Info, suggestions, news on EU funded programs and projects world
The TEN-T Info Day 2011 took place in the Borschette Conference Centre in Brussels, Belgium. The event presented the priorities for the 2011 TEN-T Multi-Annual Calls, which focus on:
- ERTMS (European Rail Traffic Management System)
- RIS (River Information Services)
- MoS (Motorways of the Sea)
The Ten-T 2011 InfoDay: very crowded!
Many EU funding programs are focused (and co-finance with different rates eligible costs) on several kinds of research activities. Different components are in them, but a very important difference which need to be well-know first, is the one between Industrial Research and Experimental Development.
INDUSTRIAL RESEARCH – planned research or critical investigation aimed at the acquisition of new knowledge and skills for developing new products, processes or services or for bringing about a significant improvement in existing products, processes or services. It comprises the creation of components of complex systems, which is necessary for the industrial research, notably for generic technology validation, to the exclusion of prototypes as covered by point(g);
EXPERIMENTAL DEVELOPMENT - the acquiring, com- bining, shaping and using of existing scientific, technolo- gical, business and other relevant knowledge and skills for the purpose of producing plans and arrangements or designs for new, altered or improved products, processes or services. These may also include, for example, other activities aiming at the conceptual definition, planning and documentation of new products, processes and services. The activities may comprise producing drafts, drawings, plans and other documentation, provided that they are not intended for commercial use.
Have a look at the EU Commission Information 2006/C 323/01 COMMUNITY FRAMEWORK FOR STATE AID FOR RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT AND INNOVATION for more info…
There’s a new record in town.
Today we entered the EU Funds Hall of Fame by presenting 9 (n-i-n-e) proposal on the 2007-2013 ERDF Regional Operational Programme (Liguria Region POR-FESR Asse 1 – Azione 1.2.2 – Ricerca Industriale e Sviluppo Sperimentale – Bando 2011). This’s been a tough one anyway. More details to come. Special Thanks to the CAP staff Simona Paggini, Loredana Loiacono, Cristina Repetto, Franco Taddei, Alberto Galletto and, of course, Luca Abatello and Alexio Picco. The projects? TOP SECRET. Just a few hints: Nanotechnology for sensors, Environment & Energy, Smart Posters, NFC, RFID, Fashion, Infomobility.
I don’t know whether the projects will be funded or not. Don’t care know … (liar, liar) i only need to fix the struggle in the stone (and to recover from the pizza-in-the-office, low-sleep, too-damn-multitasking cycle).
November 24, 2010 – 4:44 pm
Today i’ve been invited by the Port Authority of La Spezia to join the meeting between the Baden-Württemberg delegation and The Port Authority staff. After a “matching” moment fostered by the Director of the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Munich mr. Alessandro Marino and a briefing on the Transitects project, cofunded by the EU programme Alpine Space, we’ve been hosted by the Contship Group and we’ve been guided through a brief tour at the La Spezia Container Terminal. Here are some pictures.
People: Gisela Blaas – Comsense, Holger Bach and Martin Brandt – Kooperationszentrum Logistik e.V.
Thanks to the Port Authority Staff: ms. Fiorini and ms. Montaresi, mr. Bugliani and mr. Cappi.
November 5, 2010 – 5:25 pm
Published on Ship2Shore.it magazine.
