Horizon Europe
- Horizon Europe
- Project News
- Coastal Communities
- Marine
October 5, 2022
EmpowerUs project launched to enable coastal communities to act for change
The European Union has launched an exciting new research project to empower coastal communities to transition towards more sustainable, inclusive and resilient coastal development. EmpowerUs (Socio-economic Empowerment of coastal communities as users of the sea to ensure sustainable coastal development) is a €6 million project that launched under the EU Horizon Europe Programme on 1st October 2022 and will run for three years. Coastal communities face many challenges including extreme weather associated with climate change, rising sea levels, tourism pressures, changing fisheries and traditional industries and how to adapt to sustainable economic development. Recognising that these complex challenges require multiple, integrated solutions, EmpowerUs is a multidisciplinary, collaborative project that will support coastal communities in their transition to becoming more environmentally, economically and socially sustainable. Working with local, regional, national and international stakeholders, EmpowerUs will co-create, pilot and evaluate Tailored Empowerment Programmes to support coastal communities in their transformation towards becoming more sustainable. The Programmes will include a portfolio of flexible, transdisciplinary tools to support social innovations that increase socio-economic resilience, well-being and job opportunities for a diverse range of community members, ensuring that nobody is left behind. In addition, practical guidance on implementing nature-based solutions to address environmental problems will enable communities to take ownership of their climate resilience. The Programmes will be implemented across a network of six pilot sites located in Bulgaria (Burgas Province), Cyprus (Eastern Limassol Region), Finland (Åland Islands), Ireland (West Coast), Norway (North), and Spain (North-western Mediterranean). Tools from the Empowerment Programmes will be shared for free on a digital platform so that all coastal communities in Europe and beyond can adapt and apply the lessons learned to their own sites. EmpowerUs project coordinator, Dr Maiken Bjørkan, Research Professor at Nordland Research Institute (Norway), said: “Living by the sea, I’ve witnessed first-hand the social, economic and environmental challenges faced by coastal communities. To solve these problems, we have to work together. Merging the multidisciplinary background of the EmpowerUs team together with the lived experience and expertise of community members will be a powerful combination. I’m excited to get the project underway!” ERINN Innovation played a key role in helping to secure funding for EmpowerUs by helping to recruit the consortia, providing proposal writing training to coordination team via ERINN’s Horizon Europe Masterclass series and helping to write and proof the final bid. During project implementation ERINN will also use its knowledge transfer expertise to lead communications, dissemination and exploitation activities for EmpowerUs, ensuring that project innovations reach their intended audiences. Michael Papapetrou, ERINN Executive Director (Ireland), said: “Working with the EmpowerUs team is a pleasure and we are proud to have played a role in gaining funding for this important research. Having been involved with the project from the start, it is exciting to see everything come together, and we look forward to sharing the innovations that arise from the project.” EmpowerUs is led by Nordland Research Institute (NRI), Norway, and brings together 16 partner organisations from Bulgaria, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Ireland Spain and the UK. The project will create European leadership in the socio-economic empowerment of users of the sea in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the EU Green Deal and Paris Agreement. The inaugural EmpowerUs partner meeting was held in Barcelona on 4th and 5th October. Please follow @EmpowerUs_EU on Twitter for the latest updates.
