Looking for partners for Horizon2020 project on Smart Specialisation

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PBL (Dutch Environmental Assessment Agency) is a part of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Environment in the Netherlands and has been working in the past couple of years with other partners on the large FP7 project called Smart Specialisation for Regional Innovation. PBL has also created the S3 inter-regional trade tool of the EC Smart Specialisation Platform.

PBL is looking to form a consortium for the new Horizon2020 call that is meant for regional authorities and/or national/regional/local structures responsible for the implementation of Smart Specialisation strategies: CIRC-03-2016: Smart specialisation for systemic eco-innovation/circular economy

Topic Description

Specific Challenge:
Regions are key players in the transition to a circular economy and can together create new circular economy value chains with critical mass. However, knowledge of each other’s strengths and the available resources and services is often limited. Developing joint strategies, built on complementarities and respective strengths, can therefore be valuable for better realising their individual and combined potential.

Scope:
The purpose is to support a transition towards the circular economy in European regions in synergy with Smart Specialisation strategies. A systemic approach should be adopted that seeks connections between sectors, value chains, markets, natural resources and relevant societal actors. The project should develop a coherent EU reference framework enabling and encouraging regions and Member States to establish operational synergies between R&I investments from Horizon 2020 and the European Structural and Investment Funds leading to market uptake and replication of innovative solutions. The developed reference framework should include recommendations for policy makers, in particular in EU Cohesion countries, providing guidance on how to invest European Structural and Investment Funds to support the transition to a circular economy within the context of existing smart specialisation strategies.

Participants must be regional authorities and/or national/regional/local structures responsible for the implementation of Smart Specialisation strategies. The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between EUR 1 million and EUR 1.5 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.