle integration of the overall cycle of EV energy management into a comprehensive EV
battery and ICT-based re-charging system management, providing ergonomic and seamless user
support.

Digital support for EVs.

Interoperability of EVs with the communication infrastructure and electricity grid regarding locally
deployed smart-grid and smart-metering systems while investigating arising operational issues
and taking current developments into account. Specific requirements of various EV types and
customer requirements should be addressed.
Deadline: 27 August 2015
Horizon 2020 guide
Irish Regions Brussels Office
Call: SMALL BUSINESS and FAST TRACK to INNOVATION for TRANSPORT
Budget: €35.87 million in 2014 and €38.96 million in 2015.

IT.1-2014-2015: Small business innovation research for Transport
[See ‘SME Instrument’ in section 3.iii]
'Smart, Green and Integrated Transport' Work Programme 2014-2015
January 2014
Horizon 2020 guide
2.v)
Irish Regions Brussels Office
January 2014
Calls: ‘Climate action, environment, resource-efficiency and raw materials’
(Challenge 5)
Building a green economy that is in sync with the natural environment in the face of growing pressures on raw
material supply, water, air, biodiversity and terrestrial, aquatic and marine ecosystems, is the ambitious
objective of this Work Programme which sets out a wide-ranging package of research on topics ranging from
waste reduction to adapting to climate change. The aim is to de-couple economic growth from resource use by
promoting the development of a resource-efficient and climate change-resilient economy, the protection and
sustainable management of natural resources and ecosystems, and a sustainable supply and use of raw
materials. Actions will address gaps in the knowledge base, to understand changes in the environment and
come up with policies, methods and tools to tackle these challenges, and support innovators and businesses to
bring green products and services to the market. Waste and water are particular priorities, on the grounds of
their substantial potential for business opportunities and job creation, while also tackling important resourceefficiency challenges.
Three calls are organised for 2014-2015:



Waste: A Resource to Recycle, Reuse and Recover Raw Materials
Water Innovation: Boosting its value for Europe
Growing a Low-carbon, Resource-efficient Economy with a Sustainable Supply of Raw Materials
Call: WASTE: A RESOURCE TO RECYCLE, REUSE AND RECOEVR RAW MATERIALS
Budget: €73 million in 2014 and €58 million in 2015.
This call is based on the rationale that a smart economy minimises waste production and reuses waste as a
resource, and that a near-zero waste society will drive competitiveness. Europe is at the forefront of innovation
in waste reduction and the call intends to further boost this, to reduce environmental depletion and dependency
on the import of raw materials while tapping into the waste market’s potential for job creation, from collection
to recycling. The overall aim is that by 2020 waste is managed as a resource, waste generated per capita is in
decline, and recycling and re-use of waste are viewed as economically attractive options.
Topics of possible relevance to the Irish local and regional government sector:

WASTE-1-2014: Moving towards a circular economy through industrial symbiosis
Proposals as part of this topic should aim to demonstrate and analyse, with a life-cycle perspective,
innovative processes and services, including organisational and management systems and business
models, or a combination thereof, that increase product life-spans; enable product and material reuse,
recycling and recovery; and reduce generation of waste along product chains in different production
processes. Proposals may also address design for repairability and recyclability, and should either
focus on a specific production value chain, or have a cross-sectoral approach establishing industrial
symbiosis leading to closed-loop processes, or combine both. Opportunities for social innovation,
encouraging more sustainable consumption behaviour and lifestyle change, and involving civil society,
should be considered, with appropriate attention to the gender dimension and to the barriers to
raising awareness of eco-innovative solutions and their market, household and community
penetration. Systemic and cost-effective solutions will benefit from innovative ICT solutions for waste
traceability, waste material flow management, and the estimation of the availability, composition and
quality of waste. Proposals should give a significant role to SMEs, as far as possible.
Deadline: 8 April (Stage 2: 16 September)
Horizon 2020 guide

Irish Regions Brussels Office
January 2014
WASTE-2-2014: A systems approach for the reduction, recycling and reuse of food waste
In order to optimise the performance of the whole food system, including packaging, catering and
consumers, and to achieve a secure and sustainable food supply, proposals under this topic should
both address approaches to reducing food waste and packaging materials generated at relevant stages
of the food system and investigate ways of converting food waste into value-added by-products. A
comprehensive methodology for evaluating food waste in all its components should be developed
addressing quality, safety, sustainability, legislation and costs. Inter-disciplinary research methods
include practical, close-to-market approaches for characterising possible new foods and feeds and
identifying the risks and benefits related to the new production processes. A database/inventory
should be developed of recyclable materials, valuable molecules, substances and materials originating
from waste and by-products, including in view of future life-cycle assessments. The involvement of
social sciences and humanities and civil society in activities is a prerequisite to better understanding
the socio-economic, cultural and environmental dimension of food waste and promoting change in the
business and consumer environment for social innovation, while the use of ICT tools is expected to
accelerate this.
Deadline: 8 April (Stage 2: 16 September)

WASTE-3-2014: Recycling of raw materials from products and buildings
New solutions are needed for the extraction of raw materials from more complex products and
buildings containing a multitude of minerals and metals (including ‘’Critical Raw Materials’’ and other
technology metals), wood-fibre based materials, polymers and plastics etc. Under this topic, proposals
shall address either of the following issues of sustainable recycling and recovery of raw materials:

Developing innovative technological solutions, including pre-processing technologies,
comprehensive metallurgical recovery and advanced information and communication
technologies for recovery of such materials from complex end-of-life products.

Developing solutions for a better recovery of raw materials (metals, aggregates, concrete, bricks,
plasterboard, glass, polymers and plastics, and wood) from construction and demolition (C&D)
waste, particularly from the most promising sourcess, such as demolition of non-residential
buildings.
Deadline: 8 April

WASTE-5-2014: Preparing and promoting innovation procurement for resource-efficiency
Proposals under this topic should lead to the establishment of a buyers' group of public procurers to
overcome the fragmentation of demand for eco-innovative solutions for resource-efficiency and waste
management and prevention in the EU and to reinforce their early deployment. The buyers' group will
be responsible for drawing up common specifications (including needs assessment, financial modelling
of different approaches market consultation involving the supply chain, drafting of specifications, risk
management plan) and should prepare for a coordinated procurement. The feasibility of launching a
joint public procurement of innovation (PPI) should be assessed and tested. Preparation activities for
this will be supported.
Deadline: 8 April

WASTE-6a-2015: Eco-innovative solutions (Promoting eco-innovative waste management and
prevention as part of sustainable urban development)
The development and demonstration in real-life environments of integrated approaches to progress
eco-innovative solutions to prevent waste generation and to promote the use of waste as a resource
(in line with the objectives of the EU Resource-efficiency Roadmap and the Waste Framework
Directive) will enhance their market uptake and contribute to sustainable urbanisation. Proposals
under this topic – for cost- and energy-efficient technologies, processes and services for waste
Horizon 2020 guide
Irish Regions Brussels Office
January 2014
prevention, treatment, enhanced collection, recycling and recovery of high-grade valuable materials
from waste – should adopt an integrated ‘’urban metabolism’’ approach. This requires the active
engagement of local authorities, citizens and other relevant stakeholders, using concepts such as
mobilisation and mutual learning to pave the way for innovative, systemic approaches, involving the
analysis of resource flows within cities, and to undertake inter-disciplinary research and innovation.
Approaches should integrate technological and non-technological solutions, including, where
appropriate, the use of economic instruments, such as incentives for more sustainable production and
consumption patterns, and awareness-raising initiatives. Proposals should include the participation of
industry, including SMEs as far as possible.
Deadline: 16 October (Stage 2: 10 March 2015)

WASTE-6b-2015: Eco-innovative strategies (Promoting eco-innovative waste management and
prevention as part of sustainable urban development)
In the same spirit of an ‘’urban metabolism’’ approach as WASTE-6a-2105 (above), this topic requires
development of innovative and sustainable strategies for waste prevention and management in urban
and peri-urban areas. Proposals should highlight how urban patterns, drivers, consumer behaviour,
lifestyles, culture, architecture and socio-economic issues can influence the metabolism of cities as
well as the possible benefits to be derived from ecosystems services and green infrastructure, and
their gender-sensitive application.
Deadline: 16 October (Stage 2: 10 March 2015)
Call: WATER INNOVATION: BOOSTING ITS VALUE FOR EUROPE
Budget: €67 million in 2014 budget and €96 million in 2015.
Water resources are under pressure from climate change, urbanisation, pollution, overexploitation of
freshwater sources and increasing competition between various user groups. Improvement of the state of water
resources, both in terms of quantity and quality, is expected to trigger substantial economic benefits. At the
same time, the market for technologies to adapt to climate change – such as protecting from floods and
droughts – is rapidly growing – partly in recognition of the inflated economic cost of repairing damage.
Topics of possible relevance to the Irish local and regional government sector:

WATER-1b-2015: Demonstration/pilot activities (Bridging the gap: from innovative water solutions to
market replication)
This topic will support demonstration/pilot activities of new or improved eco-innovative water
solutions (technologies, processes, products, services etc.) in a real-world environment, with a focus
on the high-potential for innovation and market uptake as set out by the cross-cutting priorities (water
governance; decision support systems and monitoring; and financing for innovation) identified in the
European Innovation Partnership (EIP) on Water, while also addressing its 5 thematic priorities (water
reuse and recycling; water and waste water treatment, including recovery of resources; water and
energy integration; flood and drought risk management; and the role of ecosystem services in the
provision of water-related services). Proposals may aim to help process industries become less water
dependant while ensuring efficient management of other resources (e.g. raw materials and energy),
and/or exploiting untapped potential of ICT by developing and deploying advanced technology
solutions for water resources management in agriculture and urban areas. Social, institutional,
economic and governance aspects ensuring a more rapid uptake of solutions as well as aspects
Horizon 2020 guide
Irish Regions Brussels Office
January 2014
affecting market deployment and uptake, such as, standardisation and regulatory issues, market
assessment and business plan, should be considered where appropriate.
Deadline: 10 March 2015

WATER-2a-2014: Water cycle under future climate (Integrated approaches to water and climate
change)
Improved understanding of the impacts of climate change on the hydrological cycle is necessary in
order to better inform decision-makers and ensure sustainable water supply and management of
water systems, and quality of water bodies. Proposals under this topic should aim to:

Maximise the reliability of projections of precipitation (average, distribution, frequency, intensity)
and couple them with water-cycle variability at local/regional scales in Europe, over various
timescales.

Improve the short-to-medium term forecasting of related extreme events, integrating, where
possible, information from available data sources.

Assess the impacts of weather extremes as well as the wider impacts of climate change on the
different components of the water-cycle in terms of quantity and quality.

Develop risk management strategies and adaptation options for extreme weather and other
climate change-related threats at the appropriate scale(s) (local, regional and continental), taking
into consideration the role and involvement of the relevant stakeholders, and potentially putting
emphasis on highly vulnerable water resources of strategic importance.
Deadline: 8 April

WATER-2b-2015: Integrated approaches to food security, low-carbon energy, sustainable water
management and climate change mitigation (Integrated approaches to water and climate change)
In a similar vein to the overall objectives of WATER-2a-2015 (above), proposals under this topic should
aim to:

Develop tools and methodologies for integrating agriculture, forestry, climate change impacts
and adaptation with climate-energy-economic models and land-use models, using a multidisciplinary approach.

Consider the potential role, contributions and limitations of low-carbon options with respect to
land and water resources.

Develop a better scientific understanding of the land-water-energy-climate nexus.

