Periodic Reporting for period 1 - NCP4Industry (The European Network of HE Cluster 4 Industry National Contact Points)
Periodo di rendicontazione: 2022-06-01 al 2023-11-30
The NCP4Industry - Cluster 4 Industry NCP Network aims to establish a foundation for uniform and reliable services offered by National Contact Points in the industry sector. This involves promoting transnational collaboration among NCPs within Cluster 4 Industry and encouraging the exchange of knowledge, best practices, and available opportunities among industrial research and innovation communities.
As the primary source of practical information and assistance for participation in Cluster 4 Industry-related Destinations and Topic Calls of the Horizon Europe Framework Programme, the Cluster 4 Industry NCP Network supports both the Cluster 4 Industry National Contact Points (NCPs) and the European R&I community. The consortium, comprising 17 officially nominated NCP organizations, boasts excellent representation from Member States, Associated Countries, and Widening Countries.
NCP4Industry offers benefits to the R&I community, providing access to pertinent background information on Horizon Europe Industry-related calls for proposals. The activities of the project include matchmaking events, mentoring and training activities, and improved access to funding opportunities through knowledge transfer and communication measures. Ultimately, the outcomes of the NCP4Industry project aim to reduce barriers to accessing European funding by ensuring a consistent level of European and National services delivered by National Contact Points across Europe and beyond.
To reach all his goals, the project works to achieve the following 4 specific objectives that are linked to the work performed in the next section
As the primary source of practical information and assistance for participation in Cluster 4 Industry-related Destinations and Topic Calls of the Horizon Europe Framework Programme, the Cluster 4 Industry NCP Network supports both the Cluster 4 Industry National Contact Points (NCPs) and the European R&I community. The consortium, comprising 17 officially nominated NCP organizations, boasts excellent representation from Member States, Associated Countries, and Widening Countries.
NCP4Industry offers benefits to the R&I community, providing access to pertinent background information on Horizon Europe Industry-related calls for proposals. The activities of the project include matchmaking events, mentoring and training activities, and improved access to funding opportunities through knowledge transfer and communication measures. Ultimately, the outcomes of the NCP4Industry project aim to reduce barriers to accessing European funding by ensuring a consistent level of European and National services delivered by National Contact Points across Europe and beyond.
To reach all his goals, the project works to achieve the following 4 specific objectives that are linked to the work performed in the next section
The activities performed during the first half of the project are in line with the specific goals of NCP4Industry
1) To foster the circulation of knowledge about European policy framework, European R&I Strategic Orientations and Horizon Europe Industry related calls for proposals, one of the relevants activities in the first half of the project was to create a central document, the NCP guide for Cluster 4, and to create factsheets on important topics e.g. AI in the industrial sector and advanced materials in HE. Furthermore, trainings for NCP were organized on topics related to Cluster 4. Also the organized webinars for stakholders focused on the policy con-text of Cluster 4 Industry calls and the role of HE partnerships. Relavant activities to foster circulation of knowledge were also organized with relevant actors such as the EU partnerships Process4Planer and CleanSteel, but also in close collaboration with other Horizion Europe NCP network. In this context initiatives have been organized and promoted with EIT and EIC, to share knowledge and opportunities with the R&I communities on programmes closely related to Cluster 4 Industry.
2) To refine the NCP support services, via capacity building, mentoring, training activities, and online tools dedicated to National Contact Points, including newcomer NCPs, NCP4Industry organized trainings, materials, information to improve NCP skills, including training fro newcomers and twinning and staff exchenge schemes. In this last context a useful tool was found in the "speed-dating", a way to exchange experiences among NCPs, especially newcomers.
3) To leave no one behind, by ensuring equal access to NCPs services across the EU and outside of it, and lowering entry barriers to new applicants, with particular attention to widening countries and new potential actors, NCP4Industry aimed at providing services also for smaller countries or from countries outside of the EU. . In this context, the NCP-guide was especially written for newly appointed NCPs. Moreover the project offered in its first half twinnings and most of the training online so that NCP regardless of their location could participate. The project actions are designed to provide opportunities to the stakeholders to initiate and improve their participation in Cluster 4 Industry calls: direct support to applications (initiating and completing consortia via brokerage events, refining the project scope via project idea check and improving the quality of project using the full proposal check) and indirect support implemented through informative actions.
4) To foster cooperation under Cluster 4 ensuring synergy opportunities among the Horizon Europe NCP Networks, NCP4Industry ensured in the first half of the project the synergies with the other two Cluster 4 NCP Networks, namely Ideal-ist and Cosmos4HE, and with other relevant NCP Networks Coordinators. The brokering actions are coordinated for instance: the dates are set to avoid overlapping, the mutual promotion of actions of all Cluster three NCP networks is maintained, the sharing of experience is carried out (e.g. for Full Proposal Check). Also trainings and common events have been planned. But the synergyies are not limited to Cluster 4: the project developed mutual collaboration with other NCP networks
1) To foster the circulation of knowledge about European policy framework, European R&I Strategic Orientations and Horizon Europe Industry related calls for proposals, one of the relevants activities in the first half of the project was to create a central document, the NCP guide for Cluster 4, and to create factsheets on important topics e.g. AI in the industrial sector and advanced materials in HE. Furthermore, trainings for NCP were organized on topics related to Cluster 4. Also the organized webinars for stakholders focused on the policy con-text of Cluster 4 Industry calls and the role of HE partnerships. Relavant activities to foster circulation of knowledge were also organized with relevant actors such as the EU partnerships Process4Planer and CleanSteel, but also in close collaboration with other Horizion Europe NCP network. In this context initiatives have been organized and promoted with EIT and EIC, to share knowledge and opportunities with the R&I communities on programmes closely related to Cluster 4 Industry.