- Horizon Europe
- Project News
- Marine
June 29, 2022
EU-Funded PREP4BLUE Launches – Will Prepare Mission Ocean and Waters for Successful Start
Five EU European Missions have been proposed as a novel way to enable solutions to some of the greatest challenges facing our world. Funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe program, PREP4BLUE is a €4.9 million, three-year project (Coordination and Support Action) and the first building block to Mission Restore our Ocean and Waters by 2030. This Mission seeks to protect and restore marine and freshwater ecosystems and biodiversity, prevent and eliminate pollution of our ocean, seas, and waters, and make the Blue Economy sustainable, carbon neutral, and circular. PREP4BLUE aims to inspire, engage, and involve citizens and stakeholders to interlink, leverage, and optimise activities among the projects, in particular its specific Lighthouse areas: Mediterranean Sea, Baltic and North Seas, Danube River basin, and Atlantic/Arctic Sea basin. The project partners are leading European organisations and thought leaders that complement each other in experience, expertise, and stakeholder reach across marine and freshwater areas. Project Coordinator, Natalia Martin Palenzuela, Director of International and European Affairs at the Institut français de recherche pour l’exploitation de la mer (Ifremer) said, “To engage research and innovation as a key catalyst for achieving the Mission’s objectives, a new direction must be taken towards participatory governance of this Mission, bold investment plans, and the co-design and co-implementation of solutions with citizens and stakeholders at its heart. PREP4BLUE seeks to enable this transformation during the first phase of the Mission (2021-2025).” PREP4BLUE commenced on 1 June 2022 with an initial virtual launch meeting for partners on 20 June. The launch of the Mission Implementation Charter will take place during the UN Ocean Conference on 30 June in Lisbon, Portugal. You can register to attend in person or watch it live virtually by visiting the European Commission’s Event page on the Charter launch. Follow project activities and news on Twitter @PREP4BLUE and on the project website, coming soon at PREP4BLUE.eu. Follow @eumissionoceanon Twitter to learn about opportunities to engage with this important initiative, and visit EU Missions in Horizon Europe to learn more about the EU Missions.
- Horizon Europe
- Project News
- Land Restoration
October 6, 2021
WaterLANDS: New European Green Deal project launched to lead largescale restoration of European wetlands
An ambitious project has been launched to tackle largescale restoration of Europe’s wetlands, with €23 million of funding from the EU Horizon 2020 Programme Green Deal. WaterLANDS (Water-based solutions for carbon storage, people and wilderness) will restore wetland sites across Europe which have been decimated by human activity and lay the foundations for scalable protection across much wider areas. WaterLANDS will undertake hands-on restoration of specific wetland sites, covering an initial 10,500 ha, and create best practice models that can be applied to wetland restoration at other sites. By engaging with local communities and stakeholders, the project will ensure that wetland restoration results not only in environmental gains, but also social and economic benefits for the communities involved. The five-year project is led by University College Dublin (UCD), Ireland and brings together 31 other organisations from research, industry, government and non-profit sectors in 14 European countries. Commenting on the project’s significance, WaterLANDS project coordinator Dr Craig Bullock, Research Fellow in Planning and Environmental Policy at University College Dublin, said: “Previous attempts at wetland restoration have often been too localised or too fragmented to make a significant difference to the re-establishment of wetland ecosystems and species. In WaterLANDS, we aim to co-create a more effective means of restoration which captures ecological, social, governance and financial aspects, to connect habitats and communities across Europe, ensuring both thrive for many generations to come.” Comprised of diverse ecosystems including peatlands, fens, riparian marshes and coastal estuaries, wetlands are home to 40% of the world’s species. They also store and capture carbon, remove environmental pollutants, and protect communities from flooding. Wetlands are particularly vulnerable to damage from human activities. Europe has already lost up to 90% of its original wetlands, resulting in massive biodiversity loss, water and food shortages, devastating floods and fires, coastal subsidence and erosion. The largescale, integrated approach developed in WaterLANDS will address these challenges to ensure the resilience and health of both wetland habitats and the communities who rely on them. Funding for WaterLANDS is part of the European Commission’s Green Deal ambition to make Europe the first climate neutral continent by 2050 with a sustainable economy that leaves no one behind. The project will officially launch in December 2021. Please follow @WaterLANDS_EU for the latest updates
