Duurzame ontwikkeling

The Overall objectives of this Call for Proposals are to improve science and technology research to contribute to African sustainable development through:

 innovatively and sustainably  building Africa’s research capacities through direct funding of the AU Science and Technology Policy, particularly the implementation of the Consolidated Plan of Action (CPA) and its lighthouse projects; and

 enhancing intra-regional scientific research collaboration and cooperation that contributes to Africa’s sustainable development

 The Specific objective of this Call for Proposals is to award grants to finance research projects in the fields of (a) Post-harvest and Agriculture, (b) Renewable and Sustainable Energy, or (c) Water and Sanitation. It is highly envisaged that the deployment and the improvement of science and technology research in these challenging areas will effectively contribute to Africa’s poverty reduction strategies, economic growth and social development efforts.

The impact and expected results on the specific objectives of this Call for Proposal addressed by the main axis research actions are:

­ Enhanced Food security and Food safety;

­ Better adapted renewable and sustainable energy technologies; and

­ Improved integrated water resources and waste management

Following the Communication 'Towards Joint Programming in Research: working together to  tackle  common  challenges  more  effectively', the Commission has  been  encouraging Member States  to pursue common visions and strategic research agendas in the domains identified by the High Level Group for Joint Programming (GPC)  as suitable for new Joint Programming Initiatives (JPIs).

The  Commission  has  decided  to  facilitate,  by  funding  dedicated  coordination actions, the JPIs which have reached a satisfactory level of maturity testified by:
a)  Adoption of a challenge-oriented problem-solving approach, backed by a solid and firm  commitment  by  participating  Member  States  or  Associated  Countries,  which should include also provision of adequate human and financial resources.
b)  Development of a Strategic Research Agenda that, on the basis of an up-to-date mapping  of  research  activities  in  the  concerned  areas,  should  have  identified  at least  a  limited  number  of  measurable  scientific-technological  or  socio-economic objectives,  translating  the  challenge  into  operational  terms,  supported  by  an appropriate analysis of their relevance in relation to the addressed challenge and
innovation potential. 
c)  The  presence  of  a  governance  system  commensurate  to  the  tasks,  involving  the participating organisations at an appropriate level.
d)  The European added value of the proposal be justified in terms of its scale, scope, increased effectiveness and/or cost savings potentially achieved.

The Commission foresees to sustain the overall coordination and capacity-building process of the concerned JPIs, with the initial aim of shortening the time required to reach the implementation phase and then allow the adoption of effective and efficient methods of collaboration.

Cooperation Specific Programme:

1. HEALTH
2.3 Translational research in major infectious diseases: to confront major threats to public health (HEALTH-2012.2.3.1-1)
Coordination action in support to the Joint Programming Initiative on 'The microbial challenge – An emerging threat to human health

6. ENVIRONMENT
6.1 Coping with
climate change (ENV.2012.6.1-6) Coordination action in support to the Joint Programming Initiative on 'Connecting Climate Knowledge for Europe'

6.3 Improving resource efficiency (ENV.2012.6.3-5)
Coordination action in support to the Joint Programming Initiative on 'Water Challenges for a Changing world'

Capacities Specific Programme:

3. REGIONS OF KNOWLEDGE
3.2 Support to Joint Programming (REGIONS-2012.2)
Coordination action in support to the Joint Programming Initiative on 'Urban Europe - Global Urban Challenges, Joint European Solutions'

The objectives:
The first objective (under Priority 1) is to promote the development of an integrated and  environmentally  friendly  transport  system.  This  will  include studies  and  works for  inter-modal  platforms  and  the  interconnection  nodes  of  different  modes  of transport,  with  the  objective  of  increasing the contribution of 'low  carbon' transport modes to freight transport.

The  second  objective  (under  Priority  2)  is  to  promote  infrastructure  development contributing to mitigation and adaptation to climate change, through studies and the preparation  of  deployment  projects  facilitating  the  introduction  and  use  of  new technologies  and  alternative  fuels,  as  well  as  through  studies  and  works  supporting the reduction of the impact of maritime transport on air pollution.

