Deadline: 06-Oct-21
European Commission is calling for proposals for Improving Understanding of and Engagement in Bio-Based Systems with Training and Skills Development.
Scope
- Improved and informed governance including social innovation contributes to reducing resource consumption and results in an increased innovation capacity of all actors, and reducing the risk of leaving anyone behind.
- This should take into account the need to promote social engagement, supporting the permanent learning and re-training, in the area of bio-based economy.
- This needs to take into account local specificities, such as the sustainable biological resources available (both traditional materials such as wood, cork or straw), but also innovations such as sustainable bio-textiles, bio-composites, 3-D printed biomaterials, recycled agro-food residues etc.
- This also helps to advance innovation and awareness including on social level, looking on the role of design, arts and culture, as technological capacities.
- The improved understanding of the social attitudes in diverse European regions forms an important part of this action.
Funding Information
Grant amount is equal to or greater than EUR 500 000 except for:
- public bodies (entities established as a public body under national law, including local, regional or national authorities) or international organisations; and
- cases where the individual requested grant amount is not more than EUR 60 000 (lowvalue grant).
Expected Outcomes
Projects results are expected to contribute to all of the following expected outcomes:
- Creation of guidelines for training and mentoring programmes in specific European regions and local communities, on knowledge and skills useful in the bioeconomy, and in particular bio-based sectors.
- Increased awareness, understanding and engagement of all actors (especially stakeholders involved in adult learning, retraining and skills’ development) with focus on co-creation, and social innovation.
- Support to the local balanced local potentials and innovation (in terms of feedstock, infrastructures, capacities) within the framework of local development and investment as well as fostering sustainability-driven policy.
- Integration of the opportunities created by the human-centric principles, offered by art, culture and (eco)-design, in respect to the bio-based feedstocks, including traditional and novel biological materials.
- Support to the feedback loops from the society to the policy makers, by developing the best practice guidelines for local operators and innovation developers, supporting climate-neutrality and low environmental footprint improvements of bio-based products and services;
- Development of skills leading to the novel business models and related social measures to enable consumers, industry and public bodies to switch to socially and environmentally responsible behaviour within their choices (e.g. regulatory measures, corporate responsibility initiatives, education); ensuring synergies, transparency and inclusiveness of all actors.
Eligibility Criteria
- Any legal entity, regardless of its place of establishment, including legal entities from non-associated third countries or international organisations (including international European research organisations) is eligible to participate (whether it is eligible for funding or not), provided that the conditions laid down in the Horizon Europe Regulation have been met, along with any other conditions laid down in the specific call topic.
- A ‘legal entity’ means any natural or legal person created and recognised as such under national law, EU law or international law, which has legal personality and which may, acting in its own name, exercise rights and be subject to obligations, or an entity without legal personality.
- To be eligible for funding, applicants must be established in one of the eligible countries, i.e:
- the Member States of the European Union, including their outermost regions;
- the Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) linked to the Member States;
- eligible non-EU countries:
- countries associated to Horizon Europe
- low- and middle-income countries
For more information, visit https://bit.ly/2SO2CGC