- ERINN News
- Horizon Europe
- Coastal Communities
July 21, 2021
ERINN joins Horizon 2020-funded SCORE project to increase climate resilience in European coastal cities
The four year project, SCORE (Smart Control of the Climate Resilience in European Coastal Cities), outlines a comprehensive strategy, developed via a network of 10 coastal city ‘living labs’, to rapidly, equitably and sustainably enhance coastal city climate resilience though an Ecosystem-Based Approach (EBA) supported by sophisticated digital technologies. The intensification of extreme weather events, coastal erosion and sea-level rise are major challenges to be urgently addressed by European coastal cities. Deaths caused by extreme weather in Europe could rise from 3,000 a year between 1981 and 2010 to 152,000 between 2071 and 2100 if mitigation pathways are not enacted to increase the resilience of European cities and settlements, based on a study in The Lancet Planetary Health journal. To tackle this challenge, SCORE coordinated by Dr Salem Gharbia from the Institute of Technology Sligo (Ireland), will lead a consortium of international scientific institutions, cities, and SMEs in a new €10m Horizon 2020-funded research project to increase climate resilience in European coastal cities. The SCORE interdisciplinary team consists of 28 world-leading organisations from academia, local authorities, Research Performing Organisations, and SMEs encompassing a wide range of skills including environmental science and policy, climate modelling, citizen and social science, data management, coastal management and engineering, security and technological aspects of smart sensing research. ERINN is part of the communications and knowledge transfer team within SCORE. Senior Project Manager, Jane Maher leads ERINN’s involvement with the project. The project will involve citizen science in providing prototype coastal city early-warning systems and will enable smart, instant monitoring and control of climate resilience in European coastal cities through open, accessible spatial ‘digital twin’ tools. The project seeks to advance the control of climate resilience in cities in Ireland, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Slovenia and Poland. After a recent “Kick-Off” meeting in July 2021 with academics from across Europe, Dr Gharbia said: “SCORE will provide Europe with expandable and transferable solutions to increase climate resilience against extreme events in coastal cities. Together with our partners, we will establish a network of coastal cities that will work together and learn from each other to tackle climate change. In SCORE we want to put every effort to mitigate the effects of climate change now and in the years ahead” SCORE will establish an integrated coastal zone management framework for strengthening the Ecosystem-Based solutions and smart coastal city policies, creating European leadership in coastal city climate change adaptation in line with The Paris Agreement. For more information on the project, please follow @SCORE_EUproject on Twitter or SCORE on LinkedIn. NOTES FOR EDITORS: ABOUT SCORE PROJECT Smart Control of the Climate Resilience in European Coastal Cities (acronym: SCORE) Call: H2020-LC-CLA-2018-2019-2020 Topic: LC-CLA-13-2020 SCORE is a €10m Horizon 2020-funded research project to increase climate resilience in European coastal cities lead by Dr Salem Gharbia of the School of Engineering & Design at IT Sligo. The overall aim of SCORE is to design, develop, monitor and validate robust adaptation measures in coastal and low-lying areas to protect them from increasing climate and sea level risks, including coastal flooding and erosion, to enhance their overall long-term resilience. SCORE outlines a co-creation strategy, developed via a network of 10 coastal city ‘living labs’ (CCLLs), to rapidly, equitably and sustainably enhance coastal city climate resilience through Ecosystem-Based Approach (EBAs) and sophisticated digital technologies. SCORE will establish an integrated coastal zone management framework for strengthening EBA and smart coastal city policies, creating European leadership in coastal city climate change adaptation in line with The Paris Agreement. SCORE will provide innovative platforms to empower stakeholders’ deployment of EBAs to increase climate resilience, business opportunities and financial sustainability of coastal cities. The SCORE interdisciplinary team consists of 28 world-leading organisations from academia, local authorities, RPOs, and SMEs encompassing a wide range of skills including environmental science and policy, climate modelling, citizen and social science, data management, coastal management and engineering, security and technological aspects of smart sensing research. SCORE is a four-year project starting in July 2021. List of cities involved in the SCORE Horizon 2020 project: Sligo and Dublin, Ireland; Barcelona, Spain; Lisbon and Oeiras, Portugal; Massa, Italy; Benidorm, Spain, Koper, Slovenia; Gdansk, Poland; and Basque Country, Spain.
