Deadline: 31 January 2018
Website: http://www.efmc.info/
EUREKA – Chile, Czech Republic, France, Israel, Spain, Sweden, Turkey Call for Projects
Deadline: 25 January 2018
Website: http://www.eurekanetwork.org/multilateral-call-for-projects-2017
Catalytic Transformation of Hydrocarbons
Deadline: 23 January 2018
Website: http://ec.europa.eu/
Horizon Prize – Materials for Clean Air
Deadline: 23 January 2018
Website: http://ec.europa.eu/
Synthetic Biology to Expand Diversity of Nature’s Chemical Production
Deadline: 23 January 2018
Website: http://ec.europa.eu/
EuCheMS Lecture Award
Deadline: 31 December 2017
Website: http://www.euchems.eu/
EuCheMS European Chemistry Gold Medal
Deadline: 31 December 2017
Website: http://www.euchems.eu/
Call for Members of the Consultation Forum on Alternatives to Fluorinated Greenhouse Gases
Deadline: Continuously Open Call
Website: http://ec.europa.eu/
EFSA Public Consultation on The Active Substance Pyrimethanil
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) will assess all comments from interested parties regarding the active substance Pyrimethanil. Input is requested on the following: physical/chemical properties; details of uses and further information; methods of analysis; mammalian toxicology; residues; and environmental fate and behaviour.
Deadline: 8 January 2018
Website: http://www.efsa.europa.eu/
Evaluation of EU Pesticide Legislation – Stakeholder Survey
This survey is part of an evaluation of the EU legislation on plant protection products and pesticide residues. The scope of this survey includes the provisions of Regulation (EC) No 396/2005 on maximum residue levels (MRLs) of pesticides, and Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009, concerning the placing of plant protection products (PPPs) on the market. This survey seeks to collect information on how well the rules governing the approval of active substances, authorisation of plant protection products, and the setting of MRLs of pesticides in the EU work in practice. The questions explore in detail the impact of these provisions on businesses, the environment, and consumers in the EU. The survey aims at identifying strengths and weaknesses of the PPP and MRL Regulations, and gathers information on how the situation has changed after the entry into force of the Regulations. The results of the survey will feed into the evaluation performed independently on behalf of DG SANTE.
Deadline (for stakeholders): 31 December 2017
Website (for stakeholders): https://s.chkmkt.com/
Deadline (for citizens): 12 February 2018
Website (for citizens): https://ec.europa.eu/
Draft Delegated Regulation – Scheduling of ANPP and NPP in the EU Drug Precursor Legislation
Drug precursors are chemicals which may be used for the illicit manufacture of narcotic drugs or psychotropic substances. Regulation (EC) No 273/2004 lays down measures for monitoring trade in drug precursors within the EU, while Regulation (EC) No 111/2005 governs trade in drug precursors between the EU and third countries. Both Regulations jointly implement the obligations stemming from Article 12 of the Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances of 1988 (the 1988 UN Convention) in the EU. By its decisions 60/12 and 60/13, taken at its sixtieth session on 16 March 2017, the Commission on Narcotic Drugs of the United Nations decided to include, respectively, 4-anilino-N-phenethylpiperidine (ANPP) and N-phenethyl-4-piperidone (NPP) in Table I of the 1988 UN Convention. The Commission is asking for feedback on the Draft delegated regulation on the scheduling of these substances in the EU Drug Precursor legislation.
Deadline: 13 December 2017
Website: https://ec.europa.eu/
Draft Regulation – Methodological Principles for the Risk Assessment and Risk Management Recommendations for the Maximum Residue Limits
This Regulation sets out the methodological principles for the scientific risk assessment and risk management recommendations referred to in Articles 6 and 7 of Regulation (EC) No 470/2009 that shall be applied by the European Medicines Agency when preparing opinions on the maximum residue limits of pharmacologically active substances which may be permitted in food of animal origin.
Deadline: 13 December 2017
Website: https://ec.europa.eu/
Evaluation of the General Union Environment Action Programme to 2020
The purpose of this evaluation is to assess the 7th Environment Action Programme (EAP) and submit a report based on this evaluation to the European Parliament and to the Council. The focus of the evaluation will be on the structure and strategic role played by the 7th EAP: that is its multi-layered approach, dual focus and the joint responsibility to deliver. Essentially it will ask if this agreed framework is really helping us to deliver the nine priority objectives in a smart way. Evaluating the structure will require a basic assessment of the link between the structure and the actions undertaken under the 7th EAP and the progress towards achieving the 7th EAP’s different sub-objectives. In doing so, the evaluation will consider the impact of relevant actions taken at Union and Member State level given their shared responsibility for the 7th EAP.