2) To refine the NCP support services, via capacity building, mentoring, training activities, and online tools dedicated to National Contact Points, including newcomer NCPs, NCP4Industry organized trainings, materials, information to improve NCP skills, including training fro newcomers and twinning and staff exchenge schemes. In this last context a useful tool was found in the "speed-dating", a way to exchange experiences among NCPs, especially newcomers.
3) To leave no one behind, by ensuring equal access to NCPs services across the EU and outside of it, and lowering entry barriers to new applicants, with particular attention to widening countries and new potential actors, NCP4Industry aimed at providing services also for smaller countries or from countries outside of the EU. . In this context, the NCP-guide was especially written for newly appointed NCPs. Moreover the project offered in its first half twinnings and most of the training online so that NCP regardless of their location could participate. The project actions are designed to provide opportunities to the stakeholders to initiate and improve their participation in Cluster 4 Industry calls: direct support to applications (initiating and completing consortia via brokerage events, refining the project scope via project idea check and improving the quality of project using the full proposal check) and indirect support implemented through informative actions.
4) To foster cooperation under Cluster 4 ensuring synergy opportunities among the Horizon Europe NCP Networks, NCP4Industry ensured in the first half of the project the synergies with the other two Cluster 4 NCP Networks, namely Ideal-ist and Cosmos4HE, and with other relevant NCP Networks Coordinators. The brokering actions are coordinated for instance: the dates are set to avoid overlapping, the mutual promotion of actions of all Cluster three NCP networks is maintained, the sharing of experience is carried out (e.g. for Full Proposal Check). Also trainings and common events have been planned. But the synergyies are not limited to Cluster 4: the project developed mutual collaboration with other NCP networks
The results in the first half of the project lifetime are in line with the expectetion and key performance indicators.
Useful and appreaciated materials have been produces to communicate relevant topic for the Cluster 4 R&I communities (documnents, facthsheets, short videos, NCP guide, etc), that are easily downloadable from the project webiste, specifically from the toolbox section.
To better define the trainings, a survey was conducted to understand the NCP needs. 2 training were organized for NCPs, among these the one onsite on Artificial Intelligence in Horizon Europe have seen the presence of 4 network project (three from Cluster 4 and HNN3.0 from Cluster 1). Information event on relevant policies took place in this first half (e.g. the Raw Mataerial Agenda in Horizon Europe, AMI2030 presentation), but also on other funding programmes, such as two events organized with EIT headquarters and the EIT kicks, or the one with EIC on EIC Pathfinder and Accelerator.
Good results are coming from the activities for new NCPs in Cluster 4, with ongoing staff exchanges, an excellent opportunity to share and acquire knowledge.
Brokerage events have been planned according to the Cluster 4 Industry deadlines in 2023 and 2024, to better support the R&I actors to create good consortia. At the same time, NCP4Indusry supported other Brokerage Events dedicated to Cluster 4.
Three relevant webinars were organized for stakeholders, to give access to relevant information and initiatives, such as EU industrial partnerships, AMI2030 or the Raw Material Agenda, Industrial decarbonization framework conditions.
An essential part of the project are the communication channels (website, linkedin, twitter), active and always ready to share information on the project and on what is happening in Cluster 4 Industry and not only.
Useful and appreaciated materials have been produces to communicate relevant topic for the Cluster 4 R&I communities (documnents, facthsheets, short videos, NCP guide, etc), that are easily downloadable from the project webiste, specifically from the toolbox section.
To better define the trainings, a survey was conducted to understand the NCP needs. 2 training were organized for NCPs, among these the one onsite on Artificial Intelligence in Horizon Europe have seen the presence of 4 network project (three from Cluster 4 and HNN3.0 from Cluster 1). Information event on relevant policies took place in this first half (e.g. the Raw Mataerial Agenda in Horizon Europe, AMI2030 presentation), but also on other funding programmes, such as two events organized with EIT headquarters and the EIT kicks, or the one with EIC on EIC Pathfinder and Accelerator.
Good results are coming from the activities for new NCPs in Cluster 4, with ongoing staff exchanges, an excellent opportunity to share and acquire knowledge.
Brokerage events have been planned according to the Cluster 4 Industry deadlines in 2023 and 2024, to better support the R&I actors to create good consortia. At the same time, NCP4Indusry supported other Brokerage Events dedicated to Cluster 4.
Three relevant webinars were organized for stakeholders, to give access to relevant information and initiatives, such as EU industrial partnerships, AMI2030 or the Raw Material Agenda, Industrial decarbonization framework conditions.
An essential part of the project are the communication channels (website, linkedin, twitter), active and always ready to share information on the project and on what is happening in Cluster 4 Industry and not only.