- Horizon Europe
- Project News
- Marine
December 8, 2020
AQUAEXCEL3.0 project launched to further boost European aquaculture
Eagerly awaited by the European aquaculture community familiar with the many benefits that the previous AQUAEXCEL projects provided, AQUAEXCEL3.0 has now officially launched. AQUAEXCEL3.0 aims to further boost the European aquaculture sector by, amongst others, expanding the Transnational Access programme to support even more external research teams collaborating with its high-quality facilities, providing free training courses on the latest topics and engaging closely with industry to ensure research is aligned with industry needs. Aquaculture now provides over half of seafood for human consumption worldwide. To meet the increasing demand for seafood globally, aquaculture is growing annually and has been the fastest growing animal production sector in the world for decades now. However, within the EU aquaculture production has been lagging behind and there remains a high dependency on imported fish for consumption. The aquaculture industry landscape is also changing, with new consumer preferences, growing concern for environment and animal welfare issues, new standards and effects of global climate change. Sustainable growth of the sector can only be achieved through efficient production of high value fish products in an environmentally and ethically responsible way, supported by high-level research and innovation. In order for the EU aquaculture sector to maintain its global leadership in aquaculture research and support the sustainable development of the sector, an open and inclusive dialogue between industry, science and policy, as well as between experts across different disciplines is required. AQUAEXCEL3.0 builds on the achievements of the previous AQUAEXCEL (FP7) and AQUAEXCEL2020 (H2020) projects, with the ambition to boost this effort in a user-centric approach. AQUAEXCEL3.0 will continue to have fish as its main target but will widen its scope by including shellfish and macroalgae research facilities to push towards lower trophic level aquaculture. Dr Marc Vandeputte, AQUAEXCEL3.0 coordinator, said “The continued engagement of the EC to support the AQUAEXCEL network really gives a chance to any researcher in Europe to run a project with the top aquaculture facilities available. This is a unique opportunity to give the best support to the best ideas. Aquaculture also needs better support for the public, and for this we will work on improving fish welfare and on recycling nutrients with algae, shellfish, worms and insects which can be used directly or as raw materials for aquaculture feeds ”. AQUAEXCEL3.0 will help to further boost European aquaculture by integrating 40 top class research facilities from biology to technology in all types of rearing systems, covering all major EU farmed species as well as promising new species, including at lower trophic levels. The project will expand access to high-quality services and resources, covering all scientific fields relevant to research and innovation in aquaculture. Through a strong partnership, the project will boost excellent research and sustainable innovation for both public and private sectors working in aquaculture. Almost 200 Transnational Access projects are planned over the duration of the 5-year project. These are expected to consolidate the global leadership of European aquaculture research, as researchers will be able to perform their research projects free of charge, with access to infrastructures which are not available in their country of origin. AQUAEXCEL3.0 will also provide online training courses that build upon the newest results and experience from previous courses. In addition, improving the use of animal experiments for research according to Reduction, Refinement and Replacement is integral to the AQUAEXCEL3.0 concept. For further information, please visit www.aquaexcel2020.eu for now, the new AQUAEXCEL3.0 website will be live in the new year. AQUAEXCEL3.0 (“Aquaculture Infrastructures for Excellence in European Fish Research 3.0”) is a research infrastructure project funded under the European Union’s Framework Programme for Research and Innovation, Horizon 2020, grant agreement number 871108. The project will run for five years from 2020 to 2025, with a total budget of €9.9 million ERINN Innovation are responsible for the communication and dissemination of the AQUAEXCEL3.0 project and results (WP3 leader) and are involved in the knowledge management and transfer of the project outputs through WP2, leading T2.2 on brokerage activities and events.