Develop integrated strategies and approaches, at different spatial scales (regional, national,
continental, global) integrating resource-efficient land use, agricultural productivity
improvements, sustainable water management and low-carbon energy transition and analysing
interactions with the existing regulatory frameworks in these areas and the potential barriers to
implementation.
Deadline: 10 March 2015

WATER-4a-2014: Dissemination and exploitation, ICT, knowledge, gaps, research needs, etc
(Harnessing EU water research and innovation results for industry, agriculture, policy makers and
citizens)
In order to achieve critical mass for knowledge exchange, to ensure wide applicability of water
research results, facilitate the translation of knowledge into use by various stakeholders, reduce
unnecessary duplication of efforts, raise public awareness of water-related issues and promote
Horizon 2020 guide
Irish Regions Brussels Office
January 2014
innovation and business development, proposals under the topic should aim to address one of the
following issues:
 Promote the dissemination and exploitation of EU-funded activities, including relevant ICT-based
tools and platforms and their integration for market leadership in many fragmented areas; develop
appropriate policy briefs; and foster knowledge-sharing and continuous benchmarking across the
EU to ensure wider application of innovative solutions and further demonstrate their potential to
solve water-related challenges, including through river basin networks and River Basin Districts.
 Take stock of existing practical and scientific knowledge in the various sectors and identify research
gaps with a view to avoiding overlaps between key regional, national, European and international
activities, taking into account the implementation of the Water Framework Directive (WFD).
 Promote water-related innovation and business development, help to cluster eco-innovative
companies and develop innovative financial instruments.
 Develop a coordinated approach to the integration of the water and waste sectors in the 'Smart
Cities and Communities' European Innovation Partnership (EIP), identifying research and
innovation needs which could lead to future actions, promoting exchange of best practice between
public authorities and stakeholders involved, and increasing preparedness and planning capacities
of all relevant actors.
Deadline: 8 April (Stage 2: 16 September)

WATER-4b-2015: Water management solutions for agricultural sector, thematic networks
(Harnessing EU water research and innovation results for industry, agriculture, policy makers and
citizens)
In a similar vein to the overall objectives of WATER-4a-2014 (above), proposals under this topic should
aim to:
 Implement measures to showcase, exchange, test and transfer water management solutions to
end-users in the agricultural sector in view of improving water use efficiency and quality in
agricultural practices. Activities should benefit various types of agriculture and climatic zones.
 Contribute to a 'thematic network' on water in agriculture with broad involvement of practitioners
and other stakeholders throughout Europe to compile, disseminate and further develop solutions.
 Support the integration of water-relevant issues in the EIP on 'Agricultural Productivity and
Sustainability', including linking up with EIP operational groups and related actions of the EIP on
'Water'.
Deadline: 16 October (Stage 2: 10 March 2015)
Call: GROWING A LOW-CARBON, RESOURCE-EFFICIENT ECONOMY WITH A SUSTAINABLE SUPPLY
OF RAW MATERIALS
Budget: €166 million in 2014 and €189 million in 2105
Actions under this call aim to support companies in commercialising eco-products and encourage their take-up
by public authorities. They should also help move towards a new era of climate information systems and
services, providing accessible, high quality data for the public and private sectors.
Topics of possible relevance to the Irish local and regional government sector:
Horizon 2020 guide
Irish Regions Brussels Office
January 2014
Fighting and Adapting to Climate Change

SC5-1-2014: Advanced Earth-system models
Proposals under this topic should develop a new generation of advanced and well-evaluated global
climate and Earth-system models as well as sophisticated climate related prediction systems with the
aim of providing governments, business and society in general with state-of-the-art trustworthy
scientific input to climate risk assessments at the highest spatial resolution possible. Relevant physical,
chemical and biological Earth-system processes, including socio-economic aspects and their feedback
need to be adequately incorporated into climate model predictions and projections at the appropriate
scale. New methods for representing uncertainties in Earth-system models should help to assess the
reliability of regional responses and their impacts on key economic sectors. Advanced high resolution
Earth-system models should also provide the basis for producing novel climate scenarios. Future
models should have the capability of better understanding past climatic variability and its causes and
impacts (in relation to societies, resources and ecosystems) as well as recent climate records.
Deadline: 8 April (Stage 2: 16 September)

SC5-03a-2014: Economic assessment of climate change
In order to respond effectively to climate change and to simultaneously meet sustainable
development goals, radical action is needed to enable the transition to a clean, low-carbon,
sustainable and resilient society, at all levels. Under this topic, a robust and comprehensive economic
assessment of climate change shall be developed to consider different mitigation and adaptation
strategies, focusing on the low-carbon transformation of the economy, and also evaluating the costs
of inaction. Actions should quantify the costs, benefits and risks of different technological and societal
transitional changes in the energy system; examine the impacts on green growth, innovation
dynamics, job creation and social cohesion; and develop tools and methodologies in support of
evidence-based decision making.
Deadline: 8 April (Stage 2: 16 September)

SC5-03b-2014: Linkages between climate change actions and sustainable development
This topic will explicitly address the links between the development of low-emission and climateresilient strategies and other policies to promote sustainable development, and to understand how
both the mitigation of and adaptation to climate change is connected to issues such as eradication of
energy poverty, increased well-being and welfare, air quality improvement, technology innovation,
and food and water availability. Proposals should develop technological and socio-economic
mitigation pathways and adaptation strategies in the context of wider sustainable development goals,
examine actual and prospective mitigation and adaptation policies in various countries to support
evidence-based policy making for climate action in the context of sustainable development, and
undertake international collaboration with scientists with insights into local challenges and
opportunities.
Deadline: 8 April (Stage 2: 16 September)

SC5-04-2015: Improving the air quality and reducing the carbon footprint of European cities
Integrated approaches, which consider both environmental and climate considerations when
designing emission abatement strategies, are needed to find long-term, sustainable solutions to urban
air issues. This topic will support the development of technological options and strategies to fight
against air pollution in urban environments and climate change, ensuring the involvement of the main
pollution-generation sectors. Proposals should include the development and application of tools in
support of integrated air quality and climate change governance, with the aim of designing and
implementing adequate abatement strategies and practices. The specific circumstances of different
Horizon 2020 guide
Irish Regions Brussels Office
January 2014
regions and cities and the complex systems dynamics of societal and technological changes required
for a transition to air pollution free/low-carbon society should be taken into account. Proposals should
foster the integration of advanced tools for assessment, monitoring and modelling – including source
apportionment – with innovative technological options and strategies to improve air quality and
reduce the carbon footprint of urban areas. Furthermore, awareness-raising actions and policy
support activities should be included. Proposals should include the participation of SMEs, as far as
possible.
Deadline: 16 October (Stage 2: 10 March 2015)
Protecting the Environment, Sustainably Managing Natural Resources, Water, Biodiversity and Ecoystems

SC5-06-2014: Biodiversity and ecosystem services: drivers of change and causalities
In order to address knowledge gaps in understanding the relationships between drivers/pressures
(individually and collectively) and changes in biodiversity, its ecosystem functions and its ecosystem
services and their societal impacts, so as to ensure effective policy and sustainable development,
activities under this topic require a systematic approach within an integrated socio-economicecological framework, while building as far as possible on existing knowledge. The following aspects
should be addressed:

Assess the causalities between biodiversity and ecosystem functions and services.

Assess the impacts of direct, indirect and emerging drivers of change, separately and in
combination and interaction, on status and trends of biodiversity and ecosystem function (at all
relevant scales), resilience and service provision.

Provide forecasting methodologies to predict future variation in drivers of change, their expected
impact on biodiversity and the ensuing consequences of ecosystem service delivery.

Develop and refine sound and cost-effective indicators on biodiversity, ecosystem
function/resilience and ecosystem serviceS which capture all the relevant ecological and socioeconomic dimensions and are widely applicable.

Develop innovative ecosystem service-oriented management concepts (including participatory
initiatives), common frameworks and tools for the conservation and sustainable management of
biodiversity and ecosystem services.
Deadline: 8 April (Stage 2: 16 September)

SC5-07-2015: More effective ecosystem restoration in the EU
Proposals under this topic should develop approaches, methodologies and methods to assess the costeffectiveness and benefits, in relation to biodiversity and ecosystem services, of environmental
restoration measures for conceptually coherent ecosystem-types tools. This should engage the whole
restoration community (business, academia including social sciences and humanities, public
administrations and civil society) in a major initiative to exchange experiences; identify strengths,
weaknesses and best practices; encourage new techniques and technologies; and share information,
knowledge and know-how in order to promote effective and sustainable restoration activities across
the EU.
Deadline: 16 October (Stage 2: 10 March 2015)
Horizon 2020 guide
Irish Regions Brussels Office
January 2014
Developing Comprehensive and Sustained Global Environmental Observation and Information Systems

SC5-16-2014: Making Earth Observation and Monitoring Data usable for ecosystem modelling and
services
In order to better inform the development of terrestrial and marine ecosystem models and
sustainable ecosystem services, there is a need to develop innovative solutions that will provide open
and unrestricted access to interoperable ecosystem Earth Observation data and information. In order
to provide a full picture of the state and temporal evolution of ecosystems in existing internationally
recognised protected areas, under this topic, proposals should focus on recovering such existing data,
supporting new measurements and observations, synthesis and interpretation of data for making all
information and knowledge available to scientists, policy-makers, citizens and other concerned
stakeholders. The scope of the action should include enhancing participation of all players in social
and political decisions regarding the protection and management of key ecosystems and the definition
of future protected areas. They should undertake pilot actions in selected protected areas to further
develop the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) and foster a knowledge-base
regarding ecosystem observations for the Copernicus (Global Monitoring for Environment and
Security) initiative.
Deadline: 8 April (Stage 2: 16 September)

SC5-17-2015: Demonstrating the concept of 'Citizen Observatories'
New in-situ observatories ('Citizen Observatories') based on individuals' own devices (e.g. smart
phones, tablets, laptops, and other social media) used together with innovative technologies can
strengthen environmental monitoring capabilities and have the potential to generate new and original
applications to reduce associated investment and running costs if novel partnerships between the
private sector, public bodies, NGOs and citizens can be established. However, achieving this depends
on further development and real-life testing, wider deployment and commercialisation by the private
sector and greater user acceptance. This requires leveraging emerging technologies, data and
information-sharing, developing services and actively engaging in governance at all levels and scales in
the domain of environment. It also calls for innovative approaches and tools to handle complexity,
interactions and interfaces and to facilitate knowledge-transfer, assessment, valuation, uptake and
exploitation of data and results for policy, industry and society at large. Under this topic, proposals
should scale-up, demonstrate, deploy, test and validate in real-life conditions the concept of Citizen
Observatories and the effective transfer of environmental knowledge for policy, industrial, research
and societal use, with a focus on the domain of land cover/land-use, both in rural and urban areas.
Proposals should include a strong involvement of citizens together with the industrial sector, in
particular SMEs, as far as possible. The data collected should complement those from existing systems
(e.g. the Copernicus Land Service) and surveys, including national surveys.
Deadline: 16 October (Stage 2: 10 March 2015)
Call: CROSS-CHALLENGE TOPICS
Budget: €166 million in 2014 and €189 million in 2015
Topic of possible relevance to the Irish local and regional government sector:

SC5-20-2014/2015: Boosting the potential of small businesses for eco-innovation and a sustainable
supply of raw materials
[See ‘SME Instrument’ in section 3.iii]
'Climate action, environment, resource-efficiency and raw materials' Work Programme 2014-2015
Horizon 2020 guide
Irish Regions Brussels Office
2.vi)
January 2014
Calls: ‘Europe in a changing world
- Inclusive, innovative and reflective societies’
(Challenge 6)
This €1.31 billion challenge – the smallest of the 7 – largely addresses the social sciences through 2014-2015
calls on Overcoming the Crisis: New Ideas, Strategies and Governance Structures for Europe; the Young
Generation in an Innovative, Inclusive and Sustainable Europe; Reflective Societies: Cultural Heritage and
European Identities; Europe as a Global Actor; and New Forms of Innovation.
Call: OVERCOMING THE CRISIS: NEW IDEAS, STRATEGIES AND GOVERNANCE STRUCTURES FOR
EUROPE
Budget: €35 million in 2014 and €17 million in 2015.
This call for new ideas to overcome the financial crisis has been identified as one of twelve focus areas for the
European Commission in 2014 and 2015, and will include socio-economic research on how to make the
European economic and monetary union more resilient and stable, while also looking at the social, political and
cultural consequences of the crisis.
Topics of possible relevance to the Irish local and regional government sector:

EURO-6-2015: Meeting new societal needs by using emerging technologies in the public sector
In tapping into the economic power of public administrations to adopt and deploy research results of
emerging ICT technologies, while modernising policies and driving innovation in services of general
interest, activities under this topic will support the preparation of next phases and possible validation in
near to operational environments for the implementation of new processes, products, services and
methods of delivery in the public sector. The focus can be on any or several of the following:

Improving effectiveness and efficiency of public administrations;

Transforming public administrations processes;

Understanding the political and cultural attitudes and factors affecting attitudes among both civil
servants and citizens towards public sector transformation and supporting adaptation;

Transforming delivery of public services to business and citizens taking account of diversity ( gender,
age, disability etc);

Uptake and acceptability of the use of emerging technologies in the public sector;

Reducing the administrative burden of citizens and businesses;

Offering inclusive public services.
Actions will be based on identification of specific challenges such as policy domain requirements and
responding to the needs of targeted citizens or businesses. Consideration should also be given to barriers –
including human factors – that prevent public administrations from implementing identified emerging
technologies.
Deadline: 21 April 2015
Horizon 2020 guide
Irish Regions Brussels Office
January 2014
Call: THE YOUNG GENERATION IN AN INNOVATIVE, INCLUSIVE AND SUSTAINABLE EUROPE
Budget: €19 million in 2014 and €10.2 million in 2015.
This call looks to provide policy-makers with a comprehensive picture of the current young generation – their
capabilities, prospects and needs – in an attempt to improve the youth unemployment rate and to take
advantage of the social and economic benefits young people can bring to the society. Actions will include
mobility studies and research in adult education, while specific attention will be placed on gender equality
aspects and the diversity of young people.
Topics of possible relevance to the Irish local and regional government sector:

YOUNG-1-2014: Early job insecurity and labour market exclusion
Research under this topic should make a profound analysis of the situation of young people in the
labour market across the EU in a comparative perspective. In particular, it should investigate the
important differences in the performance of labour markets; anticipatory social work and youth
services measures that exist across Member States; and underlying factors, especially from young
people’s perspective, in order to identify the most effective approaches to labour market organisation
and improving education systems and social policy. Taking specifically into account the gender
perspective and most vulnerable groups of young people, research should also investigate the
economic, social, personal and psychological consequences of early job insecurity, labour market and
social exclusion in the short, medium and long-term. This could include, for example, such issues as
life-long income situation, establishing an independent household, family formation, physical and
mental health and well-being as well as the effects of preventive social work with youth, focused on
the most disadvantaged groups.
Deadline: 3 June

YOUNG-2-2014: Youth mobility: opportunities, impacts, policies
Research activities under this topic should look into different patterns and types of mobility of young
people within the EU according to their purpose, length of stay, motivation, as well as the
characteristics of people moving abroad. It should analyse their selection and recruitment processes,
the role of information and support services, as well as more problematic issues regarding language,
integration, finding a settlement, organisation of a new life, etc. The research should also analyse the
skills acquisition and recognition (formal and informal) and longer-term social and employment
impacts arising. The work should also address the psychological perspective including European
identity formation and impact of mobility and involuntary migration on mental health. Some attention
should be focussed on the conditions under which European mobility and migration reduces or
aggravates regional labour market disparities, including brain drain issues.
Deadline: 3 June

YOUNG-3-2015: Lifelong learning for young adults: better policies for growth and inclusion in Europe
Research under this topic will address adult education in general (for all ages), with a specific focus on
young adults and vulnerable groups. It will consider the complementarity between public policies and
dynamics of private markets in the EU market and will analyse actors, dynamics, trends, mismatches
and overlaps. This should identify successful programmes which are demonstrating improved learning
outcomes, particularly those reaching out to young adults at risk of social exclusion and other
vulnerable groups, and address their transferability to other countries/regions. Diversity issues
(gender, culture, ethnicity, language etc.) should also be considered. The research will also address
learning potential and innovation ability in workplaces (organisational models that favour innovation
ability and related training) and the effectiveness of learning actions. It will investigate the feasibility
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January 2014
of, and possibly develop, an Intelligent Decision Support System (policy-making modelling) for
simplifying the access to information and support policy-making in the different phases of the policy
cycle. This should develop a systematic impact analysis of adult and continuing education policies
linking it to forecasts for demand for skills in the future.
Deadline: 7 January 2015

YOUNG-4-2015: The young as a driver of social change
Under this topic, research should analyse the norms, values and attitudes of young people in Europe,
as well as their expectations regarding public policy and organisation of economic, social and private
life, including lifestyles, consumption patterns, as well as the way business is carried out, cities are
developed and homes are designed. This should include young adults of different ages, profiles and
backgrounds, taking into account both individuals and young families that in particular experience new
challenges. In order to assess the potential and readiness of young people to be a driver of change and
their propensity towards creative solutions and practices, research should also investigate their
attitudes towards a more sustainable socio-economic model characterised by growing scarcity of
resources, greater consideration for the natural environment, living under a shifting climate with
uncertain consequences, and more gender equality in comparison with older generations. It should
also identify the opportunities and obstacles that young people see as catalysts and inhibitors of the
socio-ecological transition and how they could be addressed by policy in order to foster a sustainable
and innovative society in Europe, including through formal and informal education. Research should
also examine how change in cultural values could contribute to achieving an inclusive and sustainable
society.
Deadline: 7 January 2015

YOUNG-5a-2014: Societal and political engagement of young people and their perspectives on
Europe
Research under this topic will analyse the reasons for the declining trust among young people in
democratic processes in Europe and examine qualitatively how their values and interest in common
objectives compare with the general social dynamics at the EU level. Work should also consider how
to improve the representation of young people in order to ensure that their concerns and visions are
integrated in decisions made at all relevant levels, thus shaping new forms of democracy. This should
take into account the different ways, traditional and otherwise, in which young people engage in
society, express their views and advocate their interests, exploring the socio-cultural and generational
contexts of the different forms of engagement. Research could also look into the means and styles of
communication by and for young people as well as into the linguistic dimension. In addition, research
should explore which of these forms have been successful in achieving societal goals through the
analysis of specific cases (for example community projects, solidarity networks, etc.). Additionally,
Innovation Actions are foreseen on open participation and open engagement to develop reusable
service components, methods and applications to enable public authorities to embed these concepts
within public sector processes and to identify the key barriers to wide-scale deployment.
Deadline: 3 June
Call: REFLECTIVE SOCIETIES: CULTURAL HERITAGE AND EUROPEAN IDENTITIES
Budget: €23 million in 2014 and €26.5 million in 2015.
This call seeks to enhance understanding of Europe's intellectual and creative foundations and form the basis
for a critical reflection of its historical, cultural and normative roots. Research is intended to contribute to a
more resilient, innovative and creative European society, pursuing the goal of '’unity in diversity’'.
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January 2014
Topics of possible relevance to the Irish local and regional government sector:

REFLECTIVE-2-2015: Emergence and transmission of European cultural heritage and Europeanisation
Multidisciplinary and comparative research under this topic will focus on the emergence of a
European cultural heritage in a historical perspective. Work should address how the local, regional,
national and European aspects of cultural heritage are interlinked; how they are understood, or not,
by citizens; and their relationship with various stakeholders and promoters of cultural heritage. It will
also analyse how this interplay of cultural heritage at different levels impacts on Europeanisation and
citizens' perceptions of Europe. This research should include both tangible and intangible cultural
heritage as well as less established or popular examples of in the area of the living arts and consider
contemporary trends in arts and culture in the shaping of tomorrow's European cultural heritage in
order to enrich the study, differentiating between commercial and non-commercial aspects. The
research will also focus on the multilingual nature of European heritage, seeking to gain a deeper
understanding of its values plus linguistic, social and cultural aspects of multilingualism and how they
ensure the transmission of cultural heritage across generations and borders. The links between the
market valuation of this combined cultural heritage and various forms of formal and non-formal
education and training should be studied in order to assess potential trends towards various forms of
European cultural heritage and its links with Europeanisation. This should also include the assessment
of the touristic potential of EU -level cultural heritage.
Deadline: 7 January 2015

REFLECTIVE-3-2015: European cohesion, regional and urban policies and the perceptions of Europe
Tailor-made, multidisciplinary, geographically-balanced and comparative research under this topic will
aim at exploring the interplay between (1) European regions with highly different administrative roles,
civil participation, history, culture, creativity and identity; (2) the application of EU cohesion, regional
and urban policy measures, including subsidiarity aspects and decentralised decision-making and the
aims of smart specialisation strategies; and (3) the contribution of regional policies to a positive
identification with European integration by European societies. In analysing the potential of EU
cohesion, regional and urban policies for fostering a more positive identification with the European
project, it is crucial to also incorporate the interplay with regional policy regulatory implementation
experiences, both positive and negative. Based on a critical review and assessment of the existing
conceptual and methodological background, supported by modern creative practice, the research
should include a comparative analysis of genuine and innovative case studies from Members States
with different current and historical territorial administrative frameworks and regional identities in
order to identify the channels by which European regional policies impact the perception of Europe by
its citizens. Finally, the research activities should consider the impact and effectiveness of
communication efforts related to EU-financed regional development projects.
Deadline: 7 January 2015

REFLECTIVE-6-2015: Innovation ecosystems of digital cultural assets
The challenge behind this topic relates to how the digitalisation of cultural resources, and the
resultant improvements in terms of their accessibility and usage, can promote creativity and generate
innovation in research, lead to richer interpretations of the past, bring new perspectives to questions
of identity and culture, and generate societal and economic benefits including creating value for
European cultural institutions and heritage, tourism and the cultural and creative industries. Projects
should enable new models and demonstrations of the analysis, interpretation and understanding of
Europe's cultural and intellectual history and/or bring cultural content to new audiences in novel
ways, through the development of new environments, applications, tools, and services for digital
cultural resources in scientific collections, archives, museums, libraries and cultural heritage sites. The
developed technologies or services should be generated in the context of humanities research
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perspectives (identity, culture, questions of place, historical and cultural knowledge) alongside
meeting real user needs. They should stimulate cross-border, cross-lingual multi-disciplinary research
of Europe's cultural heritage, enabling collaboration, partnerships and co-production of knowledge
across sectors and communities of researchers and users. Proposals should demonstrate appropriate
methods of re-using and repurposing digital assets, paving the way for wider exploitation of Europe's
cultural resources and boosting innovation.
Deadline: 21 April 2015

REFLECTIVE-7-2014: Advanced 3D modelling for accessing and understanding European cultural
assets
The specific challenge of maximising the usefulness of three-dimensional digital modelling of cultural
artefacts to go beyond current levels of visual depictions by supporting information
integration/linking, to provide the necessary semantic information for in-depth studies by researchers
and users, and to enable direct reuse for innovative and creative applications will be addressed by two
focused actions under this topic:
a) Research on cost-effective technologies for advanced 3D-modelling to enhance the understanding
of cultural heritage: This should focus on developing new methods and tools for automated 3D
modelling and analysis of physical cultural resources and assets (e.g. cultural heritage sites,
monuments, sculptures…) beyond simple digital reconstruction. Driven by the specific needs of the
cultural heritage research community and research questions relating to culture and identity that can
be enriched through new understandings of tangible heritage objects, projects can explore solutions
such as the consolidation of imperfect data, space-time analysis, modelling/simulation of material
degradation, joint reconstruction within and across collections, and semantic-aware representation,
taking into account the wide range of capture devices and sources of measurement data. Test-beds for
such technological development should validate the practical application and analytic potential of new
models for research, interpretation, scholarship and innovation in curation and dissemination.
b) Devise standard formats for the semantic-aware 3D-modelling of Europe's cultural heritage for
researchers and practitioners: Proposals should extend or develop standard formats of 3D semanticaware objects with a view to improving their archiving, reusability and sustainability. The proposed
formats should enable easy exchange, publishing and use of 3D models that have been acquired or
generated by a wide range of devices or software. A central goal of these standardisation activities is
the applicability, usability and sustainability of the 3D models to the European and international
research and cultural heritage communities.
Deadline: 30 September
Call: NEW FORMS OF INNOVATION
Budget: €26.5 million in 2014 and €34.87 million in 2015
This call will look at the potential of public sector innovation, social innovation and new business models –
including activities based on using ICT as an enabler – to improve productivity and competitiveness in Europe.
Moreover, the move towards open government, including making data, services and processes available to
service users, requires a culture change and exchange of best practices while the introduction of new processes
will also transform the interaction between citizens, businesses and civil servants.
Topics of possible relevance to the Irish local and regional government sector:

INSO-1-2014: ICT-enabled open government
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This topic will address the availability of open data and open services, in an open government setting,
support collaborative forms of service design and delivery by public administrations (arising from
enabling and empowering citizens and businesses to directly participate in this process – particularly
via flexible and personalised ICT-based mobile interactions) as well as increased transparency
(including monitoring of the public sector and its performance to help to increase accountability and
trust). Innovation Actions should take the form of pilots to address at least one of these issues.
Deadline: 29 April
This topic will be repeated as ‘’INSO-1-2015’’ with a 21 April 2015 deadline.

