Malta Enterprise is organising information sessions to inform local stakeholders on the upcoming calls of the Competiteness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP), which will start opening in the coming months.
The information sessions, which will take place on November 29th and 30th, 2012 respectively in Gozo and Malta, are aimed at informing stakeholders about the opportunities available through CIP in order to help them prepare their potential participation and start with searching for relevant partners.
The first call is envisaged to open in January and will be targeted at projects to be assisted through the Intelligent Energy Europe Programme (IEE), which supports concrete projects, initiatives and best practices aimed at meeting the ambitious climate change and energy targets that the EU has set for itself.
Amongst others, the IEE fosters energy efficiency and the rational use of energy sources; promotes new and renewable energy sources and energy diversification; and promoting energy efficiency, the use of new as well as renewable energy sources in transport.
Another call will be issued in the ensuing months for projects to be assisted through the CIP’s Information and Communication Technologies Policy Support Programme (ICT-PSP), which is aimed at stimulating a wider uptake of innovative ICT based services and the exploitation of digital content across Europe by citizens, governments and businesses, in particular SMEs.
The focus is placed on driving this uptake in areas of public interest while addressing EU challenges, such as moving towards a low carbon economy or coping with an ageing society. The programme contributes to a better environment for developing ICT based services and helps overcome hurdles such as the lack of interoperability in the EU and market fragmentation.
Later in the year, a call for funding through the European Union's Eco-Innovation programme will be issued. Eco-Innovation is mainly addressed to organisations that have developed an environmental product, service, management practice or process which has a proven track record, yet is not fully marketed due to residual risks.
The Eco-innovation initiative is intended to overcome those barriers to further market penetration and turn these products and processes into Europe's future eco-innovation successes. Applications from SMEs are particularly encouraged, with the European Commission funding up to 50% of the approved projects’ eligible costs.
Managed by the European Commission, the CIP is one of the EU’s centralised competitive funding programmes. Practically any public and private entity can participate - including public bodies, private companies, education establishments, NGOs, associations and SMEs - as long as it has the technical and financial capacity required to meet the particular objectives of the call.
Malta Enterprise hosts the CIP’s local National Contact Point, which provides all the information necessary about the programme and its upcoming calls, guides potential beneficiaries to participate, as well as assists in the search for suitable partners.
Participation in the information session is free of charge but requires prior registration. For more information visit www.cipmalta.com or contact the CIP National Contact Point on [email protected] or 2542 3214.