Public research funding is a key component of the auto sector’s drive to reduce CO2 emissions. For example, the European Union’s (EU) seventh framework programme (FP7) funds innovation in a wide range of industries, and automotive research figures prominently.
More than Euro EUR50bn is allocated for the period of 2007-2013, during which the FP7 has and will publish countless calls for proposals on various topics, which researchers, companies, and individuals can respond to with project ideas that fit the call’s themes.
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According to Mark English, spokesperson for research at the European Commission, FP7’s third call for the transportation sector is scheduled to open mid-July. The “European green car initiative” area of the call will cover topics such as safety in electric vehicles, efficient drive train systems and waste heat recovery for transport, and several logistics projects.
Although English said it’s impossible to predict how many proposals will be accepted, successful organisations must score three out of five in all criteria categories and “must be part of a consortium consisting of three separate legal entities across three different member or associate euro zone countries,” according to Samantha Larner at the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
English said the call’s budget is around EUR30m, and Larner said usually small- to medium-sized projects will receive up to EUR3m, while larger projects will receive more than EUR4m. Checking on calls for proposals is straightforward through http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/dc/index.cfm.
The EU also offers research funding outside the FP7: individual directorate-generals (DGs) also offer research and development grants for projects lowering CO2 emissions from vehicles and auto manufacturing. DG Environment, for example, has an ongoing call for expressions of interest which covers a range of categories, including “greenhouse gas emissions and abatement potentials” particularly in sectors such as transport and the “control of greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles.” The 2010 call for tenders does not have any proposals relating to low carbon vehicles, however the call for expressions of interest is set to continue until 2012 – and there may be funding opportunities in the future.
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By GlobalDataResearchers can find all the information about the DG environment’s grant programme at http://ec.europa.eu/environment/funding/calls_en.htm
DG Enterprise and Industry also funds projects it deems to promote industrial innovation – and under new EU industry Commissioner Antonio Tajani has underlined the greening of road transport (with a view to securing a competitive edge internationally) is a major priority. See http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/newsroom/cf/newsbytheme.cfm?displayType=fo&tpa_id=135&lang=en for calls for proposals.
Meanwhile, the European Co-operation in Science and Technology (COST) programme (www.cost.eu) continues to operate and offer support for CO2 reducing innovation. Administered by the EU, it is actually a research collaborations system that is wide open to non-EU researchers. COST does not fund research projects itself, but instead provides a ground-up forum where researchers can propose their projects and interested member states provide the funding.
Current projects for the auto sector include actions to create super-capacitors for future transport, researching new types and methods of creating biofuels, as well as a number of nanotube, composite and nanoparticle research for creating lightweight and durable materials which could potentially be used in reducing CO2 emissions from vehicles and auto manufacturing.
For auto researchers who want to research low carbon vehicles in ways other than those listed above, COST is currently hosting an open call for action proposals until September 24, 2010. These actions can fall under a number of categories, including transport and urban development, materials physical and nanosciences, and chemistry and molecular sciences and technologies. To submit a proposal, researchers must first register with COST and then submit a preliminary proposal by September 24. From these, about 80 proposals are invited to submit a full proposal.
To get started, interested researchers must contact their national COST co-ordinator (CNC) (contact details at http://www.cost.eu/about_cost/who), which exist in 36 countries. Only researchers with a CNC can propose an action – so if an auto researcher outside these countries wants to participate, they must find a partner in one of the 26 countries and have them propose it to COST. Countries without a CNC can join a running action by contacting the chair of a particular COST action project.
Meanwhile, another source of research money is Eureka – an international research network in Europe, which operates independently and supports almost every industry. By connecting researchers and innovators with private and public funding around the world, Eureka is currently hosting 722 projects with a collective budget of EUR1.3bn. The average budget of an individual project is EUR1.8m, which can come from a combination of national funding from several participating countries and other private sector funding. For the auto sector, proposals currently looking for partners include research on efficient transport, optimisation of cables, fuses and other electrical components in vehicles, and turning biowaste into fuel. Researchers looking to participate in or propose a project must contact their country’s national project co-ordinator (NPC). Eureka’s high level group (HLG) makes most of the final decisions on projects, with one representative from each member country on the committee to discuss proposals and funding.
There are opportunities at the national level, too. In the UK, the Automotive Assistance Programme (AAP) was created to help automakers and industries along the auto supply chain survive the 2009 recession – and although the recession is over, the GBP2.3bn in loan guarantees and funding opportunities are currently available until December 2010 – although whether this survives Britain’s new public spending round is another question. The programme is meant to help automakers innovate at a time when they desperately need an edge – and that includes green projects such as making gas-powered cars more efficient.
For example, in March 2010, Ford UK was granted GBP360 million in loan guarantees to support six projects to develop “a new generation of environmentally friendly engines and vehicle technologies.” Automakers, suppliers and other auto industry sectors can apply for loans on similar projects until the end of the year.
In the US, the Original Equipment Suppliers Association (OESA) launched a new forum on June 22, called the Automotive Supplier Technology Forum (http://members.oesa.org/memberonly/memberapp/OESA_Council.cfm?CouncilID=ASTF ) that is meant to “bring the funders, the innovators and the commercialers all together,” according to OESA senior vice president Dave Andrea. “This will be an on-going network meant to be the conduit between the US DOE (Department of Energy), US DOD (Department of Defense) and the supply base, as well as the network into other firms, agencies and academic institutions,” he said.
According to a company communiqué, “there are significant new opportunities as the US Department of Energy and Department of Defence ramp up research efforts, and suppliers throughout the supply chain increase their R&D operations.” Through the forum, researchers can find financial backers in the form of government grants or private lenders for their projects. This research and development, according to the organisation, should be all about creating cleaner, more efficient vehicles. “Suppliers must leverage all available human and financial resources to address fuel economy, emissions and safety regulations in a way that is affordable to consumers and profitable for shareholders,” the communiqué concluded.
Deirdre Mason
July 2010 management briefing: The low-CO2 challenge – Parts 1 & 2
