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Contributing to the interim evaluation of Horizon 2020 : final report - Study
This publication is the final report of a study that contributed to the interim evaluation of Horizon 2020. It collected information and data on the overall development of synergies between Horizon 2020 and European Structural and Investment Funds. The study provided evidence that there is a legal basis for synergies in place and that there are overall implementation guidelines for all the institutional synergy actors involved. However, the overall development of synergies is considered by the synergy actors as variable, occasional and rather based on a chance than on a more systematic process
Published: 2018-03-28
Corporate author(s): Directorate-General for Research and Innovation (European Commission)
Personal author(s): Joint Institute for Innovation Policy (JIIP)
Themes: Research policy and organisation
Subject: EU programme, financial instrument, financing, Framework Programme for Research and Development, fund (EU), innovation, report, research and development
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The LiRichFCC project will explore an entirely new class of materials for electrochemical energy storage termed “Li-rich FCC” comprising a very high concentration of lithium in a cubic dense packed structure (FCC).
Our prowess in harnessing and creating electricity has not been matched by our capacity to store it. Today’s batteries in the form of lithium-ion (Li-ion) are far from perfect. They may be installed in a wide range of appliances including automobiles yet they provide limited energy to power our phones and laptops, or heat and light homes unconnected to a national grid – most especially in developing countries where energy poverty is predominant.
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Commission proposes most ambitious Research and Innovation programme so far
Thursday, 7 June, 2018
For the next long-term EU budget 2021-2027, the Commission today proposed €100 billion for research and innovation. The new programme – Horizon Europe – will build on the achievements and success of the previous research and innovation programme (Horizon 2020) and keep the EU at the forefront of global research and innovation. Horizon Europe is the most ambitious research and innovation programme ever.
link: http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-18-3570_en.htm
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Identifier: H2020-CleanAir-2015-1
Pillar: Industrial Leadership
Type: Call for Proposals
Planned Opening Date: Thu, 26 Jan 2017
Deadline: Tue, 23 Jan 2018 17:00:00 (Brussels local time)
Budget: 3.000.000,00 €
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14.11-15.11.2017
EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland
Find the PDF DRAFT Programme:
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- Written by Vilja Vara
UPM (www.upm.com) leads the forest-based bioindustry into a sustainable and innovation-driven future. UPM’s innovations focus on the efficient and responsible use of recyclable and renewable biomass. UPM’s new businesses Biocomposites (www.upmprofi.com) and Biochemicals (www.upmbiochemicals.com) develop new bio-based materials which open new sustainable and responsible business opportunities.
Creating value and replacing fossil-based raw materials
UPM Biochemicals’ offering is divided into four product categories: chemical building blocks, lignin products, biofibrils and biomedical products.
Bio-based chemical building blocks are used for example to substitute oil-based chemicals in plastic production. Wood-based lignin can be used to manufacture bio-based resins replacing fossil-based resins for example in plywood production.
Biofibrils are cellulose-based micro- and nanofibril products that can be used for shaping and reinforcing different materials. They can also be used in new biomedical applications.
GrowDex® an innovative matrix for 3D cell culturing
UPM’s GrowDex® (www.growdex.com ), is an award-winning innovation with great future potential in medical research and other applications. It is a proprietary hydrogel for three dimensional (3D) cell culturing. 3D cell culture is an in vitro technology for advanced cell culture applications. They mimic more closely natural tissues and organs than cells grown in two-dimensional environment (2D). 3D cell culture techniques enable e.g. development of cell based drug and chemical tests and discovery of models and treatment for serious diseases.
The wood cellulose-based nanofibril hydrogel GrowDex® is used for research of different sicknesses, such as cancer. In a recent project researchers investigated how cancer cells from solid tumors grow as a three-dimensional culture in GrowDex® and how they respond to different drugs.
It has turned out that cells which have been cultured in this type of 3D environment can show different drug responses than those that have been cultured in a traditional 2D environment. With some drugs, the cancer cells are sensitive in one or the other condition, not both. In other words, a certain drug only kills cancer cells in a 2D environment but not in the natural 3D environment. The use of more natural, 3D in vitro technologies enables more effective development of cancer and other drugs and even personalized medicine applications.
UPM’s GrowDex® has been recognized as a significant innovation with great future potential. It was awarded the Chemical Industry Federation of Finland innovation prize in 2016. The members of the award winning GrowDex® team come from UPM and the University of Helsinki. The award given to the innovation is also a recognition to UPM for boldly moving into new areas of research and development.
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Innovative fossil-free biomaterials and products can end the fossil-based era and help to decarbonize the EU
Lignin, nanocellulose, cross laminated timber, biochemicals, biofuels, wood-based packaging, forest fibre textiles and countless materials and products of biological origin, particularly from forests, can replace a range of fossil and non-renewable materials and products with enhanced energy efficiency or environmental performance. To assume that these so-called biobased materials and products will trigger a paradigm shift is not an overestimate. A bioeconomy age lies ahead.
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For over a decade, Centexbel, the Belgian research centre for textiles and plastics, is highly involved in the development and implementation of biopolymer fibres and textiles. Drop-in biopolymers such as Bio-PE or Bio-PET intrinsically have the same properties as their oil-based counterparts and can be implemented with limited technological developments.
