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EU news and funding bulletin

17th May 2012

The EU news and funding bulletin is a fortnightly newsletter to keep London's businesses informed of key European funding information and business events.

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Funding opportunities
Business events
EU press releases
EU legislation and consultations
Business partners

Funding opportunities

FP7 Funding for research and development

There are 6 open calls for proposals under the Seventh Framework Programme, (FP7). This programme supports collaborative projects which focus on research and development in the following areas:

Food, Agriculture and Fisheries and Biotechnology;
Health;
Information and Communication Technologies (ICT);
Nanosciences, Nanotechnologies, Materials and new Production Technologies;
Energy;
Transport (including Aeronautics);
Socio-Economic Sciences and the Humanities;
General Activities;
Joint Technology Initiatives;
ERC;
Marie Curie Actions;
Activities of International Cooperation;
Nuclear Fission and Radiation Protection;

Contact fp7@gle.co.uk.

Funding for environment and energy projects

Clean Sky funds projects in the following areas: Eco design, green regional aircraft, green rotorcraft, sustainable and green engines, smart fixed wing aircraft, systems for green operations, and technology evaluator projects.

Deadline: 10th July 2012

The Eco-innovation scheme supports Eco-innovative projects in different sectors which aim to prevent or reduce environmental impact, or contribute to the optimal use of resources.

Deadline 6 September 2012

Funding for media projects

The Access to Markets - Annual Contract supports proposals for events and activities, including computer-based information tools, designed to promote European audiovisual works and facilitate access to markets for European professionals.

Deadlines: 1st June 2012

The I2I Audiovisual scheme supports production companies which bear the cost of bank financing and associated insurance and completion bonds. It offers a grant to cover up to 50% of costs, capped at €50, 000 per project.

Projects where the first day of shooting was after 1 December 2011 and at least one of the contracts, with a credit or financial institution, was signed between 1 December 2011 and 6 June 2012 are eligible.

Deadlines: 6 June 2012

The Pilot Projects scheme supports the pilot phase of projects aiming to develop new ways of creating, distributing and promoting European audio-visual content with the use of new, innovative information and communication technologies.

Deadlines: 18 June 2012

The VOD/DCD scheme funds advanced distribution services, integrating where necessary digital security systems in order to protect online content.

Deadlines: 25 June 2012

The £300k Digital Innovation Contest - TV and Film: will provide participants with the opportunity to innovate with some of the TV and film industries' key players.

Deadline: 10 May 2012

Funding for transport projects

The FCH-JU-2012-1 funding call supports Transport and Joint Technology Initiative frameworks. It focuses on transportation and refueling infrastructure, hydrogen production and distribution, stationery power generation and combined heat and power (CHP), early markets and cross-cutting issues.

Deadline: 24th May 2012

Other funding opportunities

TSB New MoD SBRI Competition - Improving the Mobility of Land Forces: the SBRI competition is looking for innovative proposals for technologies to improve the speed, agility and durability of land forces to manoeuvre across the battlefield.

Deadline: 11 July 2012

If you have any questions relating to the above calls contact innovation@gle.co.uk.

Business events

Our events

23 May 2012, Brokerage event: Sustainable Energy Environment Accessibility Construction SEEAC. Please contact europe@londonchamber.co.uk for more details.
1 June 2012, International Exhibition of Western Lithuanian Business Achievements “Best in West”. Please contact rimante.sniuolyte@chambers.lt for more details.
27 June 2012, Kingston University Rose Lecture Series. Professor Dame Kay E. Davies: “Progress in therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy: A reason for optimism”. Please contact innovation@gle.co.uk for more details.
19-21 September 2012, EU-China: Business & Technology Cooperation Fair. Please email Mr Ray Ye at ray_ye@eupic.org.cn for more details.

Our partner's events

30 May 2012, Dynamic Dubai: The World's Most Desirable Business Destination. Please contact afogden@londonchamber.co.uk for more details.
21 June 2012, Gulf Tour to the UK 2012. Please contact rdeb@londonchamber.co.uk for more details.