The third objective (under Priority 3) is to accelerate/facilitate the implementation of TEN-T  projects,  with  the  aim  of  creating  a  mature  project  pipeline  for  2014  and beyond. This will include studies for all modes and works for mature projects in the rail,  road,  ports  and  inland  waterways  sectors,  and  projects  aiming  at  European network benefits in support of the Single European Sky (SES) policy.

The fourth objective (under Priority 4) is to increase the involvement of the private sector in the development and financing of Union-supported transport infrastructure projects,  notably  through  the  implementation  of  Public-Private  Partnerships  (PPPs). The priority seeks to support the feasibility analysis of a PPP arrangement as part of early-  stage  project  development  as  well  as  to  assist  more  mature  projects,  having already chosen a PPP arrangement as their preferred structure, to continue to develop the PPP.

The fifth objective (under Priority 5) is to support the long term implementation of the  TEN-T  network,  in  particular  the  development  of  corridors  that shall enable a coordinated implementation of the  network, by  supporting projects embedding multimodal aspects, investment options and efficient managerial structures. 

The priority issues in strengthening the competitiveness of Croatian SME’s involve:

• Investments in technologies and production methods related to introduction of energy efficiency and eco standards (including renewable sources of energy) in production processes 

• Establishment and incorporation of procedures for testing and certification of products in order to ensure compliance with International Quality standards including investment in know-how, licences, introduction of eco labels, preparation of technical specifications for eco products, etc.

The global objective of this Call for Proposals is to increase SME competitiveness 

The specific objectives of this Call for Proposals are:

 to provide productive investments in technologies and production methods and/or improve business efficiency for Croatian SMEs

 to promote green economy, energy efficiency and eco standards in production processes and increase development potential for new and competitive products in compliance with eco and other international standard

Opgepast! 2-stapsprocedure

The objectives of the SWITCH-Asia Programme covered by this Call for Proposals are the following:

The global objective is to contribute to both economic prosperity and poverty reduction in Asia, as well as to the mitigation of climate change, through promoting sustainable growth.

The specific objective is to promote sustainable production (i.e. development of less polluting and more resource efficient products, processes and/or services) and sustainable consumption patterns and behaviour in Asia, through an improved understanding and strengthened cooperation between Europe and Asia, and within Asia, notably by mobilizing the private sector, i.e. SMEs, retailers, intermediary producer and consumer organisations, and financial sector organisations, along with relevant public sector authorities. 

The priorities issues of this SWITCH-Asia Call for Proposals are the following:

1) Implementation of SCP practices at the SME level with tangible and measurable environmental improvements;

2) Establishment and/or implementation of a strong replication mechanism, capable of engaging into SCP practices the majority of SMEs in the target area or sector;

3) Involvement of commercial organisations (e.g. retailers, multi-national corporations), financial institutions and governmental departments (as associates);

4) Actions addressing SCP issues in Least Developed Countries (LDC).

In combination with the priority issues identified above this call will also encourage activities aimed at the facilitation of access to "green finance" by the SMEs in the target areas and sectors.

SWITCH-Asia projects to be selected under this Call for Proposals will have the following focus:

The Programme aims at identifying and scaling up successful SCP practices in Asia in order to induce a systematic change in consumption and production patterns. It seeks to enhance the uptake of SCP by:

1) Working on both production and consumption;

2) Employing a multi-stakeholder approach with strong and intensive working relationships with SMEs;

3) Building upon existing structures and networks; and

4) Up-scaling results achieved in earlier conducted pilot-type projects.

The SWITCH-Asia Programme is expected to achieve the following results:

1) Reduce the environmental and social cost of production and consumption

i) Increased use of environmentally-friendly technologies and practices by SMEs;

ii) Increased development/diversification/production and consumption of "green" and “fair’ products;

iii) Improved overall resource efficiency and reduced greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions.

2) Move SCP practices from demonstration to replication

i) Improved capacity of Asian business intermediaries;

ii) Increased partnerships between SMEs and organisations with SCP "pull" potential (such as financial institutions, SMEs business partners or individual/private/public consumers)

iii) Increased relative share of environmentally-friendly products and technologies in the EU-Asia and intra-Asia trade.