- Horizon Europe
- Project News
- Marine
November 9, 2020
TechOceanS launched to revolutionise ocean observations and measurements
International ocean technology experts from Cyprus, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom are uniting to develop a range of new in-situ sensing, imaging and sampling technologies (e.g. on robot submersibles) that will improve our understanding of the chemistry and biology of the oceans. Funded by a €8.9M grant from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 programme, TechOceanS – Technologies for Ocean Sensing – will pioneer five new sensors, two imaging systems, a novel sampler and an Artificial Intelligence-driven image processing methodology, all capable of robust operations at depths beyond 2,000 metres. TechOceanS will actively engage with scientists, manufacturers, marine stakeholders and resource managers to target “Essential Ocean Variables” that currently can only be measured by observations from a ship. The new technologies developed in the project will enable the capture of vital, previously inaccessible data on the ocean’s biogeochemistry, biology and ecosystems. The project’s highly interdisciplinary team ensures that the technologies developed will both expand our knowledge of the ocean’s interconnected systems and provide tangible benefits to those industries most directly reliant on them, such as fisheries and aquaculture. The data generated will also support conservation initiatives and provide vital information for policymakers. Professor Matthew Mowlem, TechOceanS Project Coordinator, said “TechOceanS is an ambitious project that has the potential to revolutionise how we measure and monitor our changing oceans. The exciting technology we’re developing will capture important data that will have a significant impact in diverse areas such as ocean conservation, resource management, blue economy and policy.” TechOceanS will deliver an unprecedented acceleration in the diversity and capability of sensors and measurement systems. Technical ambitions for the project include: piloting and demonstrating novel nucleic acid samplers and sensors targeting the genetic code of aquatic organisms to identify them and quantify their populations; improving imaging systems and image processing workflows so that machines can turn vast numbers of images into data about species, habitats and plastic pollution; producing optical primary productivity (plant growth) and multiparameter optical sensors to measure energy entering the base of the food web and to investigate water quality ; and creating biogeochemical and bio-assay enabled lab-on-chip sensors and microcytometers to measure a large number of parameters including: nutrients, carbon dioxide, trace metals, bio-toxins, pollutants, single celled organisms and microplastics. The future impact of these valuable technologies relies on their accessibility. Therefore, TechOceanS technology pilots will be low-cost and place minimal demands on existing infrastructure, allowing them to be made available for use by all countries regardless of resources. In addition to expanding scientific knowledge of the ocean, TechOceanS will focus on improving “ocean best practices” by working closely with the IOC-UNESCO to develop training and standards covering metrology and operation of measurement systems in addition to the application of management principles, standards, protocols and communications for open access data. In this way, the project will ensure the developed best practices are truly global, inclusive and transparent. Through the targeted technologies, diverse partner base and cooperation with concurrent projects, TechOceanS will contribute to the growth of scientific knowledge, the transfer of marine technology and other key components of the Blue Economy as described in international accords such as the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, the G7 Future of the Seas and Oceans Working Group, the Paris Climate Agreement, the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development and the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive. Dr Patricia López-García, one of the TechOceanS project managers, said “In addition to the work carried out within the project, TechOceanS will form mutually beneficial links with a number of other projects over its lifetime, such as Nautilos, EuroSEA, Blue-Cloud, iAtlantic, AtlantECO, Euro-Argo ERIC, MISSION ATLANTIC and others. Through these synergies, we are excited to contribute to a brighter future for our world’s seas.” The TechOceanS launch meeting will be held on Tuesday 10 November 2020. The first priorities for the project will include targeting key enabling innovations and establishing cross-cutting research activities to accelerate the development of targeted technologies and forming plans with target dates for their testing demonstration and roll out. For more information, follow @TechOceanS on Twitter, join the LinkedIn group TechOceanS and (from December 2020) check out the project website at www.techoceans.eu. TechOceanS (“Technologies for Ocean Sensing”) is a research and innovation action funded under the European Union’s Framework Programme for Research and Innovation, Horizon 2020, grant No. 101000858. The project will run for four years from 2020 to 2024, with a total budget of €8.9 million. The multi-stakeholder, multi-disciplinary TechOceanS team represents leading organisations in ocean science, technology, policy and industry in Europe. The project is coordinated by the National Oceanographic Centre (NOC) in the UK. The 13 European partners represent a total of 8 countries: Cyprus (Cyprus Subsea Consulting and Service), France (SU), Germany (AWI, GEOMAR), Greece (Idryma Technologies), Ireland (DCU, Intrigo, AquaTT), Italy (SZN), Spain (PLOCAN) and the United Kingdom (NOC, UoS, Chelsea Technologies). ERINN Innovation is leading Work Package 12 From Innovation to Knowledge Transfer and Exploitation to Impact and is participating in Work Package 2 Dissemination, Communication, IP Protection and Stakeholder Engagement, Work Package 7 Data and Knowledge Management.
