2nd eTranet Joint Call for International R&D Projects on ICT for Traditional Manufacturing Industries

eTranet eTranet’s goal is to facilitate cross-border cooperation between national programmes that sponsor R&D projects related to ICT for Traditional Manufacturing Industries. Network of funding agencies of Austria, Belgium (Flanders), Cyprus, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and the United Kingdom. Currently supported by the European Commission ERA-NET Scheme

2nd transnational call: overall aim Projects should be designed to improve the international competitiveness, sustainability or socio-environmental impact of manufacturing industries in Europe through the strategic application of ICT. 28th March – 28th May, 2007 (The first eTranetJoint Call was launched on 27 June 2006 as an eTranet pilote action. 43 proposals where submitted and 10 were approved and funded)

Scope of the Call All manufacturing sectors are considered for support. Projects with a significant impact on SMEs in traditional manufacturing sectors are encouraged. Traditional manufacturing sectors: mechanicals, chemicals, construction products/equipment, engineering/electrical equipment, food & drink, leather, metals, minerals, paper, polymers, textiles, transport equipment and wood.

Expected projects Projects must be oTrans-national (involve at least two companies from two countries involved in the call) oClose – to - market oInnovative Preference will be given to applied research or knowledge transfer projects. Other types of projects (e.g. basic research, dissemination, feasibility studies, foresight, mobility, etc) will also be considered if compatible with the relevant national funding structures and are supportive of the strategic objectives of eTranet.

Who can apply Possible applicants: oManufacturing companies/especially SMEs oICT providers oApplied research centres oSector associations Preference will be given to applications spanning more than two countries and include manufacturing SMEs. Applied research centres, sector associations, universities and others can also participate in projects. Criteria for the provision of financial support to organisations varies from country to country (see Guidelines for Applicants).

How to apply Two main steps : A.outline proposals B.invited submission of full proposals Detailed procedure: 1.Before submitting an Outline proposal, all project partners must contact their respective regional/national program agency in order to discuss the project and the funding conditions. 2. Mandatory Outline Proposal, submitted by the coordinator through an online application form. 3.Feedback to coordinator by eTranet coordination team after the review of the outline-proposal. 4.Full proposal submitted by the coordinator online and in parallel by all partners to their national agency.

Funding rules Participants from eTRANET partner countries will be funded by their national agency in accordance with the rules of their relevant national programme. Projects involving other countries will be acceptable if the partners from these countries have confirmed access to funding or are participating at their own cost (see It is therefore strongly suggested that prospective applicants contact their National Joint Call Advisor by at an early stage to establish eligibility of their project idea and the options for support. The guidelines for application with the funding rules for each country will be available on after 28 March 2007.

Selection criteria Prioritisation of applications (in addition to, or complementary to, the requirements of the relevant national funding programmes): Impact on traditional manufacturing industries: Preference will be given to projects that have the potential to deliver significant economic benefits to European manufacturing industry or society, rather than technical excellence alone. Innovation: Priority will be diven to consortia that are aiming to facilitate radical ICT- based innovation in the products, processes or services of the target manufacturing sector(s) or value chain. Mobilisation of resources: All projects should have a clear international logic and this should be reflected in the resources that are being deployed and plans for commercial exploitation and dissemination of results. Innovative solutions for effective dissemination to broaden the benefits to European manufacturing companies or society will be considered favourably. Special emphasis will be given to those projects that can achieve quantifiable benefits to traditional manufacturing industries through demonstration activities.

Evaluation procedure The national agencies carry out evaluations of the proposals and the national applications for funding. The eTranet Transnational Coordination team takes all national results into consideration and agrees on a common ranking list containing all proposals which are recommended for funding. Through this coordinated approach coherent funding decisions will be achieved. The national agencies make their final funding decisions.

Dates and deadlines Outline proposals may be submitted after 28 March 2007 Deadline for the submission of pre-proposals is 28 May 2007 followed by a meeting of the national programme agencies Feedback to the coordinators by the respective agencies 20 June 2007 Deadline for full proposals is 1st October 2007 Approved projects will start after 30 November 2007

Participating agencies Austria: FFG - Oliver Kump , Belgium: IWT (Flanders) - Ben Kloeck , Cyprus: RPF - Leonidas Antoniou , Finland: Tekes - Juha Heinola , France: OSEO Innovation - Ineke Petit , Thien My Phan , Spain: CDTI - Carolina Garcia Olmedo , SPRI (Basque) -Javier Gabilondo Switzerland: CTI -Rolan Buehler Turkey: Tubitak-Huseyin Goren

For further information Guidelines for Applicants Proposal templates for outline and full proposals Contact details for Joint Call Advisors for those eTranet partners that are participating in the 2nd Joint Call Contact details for other partners within the eTranet consortium for advice on options to participate in eTranet projects

Thank you for your attention