Therefore, our focus lies on new biopolymer types since they offer a real challenge to develop appropriate processing conditions and additive selection and to maximise the specific properties offered by these new polymers such as PLA (PolyLacticAcid), PHA’s (PolyHydroxyAlkanoates), PHB (PolyHydroxyButerate), PBS (PolyButyleneSuccinate), TPS (ThermoPlastic Starches) or PEF (PolyEthyleneFuranoate). At present, PLA is the most economic biopolymer and available in the highest amounts. The majority of the research projects are directed to the use of this biopolymer in textile applications. This is illustrated by 3 European projects, representing our past and present research activities.
“BIOAGROTEX” was one of the first large-scale projects on biopolymers, coordinated by Centexbel. The project aimed at developing fully biobased agrotextiles, exploiting the specific properties of biopolymers such as PLA to be composted after its normal lifetime. To those agrotextiles requiring a guaranteed lifetime of several years, but preferentially have to be composted after reaching its end-of-life, this polymer can offer an attractive solution. In the project we succeeded in defining appropriate grades and processing conditions for production of fibres, monofilaments and tapes, which fulfilled the requirements of the specific applications.
Based on the positive results, several industrial partners launched specific new biobased Agrotextiles into the market; amongst others:
• DURACOVER® – Bonar Technical fabrics: Woven groundcovers from PLA tapes.
• HORTAFLEX® – DS Textiles: needlefelt groundcovers from PLA fibre
• FILBIO®PLA –Texinov: Knitted insect screens from PLA monofil
The products have been successfully implemented in the market and a market growth is expected in those countries where public procurement rules define the use of biodegradable or more ecologic, sustainable products, especially in the case of large public projects (railways, highways, public green space, … ).
Example: DURACOVER from Bonar Technical Fabrics from Bonar Technical Fabrics
Example: DURACOVERExample: HORTAFLEX® from DS Textiles
Example: FILBIO®PLA from Texinov
In a second more recent project, the development of biobased textile products is continued but instead of focussing on biodegradable properties, more durable applications are envisaged. The development looks into the possibilities of spinning yarns from PLA staple fibres, in combination with other natural fibres such as wool or cotton. The yarns will be further processed into fabrics for a variety of high-end clothing applications, including in casual menswear and ladieswear, protective clothing and workwear. Via this route 100% biobased articles will also be generated, avoiding the use of oil-based polyester fibres. It is obvious that in these applications durability and comfort aspects are of a much higher importance than biodegradability.
This H2020 “Fast-Track-To-Innovation” project, coordinated by Aimplas, joins the expertise of 3 industrial partners representing the different production steps: fibre extrusion, yarn spinning, weaving and confection and is supported by 2 research institutes. Centexbel supports the development of functionalised formulations and the fibre extrusion processes in close collaboration with DS Fibres who has also participated in the Bioagrotex project.
The project was started just recently. The first industrial products into the market are expected in 2019. Further information is provided by the project website: http://fibfab-project.eu
Spinning and weaving PLA/wool and PLA/Cotton yarns.
The objective of the third example of European projects, BIO4SELF, is to develop a further high-end and durable application of PLA materials. In this project, coordinated by Centexbel, a consortium of 16 research centres and industrial partners, representing the complete value chain, have set themselves the task to improve the PLA filament production to allow the production of novel fully biobased composites using the self-reinforcement technology.
To achieve this goal, high performance nanofibrillar PLA fibres will be developed, with a high tenacity and a higher melting temperature, that can act as reinforcement fibre in the composite. This reinforcement fibre itself is additionally reinforced with a bio-based thermotropic liquid crystalline polymer nanofibrils (bio-LCP) to reach the requested high mechanical properties.
For the matrix, lower melting PLA fibres will be developed and combined with the high melting reinforcement fibres to create hybrid yarns and preforms. These hybrid PLA preforms will be made with different fibre architectures, e.g. chips with short fibres in random orientations, and fabrics with long fibres in controlled orientations.
These intermediates will be further processed by injection moulding or compression moulding routes, to a range of high-level composite products.
Self-reinforced composite obtained by combining a low and high melting PLA grade.
A further goal is to develop self-functionalization of the composite materials, aiming to induce inherent self-cleaning (via photocatalytic fibres), self-healing (via tailored microcapsules) and self-sensing (via deformation detecting fibres) properties. Prototype parts for automotive and home appliances will be developed with the novel materials to demonstrate the broad application potential of the biobased self-reinforced materials.
BIO4SELF requires innovation all along the value chain.
This project example clearly shows that biopolymers are no longer solely used and developed for biodegradable and biobased purposes, but for the highest application levels and that they have the potential to outperform standard oil-based products in some applications.
For further information and updates on the BIO4SELF project, feel free to sign up for the project newsletter at the website: www.bio4self.eu.
Conclusions
The projects mentioned above, are only a few examples of the research projects performed at Centexbel in relation to the biobased economy. Other projects are dealing with alternative biopolymers such as TPS, PBS or PHA. Moreover, our projects not only address extrusion applications but are also evaluating alternative biobased formulations for coating and finishing processes.
Although the introduction of biobased polymers and chemicals in the textile industry is still taking place on a very small scale, we are convinced that this will gradually change in the near future. The ongoing research will surely result in new “eye-catcher” applications within a few years that will boost the implementation of biobased textiles and support the global change towards the biobased economy.
Luc Ruys, Centexbel, Technologypark 7, 9052 Gent, Belgium
www.centexbel.eu
