Coordinating and supporting research and innovation actions on the decarbonisation of the EU economy

The action will support the work of a panel of personalities, expected to be established by the European Commission. The panel's role will be to provide strategic-level, trans-disciplinary advice to the European Commission in this area of research and to ensure co-design through appropriate engagement of relevant stakeholders. This action should create a network of leading scientists and relevant research projects in the field of EU decarbonisation strategies, contributing to the definition of robust scientific statements and coverage of knowledge gaps. The project should from an early stage establish links with policy-makers and stakeholder groups at EU, national and sub-national level, in order to inform policy and business processes and set up feedback loops. The project should provide foresight analysis on emerging issues, produce sectoral and macro-economic syntheses emanating from results of EU-funded projects, and elaborate recommendations on current and emerging policy-relevant issues. It should also engage in active communication and dissemination of results. This action will have to be implemented in close cooperation with the European Commission’s Directorate General for Research and Innovation in order to allow for constant alignment with and support for policy initiatives.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between EUR 2.5 million and EUR 3 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts. Up to one action shall be funded.

There is a constant need for strengthening the information flow and enhancing the exchange of experience on on-going and future European and international research and innovation activities concerning low-carbon transition scenarios, as well as for maintaining continuous dialogue between the scientific community, economic and societal stakeholder groups and policy-makers in order to better support EU policy processes targeting the decarbonisation of Europe's economy between 2030 and 2050 and beyond.

Project results are expected to contribute to:

• enhanced coordination of European and Member State research and innovation actions on decarbonisation pathways and scenarios;
• better informed policy and business processes within a cross sectoral and integrated perspective, based on the latest scientific findings and recommendations for managing a low-carbon transition at various levels;
• the introduction and further development of the notion of cost-effectiveness, resulting from better medium-to-longer term planning and coordination.