3) Norm shift in policy-making towards sustainability

i) Strengthened SCP-related regulatory framework, including business-related environment on environmental/SCP issues;

ii) Demonstrate effective policy instruments.

The major beneficiaries are:

(i) Intermediary (business) organisations and networks (e.g. chambers of commerce and industry associations);

(ii) Not-for-profit organisations aiming at pursuing sustainable development, and

(iii) Governmental institutions, both at the regional and local level.

The major target groups are:

(i) Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) which are the main beneficiaries of the improved environmental practices, technologies and management processes;

(ii) Consumer organisations and consumer (groups) who will benefit from better-quality and environmentally friendly products;

(iii) Government bodies responsible for policy formulation and implementation.

Opgepast: 2-stapsprocedure!

The objective of the Intelligent Energy - Europe II Programme (“IEE II”) is to contribute to secure, sustainable and competitively priced energy for Europe, by providing for action1:

• to foster energy efficiency and the rational use of energy resources;

• to promote new and renewable energy sources and to support energy diversification;

• to promote energy efficiency and the use of new and renewable energy sources in transport.

In operational terms the Intelligent Energy - Europe Programme aims to: 

a) provide the elements necessary for the improvement of sustainability, the development of the potential of cities and regions, as well as for the preparation of the legislative measures needed to attain the related strategic objectives; develop the means and instruments to follow up, monitor and evaluate the impact of the measures adopted by the EU and its Member States in the fields addressed by the Programme;

b) boost investment across Member States in new and best performing technologies in the fields of energy efficiency, renewable energy sources and energy diversification, including in transport, by  bridging the gap between the successful demonstration of innovative technologies and their effective, broad market uptake in order to attain leverage of public and private sector investment, promote key strategic technologies, bring down costs, increase market experience and contribute to reducing the financial risks and other perceived risks and barriers that hinder this type of investment;  

c) remove the non-technological barriers to efficient and intelligent patterns of energy production and consumption by promoting institutional capacity building at, inter alia, local and regional level, by raising awareness, notably through the educational system, by encouraging exchanges of experience and know-how among the main players concerned, business and citizens in general and by stimulating the spread of best practices and best available technologies, notably by means of their promotion at EU level.

Intelligent Energy - Europe covers action in the following fields:

Energy efficiency and rational use of energy resources (SAVE), including:

• improving energy efficiency and the rational use of energy, in particular in the building and industry sectors;

• supporting the preparation and application of legislative measures. 

In 2012 SAVE will cover the three following Key Actions:

• Industrial excellence in energy: for actions to increase the competitiveness of European small and medium size enterprises (SME's) by empowering them to save energy. 

• Consumer behaviour: for actions to help transform the market towards more energy-efficient products and systems, and change the behaviour of consumers. 

• Energy Services: for actions to increase market transparency and confidence for all market actors, to develop the energy services market for small consumers and to empower households to ensure the effectiveness of smart meters.

New and renewable energy resources (ALTENER), including:

• promoting new and renewable energy sources for centralised and decentralised production of electricity, heat and cooling, and thus supporting the diversification of energy sources;

• integrating new and renewable energy sources into the local environment and the energy systems;

• supporting the preparation and application of legislative measures.

ALTENER projects may include one or more of the following Key Actions:

• Electricity from renewable energy sources (RES-e): for actions to increase the share of renewable electricity in Europe’s final energy consumption.

• Bioenergy: for actions promoting increased production and use of biomass, bio-liquids and biogasin energy markets.

Energy in transport (STEER) to promote energy efficiency and the use of new and renewable energies sources in transport, including

• supporting initiatives relating to all energy aspects of transport and the diversification of fuels;

• promoting renewable fuels and energy efficiency in transport;

• supporting the preparation and application of legislative measures.

In 2012 STEER will cover the two following Key Actions:

• Energy-efficient transport: for actions to reduce the demand for travel by car and transport by road freight, and to shift travel and transport to more efficient transport modes.

• Clean and energy-efficient vehicles: for actions to help transform the market towards more energy-efficient vehicles, supporting and complementing the recent legislation in this area. 

The Key Action on Capacity-building and learning on energy aspects of transport is closed. 

