H2020 call: €1 billion to boost the ecological and digital transition in the Green Deal

The European Commission has opened its latest, and probably most ambitious, H2020 call: 1 billion euors for projects to help the EU respond to the climate crisis and help protect Europe’s biodiversity. The “EU Green Deal call” aims to mobilise research and innovation in order to promote a fair and sustainable social transition, with the objective of “leaving no one behind”.

The deadline for the submission of proposals is the 26th of January 2021, and the selected projects are expected to start in autumn 2021.

News and differences with other H2020 calls

Announced one day after Ursula von der Leyen set more ambitious climate targets for 2030, this Green Deal call differs in important respects from previous Horizon 2020 calls. Given the urgency of the challenges it addresses, it aims to achieve clear and measurable results in the short and medium-term, but with a long-term perspective for change. There are fewer but more specific, broader and visible actions focusing on rapid scalability, dissemination and adoption.

Areas of Green Deal coverage

Projects funded under this call are expected to deliver results with tangible benefits in ten areas:

Eight thematic areas reflecting the main areas of work of the European Green Deal:

• Increasing climate ambition
• Clean, affordable and secure energy
• Industry for a clean and circular economy
• Energy and resource-efficient buildings
• Sustainable and smart mobility
• Farm to fork
• Biodiversity and ecosystems
• Zero-pollution, toxic-free environments
• And two horizontal areas – strengthening knowledge and empowering citizens, which offer a longer-term perspective in achieving the transformations set out in the European Green Deal.

The €1 billion investment will continue building Europe’s knowledge systems and infrastructures. The call includes opportunities for international cooperation in addressing the needs of lower-income regions, particularly in Africa, in the context of the Paris Agreement as well as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Green Deal infoday at the R&I Days

Within the framework of the European Research and Innovation Days (R&I Days), which took place from the 22nd to 24th of September 2020, an Information Day and an intermediary event on the new Green Deal call was held, attended by ZABALA Innovation Consulting’s expert team. Contact us for more information and advice on your Green Deal idea or project.