The ”Symposium on European Funding Instruments for the development of Research Infrastructures” will take place on 19 April 2016, from 9.00 AM to 5.15 PM, and can be followed live on the following link: http://www.rich2020.eu/symposium2016/live
There will be 3 Plenary Sessions, with the following topics:
Plenary session 1 – Horizon2020 programme – the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (2014-2020) (including InnovFin)
Horizon2020:
Horizon 2020 is the biggest EU Research and Innovation programme with nearly €80 billion of funding available over 7 years (2014 to 2020) – in addition to the supplementary investment that this money can attract. The EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation will be complemented by additional measures in order to complete and further develop the European Research Area (ERA). In this regard, further development and wider use of RIs at Union level will make a significant contribution to development of the ERA. Support from H2020 to the Research Infrastructures´ landscape (including e-infrastructures) is included under Pilar I, Excellence Science with a total budget of 2383M€ for the entire period.
InnovFin:
InnovFin is an integrated instrument supporting all European businesses in their research and innovation processes through financing tools (guarantees, counter- 3 guarantees, loans) and advisory services. The European Investment Bank (EIB) in collaboration with the European Commission manages the initiative with the support of local financial institutions.
Plenary Session 2 - Structural Funds in support of Research Infrastructures – Synergies with Cohesion Policy and the role of Smart Specialization Strategies
Structural Funds:
The Structural Funds and the Cohesion Fund are financial tools set up to implement the regional policy of the European Union. They aim to reduce regional disparities in income, wealth and opportunities. In the period 2007-2013, cohesion policy will benefit from 35.7% of the total EU budget or €347 billion (current prices). Out of that amount €86 billion have been allocated to innovation: Research and Innovation including infrastructures, Entrepreneurship, ICT development and human capital actions. Innovation is one of the key aspects in applying Structural Funds. ´Research and innovation strategies for smart specialization’ (RIS3), will be the basis for investments in R&I under the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) for the 2014-2020 period.
Plenary Session 3 – The European Fund for Strategic Investment (EFSI) - Support strategic investments in key areas
The European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI):
The EFSI aims to overcome the current investment gap in the European Union (EU) by mobilizing private financing for strategic investments which the market cannot finance alone. It will support strategic investments in infrastructure as well as risk finance for small businesses. The fund will focus its financing on investments in infrastructure and innovation, as well as finance for Small- and Medium- sized Enterprises (SMEs).
The objectives of the symposium are:
The design, buildup, operation and maintenance of new and existing European Research Infrastructures (RIs) has been established as essential for the completion of the European Research Area (ERA). Research Infrastructures (RIs), along with the human capital concentrated around them, are recognized as a prerequisite for excellence in science, an enabler for industrial application of scientific results and a way to address the weaknesses in science and innovation policy coordination and networking at the European and region level. Nevertheless, there is an imbalance when it comes to the understanding of the investment needed in these RIs and more concretely, to which 2 financial instrument could be considered depending of the RIs developing phase and the specific expenses needs. The ultimate goal of the ¨Symposium on European Funding Instruments for the development of Research Infrastructures¨ is to provide a comprehensive view of the financial possibilities that the European RIs can consider in order to fully exploit their research capacities and services. With this activity the RICH project aims to facilitate information on the different funding instruments available and their connection to the RIs ecosystem, in particular the use of Structural Funds as well as EFSI, InnovFin and its synergies with H2020 funding, offering this way a complete view of how RIs can be managed and funded at global, EU, national and regional level.
