Ocean Era-Net Cofund project
The Ocean ERA-NET Cofund project is part of the Horizon 2020 program launched by the European Union. This framework program carried out at the level of the European institutions aims to bring out innovative projects that should strengthen European competitiveness. It focuses on three priorities: scientific excellence, industrial leadership (i.e. investment in key industries for European competitiveness) and the response to societal challenges such as global warming.
The Region applied on April 5, 2016, with 7 other European partners for the Ocean ERA-NET Cofund project.
These partners are:
- Scottish enterprise in the UK;
- Statens Energimyndighet in Sweden;
- Ente vasci de la energía in Spain;
- Centro para el désarollo tecnológico industrial in Spain;
- The sustainable Energy Authority in Ireland;
- Fundaçao para a ciencia e a tecnologia in Portugal;
- The Brittany Region.
The Ocean ERA-net Cofund project was selected by the European Commission on June 27, 2016, to start on January 1, 2017. The action carried out consists of a call for transnational projects conducted with the other partners. This call will be co-financed by the Commission to the tune of 33% of the total budget and concerns the demonstration and validation of ocean energy technologies: it is a question of laboratories and companies in the Loire region testing technologies in this field.
This subject is strategic for the region: ocean energies (tidal and wave energy in particular) are indeed identified as a technology that is still immature with high potential, in which the Pays de la Loire has advanced academic and industrial skills.
The project offers a privileged framework to support useful partnerships for businesses and research centers in the Loire, with actors from the territories participating in the project. It is managed by the Regional Agency Pays de la Loire – territory of innovations, and the Regional Council of Pays de la Loire.