- Horizon Europe
- Project News
- Marine
September 28, 2020
Mission Atlantic project launched to map and assess sustainable development of the Atlantic Ocean
International ocean experts from Europe, Brazil, South Africa, Canada and the USA have joined forces to map and assess the current and future risks from climate change, natural hazards and human activities to Atlantic ecosystems. Funded by a €11.5M grant from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 programme, MISSION ATLANTIC will be the first initiative to develop and systematically apply Integrated Ecosystem Assessments (IEAs) at Atlantic basin scale. This unique IEA approach engages scientists, marine stakeholders, and resource managers, integrating all components of the ecosystem, including human activity, into the decision-making process. In this way, managers and policy makers informed by science, can balance the need for environmental protection with secure, sustainable development, thereby ensuring a positive future for the Atlantic Ocean and its peoples. Patrizio Mariani, MISSION ATLANTIC Project Coordinator, said “In an era of rapid transformations affecting our societies and our lives, we are asked to provide the scientific knowledge necessary to face future challenges and to guarantee a sustainable future for the next generations. By studying the complex Atlantic Ocean ecosystems, MISSION ATLANTIC will contribute to a better and more sustainable future for life on Earth.” Using high-resolution ocean models, artificial neural networks, risk assessment methods and advanced statistical approaches, MISSION ATLANTIC will accurately assess pressures imposed on Atlantic marine ecosystems, identifying the parts most at risk from natural hazards and the consequences of human activities. The team will combine existing data from global ocean monitoring programmes with new observations collected using advanced marine robots and acoustic sensors. A truly multidisciplinary approach, these tools will be used to explore plankton and fish distribution in unknown waters, including sub-Arctic and Tropical regions in the Atlantic Ocean. In addition to expanding scientific knowledge of the Atlantic Ocean, MISSION ATLANTIC will focus on improving education and professional development opportunities in countries bordering the North, South and Tropical Atlantic Ocean. Regional stakeholder platforms will act as “science to governance” interfaces in these areas, enabling local communities to engage with their representatives and stimulate effective policies. Through co-creation of management recommendations, MISSION ATLANTIC, will contribute to the commitments outlined in the Belém Statement on Atlantic Ocean Research and Innovation Cooperation between the European Union, Brazil and South Africa, and as part of the UN Decade of Ocean Science (2021-2030), supporting society in achieving a sustainable ocean. Michael St. John, MISSION ATLANTIC Policy lead and Belém Panel Chair, said “In support of the Belém statement, MISSION ATLANTIC will be a catalyst in linking research activities in the South Atlantic and Southern Ocean with those in the North Atlantic. It will identify and strengthen synergies between the Atlantic Research Agenda, AIR Centre; Joint Programming Initiatives, as well as the Strategic Forum for International Science and Technology Cooperation, the European Union’s Earth Observation and Monitoring programme – Copernicus, and the Benguela Current Commission. Through its activities, MISSION ATLANTIC will optimise the use and sharing of research infrastructures and, via the development of state-of-the-art data methodologies, enhance access to and management of data on the stressors and services provided by Atlantic ecosystems. Finally, and critically, the project will provide the knowledge and tools necessary to sustainably manage Atlantic ecosystem services as they are impacted upon by climate change and human activities.” More information coming soon on www.missionatlantic.eu | Follow us on twitter: @MISSIONATLANTIC Image caption: Tourism, maritime transport, and small-scale fisheries are among the human activities to be assessed in MISSION ATLANTIC’s IEA approach, which will ultimately enable local communities to engage with ocean governance policies and ensure a positive future for the Atlantic Ocean and its peoples. [Image taken