A short EU 2020 update for the GAME network

Includes the following topics (Read as PDF)

Logged driving to reduce energy use
For long distance driving plug-in hybrid electric vehicles use the internal combustion engine more than necessary. Chalmers researcher Viktor Larsson has developed a method to make the car remember the commuter routes and thereby make optimal use of the battery. The strategy can reduce fuel consumption by up to 10 percent compared to conventional methods.
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Alger kan bli förnybar källa till bioplaster
Projektet D-Factory, vilket innefattar GAME partner SP stöttas med 10 miljoner euro från ”Knowledge-Based Bio-Economy” inom EUs sjunde ramprogram. I projektet ska man bygga ett bioraffinaderi som fått namnet ”D-Factory”. Där ska alla delar av algerna förvandlas till något användbart. Från högvärdiga peptider och enzymer, till glycerol, triglycerider och stärkelse.
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Climate-KIC kick-off at Chalmers
Climate-KIC’s expansion into Sweden comes as it is scaling up its presence across Europe this year. The organisation has recently unveiled a series of new climate innovation programmes worth over €100 million with corporate and academic partners across Europe. The programmes are aimed at dealing with the impact of global warming and stopping further climate change.
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Horizon 2020 for hydro and ocean power
Members of the hydro and marine power industries are urged to consider Horizon 2020 as an ideal opportunity to showcase their new technologies and demonstrate that they can be innovative and worthy of EU funding. Indeed for 2015, Horizon 2020 states that in order to develop the next generation of low carbon energy both ocean and hydropower are technology-specific challenges to be addressed.
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A short EU 2020 update for the GAME network

Includes the following topics (Read as PDF)

Svensk teknik minskar miljöpåverkan i Baltikum
Pilotfish Networks är det första företag som ska levereraar ett system för ecodriving utanför Sverige. Ordern till Kauno Autobusai, i EU-projektet Baltic Biogas,  är ett steg in på marknaderna i östra Europa för Göteborgsföretaget Pilotfish Networks. Tekniken mäter och redovisar effekterna av ett förändrat körsätt för mindre förbrukningen av drivmedel och kostnader för underhåll.
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Highly appreciated electric hybrid Volvo buses in Gothenburg
One year after the launch of the project the results show that the new buses are popular with passengers, drivers and resident along the route. Volvo plans to start commercial production of the electric hybrid bus in early 2016.
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Major Efforts to Mitigate Climate Change in Europe
European innovators working across a range of climate innovation disciplines are stressing that major efforts to mitigate climate change are under way in Europe. They collaborate in Climate-KIC, the European Union’s main climate innovation initiative. Different actors of the  Climate-KIC give their opinion about the IPCC report.
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EU Parliament signs off on remaining piece of Horizon 2020 worth €9B
Next generation of public-public research programs in fields of clinical trials, SME financing, active ageing and metrology among initiatives that received green light from MEPs is described this article. Over the next seven years, the EU injecting a little less than €9 billion into these projects is expected to mobilise some €9 billion from the private sector and about €4 billion from member states.
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A short EU 2020 update for the GAME network

Includes the following topics (Read as PDF)

Mer förnybart i näten i södra Sverige
Det finns goda möjligheter att ansluta mer förnybar elproduktion till elnäten i södra Sverige. Det visar en kartläggning från organisationen Power Circle, som tagits fram med stöd av Energimyndigheten genom Nätverket för vindbruk. Totalt kan det vara möjligt att ansluta närmare 900 megawatt förnybar elproduktion till de lokala elnäten i södra Sverige utan dyra förstärkningar, enligt undersökningen.
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Periodic Report Summary – CANTOGETHER
Agricultural production faces numerous challenges regarding competitiveness, conserving natural and non-renewable resources (water, soil, air, phosphorus, fossil fuels) and ecosystem services (pollination, natural pest control, soil fertility). CANTOGETHER aims to design and test Mixed Farming System – with the participation of SIK AB.
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Intel will test 200 sensor getaways in Dublin
Dublin is set to become the first fully sensored global city after chipmaker Intel announced plans to test more than 200 “gateways” around the city. The project aims to improve the efficiency in the city and improve the quality of life by pinpointing areas that need work and the development of an app is already foreseen to communicate with citizens about air quality and noise levels.
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Algae bio refineries – D-Factory EU project
SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden is involved in the demonstration of a business case for global investment in algae bio refineries. The Dunaliella alga offers a wide range of compounds, appropriate for the ‘bio refinery’ concept, which aims to use every element of a biomass. It can cope with extreme conditions, from salt caves in the Antarctic, to salt pans in the tropics.
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A short update on EU 2020 research and development