Deadline: 6 December 2017
Website: https://ec.europa.eu/
Draft Regulation – Definition of the Concept “Similar Medicinal Product”
Commission Regulation (EC) No 847/20002 provides a definition of the concept “similar medicinal product”, which includes specific cases defining what kind of products are to be regarded as similar for the purposes of the application of Regulation (EC) No 141/2000. That definition should be updated in the light of new scientific and technical knowledge, in particular, due to major developments in the field of biological medicines, and especially advanced therapy medicinal products, and in the light of experience gained with regard to the designation and regulation of orphan medicinal products. In addition, there is a need for a clear definition of the concept ‘principal molecular structural features’, which is used within the definition of the concept ‘similar active substance’, which is in turn used within the definition of the concept ‘similar medicinal products’.
Deadline: 27 November 2017
Website: https://ec.europa.eu/
Raw Materials Information System
Earlier this month the European Commission launched the Raw Materials Information System (RMIS), a central platform in a user-friendly format, with key information on non-fuel, non-agricultural raw materials from primary and secondary sources. The competitiveness of EU industries, directly and indirectly rely on the secure and sustainable supply of raw materials. This tool aims to be a focal point for resource availability information which is often scattered across several sources, such as ministries, agencies, geological surveys, research institutes, and universities. The recuperation or substitution of rare raw materials is a fundamental part of circular economy and has been the topic of EuCheMS workshops – Protecting Endangered Elements and From Waste to Health.
Source: https://ec.europa.eu/
New Investments in Innovative Businesses
119 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from 24 countries have been selected for funding in the latest round of the Horizon 2020 SME Instrument. The funding is provided under Phase 1 of the instrument, which means that each project will receive €50,000 to finance a feasibility study for innovative products that can disrupt the market. As expected, chemistry is present in many proposals, examples are “Industrial Micro Electrochemical Cell sensors for real-time quantification of H2S in wastewater” from Denmark, or “Industrial scale PET chemical recycling plant based on innovative glycolysis process” from Italy.
Source: http://ec.europa.eu/
Implementing Smart Specialisation – Thematic Platform on Industrial Modernisation
The paper “Implementing Smart Specialisation – Thematic Platform on Industrial Modernisation” offers an overview of policy and economic reasons behind the launch of the new Smart Specialisation Platform for Industrial Modernisation. It is argued that modernisation of the European Industry depends upon multiple innovations across many industrial areas linked to emerging value chains. Some European regions have access to leading R&D and upstream innovation facilities; others have industrial skills needed in downstream testing and industrial upscaling. This paper looks at how the new Industrial Modernisation Platform can help European regions to create and/or join transnational networks of knowledge and expertise, and drive the development of transnational and macro – regional value chains. Smart Specialisation is a place-based approach characterised by the identification of strategic areas for intervention based both on the analysis of the strengths and potential of the economy and on an Entrepreneurial Discovery Process (EDP) with wide stakeholder involvement.
Source: http://s3platform.jrc.ec.europa.eu/
Proof of Concept: ERC Awards 51 Grants for Innovation
Fifty-one ERC grant holders receive top-up funding to explore the commercial or innovation potential of the results of their EU-funded frontier research. The selected innovative projects cover a wide variety of topics, and chemistry is present in projects such as imaging-XChem: A computational package for ultrafast electronic control in chemistry (Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, Spain) or Graphene as effective anti-fading agent for the protection of artworks (Foundation for Research and Technology Hellas, Greece). Proof of Concept grants, worth €150,000 each and open to ERC grant holders, can be used, for example, to establish intellectual property rights, investigate business opportunities or conduct technical validation. The grantees can apply for funding in three rounds of the call. The budget of the overall 2017 Proof of Concept competition is €20 million.