INSO-2-2014: Understanding and supporting business model innovation
Facilitating innovation in effective business models – to set out how a company communicates,
creates, delivers and captures value out of a proposition (e.g. bringing a technology to market) – is an
underappreciated factor in securing a return on investment in technology and process development.
Further research is needed on business model innovation arising from new activities (content), new
linkages between activities (structure), new markets (context) and/or new partners (governance) and
their successful implementation. Within the scope of this topic, the focus of research should be
balanced across four dimensions:

Advancing existing knowledge about business model innovation, e.g. by identifying patterns,
exploring management structures, and analysing the potential of transfer across sectors and EU
Member States.

Making this knowledge easily accessible.

Developing mechanisms to adjust the knowledge to individual companies.

Reaching out, possibly via existing channels, to a maximum number of companies.
Different models of ownership and different management structures, including those that make use of
employee involvement and emphasise workplace innovation, are within the scope of this topic. Due
attention should be given to the gender dimension in developing business models and multi-discipline
approaches, as well as to the broader social and environmental aspects of business model
development and implementation. Specific sectors can be targeted as long as the transfer of business
models across sectors is included in the approach. The aim is to develop a self-sustainable platform
after the end of the project’s EU funding.
Deadline: 29 April

INSO-4-2015: Innovative schemes for open innovation and science 2.0
The specific challenge addressed by this topic is to assist universities to enhance their capacity to
become open innovation centres for their region in cooperation with companies, and to enable public
administrations to drive innovation in and through the public sector. Actions will build or reinforce
structures and mechanisms to support effective linkages for innovation between universities and
companies and other employment sectors, and provide freely accessible innovation training platforms,
including digital platforms. The actions will be implemented through different sets of actions:



Inter-sectoral mobility.
Academia-Business knowledge co-creation to develop or (further) implement open innovative
schemes to strengthen linkages.
Innovation leadership programme for public administrations and researchers.
The actions should focus on developing curricula and freely providing innovation training for public
administrations and researchers, through online platforms, possibly combined with other delivery
mechanisms. The actions should go beyond state-of-the-art training programmes and produce
curricula and modules for a ‘’deep-dive’’ short leadership programme, whose creation and delivery
will be supported by a sustainable platform or community of innovation trainers.
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Deadline: 31 March 2015

INSO-5-2015: Social innovation Community
The specific challenge of this activity is to stimulate and support the establishment of a 'Social
Innovation Community' of researchers, social innovators, end-users (citizens) and policy-makers. This
should better connect the many actions that have developed in the area of social innovation involving
research and “hands on” innovation since the launch of the Innovation Union Flagship initiative in
2010, and boost uptake of research results by bringing them together with implementation actions,
new initiatives, and policy developments in a common space for gathering evidence and identifying
new areas of activity. Activities should include:

The organisation of brokerage events to enhance the networking of on-going research and
experimentation projects and other activities in the area of social innovation, including to
enhance understanding of the concept of social innovation.

Information and awareness activities through the gathering of researchers and various
stakeholders, including civil society organisations, citizens' groups, private actors, policy-makers,
user groups and other networks.

Design strategies/activities for ensuring the best possible use of the research results and
establishing a mix of dissemination tools targeting different stakeholders at EU, national and local
level.

The organisation of events aimed at identifying priorities for collaboration and research gaps and
needs, and enhancing the quality, quantity and visibility of future actions in the area of social
innovation.

Supporting grassroots experiments, replication, incubation and policy uptake of research results
('up-scaling').

Setting up a network of 'Local Facilitators' for a better dissemination and uptake at all levels.
Deadline: 31 March 2015

INSO-6-2014: Platform for ICT for Learning and Inclusion
The aim of this challenge is to engage a large number of stakeholders and communities of practices in
a dialogue and awareness process over the role, benefits, and issues of concern on ICT for learning and
inclusion. This is intended as a means of fostering an open dialogue on how to improve co-creation
and delivery of digital tools, solutions and services for the modernisation of education and training
and for the employability of young people, as well as for tackling the risk of digital, and thereby socioeconomic, exclusion.
Deadline: 29 April
'Reflective Societies: Cultural Heritage and European Identities' Work Programme 2014-2015
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2.vii) Calls: ‘Secure societies - Protecting freedom
and security of Europe and its citizens’
(Challenge 7)
This challenge will receive €1.69 billion over the 7 years to improve Europe’s border control, cyber security and
disaster resilience systems, while also exploiting new technologies and social media networks to combat
terrorism. There will be 4 calls as part of the 2014-2015 Work Programme. Each will have a section dedicated to
social sciences and humanities, including research into the social, psychological and economic aspects leading
to organised crime and terrorism, and the role new social media networks could play in national security. Three
of the calls – covering disaster resilience, fighting crime and terrorism, and border security – will open in spring
2014.
Call: DISASTER-RESILIENCE: SAFEGUARDING AND SECURING SOCIETY, INCLUDING ADAPTING TO
CLIMATE CHANGE
Budget: €72.4 million in 2014 and €100.47 million in 2015.
This call will fund R&D aimed at improving Europe’s resilience to natural and man-made disasters, reducing loss
of human life and the environmental, economic and material damage caused. There will be a focus on
developing new technologies and running large-scale demonstrations across five topics: crisis management,
disaster resilience, critical infrastructure protection, communication technologies and the ethical and social
dimension.
Topics of possible relevance to the Irish local and regional government sector:
Crisis Management
 DRS-05-2014: Crisis management topic 5: Situation awareness of Civil Protection decision-making
solutions – preparing the ground for a PCP
A comprehensive European approach to the capitalisation of existing knowledge on Civil Protection
preparedness and response (for which the Lisbon Treaty provides a range of collaborative and support
competences to the EU) is seen as considerably helping the development and implementation of
associated decision-making solutions. Proposals under this topic should prepare the ground for a
future pre-commercial procurement (PCP) for Civil Protection solutions, including public-private
cooperation at local, national and EU level, with a view to testing technological solutions and
protection, deployment and intervention equipment in order to make them more cost effective and
interoperable.
Indicated date for opening of call: 25 March
Deadline: 28 August
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Disaster Resilience and Climate Change
 DRS-7-2014: Crisis management topic 7: Crises and disaster resilience – operationalizing resilience
concepts
Crisis/disaster resilience concepts need to be developed for Europe’s critical infrastructures (to supply
basic services like water, food, energy, transport, housing/shelter, communications, finance and
health), but also to integrate and address human and social dynamics in crises and disaster situations,
including the role of the wider public, the media and rescue workers (including volunteers). These
should also take into account the necessity to anticipate, to plan and to implement a substitution
process aiming to deal with a lack of material, technical or human resources or capacities necessary to
assume the continuity of basic functions and services until recovery from negative effects has been
achieved. Moreover, as resilience management and vulnerability reduction are closely related, it is
necessary to link the on-going efforts and share EU-wide risk assessment and mapping approaches
with relevant resilience management approaches, to ensure that risk assessment is followed by the
development of resilience concepts in the various security sectors. Under this topic, proposals should
first survey approaches on how to define, develop, implement and evaluate resilience concepts,
including relevant EU sectoral approaches. Additionally, promising implementation approaches and
elements should be identified which can be adapted to one or more of the above mentioned critical
infrastructures, and/or the public, and assessed regarding their potential to serve as a basis for general
guidelines on resilience assessment and implementation which should be developed, linked with the
EU Risk Assessment Guidelines, and operationalised in relation to one or more of the infrastructure
security sectors, and/or the public. The successful pilot implementation of the developed guidelines
needs to be demonstrated and tested in an operational environment relating to appropriate
infrastructures.
Deadline: 28 August
 DRS-09-2014: Disaster Resilience & Climate Change topic 1: Science and innovation for adaptation to
climate change: from assessing costs, risks and opportunities to demonstration of options and
practices
In relation to the development of appropriate responses for adapting to climate change, there is a
recognised pressing need to develop a coherent research and innovation agenda, to provide:

The coordination and the clustering of research and innovation activities on climate change
impacts, vulnerabilities and adaptation in different sectors, including in relation to long-term risk
reduction from extreme weather events.

A more standardised basis (including transferable, widely-applicable tools and methods) for
assessing potential climate change impacts, vulnerabilities, costs, benefits, risks and
opportunities.

A strengthened knowledge base, through a more coherent approach to the identification and
assessment of the performance and impacts of different adaptation measures, with a view to
prioritising relevant interventions.

Support for the development of innovative adaptation and long-term risk reduction options, finetuned to specific natural and socio-economic conditions across Europe, with the aim to protect
and reduce the vulnerability of sensitive resources, economic sectors, green and technical
infrastructure, and society from climate-change related threats.
Proposals under this topic should respond to these challenges by either aiming to:

Develop standardised methods to assess long-term and extreme climate change impacts,
vulnerabilities, and risks, and to identify and assess the performance of adaptation measures
(technological and non-technological options);

Provide state-of-the-art decision-support tools tailored to facilitate decision-making by different
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end-users (e.g. individuals, private sector firms, local authorities and planners, governments),
while developing adaptation plans and measures;

Support, test and disseminate technological and non-technological options, including eco-systembased approaches, to address climate-related risks and climate-proof critical infrastructure assets
and systems;

Develop frameworks for monitoring the performance and effectiveness of developed approaches,
and for ensuring their optimum performance, addressing post-implementation requirements, as
well as operational and organisational/governance needs for successful replication and follow-up;
or

Provide innovative solutions for major implementation projects at local, regional or national
levels, while strengthening complementarity with other EU funding mechanisms, particularly with
the European Structural and Investment Funds.
Indicated date for opening of call: 25 March
Deadline: 28 August
Ethical/Societal Dimension
 DRS-21-2014: Ethical/Societal Dimension topic 2: Better understanding the links between culture,
risk perception and disaster management
Cultural factors play an important role in determining the way people respond to stress, engage in
crisis management and react to disaster relief in an emergency situation. At the same time, lack of
cultural understanding, sensitivity and competencies can hamper and even harm the professional
response to disaster as it is crucial to understand the cultural background of disaster victims. Proposals
under this topic are encouraged to analyse how emotional, psychological and social needs, as well as
communal strengths and coping skills that arise in disasters can affect the way certain urban
communities prepare, respond and recover from disaster. This may focus on the following issues:

Which cultural factors, important insights, specific communication styles for a given cultural group
should be taken into consideration during disaster situations in urban areas?