in Buzios, Brazil © Patrizio Mariani] MISSION ATLANTIC (“Towards the Sustainable Development of the Atlantic Ocean: Mapping and Assessing the present and future status of Atlantic marine ecosystems under the influence of climate change and exploitation”) is a research and innovation action funded under the European Union’s Framework Programme for Research and Innovation, Horizon 2020, grant No. 862428. The project will run for five years from 2020 to 2025, with a total budget of €11.5 million. The 32 strong multi-stakeholder, multi-disciplinary MISSION ATLANTIC team represents leading organisations in ocean science, policy and industry based in Europe (Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and United Kingdom), South America (Brazil), South Africa and North America (Canada and USA). The project is coordinated by Danmarks Tekniske Universitet (DTU) in Denmark. ERINN is supporting Work Package 9 in MISSION ATLANTIC, Societal Engagement and Communication. The 27 European partners represent a total of 11 countries: Spain (AZTI, PLOCAN, IEO), Norway (IMR, MROB), France (CLS, IFREMER), Belgium (SSBE, VLIZ), United Kingdom (MBA, PML, STRATH, USTAN, NOC, UPL), Denmark (DTU, ICES), Sweden (WMU, SU), Germany (UH, UBH), Portugal (AIRC, UPO, IMAR), Ireland (Intrigo, Marine Institute) and Iceland (MFRI). UFSC and USP are partners in Brazil and UCT and SANBI in South Africa and MUN in Canada. Associated government research partners include the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO).
- Horizon Europe
- Project News
- Renewable Energy
June 1, 2020
Great progress with RES4BUILD’s innovative components to deliver on decarbonisation of buildings
The EU-funded RES4BUILD project is developing integrated renewable energy-based solutions that are tailored to the needs and requirements of users and installers. The project aims to increase the uptake of renewable energy solutions for heating and cooling; decarbonising the energy consumption in buildings and contributing to EU energy and climate goals. The consortium is working to improve the performance and reduce the cost of the most innovative components of the RES4BUILD solutions – by integrating photovoltaic thermal (PVT) collectors, magnetocaloric and multi-source heat pumps, optimising their performance through advanced control and building energy management systems. The developed solutions will be validated in different regions, paving the route to the market and ensuring wide adoption. Much progress has been shown to date, with work on the main components well-underway. RES4BUILD partners MG Sustainable Engineering AB and the University of Gävle, both from Sweden, are constructing the novel concentrated PVT collector with a new reflector geometry. The prototype collectors, which provide both heat and electricity from the same area, will be tested from this summer both in Sweden and Greece to collect data from two different climatic zones. The configuration and design of the multi-source vapour injection heat pump has also been finalised using a low-GWP refrigerant (an HFO: R1234ze(E)). A Greek Supplier (Kontes S.A.) along with Honeywell supported the heat pump activities of RES4BUILD by providing at no cost the required quantity of refrigerant to Psyctotherm. It is supplied with the most optimal heat either from the outside air, from the PVT collectors or from the ground. The control unit is designed in a way to allow communication with the RES4BUILD building energy management system. A prototype of this heat pump has been manufactured by the project partner Psyctotherm and installed at NCSR Demokritos for lab tests and characterisation. Initial tests already show a coefficient of performance (COP) of over 5. In August, the heat pump will be shipped to DTI in Denmark to become a valuable part of the integrated pilot system, which will be tested later in the project. In parallel to the technical work, JIN and BAPE are working with end-users and other stakeholders on six case studies in the Netherlands and in Poland aiming to devise a best practice approach to renovations of energy systems in a more integrated and systematic way, resulting in more efficient operation and optimised interaction with the grid, and thus a lower energy bill for European consumers. The co-design approach will assist with social inclusion and ultimately contribute to an accelerated energy transition, in line with European Green Deal objectives. For more information on the project and more regular updates, please visit the project website at www.res4build.eu or follow the project on Twitter @RES4BUILD. The RES4BUILD project has received funding from the European union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement no. 814865. RES4BUILD – “Renewables for clean energy buildings in a future power system” will run for four years, from 2019 to 2023. ERINN Innovation are leading WP8: Communication, Dissemination, Knowledge Transfer and Exploitation. Image (c) MG Sustainable Engineering
