Last week, European Member States formally notifyied the first Important Project of Common European Interest (IPCEI)to the Commission in the field of hydrogen. This is a much-awaited step in supporting transnational projects to address market failures in this strategic value chain. The pan-European and ambitious nature of the IPCEI is very promising. We are talking about 41 projects, in 15 Member States, investing in the development and manufacturing of electrolysers; of fuel cells; of technologies to power heavy-duty vehicles; or for the safe storage of hydrogen.
This year 2022 the fourth Navarre edition of Europa+Cerca takes place. The programme, promoted in Navarre by the Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) represented by the University of Navarra and AIN, in collaboration with the Directorate General for Foreign Action and the Delegation of the Government of Navarra in Brussels, consists of face-to-face training and the organization of a trip to Brussels. The previous training will be on September 6th, and the trip to Brussels will be from September 13th to 15th, 2022. In this link you can access the registration form, which must be filled out beforeJune 30th.
The automotive aftermarket, dedicated to spare parts, components and increasingly to software-based technology and systems of a sold vehicle, is an essential dimension of the automotive value chain. To facilitate the exchange on the latest EU policies and market trends, CLEPA, the European association of automotive suppliers, organises its annual Aftermarket Conference. This time, in its 13th edition, and with a special focus on access to in-vehicle data, dataplaces and mobility use cases.
Developed with the support of EU funding, FormPlanet is an Open Innovation Test Bed offering advanced sheet metal characterisation methodologies, non-destructive in-process measurements, and a range of modelling approaches. This project responds to the challenge of solving common problems in sheet metal forming, such as the cracking that it suffers.
REPowerEU is the EU’s plan to rapidly reduce dependence on Russian fossil fuels and fast forward the green transition. The European Commission announced on 18 May 2022, in its communication “REPowerEU Plan”, an additional investment of €200 million available for the Clean Hydrogen Partnership through the Horizon Europe Programme. The funds will help double the number of Hydrogen Valleys in Europe and aim to accelerate the implementation of the hydrogen economy across the EU.
Aviation emissions contribute to climate change and are expected to rise as the volume of air travel increases. The EU-funded CHOPIN project proposed to develop highly durable hydrophobic or omniphobic coatings with anti-contamination properties to be applied on leading edges, especially on HLFC (hybrid laminar flow control) substrates. Through innovative aircraft leading edges design, European researchers hope to make planes more fuel efficient.
The European Commission has approved an up to €10 billion Spanish scheme (“National Guarantee Scheme”) to support self-employed and companies across sectors in the context of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The scheme was approved under the State aid Temporary Crisis Framework, adopted by the Commission on 23 March 2022.
A typical single-aisle aircraft making 8 to 10 flights per day spends a whopping 2.3 hours a day taxiing, using up to 13 kg of fuel per minute because aircraft engines are not optimised for ground movements. Electric taxiing could significantly reduce this consumption and offset fuel costs, offering clear benefits for airlines, airports and the environment.
An EU-funded project, OSCCAR, is introducing advanced safety testing tools and methods for ensuring occupant safety in accidents with automated vehicles. In Europe, the required safety of vehicles is determined through ECE Regulations (Homologation requirements) and supplemented, amongst others, by Consumer tests designed and carried out by Euro NCAP. These tests represent real-life accident scenarios that could result in injured or killed vehicle occupants or other road users.
Armed with digital technologies, the EU-funded HyperCOG project is helping to create the factories of the future. Its smart system promises to increase production performance and reduce emissions and energy use in Europe’s process industries.
Although European roads are the safest in the world and road safety has improved in recent decades, the number of deaths and serious injuries on our roads is still far too high. Three years ago, twelve EU Member States joined forces to share smart ideas for improving road safety, as part of an EU-funded project, EU Road Safety Exchange(link is external). Transport experts from Austria, Bulgaria, France, Greece, Ireland, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain and Sweden worked together to share best practice on reducing speed, building safe infrastructure, improving enforcement and data collection, as well as the safety of pedestrians and cyclists in urban areas.
A modelling framework coupled with a software toolbox has been developed by the MARQUESS project to quickly model high performance materials in different kinds of structures such as aircrafts, aero-engines, power plants and automotive components. The primary environmental benefit of MARQUESS is that the toolbox and method can be used to easily design brand new components or structures that will be assessed for feasibility. This will allow for a greatly reduced life cycle time when designing a new aircraft or car.