How to anticipate and identify solutions to cultural problems that may arise in the event of an
emergency?
Indicated date for opening of call: 25 March
Deadline: 28 August
'Secure societies – Protecting freedom and security of Europe and its citizens' - Work Programme
2014-2015
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Section 3
‘INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP’
3.i)
Call: ‘Information and Communication Technologies’
(‘Leadership in enabling and industrial technologies’)
Call: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGIES
Budget: €864.5 million in 2014 and €583 million in 2015.
In a bid to reinforce Europe’s position in advanced technologies and exploit opportunities in big data, new
technologies, social media, and other new growth markets, and to reap a societal dividend, over €6 billion has
been set aside for ICT activities. Projects will be funded under six main headings: new generation of components
and systems; advanced computing; future internet; content technologies and information management;
robotics; and micro-and nano-electronic technologies and photonics. ICT themes are also present across the
calls of 6 of the 7 Societal Challenges (with the exception of number 2).
Topics of possible relevance to the Irish local and regional government sector:
Future Internet

ICT-8-2015: Boosting public sector productivity and innovation through cloud computing services
The challenge of this topic is to overcome barriers related to procurement, trustworthiness, technical
standards and legal terms of reference, risk of lock-in etc. which are hindering public sector readiness
for the operational uptake of cloud computing services, while considering the different competitive,
secure, reliable and integrated services on offer and delivery models (private, public, hybrid,
community clouds). Activities may relate to:


Pre-commercial procurement for public sector cloud computing services (PCP): defining common
requirements and terms of reference for future procurement of cloud computing services including standardisation, certification, contract terms and service level agreements for secure
and interoperable services. They should build on work undertaken as part of the European Cloud
Computing Strategy. If relevant and justified, activities can develop on cloud computing initiatives
at local, national and international levels.
Public procurement of innovative cloud computing solutions (PPI): organising joint procurement
of innovative cloud services by public authorities to better and more efficiently run their services,
serve their communities, their citizens and local businesses. These should build upon work
undertaken as part of the European Cloud Computing Strategy, and, if relevant and justified, on
cloud computing initiatives at local, national and international levels. Activities could include the
definition of cloud solutions for joint European IT systems and the provisioning of secure private
clouds for public administrations.
Deadline: 14 April 2015

ICT-10-2015: Collective Awareness Platforms for Sustainability and Social Innovation
The objective behind this topic is to harness the collaborative power of ICT networks (people,
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January 2014
knowledge and sensors) to create collective and individual awareness about the multiple sustainability
threats which our society is facing at social, environmental and political levels in order to better inform
decision-making processes and empower individual and collective behavioural and lifestyle change
among citizens, through participation and interaction. Activities to be supported include small-scale
‘collective awareness pilots for bottom-up participatory innovation paradigms’. These user-driven
initiatives (to involve industry, academia, local communities, grassroots activists, hackers, social
entrepreneurs, students, citizens, creative industries and civil society organisations) are expected to
develop and test pilot solutions to clearly defined sustainability challenges (possibly addressing a
combination of areas) by harnessing 'network effects', leveraging onto innovative combinations of
distributed social networks, sensor networks and knowledge co-creation networks. Such scalable
experiments and prototypes are expected to gain evidence and better understanding on the processes
about collective awareness. The pilots should be grounded in recent developments in open data,
source and hardware; must seize the full potential of existing mobile communications, integration of
networks and online collaboration; and can make use of innovative integrated mobile sensing devices
to create collective awareness of risks and opportunities. They may pioneer crowd-sourcing/-funding
solutions and new mechanisms for social innovation whose expected return goes beyond GDP
measures and traditional success indicators.
Deadline: 14 April 2015

ICT-13-2014: Web Entrepreneurship
The challenge of this topic is to create an environment that encourages entrepreneurs who use web
and mobile technologies as main components in their innovation to start more businesses and grow
internationally. This will include support for proposals to develop and test online platforms connecting
existing local web entrepreneurship ecosystems and hubs, and build upon these in order to provide
new services for web entrepreneurs, complemented with other relevant activities. These platforms
are expected to go beyond technologies and applications, to include necessary conditions for
collaborative innovation. The new services should help promising web start-ups to efficiently launch
and scale-up their operations across Europe; to identify and enable access to new financing
opportunities; to link potential web entrepreneurs with key actors, e.g. mentors, located anywhere in
Europe; and to link acceleration programmes from several locations - providing real EU added value.
Deadline: 23 April
Content technologies and information management

ICT-18-2014: Support the growth of ICT innovative Creative Industries SMEs
The topic should be addressed by Innovation Actions to support SMEs in the creative industry sector in
leveraging emerging ICT technologies (e.g. 3D, augmented reality, advanced user interfaces, visual
computing) for the development of innovative products, tools, applications and services with high
commercial potential. Beyond the participation of SMEs and of ICT technology providers, the
involvement of research and innovation centres is encouraged. Proposals should be clearly driven by
user-needs and demonstrate the market demand for the solution and the innovation potential.
Solutions should be cost-effective, market-ready and target international markets.
Deadline: 23 April
Micro- and nano-electronic technologies, photonics

ICT-29-2014 Development of novel materials and systems for OLED lighting
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Research & Innovation Actions in response to this topic should focus on materials, process and device
technology for OLED lighting. The aim is to realise OLED devices over larger surfaces, with higher
brightness, larger uniformity and longer lifetimes. A demonstrator should be provided at the end of
every project. Attention should be paid to recyclability issues and the environmental impact of the
materials and systems as appropriate. Proposals should involve material suppliers, OLED
manufacturers or suppliers and OLED system integrators.
Deadline: 23 April
Horizontal ICT Innovation actions

ICT-34-2015: ICT contribution to pilot for co–investments by business angels in innovative ICT firms
[from 2015]
[See ‘Equity Facility for R&I’ in 'Access to Finance’ in section 3.iv]
Deadline: 14 April 2015

ICT-35-2014: Innovation and Entrepreneurship Support
This topic seeks to improve the framework conditions of the European ICT innovation ecosystem so
that it offers the best conditions for innovators to capture the full potential of innovation to transform
ideas to the market, thereby sustaining growth and jobs. Envisaged activities will include:
 Mobilising ICT business idea contests in Universities and secondary schools
 Creating a system of ICT Entrepreneurship Summer Academies for university and newlygraduated secondary school students, entirely focused on ICT entrepreneurship.
 ICT Entrepreneurship Labs to foster team-based entrepreneurial activities and to deepen
interaction between students, entrepreneurs, designers, universities and professors: Activities
should combine exploring entrepreneurship as a career through classes, workshops, learning by
doing, co-working spaces, experimental activities like testing and prototyping, access to resources,
coaching and sharing experience with other entrepreneurs, including serial entrepreneurs and
successful founders. Particular focus should be placed on new initiatives that widen participation,
including twinning to share experience and best practices on sustainability and support for scalingup.
Deadline: 23 April

ICT-36-2015: Pre-commercial procurement open to all areas of public interest requiring new ICT
solutions
This specific challenge addresses the need to close the gap between supply and the fragmented public
sector demand for innovative ICT solutions. The objective is to bring about radical improvements to
the quality and efficiency of delivery of the means to respond to identified public interest needs by
encouraging the development and validation of breakthrough high-tech solutions through joint PreCommercial Procurement (PCP) via consortia of procurers with similar procurement needs of common
European interest. This is open to proposals in all areas of public sector interest requiring innovative
ICT-based solutions – both to proposals requiring improvements mainly based on one specific ICT
technology field, and to proposals requiring end-to-end solutions that need combinations of different
ICT technologies.
Deadline: 14 April 2015
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January 2014
ICT-37-2014-15: Open Disruptive Innovation Scheme
[See ‘SME Instrument’ in section 3.iii]
‘Leadership in enabling and industrial technologies - Information and Communication
Technologies’ - Work Programme 2014-2015
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3.ii)
January 2014
Call: ‘Energy-Efficient Buildings’
( ‘Leadership in Enabling and Industrial Technologies’)
Call: ENERGY-EFFICIENT BUILDINGS
Budget: €49.5 million in 20145 and €64 million in 2015.
The objective of the Energy-efficient Buildings Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Initiative is to drive the creation
of a high-tech building industry which turns energy efficiency into a sustainable business, fostering EU
competitiveness in the construction sector. Priority will be given to delivering new building technologies,
materials and components for energy saving and energy generation, thermal energy storage systems, advanced
insulation systems, thermal distribution systems, lighting, windows and glazing, energy generation systems
based on renewable sources.
Topics of possible relevance to the Irish local and regional government sector:

EeB-05-2015: Innovative design tools for refurbishing of buildings at district level
Research activities should be focused on design at buildings and district level, taking into account the
adjacent systems such as district heating/cooling and decentralised thermal energy generation as well
as other interactions with the neighbourhood, giving priority to local renewable resources. Projects
should promote and set up an integrated approach in support of innovation, by providing actors with
holistic methods and tools. Energy efficiency technologies should become elements of design
databases that allow stakeholder to select the most suitable approach for performance improving,
taking full advantage of geo-clustered data sets. The design phases linked to the retrofitting of existing
buildings, taking into account subsequent operation and maintenance, will be considered as a priority.
In this respect, there is a need for further research on operational information that can be used in
design models. Knowledge-based design can also be used to provide input into management systems.
Deadline: 9 December (2014)

EeB-06-2015: Integrated solutions of thermal energy storage for building applications
Storage plays a pivotal role in synchronising energy demand and supply, both on a short-term and
seasonal basis. Transformation of existing building stock towards very low energy, nearly zero energy
and plus-energy buildings standards requires effective integration and full use of the potential yield of
renewable energy. Thermal storage is a key priority to make such a step, particularly considering the
energy renovation of existing stock, where compact building-level solutions are required. Under this
topic, proposals should address advanced solutions required to reduce building thermal losses, reduce
pressure drops, and improve heat exchange in and between storage material and heat carriers. Smallscale demonstration of the technical and economic feasibility of such storage systems at the level of
components and systems in relation to space heating and cooling and/or domestic hot water systems
of a single building are expected, validating a systemic approach in system integration and scalability in
near real-life operating conditions.
Deadline: 9 December (2014)

EeB-07-2015: New tools and methodologies to reduce the gap between predicted and actual energy
performances at the level of buildings and blocks of buildings
The research focus of this topic is on developing building-level methodologies and tools to monitor
and assess actual energy performance, considering relevant factors such as user behaviour, complex
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January 2014
energy systems performance and weather forecasting, and in order to be able to predict accurately
building energy loads and consumption along the whole lifecycle. New methods and tools could
include energy performance diagnostics for predictive maintenance (related to different construction
typologies and their thermal behaviour), to provide the accuracy required to properly value retrofit
technologies and support decision-making during the different stages in the life of the buildings. The
effective monitoring and management of energy flows to reduce energy consumption and to ensure
that the building is operated in a way that meets design intent should also be addressed. Common
indicators, measuring technologies and data analysis methods should be developed to monitor
building performance during operation.
Deadline: 9 December (2014)

EeB-08-2015: Integrated approach to retrofitting of residential buildings
Systemic approaches need to be developed which integrate the most promising cost-effective
technologies and materials for housing retrofitting. Under this topic the solutions could include, for
example, energy use through innovative heat pump systems; combination of renewable energy sources
at building level; exploitation of heat recovery for water and air; as well as ICT solutions to enable
adaptation of the system to end-user behaviour without losing control of the overall efficiency of the
system. In combination and synergy with the efforts addressing construction improvements to
drastically reduce buildings’ heat needs, a systemic approach related to space heating and Domestic
Hot Water (DHW) needs to be developed. The risk of overheating should also be analysed together
with the whole renovation solution. The district scale, as well as the interactions between buildings and
the thermal and electrical energy networks (i.e. impact on energy demand) should be taken into
account.
Deadline: 9 December (2014)
'Leadership in Enabling and Industrial Technologies’ - Work Programme 2014-2015
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3.iii)
January 2014
‘Innovation in SMEs’
The ‘Innovation in SMEs’ measure of the ‘Industrial Leadership’ pillar offers a bridge between the core of
Horizon 2020 – the provision of support to research, development and innovation projects – and the creation
of a favourable ecosystem for SME innovation and growth. Actions to be supported by the two calls of its 20142015 Work Programme may be of interest to Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) and their client companies in that
they offer assistance with the direct financing of SMEs’ own innovation activities and with developing and
providing better innovation support services to SMEs.
Call: ‘SME INSTRUMENT’
Budget: €251.02 million in 2014 and €264.57 in 2015.
The dedicated ‘SME Instrument’ is a company-focussed measure supporting the financing of own initiative
projects by small internationally-oriented firms towards progressing the implementation of high-risk and
high-potential ideas across all or any of 3 phases of the innovation cycle.
Phase 1 covers concept and feasibility assessment verifying the technological/practical as well as economic
viability of an innovation idea (new products, processes, services and technologies or new market
applications of existing technologies) with considerable industrial novelty. Activities could include risk
assessment, feasibility study, market study, user involvement, Intellectual Property management,
innovation strategy development, partner search etc. A lump-sum grant of €50,000 plus coaching and
mentoring is provided for highly-promising ideas to elaborate an initial business plan over a 6-month
period.
The phase 1 call for 2014 (SMEINST-1-2014) is available to SMEs active in any of 11 specific topic fields
which collectively relate to 6 of the 7 Societal Challenges as well as to some other parts of the ‘Leadership in
Enabling and Industrial Technologies’ area:

ICT-37-2014-1: Open Disruptive Innovation Scheme
The focus of this topic will be on SMEs proposing innovative ICT concepts, products and services
applying new sets of rules, values and models which ultimately disrupt existing markets. The
challenge is to provide support to a large set of early-stage high-risk innovative SMEs in the ICT
sector by supporting the validation, fast prototyping and demonstration in real world conditions of
disruptive innovation bearing a strong EU dimension, and assisting their wider deployment or market
uptake.