Original ICT logistics stories in Bremen…
The Third European Conference on ICT for Transport Logistics was full of inspiration and case-studies to think about
Thanks to the efficient organization by the Vorarlberg University of Applied Sciences and the Institute of Shipping Economics and Logistics in Bremen, as well as delicious food provided during the coffee breaks, an informal and relaxed mood permeated the Third European Conference on Information Technology for Transport Logistics, held in Bremen on november 4-5, fostering free association and discussion, à la brainstorming/networking event. Noted the close relationship between European Commission officers and stakeholders in a pure “lobbying-mode”, private companies such as Procter & Gamble and Unilever have warmed conversation on several topics, from a broader significance of the Carbon Footprint definition, which should also include C02 emissions from cars used by companies employees on the home-work route, to the radicalization of the Just-In-Time concept, involving paradoxes “as the one for which – claims Sergio Barbarino of Procter & Gamble – if a customer were to order stocks of Pampers to be sent two months from now an operator should hold a post-it on the PC monitor as a reminder, because information systems are not designed to manage orders so far ahead in time, having a handling capacity of 48 hours.” Obviously not anybody in the Bremen Town hall wanted to let go ideas informally. Questioned for a brief comment about the Italian branch offices and growth plans for Italy of the group, Robert Bommers, of BLG Automotive Logistics, chose to show a spectrum of answers ranging from “business-sensitive” and “we’re doing what other companies are doing too.” read more »
December 16, 2009 – 7:06 pm
Sunday night. 11.38 p.m. Last of many check. I decide.
Let’s give it try (something like “try but not submt it for real”…). Press mouse button… “Error.. The minimum project budget to be submitted for a syndicate is € 400.000,00. Your total cost foresight is € 398,000.”
Oh c’mon ! YOU wrote in yor notice € 300.000,00 minimum !
Well… There is plenty of hours in the night laying ahead!
November 18, 2009 – 4:53 pm
Every private company involved in joining EU programmes (projects implementation consortia) will sooner or later certainly have to deal with the so-called de minimis regulation. In a few words, the money you get as a consortia member are supposed to be sort of state aid which will eventualy lead to distortive effects on competition. EU Public Authorities are allowed to grant economic aid to private companies only within a fixed treshold expressly authorized by the European Commission. If an SME is involved into a project developed under a EU cofinanced program, and would like to have its activity rewarded, it has to deal with state aid legal framework.
In order to facilitate SME’s participation an exception has been added anyway: there is a class of aid for which notification from EU member states to European Commission is not needed; these are aid of minor importance, as defined by the EU de minimis, which are not presumed to affect competition significantly.
Here is a short summary if you’d rather be working than having a Master’s Degree on euro-intricacy:
- EC Regulation no. 1998/2006 was meant to simplify the operational/legal framework on state-aid. It stated that, below a certain threshold, an aid could be granted to enterprises without the need for the provider to notify it to the European Commission (notification otherwise required). The threshold of aid has then been set to € 200.000 (€ 100.000 for road transport activities) over a period of three fiscal years (present financial year and the two previous ones). Now Public authorities can then grant aid to businesses of any size, under the de minimis rule, without notice.
Hint: aid of no more than € 200.000 granted over a period of three years is not regarded as State aid. read more »
November 12, 2009 – 4:33 pm
Yesterday i was in Milan. It’s been a very interesting day. In my EU-funding-programs-guanxi-development i was in search for cultural heritage contents and tech applications definition and design. First of all i met prof.ssa Silvia Lusuardi Siena, Director of Archeology Dept. of Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore. We discussed about Superintendence for Architectural Heritage and Landscape policies, Paleochristian heritage, EU funds and more…
Then, talking with Paolo Magni and Fabrizio Amarilli of Fondazione Politecnico di Milano we started exploring opportunities in Cultural Heritage enhancement by means of technologies as Augmented Reality and QR Codes. We found that a QR Code is better than a RFID TAG mainly because…
- it’s cheaper
- you won’t need any tag rewriting if the database of Point of Interest and catalogued assets will ever change
- you will have to deal with a low criticality if the tag is removed or damaged
- you won’t need an ad hoc device to read it (i.e. NFC device, you can simply use your smartphone)
read more »
October 21, 2009 – 8:05 am
Today is a good day. I’ve finally been noticed that Tecla has completed all the PortIntegra project proposal documents and submitted them yesterday to the Joint Managing Authority of ENPI CBCMED Programme. A special thanks to ms. Valeria Vivarelli and ms. Alessandra Butera.