Includes the following topics (Read as PDF)

Investors follow currency fluctuations
Allianz is looking for wind projects in established markets within the euro zone. The concentration of the majority of the company’s projects in Germany, Italy and France and, most recently, Sweden has not come about by chance. This is a consequence of the risk that a fluctuation in currency exchange rates can represent.
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Carbon dioxide neutral Volvo site
Volvo Construction Equipment Site in Sweden Now Powered Entirely by Renewable Energy. No harmful emission, no contribution to the greenhouse effect. At the end of December 2013, Volvo Construction Equipment’s site in Braås, Sweden, completed its journey towards becoming carbon dioxide neutral. It is the first construction equipment production facility in the world to be powered entirely by renewable energy.
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Steps to resource efficiency
EU has approved funding for 14 new research projects to shape a more resource-efficient economy in Europe. Each project addresses a key issue such reusing discarded automobile tyres, recovering key elements from batteries, producing green fertiliser from animal waste, and generating renewable clean energy from food and plant waste.
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Nu tar vi sikte mot horisonten
Den 1 januari startade EU-kommissionens omfattande satsning på forskning och innovation – Horisont 2020. Mitt under den djupa ekonomiska krisen har medlemsländerna enats om att gemensamt lägga cirka 80 miljarder euro i det nya ramprogrammet vilket gör programmet till världens största program för forskning och innovation. Den 29 januari arrangerade VINNOVA ett lanseringsevent.
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Launch of Horizon 2020

Choose between H2020 programmes for different success rates
The odds of getting an EU grant may drop under Horizon 2020 if the success rates may drop to 15% from 20-22%, as EU officials brace for an unprecedented flood of applicants. The European Commission on December 11 announced the first €15 billion round of grant opportunities under its massive Horizon 2020 programme – but at the same time warned that the average odds of winning a grant could drop  to around 15 per cent from the 20 – 22 per cent success rate of the current – smaller – Framework Programme 7.
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A short update on EU 2020 research and development

Includes the following topics (Read as PDF)

Free-of-charge access to world-class R&D
MARINET, the Marine Renewables Infrastructure Network, is a network of research centres and organisations that are working together to accelerate the development of marine renewable energy technologies – wave, tidal & offshore-wind. MARINET offers periods of free-of-charge access to world-class R&D facilities & expertise and conducts joint activities in parallel to standardise testing, improve testing capabilities and enhance training & networking.
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Talk of the Internet
To increase awareness and the availability of environmental information, the Media Watch on Climate Change provides a comprehensive and continuously updated account of news and social media coverage on climate change and related issues. The portal aggregates, filters and visualizes environmental content from various sources.
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RI.SE Takes the lead towards Horizon 2020
The first call for Horizon 2020, EU’s new framework programme for research and innovation 2014-2020, is launched on 11 December, 2013. RISE conducted a seminar for research institute representatives on 16 October. Results in previous programmes and the importance of technological platforms were discussed. Volvo and Ericsson also described how they work with the upcoming research programmes.
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KIC-Climate identifies the Bio Horizon
With bioeconomy holding the key to unlocking new and sustainable resources, more needs to be known about the current landscape of the industry across Europe. The Biohorizons project is focused on mapping the bioeconomy industry to identify areas for growth, opportunity and innovation.
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A short update on EU 2020 developments

Includes the following topics (Read as PDF)

Rethinking car battery
Volvo Car Group and Imperial College London have been working for two and a half years on an ingenious solution to energy storage, not only eliminating the need for a dedicated battery but also saving weight by up to 15 %. Together they have developed a revolutionary concept for lightweight structural energy storage components that could improve the energy usage of future electrified vehicles.
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Measure your lifestyle
The PROMISE project seeks to promote energy savings and awareness among households situated on some of Europe’s most beautiful, and remote, islands. The Icelandic Energy Agency developed several web-based calculators that can help consumers make more energy efficient decisions related to their home, car and transport.
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A plan to make cities smarter
Leaders of European cities have together with industry and research community representatives decided on the Smart Cities and Communities Partnership. The Partnership Plan sets out a broad range of new actions and approaches to encourage cities to become smarter, focusing on building improvements, and the integration of information technologies into the transport and energy infrastructure, while relying on fast and secure networks that ensure high-quality connectivity.
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Opportunities for a circular economy
This report analyses the opportunities and obstacles that will present themselves as the Netherlands moves towards a more circular economy. It proposes a number of actions that can be taken, particularly by the government, to accelerate this process.
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A short update on EU research