NMP-25-2014-1: Accelerating the uptake of nanotechnologies, advanced materials or advanced
manufacturing and processing technologies by SMEs
Research results should be taken up by industry, harvesting the hitherto untapped potential of
nanotechnologies, advanced materials and advanced manufacturing and processing technologies. The
goal is to create added value by creatively combining existing research results with other necessary
elements, to transfer results across sectors where applicable, to accelerate innovation and eventually
create profit or other benefits.

BIOTEC-5a-2014-1: SME boosting biotechnology-based industrial processes driving competitiveness
and sustainability
The large number of SMEs which characterise the EU biotechnology sector are playing a crucial role in
the move to competitive and sustainable biotechnology-based processes. These SMEs are
characterised by their research intensity and long lead times between early technological
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January 2014
development and market introduction. They therefore need to be supported to overcome the socalled “valley of death”.

Space-SME-2014-1: SME Instrument
The challenge of the actions envisaged under this topic could cover any aspect of the Specific
Programme for Space (Pillar 2). However, it is considered that actions in the areas of applications,
especially in connection to the flagship programmes Galileo and Copernicus, ‘’spinning-in’’ (i.e.
application of terrestrial solutions to challenges in space) and the development of certain critical
technologies could be best suited for this call.

PHC-12-2014-1: Clinical validation of biomarkers and/or diagnostic medical devices
[Societal Challenge 1]
Biomarkers are used in clinical practice to describe both normal and pathological conditions. They can
also have a prognostic or a predictive power. The clinical validation of existing potential biomarkers
(not the identification of new ones) is sought under this topic. This validation should provide evidence
for high analytical validity; appropriate sensitivity and specificity; and clinical validity/utility.
Preference will be given to validation of biomarkers with high potential for short-term uptake into
clinical practice. In addition, validation of the clinical performance of new diagnostic devices can be
supported, either in combination with the biomarker validation, or against existing standards.
Preference will be given to the validation of disease-related biomarkers (i.e. diagnostic,
susceptibility/risk, monitoring and prognostic biomarkers).

SFS-08-2014-1: Resource-efficient eco-innovative food production and processing
[Societal Challenge 2]
To remain competitive, limit environmental degradation and optimise the efficient use of resources,
the development of more resource-efficient and sustainable food production and processing is
required throughout the food system, at all scales of business, in a competitive and innovative way.
Current systems, especially in the SME sector, need to be revised and optimised with the aim of
achieving a significant reduction in water and energy use, greenhouse gas emissions and waste
generation, while at the same time improving the efficiency in the use of raw materials, increasing
climate resilience and ensuring or improving shelf life, food safety and quality. New competitive ecoinnovative processes should be developed, within the framework of a transition towards a more
resource-efficient, sustainable circular economy.

BG-12-2014-1: Supporting SMEs efforts for the development - deployment and market replication of
innovative solutions for blue growth
[Societal Challenge 2]
The potential of Europe’s oceans, seas and coasts can be significant for job and growth creation
provided the appropriate investments in research and innovation are made. SMEs can particularly
contribute to the development of the 'Blue Growth Strategy' in the fields of marine biotechnology
(related applications, key tools and technologies) as well as aquaculture-related marine technologies
and services. However, access to finance for SMEs is considered as one of the most important
barriers for the development of innovative maritime economic activities.

SIE-01-2014-1: Stimulating the innovation potential of SMEs for a low-carbon energy system
[Societal Challenge 3]
SMEs play a crucial role in developing resource-efficient, cost-effective and affordable technology
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January 2014
solutions to decarbonise and make the energy system more efficient in a sustainable way. They are
expected to strongly contribute to all challenges outlined in the Societal Challenge ‘Secure, Clean and
Efficient Energy’, in particular with regard to:


Reducing energy consumption and carbon footprint by smart and sustainable use (including
energy-efficient products and services as well as ‘Smart Cities and Communities’).

Low-cost, low-carbon electricity supply (including renewable energy as well as CCS and re-use).

Alternative fuels and mobile energy sources.

A single, smart European electricity grid.

New knowledge and technologies.

Robust decision-making and public engagement.
IT-1-2014-1: Small business innovation research for Transport
[Societal Challenge 4]
The European transport sector must have the capacity to deliver the best products and services, in a
time- and cost-efficient manner, in order to preserve its leadership and create new jobs, as well as to
tackle environmental and mobility challenges. The role of SMEs to meet these challenges is critical as
they are key players in the supply chains. Enhancing the involvement of weaker players in innovation
activities as well as facilitating the start-up and emergence of new high-tech SMEs is of paramount
importance.

SC5-20-2014-1: Boosting the potential of small businesses for eco-innovation and a sustainable
supply of raw materials
[Societal Challenge 5]
Innovative SMEs have been recognised as being able to become the engine of the green economy
and to facilitate the transition to a resource-efficient, circular economy. They should be supported
and guided to reach and accelerate their full green growth potential. This topic is targeted at all
types of eco-innovative SMEs in all areas addressing the ‘Climate Action, Environment, Resourceefficiency and Raw Materials’ challenge, focusing on SMEs showing a strong ambition to develop,
grow and internationalise. All kinds of promising ideas, products, processes, services and business
models, notably across sectors and disciplines, for commercialisation both in a business-to-business
(B2B) and a business-to-customer (B2C) context, are eligible for support.

DRS-17-2014-1: Critical infrastructure protection topic 7: SME instrument topic: “Protection of
Urban soft targets and urban critical infrastructures”
[Societal Challenge 7]
The aim of this topic is to engage SMEs in security research and development and in particular to
facilitate and accelerate the transition of their developed products/services to the market place. The
specific challenge of the actions and activities envisaged are related to protection of ‘’urban soft
targets’’ (areas into which large numbers of citizens are freely admitted, for usual activities or special
events or routinely gather in, e.g. parks, squares and markets, shopping malls, train and bus stations,
passenger terminals, hotels and tourist resorts, cultural sites) and urban critical infrastructures
(including installations and networks relating to energy, communications and information technology,
finance, water, supply chain and government). The objective is to carry out a small-scale
demonstration of innovative technologies and tools. Taking into consideration the results of past and
ongoing EU and international research in this field, these activities may cover any aspect of the urban
critical infrastructure protection, such as, for example: designing buildings and urban areas;
protection of energy/transport/communication grids; surveillance solutions; protecting supply chains;
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January 2014
avoiding cyber-attacks and developing cyber-resilience systems. The scope of this topic is focused to
cover, for example:
•
High throughput screening of people and their bags including the ability to screen them in
reasonably real-time as people approach entrances.
•
High throughput screening for vehicles to identify threats that warrant further inspection (as
opposed to random searching).
•
Potential Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and high- yield Explosives threats and the
way in which these could be carried-out against soft targets and critical infrastructures.
•
Mitigation of vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices.
Deadlines: 17 December (intermediate cut-off dates: 18 June; 24 September). This call will open on 1 March.
The Phase 2 equivalent of these topics will have a 9 October cut-off deadline and a 17 December submission
deadline. Over a 12-24 month period, this will support proposals whose business plans (developed under phase
1 or otherwise) can demonstrate high market potential in terms of company competitiveness and growth
towards bringing innovation to industrial readiness and maturity for market introduction. Support of between
€0.5 and €2.5 million per qualifying firm is available for activities focussing on activities such as demonstration,
testing, prototyping, piloting, scaling-up, miniaturisation, design, and market replication but possibly also
including some degree of research. Particular attention must be paid to IP protection and ownership and
applicants will have to present convincing measures to ensure the possibility of commercial exploitation
('freedom to operate'). Proposals shall contain a specification for the outcome of the project, including a first
commercialisation plan, and criteria for success.
This call will open on 1 March with a budget of €220.8976 million. Participation in phase 1 is not a prerequisite
for involvement in phase 2.
Phase 3 of the innovation cycle involves indirect (non-grant) support including mentoring, and facilitation of
access to private and EU risk finance (see ‘Access to Risk Finance’ action in section 3.iv). The development of
synergies with the COSME programme to support small businesses in accessing funding for market application
and commercialisation of Horizon 2020 research results is encouraged.
For the 2015 call, 13 topics will be opened over both phases 1 and 2 with two new focusses alongside a repeat
of all the 2014 topics:

INSO-9-2015-1: Innovative mobile e-government applications by SMEs
Because of their size, knowledge and agility, SMEs are key actors for the provision of innovative, userfriendly and personalised services coupling open public data and services with information and services
offered by the private sector. Engaging SMEs into the potentially huge public sector innovation market
offered by "apps" development for mobile devices is a challenge for local and regional public authorities.
The scope of this action is to provide support to innovative SMEs, including start-ups, for the design and
creation of innovative applications, in order to foster the delivery of mobile public services. The aim is to
help the interaction of citizens and businesses with public administrations. This may be done through the
combination of public and private sector services, or through mobile technologies. Although they may be
first piloted in a local context – with the involvement of public administrations and end users – the
solutions need to ensure replicability, also taking into account multi-lingualism and, where necessary, the
cross-border dimension. Scalability and sustainability issues are to be considered.
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INSO-10-2015-1: SME business model innovation
Technologies and services as such do not have a specific value. Their value is determined by the business
models used to bring them to a market. Many current, widely-applied business models, have been
developed for big companies and may not serve the needs of SMEs nor be inspired by new knowledge on
innovation in business models. In addition to this, small community-oriented companies, using their
profits primarily for social objectives, can build their growth on business model innovation. The specific
challenge addressed by this topic is to enable SMEs – in traditional sectors, such as manufacturing
industries, in sectors particularly rooted in Europe’s history such as cultural heritage, as well as in new
sectors including different services and creative industries, and the social economy – to innovate and grow
across traditional boundaries, through new business models and organisational change. For instance, this
can involve drawing on successful business models in different sectors in the global market, and
developing them for use by European SMEs in the same or different sectors. It can also involve reverse
innovation where models initially created in Europe and becoming successful elsewhere, are supported to
return to Europe. For business model innovation in the broad area of food, it is foreseen to organize
several events in the autumn of 2015 within an appropriate European level forum. Of particular
importance for the new business models will be user-oriented services, cultural heritage related services,
social services and tourism.
Phase 1 and Phase 2 deadlines (2015): 16 December 2015 (intermediate cut-off dates: 18 March 2015; 17 June
2015; 17 September 2015). This call will open on 1 January 2015.
Call – ENHANCING SME INNOVATION CAPACITY BY PROVIDING BETTER INNOVATION SUPPORT
Budget: €9.58 million in 2014 and €29.7 million in 2015.
Topics of possible relevance to the Irish local and regional government sector:
•
INNOSUP-1-2015: Cluster facilitated projects for new industrial value chains
This approach aims at “demonstrating at large-scale” the potential impact of innovative solutions to
specific challenges, rather than supporting isolated projects or SMEs. Cross-border and cross-sectoral
collaboration, innovation and entrepreneurship across different regions and value chains shall be
promoted to focus on the development of long-term internationally competitive goods and services
that require combining different competences. The coordination and facilitation shall be led by cluster
organisations and other intermediary organisations, by following a systemic approach that combines
different resources, tools and instruments. To this end, proposals shall outline a strategic vision for
building new industrial value chains that foster the development of emerging industries. They shall
specifically focus on integrating and supporting groups of SMEs in collaboration with other innovation
actors in addressing specific problems and challenges within a favourable "open space" for crosssectoral fertilisation and value chain innovation. Each proposal should demonstrate the capacity to:
1) Validate ideas for structured innovation projects driven by SMEs from different sectors and
countries in collaboration with other innovation actors and facilitate the coordination towards new
industrial value chains through this collaboration space.
2) Support innovation activities and/or channel a mix of different targeted entrepreneurial and
innovation support measures (such as mentoring, coaching, innovation and technical assistance
vouchers, etc.) directly to the innovation actors of the validated innovation projects to further support
their development, integration and large-scale demonstration in a strategic manner. At least 75 per
cent of the total proposed budget shall be allocated to support innovation in SMEs directly.
Synergies with the European Structural and Investment Funds that may further support such large-
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January 2014
scale demonstration projects will also be actively encouraged, notably through the engaged SME
intermediaries.
Deadline: 30 April 2015 (Stage 2: 9 September 2015)