EU press releases

EU legislation and consultations

Single market

Consultation on the future of European Company Law

Read the EC consultation
The purpose of this consultation is to collect views from all interested stakeholders on the future of European company law.

Consultation on bank accounts

Read the EC consultation
The purpose of this consultation is to gather stakeholders’ views on the need for action and on the possible measures to be taken in relation to the issues of transparency and comparability of bank account fees, bank account switching and access to a basic payment account.

Competition

Review of the Community Guidelines on State Aid to Maritime Transport

Read the EC consultation
The purpose of the present consultation is to invite Member States, other institutions and stakeholders to provide information on industry developments, feedback on the application of the Maritime Guidelines and their effects, as well as any comments and proposals regarding the State aid to maritime transport.

Energy

Financial Support for Energy Efficiency in Buildings

Read the EC consultation
The objective of this consultation is to obtain the views of stakeholders on how the financial support for energy efficiency measures aimed at improving the energy performance of buildings, both at EU as well as at national/regional/local level, could be improved.

Enterprise and Industry

Public consultation on modernisation of trade defence instruments

Read the EC consultation
With this initiative, DG TRADE would like to explore ways on how to modernise its trade defence instruments by drawing on the experience and obtaining the views of all stakeholders.

While the economic environment has changed significantly over the last decade and keeps changing continuously, the rules of the European Union's trade defence instruments (TDI) have remained largely unchanged for more than 15 years.

Trade defence instruments are often the only means that companies have in order to react to unfair international trading practices. At the same time, the application of trade defence instruments can have an impact on users and consumers.

Taking into account the difficult economic environment that companies are presently faced with, DG TRADE considers that the time is right to take stock of the strong and weak points of the current TDI rules, as part of a discussion on whether and if so, how to adapt and improve them in a balanced way, for the benefit of all stakeholders concerned.

Employment and Social Affairs

Consultation on Quality Framework for Traineeships

Read the EC consultation
The objective of the consultation is to gather views about how the quality of traineeships can be enhanced through a framework in order to help young career starters make a smooth transition from education to work.

Consultation on Gender imbalance on corporate boards in the EU

Read the EC consultation
As set out in its Work Programme for 2012, the European Commission is considering a legislative initiative to improve the gender balance in the boards of companies listed on stock exchanges.

This consultation will feed into an assessment of possible EU-level measures to enhance female participation in economic decision-making, which will inform the Commission's decision on whether to propose action and on the form it should take.

Environment

Consultation on policy options for the blueprint to safeguard Europe's waters

Read the EC consultation
The European Commission is asking the public for its views on the most appropriate actions to improve water management in Europe and to safeguard our water resources for all users (consumers, agriculture, industry and nature itself).

The public’s views will help to formulate the policy proposals to be included in a Blueprint to Safeguard Europe’s Water Resources planned for the end of 2012.

Consultation on the EU environment policy priorities for 2020: Towards a 7th EU Environment Action Programme

Read the EC consultation
The purpose of this consultation is to collect the views of all stakeholders, at EU and national level, and the public at large on the environment policy priorities up to 2020.

Informed opinions are sought on the priority areas to be addressed and on the most effective tools for the EU to employ in addressing the challenges described in the consultation document.

Transport

Public consultation on a review of EU passenger ship safety legislation

Read the EC consultation
The safety of passenger ships is regulated at three levels: through International Conventions to which Member States are party (e.g., SOLAS), EU acquis and national law. EU acquis is piecemeal and is found in several different legislative instruments (see the reference documents below).

The rationale behind the main passenger ship safety directive, Directive 2009/45/EC (the former Directive 98/18/EC, now consolidated and codified as Directive 2009/45/EC, recently amended by Directive 2010/36/EU), is that persons using passenger ships and high speed passenger craft throughout the EU should have the right to expect and rely on an appropriate level of safety on board.

