Business and environment in the European Union
Eugene Eteris, Baltic Course, European Studies Faculty
Commission has launched a ? 35 mln tender for projects that „unite“ environmental challenges with the business opportunities to be funded under the Competitiveness and Innovation Programme (Brussels, 13 April 2010). Under the 2010 CIP Eco-innovation call for proposals, funds are available for new projects in the area of materials recycling, sustainable building products, the food and drink sector and green business practices.
CIP Eco-innovation program
With a total budget of around ?200 million over the period 2008-2013, CIP Eco-innovation supports the first application and further market uptake of sustainable solutions that make better use of Europe’s natural resources. CIP Eco-innovation is a green strand of the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP) and a dynamic contributor to the Environmental Technologies Action Plan (ETAP).
Applications are particularly welcome from small businesses with green products or services that need backing to penetrate markets. The call for tenders will run until 9 September 2010. The Commission expects that about 50 projects could end up being chosen for funding.
Commission’s opinion
„The call for innovative projects is a tremendous opportunity for Europe’s entrepreneurial talent to showcase new ideas to reduce our ecological footprint. The CIP Eco-Innovation programme shows that helping the environment makes good business sense, with numerous products and services now demonstrating how competitive growth and environmental protection can go hand in hand“.
Janez Potočnik, European Commissioner for the Environment Issues, Brussels, 13 April 2010.
Innovative projects
The Commission decided that the call for tenders would covers the following four main areas:
Material recycling;
Sustainable building products;
Food and drink sector, and Green business
The call is addressed particularly to SMEs that have developed a green product, process or service that is technically proven but is still struggling to find its place in the market. The call offers direct co-financing with grants that cover up to 50 per cent of the total project cost. The ? 35 mln funds available for the 2010 call are expected to bring to life between 45 and 50 new projects.
The projects are selected on the basis of their innovative approach, their market replication potential and their contribution to European environmental policies, especially in terms of resource efficiency.
Some 44 projects are currently running under the scheme, and another 45 are set to launch in the course of this year. Some project’s examples could include: converting used tires into valuable insulation materials; using bamboo plantations to purify „grey water“ (water that has been used for household washing and bathing); and replacing conventional paper labels with innovative laser technologies.
The 2010 call for proposals was presented in Brussels, 13 April 2010 during the CIP Eco-innovation Info Day taking place in the Charlemagne building in Brussels. The deadline for submissions is 9 September 2010.
Full text at the website of The Baltic Course Business and environment in the European Union