INNOSUP-5–2014: Peer learning of innovation agencies
Despite various EU-backed initiatives (under FP7, the Competiveness & Innovation Framework
Programme and INTERREG) on SME innovation-support mutual policy learning and exchange of good
practices, the enhancement of existing, and the establishment of new, innovation support
programmes for SMEs remains unsatisfactory and slow. Under this topic, regional and national
innovation support agencies will be provided with incentives in the form of small lump sum grants for
engaging in peer-learning on all topics relevant for the design and delivery of such programmes. The
support for joint learning activities shall be demand-driven and available at any time when the need
and opportunity arises for policy learning in agencies. As part of the creation of a permanent peerlearning environment, a pair of methodologies developed by the PRO-INNO Europe scheme’s 'INNOPartnering Forum’ to assure horizontal flow of information among interested parties will be made
available to participating agencies: 'Twinning+' (combining elements of traditional peer reviews and
twinning in small learning groups of interested agencies) as well as a quality management scheme for
innovation agencies implemented through a peer-review system (based on the EFQM methodology).
Deadline: 16 December

INNOSUP 6 – 2015: Capitalising the full potential of online-collaboration for SME innovation support
This topic aims to enable support agencies to develop a new generation of services that assist
enterprises with managing their interaction with, and creating value and drawing full benefits from the
existence of, collaborative online innovation platforms, e.g. protected spaces in which to display their
competences, interest and skills, to reach out to a large number of peers, to make personal contacts
and to engage in initial cooperation activities. In order to address this gap in expertise and to better
use such resources, proposals under this topic should address one or more of the following aspects:

Develop and test new service designs for ‘assistance to online collaboration for innovation’ for
SMEs in diverse sectors.

Make such new services accessible for enterprises in sectors that are typically not yet
benefitting from innovation support.

Develop and test a qualification profile, curriculum and training courses for staff currently
providing brokerage services in established networks or SME agencies. Tests of services shall be
undertaken on platforms that are open and already bring together a critical mass of enterprises
and innovation stakeholders. Establishing such platforms will not be supported. Projects
proposing new service designs should indicate on which platform(s) the new service would be
tested and in how far the newly developed service could be scaled-up.
Deadline: 10 March 2015 (Stage 2: 12 August 2015)

INNOSUP-7-2015: Professionalisation of open innovation management in SMEs
Current research on open innovation has yet to properly take into account the extent and creativity of
SMEs in designing and implementing strategies – meaning that the lessons learned tend not to be
readily transferable to the context of small business. As the impact of this process on SMEs is
significant and the benefits of correct implementation can encompass technology transfer, capitalraising, resource optimisation or networking, an urgent need exists to study how this form of
collaboration is managed and organised in SMEs. This activity will consist of the following elements:

Collection and analysis of information and data on the application of open innovation in SMEs,
taking into account different situations in Member States and in specific market segments, both
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January 2014
high-tech and low-tech industries.

EU-wide diffusion of local success stories of SMEs using open innovation to successfully transform
their business and gain competitive advantage.

Development of practical management tools to support and explain the identified case studies
and to provide guidance on how to innovate and set-up innovation networks. The tool (modules)
should focus on strategy dimension, entrepreneurship skills, resource needs, and tools to build
trust and control and manage risk in a collaborative partnership.

Development and testing of comprehensive open innovation data and performance indicators to
support decision-making on partnerships within SMEs.
The duration of this action will be three years.
Deadline: 21 January 2015

INNOSUP-8-2015: Measuring open innovation inputs and outcomes in SMEs
Under this topic, methodologies will be developed to gather, measure and analyse data on open
innovation and SMEs in order to inform a policy-making blind-spot in regard to the role of this concept
in supporting business operations by identifying areas for its potential deployment (e.g. research
projects or other innovation activities) or in guiding innovation policy development. Subsequently the
project will carry out practical testing of methodologies and indicators to describe the importance and
characteristics of open innovation across countries, industrial sectors, firms of different sizes, and then
develop recommendations for their further use. Specifically the activity will comprise the following
elements:
•
Stocktaking of the relevance and effectiveness of available open innovation indicators, indices and
methodologies as measures of innovation activities and performance in SMEs, taking into
consideration intensity and quality of collaboration.
•
Development and validation of quantitative tools to present evidence and impact of openinnovation in SMEs and to test the relationship between business performance and open
innovation in larger samples of firms.
•
Identification of policy conditions to make open innovation a reality in SMEs through the
development of public policy guidelines in line with the open innovation paradigm, i.e. education
and human capital development, transition of funding models towards open innovation systems,
competition policy, and industrial policy.
The duration of this action will be one year.
Deadline: 21 January 2015

INNOSUP-9-2014: Community-building and competence development for ‘SME Instrument’ coaching
The objective of the action underpinning this topic is to create the conditions for a comprehensive and
consistent delivery of the coaching and mentoring service as to be provided under the dedicated ‘SME
Instrument’ by a network of appropriately-trained and experienced business practitioners, in
cooperation with the Enterprise Europe Network (which will initiate, broker and monitor the coachSME relationship as well as providing participating companies with access to a wider Network service
offering). In order to support peer-to-peer learning, to ensure consistent service delivery and to
overcome their regional anchoring, the coaches should have the opportunity to exchange ideas and
experience with each other. The supported action will consist of:

Awareness-raising regarding the recruitment opportunities for SME instrument coaching towards
appropriately qualified individuals.

Creation of information materials, set-up of dissemination events, creation of on-line training
modules for coaches regarding SME support in Horizon 2020 and the implementation of the ‘SME
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Instrument’ in particular.

Community-building, networking, exchange of practical coaching experiences within the Horizon
2020 coaching community.

Setting up and animation of a virtual coaching platform to connect the coaches to enable them to
share experiences and key learning points from coaching engagements and to help identify
relevant specialist coaches.

A monitoring and benchmarking scheme to ensure consistent coaching service delivery.

Analysis and monitoring of the outcomes of coaching support in Horizon 2020.
As appropriate, the activities should be provided jointly with business support service providers
familiar with cooperating on a regular basis with SMEs active in international funding programmes and
actively participating in the delivery of the Key Account Management service under the SME
instrument. The action will have a duration of two years. The platform is expected to grow as Horizon
2020 unfolds and the number of participating companies and coaching engagements increases.
Beyond the duration of this specific action the scope of follow-up actions is expected to evolve, based
on initial experiences.
Deadline: 12 March
‘Innovation in SMEs’ - Work Programme 2014-2015
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3.iv)
January 2014
‘Access to Risk Finance’
Actions to be supported by the various Financial Instruments and the two calls of the ‘Access to Risk Finance’
Work Programme may be of interest to the Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) and their client companies. These
will help companies and other types of organisation engaged in research and innovation (R&I) to gain easier
access, via financial instruments, to loans, guarantees, counter-guarantees and hybrid, mezzanine and equity
finance.
The priority for 2014-2015 is, above all, to continue and build on activities that have proved their worth in
supporting R&I in 2007-2013: the Risk-Sharing Finance Facility (RSFF) and the Risk-Sharing Instrument for SMEs
(RSI) in FP7, together with GIF-1, the early-stage part of the High-Growth & Innovative SMEs Facility in the
Competitiveness & Innovation Framework Programme (CIP). Horizon 2020's financial instrument facilities will
operate in conjunction with those of COSME, the successor to the CIP programme.
The coming two years will also see a significant participation by Horizon 2020 in the proposed ‘SME Finance
Initiative’; the launch of a pilot facility supporting the technology transfer process; and a new focus on
improving access to risk finance by larger midcap firms. In addition, firms of all sizes, together with other types
of organisations, will be able to avail of advice on how to make themselves more attractive to banks and
potential investors. And to help prepare for new developments, studies will look into how best to encourage
more business angel and crowd-funding investments in R&I; into the potential for pan-European venture
capital (VC) funds-of-funds; and at the possibilities for an EU prizes scheme.
As in the previous programmes, debt and equity facilities will be run in a demand-driven manner, though the
priorities of particular sectors or of other EU programmes will be targeted if additional top-up funding is made
available, including from any Managing Authorities wishing to invest part of their European Structural &
Investment Funds (ESIF) programme contribution. The focus remains on attracting private investments into
R&I.
The European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European Investment Fund (EIF) will play an important role, as
entrusted entities, in implementing each financial instrument facility on behalf of and in partnership with the
European Commission. For EIF, this role includes (as under FP7 and CIP) conducting calls for expressions of
interest for selecting the financial intermediaries, such as banks and risk-capital funds, that will make the actual
loans to or investments in SMEs and small midcaps. While EIB will make large loans directly, it will also be able
to use financial intermediaries, particularly when supporting medium and large midcaps.
Financial Instruments:

Loans Service for R&I [scheme to be retitled]
This financial instrument continues and refines the Risk-Sharing Finance Facility (RSFF) under FP7, and
offers loans and hybrid or mezzanine finance. It aims to improve access to risk finance for R&I projects
emanating from large firms and medium and large midcaps; universities and research institutes; R&I
infrastructures (including innovation-enabling infrastructures); public-private partnerships; and
special-purpose vehicles or projects (including those promoting first-of-a-kind, commercial-scale
industrial demonstration projects). For medium and large midcaps, this facility will offer loans and
hybrid or mezzanine finance of between €7.5 million and €25 million and on a case-by-case basis for
higher amounts. For large firms, loans of between €25 million and €300 million will be available and,
on a case-by-case basis, for smaller amounts. For the other eligible entities, loans from €7.5 million to
€300 million will be available. The EIB and the EIF will implement this instrument, which will be
delivered both directly by EIB and also by financial intermediaries (such as banks) responding to calls
for expression of interest. Financial intermediaries will be guaranteed against a proportion of their
potential losses by EIB and/or EIF, which will also offer counter-guarantees to guarantee institutions.
This is a demand-driven instrument, with no prior allocations between sectors, countries or regions, or
types or sizes of firm or other entities.
Horizon 2020 guide
o
Irish Regions Brussels Office
January 2014
First-of-a-kind, commercial-scale industrial demonstration projects in the field of
competitive low-carbon energy [from mid-2015]
Meeting the EU's energy goals for 2020 and beyond will require continuous development and
commercialisation of new generations of low-carbon energy technologies and systems. Firstof-a-kind, commercial-scale demonstration projects are essential to show the technical and
commercial viability, at industrial scale, of new generations of energy technologies. These
actions are predominant in the Strategic Energy Technology (SET) Plan roadmaps, especially
regarding wind energy, solar energy, bioenergy and CCS (carbon capture and storage). A key
barrier to implementing first-of-a-kind demonstration projects is the lack of finance for high
risk/high-return projects due to their pre-commercial development stage and the unproven
nature of the technologies concerned at industrial scale. This specialised action aims to
establish a sub-facility for making loans to first-of-a-kind demonstration projects in the field
of energy or extending guarantees to financial intermediaries who will make such loans.