Integrated initiatives combining several of the above specific fields or relating to certain EU priorities. They may include actions integrating energy efficiency and renewable energy sources in several sectors of the economy and/or combining various instruments, tools and actors within the same action or project. Actions supported in the framework of the IEE II programme have a significant impact at European level, a high profile and the broadest

For the work programme 2012 the following five integrated initiatives are proposed:

1. Energy-efficient public spending initiative: new initiative, responding to the emphasis set by the Energy Efficiency Plan on the spending of public bodies (integrated initiative relevant to both SAVE and STEER)

2. Local energy leadership: targeted capacity building of multipliers in relation to sustainable energy action plans, continuation from previous years (SAVE, ALTENER, STEER)

3. Mobilising local energy investment: technical assistance for public bodies to prepare bankable sustainable energy projects (SAVE, ALTENER, STEER)

4. Energy efficiency and renewable energy in buildings: energy performance certificates, nearlyzero energy renovations and compliances are the keywords of this year's priorities (SAVE and ALTENER).

5. Build Up Skills: last opportunity for setting up national qualification platforms and roadmaps (Pillar I) and first opportunities to submit proposals for concrete qualification schemes (Pillar II).

Deze oproep tot het indienen van voorstellen wordt in februari 2012 gepubliceerd. 

Meer info over prioriteiten alvast in het werkrpogramma 2012 van DG Milieu:  http://www.vleva.eu/nieuws/werkprogramma-2012-voor-financieringsmogelijkheden-inzake-milieu-dg-env

Met het programma Marco Polo II (2007-2013) wordt getracht het vrachtvervoer over de weg te vervangen door meer milieuvriendelijke middelen van vervoer. Het vrachtvervoer over de weg maakt vooral gebruik van fossiele brandstoffen, die in belangrijke mate verantwoordelijk zijn voor de productie van CO2. Bovendien lijdt dit vervoer steeds meer onder verkeersopstoppingen. De oplossing moet gezocht worden in het gecombineerd vervoer, dat zich meer bedient van de bestaande infrastructuur en dat het maritiem vervoer over korte afstand (de korte vaart), het spoorwegvervoer en de binnenvaart opneemt in de logistieke keten.

De publicatie van de subsidieoproep is voorzien voor begin oktober. De oproep sluit af op 16 januari 2012. Meer informatie vindt u nu reeds in de documenten van de infodag van 13 september 2011 (http://ec.europa.eu/transport/marcopolo/events/european-info-day-2011_en.htm).

Maatregel 1: Actieve natuur- en landschapszorg en ontsluiting

De Plaatselijke Groep heeft voor deze maatregel een budget van € 420 648,63 aan Leadersteun ter beschikking (€ 24 109,77 op jaartranche 2010,  € 121 632,14 op jaartranche 2011, € 129 079,64 op jaartranche 2012 en € 145 827,08 op jaartranche 2013).

Maatregel 2: Duurzame ontwikkeling van de regio's door het verkleinen van de kloof tussen landbouwer en plattelandsgebruikers

De Plaatselijke Groep heeft voor deze maatregel een budget van € 300 913,56 aan Leadersteun ter beschikking (€ 448,82 op jaartranche 2010,  € 73 595,08 op jaartranche 2011, € 129 079,64 op jaartranche 2012 en € 49 752,96 op jaartranche 2013).

De PG beoogt vooral hefboomprojecten met een economische finaliteit en een innovatief karakter. Onder een hefboomproject dient te worden verstaan een project met een multiplicatoreffect, een bovenlokale uitstraling en dat imagoversterkend en identiteitsbepalend is voor de regio.  Samenwerking tussen actoren van eenzelfde sector als tussen actoren van verschillende sectoren evenals duurzaamheid zijn andere aspecten waaraan de PG bijzonder veel belang hecht.

ESPON is het Europees Observatienetwerk voor territoriale ontwikkeling en cohesie. Het ondersteunt de ontwikkeling van het cohesiebeleid van de EU. ESPON wordt medegefinancierd door het Europees Fonds voor Regionale Ontwikkeling in het kader van Doelstelling 3 voor Europese territoriale samenwerking, alsook door 31 landen (27 EU-lidstaten en IJsland, Liechtenstein, Noorwegen en Zwitserland).