Horizon 2020: Energy + bioeconomy

Horizon 2020 is the financial instrument implementing the Innovation Union, a Europe 2020 flagship initiative aimed at securing Europe’s global competitiveness. Running from 2014 to 2020 with a budget of just over €70 billion, the EU’s new programme for research and innovation is part of the drive to create new growth and jobs in Europe.

Horizon 2020 provides major simplification through a single set of rules. It will combine all research and innovation funding currently provided through the Framework Programmes for Research and Technical Development, the innovation related activities of the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP) and the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT).

Horizon 2020 will tackle societal challenges by helping to bridge the gap between research and the market by, for example, helping innovative enterprise to develop their technological breakthroughs into viable products with real commercial potential. This market-driven approach will include creating partnerships with the private sector and Member States to bring together the resources needed.

Horizon 2020 is designed around 3 priorities for Europe:

Excellent science.
Industrial leadership.
Societal challenges.

We have identified that the bioenergy sector is represented in the Societal Challenges (SC), specifically in the following (not-definitive names):

SC2: Food Security, Sustainable Agriculture and Forestry, Marine, Maritime and Inland Water Research and the Bio-Economy.
SC3: Secure, clean and efficient energy.

Unlike the 7th Framework Programme (7FP), Horizon 2020 Work Programmes –WP– will be biennial, i.e., there will be a Work Programme every 2 years. Inside this WP we will be able to find the topics and when will they be financed, if the first, the second or both years. For example, a topic of the first WP 2014-2015 can be applied in 2014, in 2015 or in 2014 and 2015.

The first call of both Societal Challenges will be published on December 11. There are some events that will be held in Spain and Europe in order to explain how Horizon 2020 Works and where information about the calls 2014-2015 will be given.

Below you can fing a table that sumes up relevant information, events y dates regarding to SC2: Bioeconomy and SC3 Energy.

	*Societal Challenge 2: BIOECONOMY*	*Societal Challenge 3: ENERGY*
Publication 1st draft	From 19 November 2013. (Update: availabe here)	From 19 November 2013. (Update: availabe here)
Publicación 1st call	11 December 2013	11 December 2013
Close dates	Not availabel yet, probably from March 2014. (Update: fisrt close date 12 March)	Not availabel yet, probably from March 2014. Will depend on the topic.
Calls WP (Working *Program)* 2014-2015	Biennial WP, topics under the followinf calls: Sustainable Food Security. Blue Growth: Unlocking the potential of Seas and Oceans. Innovative, Sustainable and Inclusive Bioeconomy.	Biennial WP, topics under the followinf calls: Energy Efficiency. Competitive Low-Carbon Energy. Smart Cities and Communities.
*Spanish infoday* in CDTI	10 December 2013. More info here.	date not fixed, probably 16 or 17 December 2013. More info here.
*Infoday* en Bruselas	17 January 2014. More info here.	5 December 2013 (inscription opened until 28 Novemebr). More info here. Furthermore, there will be on 6 December 2013 a Brokerage Event. More info here.
*Spanish autonomic infodays*	Various infodays are envisaged: Galicia (November), Andalucía (December), Castilla y León (January), Murcia (January), Navarra (info not availabe yet).	Not availabel yet (maybe infodays in January in Andalucía, Cataluña and Comunidad Valenciana).

It is very important to attend to these Infodays and Brokerage events, because it is a good oportunity to search for partners. Furthermore, we recommend to register as soon as posible, because this kind of events are full son (a hint that they are indeed very important for the science-technology-industry sector).

More information can be found in the European Commision website about Horizon 2020.