Investing in European Research - Newsletter

The Water Supply and Sanitation Technology Platform (WSSTP) establishes an international association under Belgian law

WSSTP was created as a consortium consisting of a network of stakeholders with free membership. They decided to establish a non-profit association under Belgian law to improve the ETP governance structure.

To read more:
WSSTP interview

Plants for the Future ETP becomes an organisation with membership fees

After a thorough analysis of the current situation and future opportunities for their sector, the Plants for the Future ETP decided to go for a membership-based platform consisting of all three stakeholder groups: industry, farmers and academia.

The Forestry ETP contributes to developing tools for the sustainable management of forests

What is the impact of climate change, trade patterns or changing lifestyles in forestry management? The EFORWOOD project, launched in 2005 for a duration of 4 years, and carried out with the collaboration of the Forestry ETP, is investing more than 20 million EUR in developing decision support tools for the impact assessment of the European forestry-wood chain.

To read more:
www.eforwood.com

The SusChem ETP joins efforts in catalysis research

The ACENET (Applied Catalysis European NETwork) ERA-NET network unites 12 research organisations from 10 EU countries, working together to coordinate national research programmes and policies on applied catalysis.

The objective of the network is to share good practices and infrastructure, to increase efficiency in research by knowledge-sharing and to make an inventory of training needs for the qualification of young scientists.

The European Technology Platform on Sustainable Chemistry (SusChem) has contributed to this network.

To read more:
http://www.acenet.net/

The ETP on Nanoelectronics contributes to the European Roadmap on infrastructures

The European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI) identifies as a new research infrastructure of pan-european interest the proposed Pan-European Research Infrastructure for NanoStructures (PRINS). PRINS is a part of the Strategic Research Agenda of the ETP on Nanoelectronics (ENIAC).

To read more:
http://www.eniac.eu/web/about/PRINS.php

The Forestry ETP creates a project database

The database will monitor the implementation of the platform's Strategic Research Agenda. It will give European and national stakeholders an overview of planned and ongoing research, and will give greater visibility to the work of researchers.

The database includes projects with a clear connection with the Forestry SRA and a minimum duration and size. Researchers are invited to include their projects in the database.

To read more:
http://www.ftpdatabase.org/

The ETP on Networked and Electronic Media reaches out for global cooperation

At the NEM General Assembly in October 2007 the NEM platform launched a general call for all those NEM participants interested in engaging in international activities, within the framework of its GlobalNEM project. The objective of GlobalNEM is to identify opportunities for collaborative research with experts around the world.

The platform aims at fostering the establishment of cooperation agreements and joint R&D projects with non-EU partners, with a view to influence the development of globally accepted standards and specifications. The platform is developing a position paper on international cooperation.

The SmartGrids ETP develops ideas to reinvent electricity networks

Imagine having an electric car that you can plug in to your home to supply your family with clean energy. Ideas like this are the basis to reinvent the whole electricity ecosystem with a new architecture to enable a secure and sustainable future for Europe.

The European Technology Platform ‘SmartGrids’ has produced a vision for the future of electricity networks. More than 200 experts across Europe have contributed to it, from engineers to business people, from academics to politicians.

To read more:
http://www.smartgrids.eu/?q=node/76

ETPs

The last ETP Leaders Seminar took place on 12 December 2007 in Brussels
The Seminar opened by Research Commissioner J. Potočnik gathered 60 representatives of European Technology Platforms. The discussion focussed on the evolution of ETPs and the financing possibilities offered to them by the European Investment Bank.

Energy

Proposals for 10% biofuels by 2020 to boost jobs and growth as part of EC climate change package
The European Commission has agreed on 23 January 2008 on a far-reaching package of proposals to fight climate change and promote renewable energy. The package seeks to deliver the European Union to reduce greenhouse gases by at least 20% and increases to 20% the share of renewable energies in energy consumption by 2020, as agreed by EU leaders in March 2007. This includes a proposal for 10% use of biofuels in all Member States by 2020.

Knowledge Transfer

Commission urges Member States and public research organisations to better convert knowledge into socio-economic benefits
The European Commission adopted a Recommendation on the management of intellectual property in knowledge transfer activities of universities and other public research organisations. The Recommendation provides public research organisations with operational principles to more effectively manage and exploit intellectual property.