SMEs & Small Midcaps R&I Loans Service
This guarantee facility succeeds and refines the RSI pilot under the RSFF in FP7, and is part of a single
debt financial instrument supporting the growth of enterprises and their R&I activities. It targets R&Idriven SMEs and small midcaps requiring loans of between €25,000 and €7.5 million with higher
amounts to be considered on a case-by-case basis. The EIF will implement this facility by providing
direct guarantees to financial intermediaries (such as banks), who will extend the actual loans to final
beneficiaries. The guarantee will share risk by covering up to 50 per cent of intermediaries' potential
losses. EIF will also offer counter-guarantees to financial intermediaries (such as guarantee
institutions) providing risk protection to banks extending loans to R&I-driven SMEs and small midcaps.
R&I-driven SMEs or small midcaps wishing to apply for a loan should contact one of the financial
intermediaries signing an agreement with EIF. This is a demand-driven facility, with no prior
allocations between sectors, countries or regions. However, subject to the successful conclusion of
negotiations, the Commission will incentivise EIF to make a particular effort to ensure that a significant
proportion of final beneficiaries are eco-innovative SMEs and small midcaps.
o
Climate-Change Window (CCW) [from late 2014]
This sub-facility targets R&I-driven SMEs and small midcaps requiring loans of between
€25,000 and €7.5 million who are either suppliers and developers of climate-friendly
innovations (commercially available or near-to-market) or end-users of such innovations. A
loan of more than €7.5 million will be considered on a case-by-case basis. To be eligible as
final beneficiaries, R&I-driven SMEs and small midcaps must satisfy 'climate-friendly' criteria
that will be specified by the services of the Commission before the launch of the CCW. The
facility will be delivered by financial intermediaries (the same as those selected to implement
the 'SMEs & Small Midcaps R&I Loans Service'), who will extend the actual loans to final
beneficiaries. Financial intermediaries will be guaranteed against a proportion of their
potential losses by EIF.
o
Joint Guarantee Instruments for R&I-intensive SMEs and Small Midcaps
These instruments are part of a proposed EU ‘SME Finance Initiative’ that will use funds from
COSME, Horizon 2020 and interested European Structural & Investment Funds (ESIF)
programmes combined with resources from EIB and EIF. The joint instruments aim to enable
Member States and regions to channel significant amounts of ESIF through the 'SMEs & Small
Midcaps R&I Loan Service'. Member States and regions may choose to deliver part of their
operational programmes by allocating national or regional programme contributions in this
way, with disbursements geographically linked to contributions. The joint instruments may
take the form of joint portfolio guarantees or joint securitisation operations for the benefit of
R&I-intensive SMEs and small midcaps.
Horizon 2020 guide

Irish Regions Brussels Office
January 2014
Equity Facility for R&I
This facility succeeds and refines the GIF-1 scheme under the 2007-2013 CIP, and is part of a single
equity financial instrument supporting the growth of enterprises and their R&I activities. It is designed
to improve access to risk finance by early-stage R&I-driven SMEs and small midcaps through
supporting early-stage risk capital funds that invest, on a predominantly cross-border basis, in
individual enterprises. The COSME programme's Equity Facility for Growth (EFG) complements this
facility. The EIF will make and manage equity investments into risk-capital funds and will be able to
invest in a wide range of financial intermediaries, including those cooperating with business angels.
The funds concerned will make VC and quasi-equity (including mezzanine capital) early-stage
investments in enterprises, which are likely to be mainly SMEs. In the case of multi-stage funds (i.e.,
covering both early- and growth-stage investments), funding can be provided pro-rata from this
facility and COSME's growth-stage equity facility, EFG. The facility is demand-driven, with no prior
allocations between sectors, countries or regions. However, subject to the successful conclusion of
negotiations, the Commission will incentivise EIF to make a particular effort to ensure that a significant
proportion of final beneficiaries are eco-innovative SMEs and small midcaps.
o
Piloting Co-Investments by Business Angels in Innovative ICT Firms [from 2015]
This pilot scheme will co-finance investments by business angels in innovative SMEs and small
midcaps that are aiming to commercialise new ICT-related products and services. Potential
co-investors include family offices and equity crowd-funders. The domains of photonics,
microelectronics, microsystems and robotics, and also the ICT-related creative industries, will
receive particular attention. The scheme might operate through a fund set up as a dedicated
investment vehicle. Co-financed investments, made as a rule on the basis of an equal sharing
of risks and rewards, will take the form of equity and, potentially, other forms of risk capital.
ICT-related investments should represent at least 50 per cent of the total investments made.
The Commission will incentivise the entity entrusted with implementing the pilot to make a
particular effort, including targeted awareness-raising, to ensure that a significantly higher
proportion of investments are ICT-related.

Technology Transfer Financing Facility Pilot [from 2015]
This pilot facility will co-finance investments made by existing technology transfer (TT) funds and
vehicles. It will focus on TT undertaken via the creation of new companies and the licensing of
intellectual property (IP), and concentrate on the proof-of-concept, development and early
commercialisation stages of the TT process. It builds on experience gained from the Technology
Transfer Pilot (TTP) implemented in 2007-2013 by the EIF and from the investments in TT funds made
by EIF under GIF-1 in the CIP. Co-financed investments will take the form of equity and other forms of
risk capital, particularly convertible loans or mezzanine finance. Where possible, these investments
will themselves be made alongside matching funds from the EIB and/or EIF as risk-sharing partners on,
as a rule, an equal-risk, equal rewards basis. It is complemented by a capacity-building and networking
measure, call for proposal CBTT-1-2014 (see below).
Call: CAPACITY-BUILDING in TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER

CBTT-1-2014: Capacity-Building in Technology Transfer
In order to maximise the usefulness of the outputs of the technology transfer (TT) process in bringing
promising R&D results to market via spin-outs or licensing, TT offices in universities, research institutes
and other public research organisations, and TT funds need to be brought together with
encouragement and, where appropriate, incentivisation applied to foster sharing of expertise and best
practices. Proposals under this topic should take account of the a) TT landscape, players and dynamics
in the EU Member States and b) the supply and demand of TT expertise in addressing:
Horizon 2020 guide
Irish Regions Brussels Office
January 2014
1) Development of a capacity-building strategy and consequent implementation plan that makes
use of techniques such as (but not necessarily limited to) secondments, coaching, mentoring,
workshops, courses, training materials, social media and other forms of exchanging and
transferring best practices.
2) The validation of the implementation plan by stakeholders.
3) The execution of the implementation plan.
The approach taken should complement and ideally build on or integrate with existing capacitybuilding schemes at EU, regional and national levels. The proposal should also address how best to
monitor and possibly adapt the scheme in the light of experience. Proposers must have and must
demonstrate deep knowledge of the TT domain with proven experience in the field, and also
significant experience of capacity-building.
Deadline: 15 April
Call: BOOSTING the INVESTMENT-READINESS OF SMEs and SMALL MIDCAPS

BIR-1-2014: Boosting the Investment-Readiness of SMEs and Small Midcaps
In order to boost technology transfer and the commercialisation of R&I in Europe, efforts are
required to facilitate better interaction of potential early-stage investors with innovative SMEs and
small midcaps participating in FP7 or Horizon 2020 (‘SME Instrument’). As well as preparing firms and
entrepreneurs to negotiate more effectively with such investors, such moves would better inform
investors about the technologies and applications in question and their commercialisation potential.
Proposals under this topic should address:
1)
A survey of the major investment-readiness (training and pitching events) schemes in
Europe.
2)
An analysis building on and reinforcing the outcome of these schemes.
3)
The training of entrepreneurs (as the key focus of this action) and the sensitisation of
investors.
4)
The planning and execution of pitching events.
5)
Strategies for involving a wide range of early-stage investors, including, at minimum,
business angels, family offices and venture capitalists.
The main domains attracting equity investments for research and innovation — such as cleantech,
ICT and medtech — should be targeted, along with a generic approach to other domains. Proposers
must be able to demonstrate a significant track-record in the investment-readiness field and also indepth knowledge of early-stage investment.
Deadline: 15 April
‘Access to Risk Finance’ - Work Programme 2014-2015
Horizon 2020 guide
Irish Regions Brussels Office
January 2014
SECTION 4
Cross-cutting Themes
4.i)
Calls: ‘Spreading excellence and widening participation’
‘Spreading excellence and widening participation’ is a cross-cutting theme to ensure that Member States’ R&I
potential is fully engaged and exploited by the programme’s activities in order to close the innovation divide
between regions. This includes developing mutually reinforcing synergies between Horizon 2020 activities on
the one hand and investment as provided under the European Structural & Investment Funds on the other,
with outputs from either funding source feeding into the other’s project pipeline in a joined-up sense. For
example, regional (ERDF) programmes include research and innovation (mainly infrastructure development
and support and advisory services for businesses) among their set of themes and these resources could be
used to enable future Horizon 2020 bids (ESF actions could similarly finance innovation skills development) or
to deploy the results of previous FP7/Horizon 2020 research projects through knowledge and technology
transfer to firms with the capacity to undertake commercial innovation activities. Complementarities are
especially sought in line with the focus of any ‘smart specialisation strategies’ devised with Ireland’s use of
ERDF in mind to bolster areas of recognised place-based competitive industrial advantage.
Call: TEAMING
Budget: €11.85 million in 2014
 WIDESPREAD-2014-1: Teaming
In order to address geographical structural disparities in European research and innovation which
leave some regions lagging behind in terms of engaging in innovative growth or building on newly
developed capabilities, ‘’Teaming’’ will involve the pairing of an (public or private) institution of
recognised excellence with a partner organisation from a low-performing Member State (e.g. a
national or regional authority or research agency operating at this level). The latter category will be
able to use the opportunity to develop or upgrade centres of excellence.
Deadline: 17 September
Call: ERA Chairs
Budget: €33.6 million in 2014

WIDESPREAD-2014-2: ERA Chairs
ERA (European Research Area) Chairs actions will create the appropriate conditions and opportunities
to enable the career mobility of high-quality researchers and research managers by allowing them to
work on a full-time basis with educational institutions, particularly in under-performing Member
States, which can demonstrate a definite unrealised potential in a particular field which reflects the
relevant regional/national strategy for smart specialisation. The engagement of an ERA Chair holder
and establishment of a research team should serve the strategic goals of significantly improving the
quality of the institution’s research activity performance - thereby modifying the regional research and
innovation landscape in a sustainable manner.
Deadline: 15 October
‘Spreading Excellence and Widening Participation’ Work Programme 2014-2015
Horizon 2020 guide
Irish Regions Brussels Office
4.ii)
January 2014
Calls: ‘Science with and for Society’
Under the ‘Science with and for Society’ measure, activities will seek to increase public engagement with R&I
and to look into issues such as gender equality in research, researcher career development, science education
and the dissemination of scientific results.
Call: INTEGRATING SOCIETY IN SCIENCE AND INNOVATION
Budget: €10.3 million in 2014 and €22 million in 2015.
Topic of possible relevance to the Irish local and regional government sector:
 ISSI-1-2014: Pan-European public outreach: exhibitions and science cafés engaging citizens in science
This topic will allow for the organisation of public outreach exhibitions and participatory events to
engage citizens (multiple publics of children, youth, women, adults, and other relevant stakeholders)
in science. These should be adapted to local/regional conditions (i.e. use of relevant case-studies) and
draw on the experience and capacity of science museums, Higher Education Institutions, scientific
centres of excellence and innovation hubs, cities of scientific culture (e.g. building on the FP7 PLACES
initiative), as well as grassroots ‘’creative reuse’’ community movements, secondary schools, higher
education centres, NGOs and civil society organisations, local public authorities and other relevant
stakeholders. Alongside the exhibitions, the proposals shall also establish regular 'science cafés' in
informal settings, during which emerging science and technology issues can be debated, engaging
citizens and other relevant experts and local actors. This should particularly allow for the take-up and
further development of information and training material developed by the FP7 project ‘Responsible
Research and Innovation (RRI) Toolkit’.
Deadline: 2 October
This call will be repeated as ‘’ISSI-1-2015’’ with a 16 September 2015 deadline.
‘Science with and for Society’ - 2014-2015 Work Programme