Includes the following topics (Read as PDF)

World class research Infrastructure
The MERIL database is an inventory of the most excellent research infrastructures (RIs) in Europe of more-than-national relevance across all scientific domains: from archives and statistical offices to biobanks and satellites.
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European Energy Harbours
The e-harbours project aims at stimulating renewable energy for power and transport by optimizing energy usage and production. The challenge is to create a more sustainable energy model in harbour regions on the basis of innovative intelligent energy networks (smart grids). e-harbours focuses on 3 objectives: Increase the production and use of renewable energy in harbour cities; Increase the use of energy smart grids; Increase the use of electric transport.
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Daktriper

Few on course for energy efficiency targets
Only four EU countries are on course to meet their energy efficiency target for 2020, while the Union is broadly on track to meet its renewable energy and greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals, the European Environment Agency says in a new report. These targets, also called the ’20/20/20 targets’, include a 20% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, a 20% rise in the share of renewable resources to Europe’s energy needs, and 20% more efficiency in energy use across the EU.
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Vinnova presenterar Horizont 2020
Nu är VINNOVAs informationsturné om Horisont 2020 – EU:s nya ramprogram för forskning och innovation, igång. Under informationsturnén besöker de sju platser från Umeå i norr till Lund i söder för att informera om Horisont 2020. Intresset för det nya ramprogrammet är rekordstort och vi har drygt 1800 anmälda deltagare till turnén. Den 31 oktober kommer de till Göteborg.
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A short update on EU research

Includes the following topics (Read as PDF)

Dual-fuel hybrid
Researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich have developed an ultra-efficient new engine that runs on a combination of natural gas and diesel. When combined with a battery and electric motor to make a hybrid vehicle, it could allow a car to get the equivalent of 80 miles per gallon, the researchers say. That’s far better than most efficient existing hybrids.
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Good practise for Energy Efficiency
The good practice brochure presents the results of the screening of the National Energy Efficiency Action Plans and the survey on the implementation of energy efficiency policies in the EU. Besides analysing overall governance framework and sector policies, this brochure is also a collection of good practices in energy efficiency. The survey were carried out within the framework of the Energy-Efficiency-Watch project, which aims to facilitate the implementation of the Energy Services Directive.
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Electrical roads project at Arlanda
European scientists and engineers are working on a technology that would allow charging an electric car on the go. We have the technology to power a car while it is moving, with an electrical track in the road that propels the car in a way that’s a lot like a slot-car kit,” says Mats Leksell (KTH) leader of the Electrical Roads project. They are testing the technology on an electrical demonstration road close to Arlanda, Stockholm’s international airport.
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LCA takes the long view
These days, companies are being swept up, willingly or otherwise, into the concepts of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and environmental sustainability. For financial, practical, and even brand-image reasons, they are taking the long-term view of their operations and products — that their activities shouldn’t be borrowing from the future or placing an undue burden on future generations.
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A short update on EU research

Includes the following topics (read as PDF)

Climate targets in EU presidency program The Lithuanian Presidency will mostly focus on retaining EU leadership and the coordination of EU activities in international negotiations on climate change regarding global legally binding post-2020 agreement. Lithuania will seek to approve within the Council a common EU position for negotiations on the future of climate change policy at the 19th Conference of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change scheduled for November 2013.
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Organisationen för Horisont 2020
En arbetsgrupp vid Utbildningsdepartementet har haft som uppdrag att analysera om den nationella organisationen för EU:s forskningssamarbete. De föreslår att den nationella EU-organisationen utvecklar ett mer systematiskt samarbete med intermediära, som ger råd till deltagare i Horisont 2020, för att effektivare nå̊ ut till större grupper av aktörer. Små̊ och medelstora företag, SMF, utgör en prioriterad målgrupp för deltagande i Horisont 2020.
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Green buildings beyond energy efficiency
Green housing campaigners are excited by a new sustainable buildings debate the EU has kick-started, which aims to move certification schemes beyond the energy efficiency paradigm. On 10 July, the Commission launched a public consultation on the lifecycle impact of buildings, in advance of a communication which is expected at the beginning of 2014.
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Biggest battery in Europe
A trial of the largest battery in Europe will transform the UK electricity grid and boost renewable energy. The trial of cutting-edge energy storage technology will test new methods of capturing electricity for release over long periods, evening out the bumps and troughs of supply and demand that plague the electricity grid. Finding ways of storing power from wind and solar generation is key to maintaining a constant source of energy.
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