ENGINEERINGNET.EU -- Businesses and entrepreneurs from across Europe can apply for funding to help bring novel environmental projects to the market.
The call is open to eco-innovative products, techniques, services and processes that aim to prevent or reduce environmental impacts, or which contribute to the optimal use of resources.
The call for applications is open until 6 September 2012, and around 50 projects will be selected for funding.
Janez Potoènik, European Commissioner for the Environment said: "For the past four years, CIP Eco-Innovation has helped more than one hundred innovative green products reach the marketplace."
This year's call has five main priority areas: materials recycling ; water ; sustainable building products ; green business and the food and drink sector.
The call is targeted particularly at SMEs that have developed an innovative green product, process or service, which is struggling to find its place in the market.
The call offers co-funding to cover up to 50 % of the project cost, and is likely to support around 50 new projects this year.
Examples of current schemes include converting old discarded TVs into tiles, new waste sorting mechanisms, innovative eco- packaging for milk, and a new technique for recycling textiles.
(picture: Aachen University, new waste sorting mechanisms SATURN)
BACKGROUND
Eco-Innovation is funded via the Competitiveness and Innovation Programme (CIP) and has a budget of approximately €200 million for 2008 to 2013. It supports technologically-proven products which help make better use of Europe's natural resources. Eco-Innovation is a green strand of the CIP and contributes to the Eco-Innovation Action Plan (EcoAP). The programme is managed by the Executive Agency for Competitiveness and Innovation (EACI).
For more information on CIP Eco-innovation visit:
http://ec.europa.eu/ecoinnovation
