Objective
Recent EU enlargement confirms current trends rising consumption, growing demand for conventional fuels and increasing dependence on imports. In addition, it brings additional factors into play as a result of strong legacies from the centrally planned era, and poses new challenges to the European energy sector, in particular with respect to renewable energy sources. Since 1990s CEECs are undergoing structural changes facing the major challenges of rebuilding and achieving successful market reforms. The success of these reforms is crucial for economic recovery of these countries, as well as for EU economic performance. This is especially vital for the energy sector where a great potential of unused capacity is available in these new member states. Therefore, it is important to provide a sound basis for sustainable development of this sector. One of the most important factors that need to be taken into account is the possibility of introducing innovations to industry regarding renewable energy technologies in order to take the most of the existing potential. In order to mobilise CEE SMEs to shift to more R&D intensive activities, integration with Western initiatives and collaboration with other EU companies are key. However, in CEE countries some specific factors exist that impede such integration efforts, such as language barriers, unfamiliarity with modern R&D project organisation, and effective networking capabilities. These factors are even more relevant in CEE SMEs.
For this reason RESCUE is proposed, providing CEE SMEs with FP6 and FP7 knowledge, strengthening their competitive intelligence through ETI trainings, assistance in their innovation activities and facilitating their cooperation with research sector and other FP players.
Fields of science
Call for proposal
FP6-2004-INNOV-5
See other projects for this call
Funding Scheme
SSA - Specific Support ActionCoordinator
WARSAW
Poland