FET Proactive: emerging themes and communities

Specific Challenge

To mature a number of novel areas and themes by working towards structuring emerging communities and supporting the design and development of transformative research themes. The main benefits of this structuring yet explorative approach are emerging novel areas that are not yet ready for inclusion in industry research roadmaps, and building up and structuring of new interdisciplinary research communities around them. It makes the step from collaborations between a small number of researchers, to larger collaborations addressing various aspects of a novel research theme to jointly explore possibilities for, and long-term implications of future technologies that matter.

Scope

Proposals should address research and innovation activities, aimed at jointly exploring directions and options to establish a solid baseline of knowledge and skills, and to foster the emergence of a broader innovation ecosystem for a new technology as well as a fertile ground for its future take-up (e.g., through public engagement processes when relevant, or through formal and informal education). Proposals should address a single of the specific subtopics within one of the following areas:

Area 1: Future technologies for societal change

Area 2: Biotech for better life

Area 3: Disruptive information technologies

Area 4: New technologies for energy and functional materials

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between EUR 4 and 10 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. When appropriate, this allows for proposals to provide financial support to third parties in line with the conditions set out in Part K of the General Annexes, for example to access specific expertise, to enhance impacts or to award an inducement prize following a contest organised by the beneficiaries.

The Commission further considers that proposals with a duration up to 5 years would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals of different duration.

The funding budget per area is with a maximum of EUR 20 million for each of the areas 1 and 4, and a maximum of EUR 30 million for each of the areas 2 and 3.

Expected Impact

  • Establish a solid baseline of knowledge and skills for a future technology in the theme addressed.
  • Goal oriented community structuring and true interdisciplinary collaboration.
  • Emergence of an innovation ecosystem around a future technology in the theme addressed from outreach to and partnership with high potential actors in research and innovation, and from wider stakeholder/public engagement.
Institution
Date de candidature
Discipline
Humanités
Sciences sociales
Autres