- Horizon Europe
- Project News
- Renewable Energy
December 6, 2019
New research project to drive decarbonisation of energy usage in Europe’s buildings
Decarbonising energy consumption in buildings is essential to achieve EU energy and climate goals. While the use of renewable electricity in buildings has grown steadily the uptake of renewable energy solutions for heating and cooling has been slower. The EU Horizon 2020 funded RES4BUILD project will address this challenge by developing integrated renewable energy-based solutions that are tailored to the needs and requirements of users and installers. The consortium’s multidisciplinary experts will work to improve the performance and reduce the cost of the most innovative components of the RES4BUILD solutions – by integrating PV/T collectors, magnetocaloric heat pumps, and a multi-source heat pump which are optimised through advanced control for increased performance in building systems. The various RES4BUILD solutions will be tested and validated in different climates with a thorough life cycle assessment, paving the way for bringing the developed solutions to the market and ensuring wide adoption. Much progress was already shown at the second RES4BUILD General Assembly which took place from 20-21 November 2019 in Vries, the Netherlands. Project partners JIN organised the meeting at one of the case study sites operated by Visio, who provide housing and day-care to clients with visual impairments. The project will feature a co-design process with stakeholders such as Visio. This will enable developers, service providers and end-users to ensure that resulting integrated energy systems meet the needs of the clients. Further case studies will take place across a range of suitable sites across Poland and the Netherlands, including multi-family buildings, primary schools, industrial buildings, home-owner associations and a shopping mall. The project aims to deliver solutions that reduce our dependence on fossil fuels for electricity, heating and cooling in buildings. Through its work, RES4BUILD will devise a best practice approach to renovations of energy systems in a more integrated and systematic way, resulting in more efficient operation and optimised interaction with the grid, and thus a lower energy bill for European consumers. The co-design approach will assist with social inclusion and ultimately contribute to an accelerated energy transition. RES4BUILD have joined forces with eight other H2020 projects working in the field of renewable energy technologies in buildings and have formed a cluster called “Building Energy Horizons” to collectively benefit from collaborative activities at technical and dissemination levels. For more information on the BE Horizons cluster, please see: www.res4build.eu/about/be-horizons. For more information on the project, please visit the newly launched project website at www.res4build.eu or follow the project on Twitter @RES4BUILD. The RES4BUILD project has received funding from the European union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement no. 814865. RES4BUILD – “Renewables for clean energy buildings in a future power system” will run for four years, from 2019 to 2023. ERINN Innovation are leading WP8: Communication, Dissemination, Knowledge Transfer and Exploitation.
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ERINN Innovation is a value-driven company owned by the staff who support research and innovation to have impact.
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ERINN Innovation Ltd
Company No.: 600883 (Ireland)
Company No.: 600883 (Ireland)
Directors
David Murphy (IE/UK)
Laura Richardson (IE)
Marieke Reuver (NL)
Michael Papapetrou (GR/IE)
Reid Hole (NO)
