The SmartGrids ERA-Net launches a new call for applied research projects

In order to support joint European research on smart grid issues, the SmartGrids ERA-Net launches its 3rd call for research projects. The following countries are taking part in the call: Croatia, Denmark, Latvia, Poland, Norway, Sweden and Turkey. The total funding budget is set at € 3 600 000.

Focus areas of the 3rd SmartGrids ERA-Net call are:

• Efficient operation of active distribution networks;
• Smart retail and consumer technologies and services, including smart metering hereunder costs & benefits, customer aspects, user behaviour, and flexible demand and energy management strategies in an energy market environment;
• Information and communication technology (ICT) tools for smart grids;
• Interface between the grid and the end-users, including aspects related to security, privacy, regulation and business cases;
• Storage and balancing.

Who can apply?
Within the framework of the national limitations, the 3rd SmartGrids ERA-Net call is open to any resident researcher/eligible institution/business within the participating countries – complying in each case with the national regulations on public funding, unless specified otherwise by the specific programme. The call has a distributed fund where each country funds its own researchers.

The projects should involve cooperation/task sharing between the project partners. The project proposals must include partners from at least three of the countries participating in the call (Croatia, Denmark, Latvia, Poland, Norway, Sweden and Turkey).

The call has a two-step application process :

• 1. Each consortium submits a pre-proposal. These will be evaluated by experts in the funding bodies or involved programmes. Some pre-proposals will be selected for the second stage.
• 2. The chosen consortia are then invited to submit full proposals. Final selection is made by the national funding agencies after the full proposals have been evaluated by independent international experts.

Deadline for submitting pre-proposals is 2 September 2013, 17:00 CET

The pre-proposals and the full proposals are to be written in English and submitted via an electronic form available on the SmartGrids ERA-Net website. Proposals will be rejected if they have not been submitted correctly in due time.

• More information can be found in the published CALL TEXT
• To submit the pre-proposals, use the electronic application form available HERE.

RELEVANT DOCUMENTS FOR JOINT CALLS

The Smart Grids ERA-Net is actively cooperating with existing smart grids initiatives such as the SET-plan/EU Electricity Grid Initiative (EEGI) and the European Technology Platform (ETP). In the upcoming call, projects are encouraged to contribute to the fulfilment of the EEGI-roadmap,the ETP-strategic research agenda or the European Network of Transmission System operators of electricity (ENTSO-E).