Co-funding Strategic Energy Technology (SET) Plan renewable fuel value chains at EU, national, regional, and local level

Expected Outcome: Project results are expected to contribute to all of the following expected outcomes: Advance in the realisation of the Strategic Energy Technology (SET) Plan Action of Renewable fuels and Bioenergy (for the fuels part) is supported, overcoming fragmentation by mobilizing resources and establishing across EU interregional value chains of renewable fuel technologies and by better alignment of public and private R&I priorities and of funding mechanisms. All sector stakeholders benefit from establishment of renewable fuels value chains at EU, national, regional, and local level overcoming fragmentation across Europe. Different stakeholders (e.g., EU, SET Plan countries, regions, communities, etc) benefit from their engagement in the co-creation of a very flexible R&I Programme in renewable fuels. Researchers, industry, and public authorities have access to increased knowledge and challenges of the different renewable fuel technologies along their lifecycle and value chains and benefit from synergies to overcome fragmentation of the value chains and from increased critical mass in implementing R&I activities in the area. Technology providers profit from technology development, successful demonstration and de-risking of a portfolio of renewable fuel technologies, improved access to better financing exploiting synergies across funding schemes, and from more effective market uptake, increased competitiveness and commercialization opportunities. Energy producers, clean tech manufacturing industries and consumers benefit from improved performance and security of a portfolio of renewable fuel technologies and from better exploitation opportunities in a larger and more homogeneous marketplace. Policy makers and regulators are provided with evidence to accelerate permitting procedures and increase the public acceptance of innovative and sustainable renewable fuel projects, minimizing negative environmental impacts including biodiversity, and improving the regulatory framework. Scope: Following the revamp of the SET Plan and its anchoring to the NZIA and the European Research Area, it becomes urgent to boost the R&I activities envisaged already under the SET Plan Implementation Plans and their further updates and contribute towards pooling diverse resources to increase the R&I funding and impact across the European Research Area. This action is complementary to existing projects and instruments like the Clean Energy Technology (CET) Partnership[1] with the vision to support, facilitate and reinforce that work by providing a focused programming framework and coordinated network of active and connected stakeholders in renewable fuels. This action aims to create connected regional renewable fuel value chain activities across Europe, involving regions with lower innovation performances, by sharing and transferring capacities and know-how. The challenge is to overcome fragmentation of the value chains where different regions have different capacities (feedstock, technology, skills) and create collaboration at EU, national, regional or local level to collectively develop and implement complete value chains of renewable fuel technologies. The action should contribute to the implementation of the Implementation Plan[2] and its updated version(s) of the Implementation Working Group of Renewable fuels and Bioenergy under the revamped SET Plan. All renewable fuel technologies, both of biological and non-biological origin, at all TRL levels and market up-take measures, which are listed in this Implementation Plan and its updated version(s), but also new identified interregional and transnational challenges across these value chains, are within scope, including for example feedstock standardization, permitting fragmentation and lack of fit-for-purpose business models in rural regions, and using artificial intelligence as appropriate. Activities should draw from the detailed R&I activities program of the Implementation Plan of the SET... Source: EU Funding & Tenders Portal (CC BY 4.0).