Source: https://erc.europa.eu/news/proof-of-concept-erc-awards-51-grants-innovation
European Antibiotic Awareness Day
At the 10th Anniversary of the European Antibiotic Awareness day, on 15 November, Vytenis Andriukaitis, Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, and Carlos Moedas, Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation made a joint statement on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), a threat that by 2050 “could potentially kill one person every three seconds and become a more common cause of death than cancer”. In order to address this issue, the EU has created an action plan with three main objectives: 1) Making the EU a best practice region; 2) Boosting research and innovation; and 3) Shaping the global agenda. In more concrete terms, this June, the Commission adopted EU Guidelines on the prudent use of antimicrobials in human health; in September was launched the European Joint Action on Antimicrobial Resistance and HealthCare-Associated Infections (EUJAMRAI), involving 28 countries; and in October, ECDC, EFSA and EMA adopted a Scientific Opinion setting out indicators that address both the human and animal sectors so that the EU and Member States can measure progress. On research, investment will continue under Horizon 2020 where until now, projects with a cumulative budget of €350 million are funded and additional €200 million has been committed to AMR for the next three years. To know more about contribution of chemistry to AMR, read the conclusions of the EuCheMS-EFMC-STOA workshop on this topic.
Source: http://europa.eu/
European Parliament and Member States on Glyphosate
The European Parliament backed a full ban on glyphosate-based herbicides by December 2022 and immediate restrictions on the use of the substance earlier in October. The Parliament opposes the European Commission’s proposal to renew the controversial herbicide licence for 10 years. Instead, MEPs say the EU should draw up plans to phase out the substance, starting with a complete ban on household use and a ban in use for farming when biological alternatives work well for weed control. Glyphosate should then be completely banned in the EU by 15 December 2022, with the necessary intermediate steps, MEPs say. After the European Parliament position, Member States have met twice on this topic but did not reach an agreement regarding the renewal period for glyphosate, whose authorisation period ends by the end of 2017.
To know more about this topic, please consult the outcomes of this EuCheMS-Pavel Poc European Parliament workshop as well as this Chemistry in Europe article.
Source: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/; https://www.politico.eu/; http://www.euronews.com/
Global CO2 Emissions Stable
The annual assessment of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by the European Commission´s Joint Research Centre (JRC) and the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (PBL) confirms that CO2 emissions have stalled for the third year in a row. The report provides updated results on the continuous monitoring of the three main greenhouse gases: carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O). Global GHG emissions continue to be dominated by fossil carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, which however show a slowdown trend since 2012, and were stalled for the third year in a row in 2016. EU’s emissions remained stable with respect to the previous year while Russia, China, the United States, and Japan further decreased their CO2 emissions from 2015 to 2016.
Source: https://ec.europa.eu/
Education and Training in Europe Monitor
The 2017 edition of the Commission’s Education and Training Monitor, shows that national education systems are becoming more inclusive and effective. Yet it also confirms that students’ educational attainment largely depends on their socio-economic backgrounds. Among other findings, the report shows that the employment rate of recent graduates continues to recover from the 2008 crisis, standing now at 78.2%, not far from the goal of 82%. The report also looks into the mismatch between jobs and the skills workers possess, which remains high, particularly among bachelor’s diploma holders. According to the report this should be an incentive for educators to review curricula and education standards, and for students to review their choices of field of study.
Source: http://europa.eu/
Education and Training in Europe Monitor
The 2017 edition of the Commission’s Education and Training Monitor, shows that national education systems are becoming more inclusive and effective. Yet it also confirms that students’ educational attainment largely depends on their socio-economic backgrounds. Among other findings, the report shows that the employment rate of recent graduates continues to recover from the 2008 crisis, standing now at 78.2%, not far from the goal of 82%. The report also looks into the mismatch between jobs and the skills workers possess, which remains high, particularly among bachelor’s diploma holders. According to the report this should be an incentive for educators to review curricula and education standards, and for students to review their choices of field of study.
Source: http://europa.eu/
EUA Proposals for FP9
European Universities Association (EUA) has published its proposals for the Next Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (FP9). EUA proposals cover three key thematic areas: 1) providing long-term policies and funding instruments for research; 2) reinforcing collaboration and minimising discrepancies across the EU; and 3) seeking a stronger alignment of policies for education, research and innovation. Among other, EUA recommends to sufficiently fund a significantly larger number of excellent, collaborative and multidisciplinary research and innovation projects; to promote and support research based on bottom-up initiatives and open-themed calls for smaller, focused, multidisciplinary consortia; or to embed open science in all parts of FP9.
Source: http://eua.be/
A European Education Area by 2025
As part of the ongoing debate on the Future of Europe, the Commission set out its vision and concrete steps to create a European Education Area by 2025.
Even though the primary responsibility for education policies lies with the Member States, the European Union plays a complementary role and the Commission believes it is in the shared interest of all Member States to harness the full potential of education. According to the Commission, the European Area of Education should include, among other, an increase of student mobility; the mutual recognition of diplomas, the promotion of language learning, or the promotion 5% GDP investment in education.
Source: https://ec.europa.eu/