45 best green projects will receive € 32 million funding under the 2009 CIP Eco-innovation initiative. The 45 projects were selected from among over 200 proposals submitted by the call deadline. Ranging from innovative materials for easy sorting and recycling to advanced production methods that save water and other resources, the selected projects are set to strengthen Europe’s competitive edge while improving its environmental standing

Following a thorough evaluation of the 202 proposals submitted by the call closing date, 45 new projects are due to receive a share of the € 32 million funds available under the 2009 CIP Eco-innovation call for proposals. Within their lifespan, the 45 projects are expected to mobilise directly as much additional funding again from the private and public undertakings in the project consortia, leading to a total investment of around € 64 million. Thanks to their replication factor, these projects will leverage even higher investments in the medium term.
A detailed breakdown of the selected projects shows the following distribution:

• Recycling: 33%
• Green business: 29%
• Food and drink: 29%
• Buildings: 7%
• Others: 2%

Commenting on the results of the evaluation, Patrick Lambert, Director of the Executive Agency for Competitiveness and Innovation (EACI) responsible for managing the funding scheme,
said "I am pleased to see such an enthusiastic response to our call with so many high quality applications. Now that the selection is complete, I look forward to the next stage when these new projects will contribute to Europe's green growth agenda." 
The 45 selected projects will now enter the contract negotiation phase; the first projects are expected to kick off in the spring.

When business meets the environment
Eco-innovation covers a wide range of green products, services and processes that can turn environmental challenges into business opportunities. The underlying idea is that competitive growth and environmental protection can go hand in hand.
Examples of CIP Eco-innovation projects which will receive funding under the 2009 call include:

• a filtering system to turn olive oil waste into valuable components for health, nutritional and industrial uses;
• a new type of milk bottle made of a mix of recycled paper and plastic that you can easily separate and sort;
• a revolutionary laser technology for fruit labelling that replaces conventional paper labels;
• a new manufacturing process to produce motorcycle parts with less waste and lower emissions;
• a novel recovery scheme for old carpets that reduces the need for raw material and energy consumption;
• better recycling methods for old shoes and footwear taking lessons from the tyre recycling industry;
• a new sorting method for black plastics using an innovative imaging sensor technique;
• an innovative wooden floor adhesive that does away with heavy metals and volatile organic material;
• improved technologies to recycle used nappies without incineration or harmful emissions.

A record number of submissions
With 202 proposals submitted by the closing date, the 2009 call saw a significant 50% increase in applications over the previous year. The proposals came from a wide spectrum of organisations, but for the most part (70%) SMEs. Altogether the funding requests arising from the 202 project proposals amounted to € 150 million.  The two most popular areas of submission were recycling – accounting for one third of all proposals submitted – and green business. Together, buildings and the food and drink sector represented another third of all proposals.
The 2009 call attracted applications from 614 organisations in 32 countries, with once again Spain, Italy and Germany in the lead but also some new entries from proposers in Iceland, Albania and Serbia.
With 44 projects currently running under the scheme, CIP Eco-innovation is a green strand of the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme and a dynamic contributor to the Environmental Technologies Action Plan.
The next opportunity to apply under CIP Eco-innovation will be with the new call for proposals which will open on 13 April 2010 with € 35 million available for funding new projects.

Links:
For a detailed analysis of the 2009 call see: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/eco-innovation/projects_en.htm
To learn more about CIP Eco-innovation visit: http://ec.europa.eu/ecoinnovation

Media Contact:
Mr Andrea Pascal, EACI
Tel: +32 (0)2 29 90452                    
E-mail: andrea.pascal@ec.europa.eu

About CIP Eco-innovation
With a total budget of € 200 million over the period 2008-2013, CIP Eco-innovation supports the first application and market uptake of sustainable solutions that make better use of natural resources and reduce Europe's ecological footprint. CIP Eco-innovation projects bring about new products, services and processes in areas as diverse as materials recycling, buildings and construction, the food and drink industry, and green management.
http://ec.europa.eu/ecoinnovation

About ETAP
The Environmental Technologies Action Plan (ETAP) is Europe's roadmap to making eco-innovation an everyday reality throughout Europe. Adopted by the Commission in 2004, the Plan covers a broad range of activities promoting eco-innovation and the widespread use of environmental technologies, with a view to positioning the EU as a recognised world leader in this area.
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/etap

About EACI
The Executive Agency for Competitiveness and Innovation (EACI) was established by the European Commission to ensure the effective management of three EU-funding schemes and a European business network. The EACI's team is made up of specialists on energy, the environment, business support, multi-modal transport, communication and finance.
http://ec.europa.eu/eaci