The Directive thus aims to set out a common set of safety standards for domestic ships to maintain a common high level of safety and remove potential barriers to the transfer of ships between Member States and the operation of ships in Member State domestic waters.

EU strategy to reduce injuries resulting from road traffic accidents

Read the EC consultation
Reducing the number and the severity of road traffic injuries is one of the strategic objectives outlined in the Policy Orientation on Road Safety 2011-2020 and a priority for EU action. Accordingly, the Commission is developing a comprehensive strategy of action concerning road traffic injuries and emergency services, with the help of all relevant actors.

Initially, it will seek to find a common understanding of definitions and concepts relating to casualties (in particular, the definition of serious and slight injuries), improve data collection and identify courses of action to improve prevention and intervention, including their socio-economic impact.

Media

Assessing State aid for films and other audiovisual works

Health

Call for information on nanosilver: safety, health and environmental effects and role in antimicrobial resistance

Read the EC consultation
The Scientific Committee on Emerging and newly Identified Health Risks (SCENIHR) has received a request for a scientific opinion on Nanosilver: safety, health and environmental effects and role in antimicrobial resistance.

Interested parties are invited to submit any relevant information that could assist the scientific committee with the assessment of the safety, health and environmental effects of nanosilver. In particular, the Scientific Committee is interested in receiving any scientific information related to the "nano" forms of silver.

Public consultation on the modalities of stakeholder consultation in the voluntary Health Technology Assessment network to be established under Directive 2011/24/EU

Read the EC consultation
DG Health & Consumers is launching a stakeholder consultation: "Modalities of stakeholder consultation in the voluntary Health Technology Assessment network to be established under Directive 2011/24/EU".

The Commission consults stakeholders to receive input of interested parties as to how the consultation of stakeholders in the HTA network's activities could be facilitated.

Research and Technology

Public Consultation on an EU initiative to reduce the cost of rolling out high speed communication infrastructure in Europe

Read the EC consultation
High-speed Internet underpins all sectors of the economy and will be the backbone of the Digital Single Market. For every 10% increase in the broadband penetration the economy grows by 1 to 1.5%.

In this context the European Commission is seeking views on how to cut the costs of setting up new networks for high speed internet in the EU. In particular, the Commission wants to explore how to reduce the costs associated with civil engineering, such as the digging up of roads to lay down fibre, and which can account for as much as 80% of the total cost.

The Commission believes it could cut the cost of broadband investments by a quarter. Input is sought from all interested public and private parties including telecoms and utility companies for instance, investors, public authorities and consumers.

On-line public consultation on "Your Voice in Europe"

Read the EC consultation
The Internet of Things holds the promise of significant progress in addressing global and societal challenges and to improve daily life. It is also a highly promising economic sector for sustainability, growth, innovation and employment. But it is likely to have a profound impact on society, in areas like privacy, security, ethics, and liability.

The policy challenge is to assess the right trade-off between the potential economic and societal benefits and the control that we want to retain over an environment where machines will gather, exchange, process and store information automatically.

The effects on our private and public space require that people and their governments debate the appropriate governance and management of the Internet of Things in the future. To this end the European Commission envisions a recommendation addressing the main issues, of which a number are outlined in the questions of the consultation.

Public Consultation on the Access to Interoperability Information of Digital Products and Services

Read the EC consultation
Companies which dominate the ICT sector achieve wide market penetration of their products and services. If their products are incompatible with those of other brands, users feel locked into the dominant company's product range, for fear that any new devices they purchase will not be compatible with their existing equipment.

The Commission will analyse how the market situation could change if the significant market players were legally forced to disclose interoperability information and if necessary will draft Commission Communication or a Directive by 2012.

Confused about how EU legislation affects your business? Any other queries on EU affairs or trans-European matters? Take advantage of our free enquiry service: Phone 020 7489 1992 or mail to europe@londonchamber.co.uk.

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For more information contact the team on 020 7489 1924 or by email at europe@londonchamber.co.uk.