Download - BoF: Using the Structural Funds in the domain of REN: Past experience and Future prospective
BoF: Using the Structural Funds in the domain of REN: Past
experience and Future prospective
TNC 2014
19 May 2014, Dublin
Athina Zampara, EC, DG CONNECT, Unit C1 eInfrastructure
Past, present and future:
• - NRENs have already used SF to develop and upgrade their services
• - Presentations from CZ, HU, PL • - Greece:
• Apart from the REN, they are developing HPC activities (procurement of HPC system to be operational in second half of 2014, data storage system)
• - Cyprus has plans to request ESIF funding
ESIF/Thematic Objectives 2014-2020 (of possible interest to NRENs)
TO1. Research and Innovation Ex-ante conditionality: 1. A national or regional smart specialisation strategy is in place2. Multiannual plan for investment in Research and Innovation (e.g. updated roadmap of research infrastructure)
TO2. Information and Communication Technologies Ex-ante conditionalities: 1) Digital Growth strategic policy framework 2) National/Regional NGN plans in place.
RIS3
• Strategy planning for MS: Research and Innovation Strategies for Smart Specialisations (RIS3) – S3 Platform (provides advice for the design of RIS3, information on the emerging fileds of smart specialisation priorities)
What is new? Synergies
• The European Commission and the Member States are mandated to ensure
• - coordination• - synergies and • - complementarities • between the European Structural and
Investement Funds (ESIF), Horizon 2020 and other EC programmes (COSME, Erasmus+, etc)
Synergies …
• - are about obtaining more impacts on competitiveness, jobs and growth by combing ESIF and Horizon 2020
• This can be achieved by: • - cumulative funding (use different public funding
sources in one project, programme, group of projects
• - funding of successive projects or parallel projects
Attention to
• - Non substitution principle (the use of a union funding instrument to substitute the non-union contribution to another union instrument is not allowed)
• - ESIF support is subject to State Aid limitations (whereas Horizon 2020 funding is not)
• - Overlaps and double-financing must be avoided• - Objectives of the projects must align with the
RIS3
Novelties for ESIF
• - More ESIF (<10%) can be spent outside OP territory – if for the benefit of the programme area
• - Emphasis on innovation • - National Contact Points close to national and
regional ESIF policy makers and Managing Authorities
Opportunities
• - To receive funding to further develop NRENs in general as an eInfrastructure provider if appropriate (network, data, hpc services) – Plan where you want to be in 2020! • Research and education community • Public administration • Private domain (e.g. research SMEs)
• - To bridge the digital divide with the less developed countries
• - To help national policies align with european priorities
Questions
• - Do you need to take stock of what has happened in the past?
• - Does TERENA know what NRENs plan to request from MS for ESIF funding?
• - Are there complimentary needs to GEANT that ESIF money could be used for?
• - Could ESIF funding be used for helping the less developed countries?
• - Could ESIF funding be used for boosting innovation (eg supporting private research SMEs)
Obstacles to synergies
• - Do we know what are the main obstacles to using ESIF funding? • past • now and for the future
• - What NRENs did to overcome the obstacles? • CYNET's suggestion: if they knew what other
NRENs did, they could use this information for lobbying in their country
Potential threats?
• - Protect Geant's from politically motivated top-down choices
• - Protect Geant's self-regulated regime
Next steps
• - Investigate your country's RIS3 • - Consult the S3 platform • - Contact the Managing Authorities of the
respective Operational Programmes • - Contact the National Contact Points • - See the multiannual plan for R&I in your country
and the roadmap for Ris – make sure NRENs are there.
•
Actions at EC level
• - What do NRENs need in order to be able to request and use ESIF funding? • concrete actions for EC?• Ask for specific support