Funding. New Community Programmes Promoting Environmental Technologies

The Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme
The Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP) aims to encourage the competitiveness of European enterprises. With small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) as its main target, the programme will support innovation activities (including eco-innovation), provide better access to finance and deliver business support services in the regions. It will encourage a better take-up and use of information and communications technologies (ICT) and help to develop the information society. It will also promote the increased use of renewable energies and energy efficiency. You will find more information about CIP under the link:
http://ec.europa.eu/cip/index_en.htm

Eco-innovation in CIP - making sustainable development become a business reality
Innovative products, processes and services aiming at reducing environmental impacts, preventing pollution or achieving a more efficient and responsible use of natural resources will be supported. For more information on instruments available for promotion of eco-innovation, please read 'CIP eco-innovation User Guide' (July 2007).

Call for proposals: Pilot and market replication projects on eco-innovation
Within the framework of the Competitiveness and Innovation Programme, Eco-innovation supports the first application and further market uptake of some of the best eco-innovative products and services in Europe, and helps overcome those critical barriers that still hamper their commercial success.
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/etap/ecoinnovation/index_en.htm

Seventh RTD Framework Programme (2007-2013)
The proposal for the future Seventh RTD Framework Programme (2007-2013), adopted by the Commission on 6 th April 2005 , dedicates a larger support to the development of environmental technologies. In addition to traditional collaborative research, FP7 should provide support to technology platforms and Joint Technological Initiatives which are large initiatives implemented in public/private partnerships.

Environmental Technologies research is included across different themes of the Framework Programme, in particular in Environment, Energy ant transport.

An important number of projects related to Environmental Technologies have been funded within the Sixth RTD Framework programme.

Starting from June 2004, the calls for proposals under these priorities have made a clear reference to ETAP, so that selected projects contributed to the achievement of ETAP objectives.

The CORDIS website is the best way to keep informed of on-going calls and activities in the research and demonstration fields.

Structural Funds and Cohesion Funds
The regional programmes of these funds can support and facilitate the wide application of technologies when they reach their full-scale development. Check conditions and get information at Inforegio website.

European Investment Bank (EIB)
The European Investment Bank supports research in the framework of its Innovation 2000 initiative.

It has a total budget of 250 million Euros, promoting energy efficiency, new and renewable energy sources, sustainable transport.

Programme Marco Polo
The Programme's objective is to facilitate the shift of freight transport away from the road to rail and sea/rivers.

The programme, which has a budget of €740 million for 2007-2013, has been extended to countries bordering the EU.

Water Initiative
The EU has launched the EU Water Initiative (EUWI) at the World Summit for Sustainable Development (WSSD), Johannesburg, 2002. The EUWI is the EU contribution to meeting the Millennium Development Goals and WSSD targets on water:

• halve by 2015 the proportion of people without access to safe drinking water
• Halve  by 2015 the proportion of people who do not have access to basic sanitation
• Develop integrated water resources management and efficiency plans by 2005

The ACP-EU Water Facility, set up in 2004, provides a useful parallel and complementary mechanism to the EUWI. An allocation of € 500 million was agreed and the two tranches of € 250 million each have been made available.

Energy facility
The European Commission has approved €220 million for the ACP-EU Energy Facility to increase access to modern energy services for people in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific (ACP). It is a funding mechanism that will make it possible to use the leverage effect of development aid resources to attract funding from other financial sources. This is a significant contribution to the EU Energy Initiative for Poverty Eradication and Sustainable Energy that was launched at the World Summit or Sustainable Development in Johannesburg in 2002.