This Call relates to CIP (EU Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme) first application and market replication projects on Eco-Innovation, which are managed by the Executive Agency for Competitiveness and Innovation (EACI) under powers delegated by the European Commission.

Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme Eco-innovation is defined as "any form of innovation aiming at significant and demonstrable progress towards the goal of sustainable development, through reducing impacts on the environment or achieving a more efficient and responsible use of natural resources, including energy.”

CIP Eco-innovation aims to support projects concerned with the first application or market replication of eco-innovative techniques, products, services or practices of Community relevance, which have already been technically demonstrated with success but which, owing to residual risk, have not yet penetrated the market. They should contribute to remove obstacles to the development and wide application of eco-innovation, create or enlarge markets for related products and improve the competitiveness of EU enterprises on world markets. The projects should also aim at reducing environmental impacts, increasing resource efficiency or improve environmental performance of enterprises, in particular SMEs.

The three main aspects of CIP Eco-innovation are:

1. Environmental benefits

2. Economic benefits (including wide replication)

3. Contribution of projects to innovation

SCOPE AND OBJECTIVES OF THE CALL FOR PROPOSALS 2009

CIP Eco-Innovation will support projects concerned with the first application or market replication of eco-innovative techniques, products, processes or practices, which have already been technically demonstrated, but due to remaining risks need incentives to penetrate significantly the market.

CIP Eco-Innovation will also support market oriented activities related to the uptake of environmental technologies and eco-innovative activities by enterprises and the implementation of new or integrated approches to Eco-Innovation.

The MAIN PRIORITY AREAS OF THE CALL FOR PROPOSALS 2009 are:

- Materials recycling

- Buildings

- Food and drink sector

- Greening Business/Smart purchasing

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

Applications can be submitted by one or several entities. All applicants must be legal persons, whether private or public, established in the territory of the European Member States. Natural persons are not eligible. Likewise, the programme is also open to legal persons established in:

• European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries which are members of the European Economic Area (EEA), in accordance with the conditions laid down in the EEA Agreement.

• Accession countries and candidate countries benefiting from a pre-accession strategy, in accordance with the general principles and general terms and conditions for the participation of those countries in Community programmes established in the respective Framework agreements and Association Council Decisions.

• Countries of the Western Balkans, in accordance with the provisions to be determined with those countries following the establishment of Framework Agreements concerning their participation in Community programmes.

• Other third countries, when Agreements and procedures so allow.

Up-to-date information on which countries are part of the programme is available on the Eco-Innovation web site.

The programme is also open to the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission and to international organisations (i.e. legal entities arising from an association of States, other than the European Community, established on the basis of a treaty or similar act, having common institutions and an international legal personality distinct from that of its Member States).

SELECTION CRITERIA

The applicant must have stable and sufficient sources of funding to maintain his activity throughout the period during which the action is being carried out and to participate in its funding. The applicant must have the professional skills and qualifications (technical and managerial) required for completing the proposed action and the capacity to manage an activity of the scale and size of the action.

MAIN AWARD CRITERIA

The Executive Agency for Competitiveness and Innovation will base its selection of actions and the rate of Community co-financing on the written proposal. The actions will be evaluated against five award criteria which will carry equal weighting within the overall assessment.

The following award criteria apply to project proposals:

1. Relevance of the actions proposed in view of the objectives established in the Call (score 0-10, minimum threshold 7): Innovation and environment.

2. Quality of the proposed actions (score 0-10, minimum threshold 6):

3. Impact on target audience, replication and impact on the market (score 0-10, threshold 6):

4. Budget and cost-effectiveness (score 0-10, threshold 6):

5. European added value (score 0-10, threshold 6):

DURATION

The maximum duration of an action is 36 months.

PERCENTAGE OF COMMUNITY CO-FINANCING

The financial contribution under CIP Eco-Innovation takes the form of a grant to off-set part of the total eligible costs of the project, under a maximum rate of 50% per project. Only the costs directly linked with the innovative action, including materials, processes, techniques or methods proposed, are considered eligible. This applies also to costs for equipment and infrastructure.

The Community contribution to reimburse eligible costs must not give rise to a profit during the project duration. Contributions in kind are not eligible costs.

An action which receives financial support for the same purpose from other Community financial instruments will not receive funding from this Call on first application and market replication projects.

ESTIMATED TOTAL AMOUNT OF AVAILABLE BUDGET FOR THIS 2009 CALL

The indicative total amount available for this Call is EUR 30 million.

FORMS FOR SUBMISSION OF APPLICATIONS FOR A GRANT

Applications must be submitted using the on-line submission system and application forms. The instructions on how to complete the application forms and the link to the on-line submission system with the application forms are available on the website of the CIP Eco-Innovation initiative.

TIMETABLE

The closing date for submission is 10 September 2009 before 17h00:00 (Brussels local time).

Estimated date of completion of the evaluation: January 2010

Estimated date for the notification of applicants: from February 2010 onwards

Estimated period for negotiations February/March 2010

Estimated date for signature of contracts from March 2010 onwards.

More informations at website of the CIP Eco-Innovation initiative.