Lead Markets Initiative

A lead market initiative for Europe
The European Commission adopted in December the Communication "A lead market initiative for Europe". The initiative aims at fostering European leadership by improving legislation, encouraging public procurement and developing interoperable standards for a set of selected sectors where European industry could consolidate a competitive advantage in global markets.

The six pilot areas for the policy coordination approach proposed by the lead markets initiative are: eHealth, protective textiles, sustainable construction, recycling, bio-based products and renewable energies.

European Technology Platforms took part in the dialogue prior to drafting this Communication, and some of them have been actively involved in proposing ideas and strategies for concerned sectors.

Standardisation

The European Commission adopts a Communication on the use of standards
The current standardisation models in Europe and at international level are called into question by challenges such as accelerated market cycles, the convergence in technologies and the trend towards global markets. This occurs in the context of growing international competition in standards-setting from emerging powers, who consider standardisation an important strategic asset. Therefore the Commission adopted in March 2008 a Communication on the contribution of standards to innovation.

2007 European Innovation Scoreboard

The 2007 European Innovation Scoreboard, published on 14 February 2008, provides a comparative assessment of innovation performance across EU Member States and major innovating countries worldwide.

Public consultation on the future of the European Research Area

The Green Paper on the European Research Area (ERA) was a first step in launching a broad institutional and public debate on what should be done to create a unified and attractive ERA. The Green Paper generated a substantial response from a broad range of stakeholders, including ETPs. The synthesis report published now by the Commission presents a summary of all the opinions received.

ARTEMISIA
4 June 2008 in Athens, Greece
General Assembly
https://www.artemisia-association.org/upcoming_events

ICT Event 2008, Europe's biggest ICT research event, 25-27 November 2008, Lyon, France
http://ec.europa.eu/ictevent

Forest-based TP
19-21 May 2008 in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia
FTPC5 - The 5th Forest-based Sector Technology Platform Conference
Growing towards the Future – Joint innovation for successful forest-based business in Europe
http://www.ftpc5.si/

Plants for the Future
22-26 June 2008 in Toulon (Côte d'Azur), France
4th EPSO Conference 2008 - Plants for Life
www.epsoweb.org

AENEAS
20 May 2008 in Paris, France
General Assembly
http://www.eniac.eu/web/events/upcoming.php

ERTRAC
21-25 April 2008 in Ljubljana, Slovenia
Transport Research Arena Europe 2008
2nd European Road Transport Research Conference of ERTRAC with the European Commission and CEDR
http://www.tra2008.si/

ESTEP
24-25 April 2008, Nantes, France
2nd International Seminar on Society and Materials
ftp://ftp.cordis.europa.eu/pub/estep/docs/sam2_flyer_en.pdf

Smart Grids
5-7 May 2008 in Geneva, Switzerland
European Transmission and Distribution Summit 2008
http://www.td-summit.com/

TP Wind
31 March - 3 April 2008 in Brussels Expo, Belgium
European Wind Energy Conference (EWEC) 2008
http://www.ewec2007.info/

EPoSS
9-10 April 2008 in Barcelona, Spain
Smart Systems Integration 2008, European Conference & Exhibition
http://www.smart-systems-integration.org/public/events/SSI%202008/

Forest Based
19-21 May 2008 in Slovenia
Conference- Growing towards the Future - Joint innovation for successful forest-based business in Europe
http://www.ftpc5.si/

FTC
28-29 May 2008 in Brussels, Belgium
3rd Annual Conference of the EUROPEAN TECHNOLOGY PLATFORM for the Future of the Textiles and Clothing and Public Conference of the LEAPFROG Project.
http://www.euratex.org/content/publicevents.html

HFP
13 – 15 October 2008 in Brussels, Belgium
Fourth European Fuel Cell and Hydrogen General Stakeholders Assembly (FCH·GSA'08)
https://www.hfpeurope.org/hfp/general-assembly-2008

Industrial Safety
11 April 2008 in Barcelona, Spain
3rd General Assembly
http://www.industrialsafety-tp.org/news.aspx?id=87

e-Mobility
16 October 2008 in Stockholm, Sweden
4th General Assembly
http://www.emobility.eu.org/events.html

NEM
13-15 October 2008 in Saint-Malo, France
NEM Summit 2008
http://www.nem-initiative.org/

ZEP Zero-Emission Fossil Fuel Power Plants
8 and/or 9 October 2008 in Brussels, Belgium
3rd General Assembly
http://www.zero-emissionplatform.eu/website/eventcalendar/index.html

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