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Please use the password OFFSHORRENSTRAT20 to watch the video.

The European Commission just announced that it will create a new Strategy for Offshore Renewable Energy in 2020.

The Commission will set a development pathway for the sector up until 2050 and announce a series of concrete actions.

This is a great opportunity for the sector to raise its profile, excite national governments, and secure additional European support for the next 5 years.

Join us to hear about the new Strategy, and to share your views on how it can help propel ocean energy to industrial roll-out!

The European Commission’s DG MARE is organizing a free event for blue economy companies in Brussels. This is the opportunity to meet investors and get in touch with DG MARE officers working on the currently open EUR 22.5m call for demonstration projects and the upcoming BlueInvest Fund (equity).

Please use the password OEEMembers2019 to watch the video.

The European Innovation Council (EIC) ‘Accelerator’ aims to help SMEs develop and bring to market new innovative products that can drive economic growth.

It offers grants (up to €2.5m) and will take equity in companies (up to €15m). Grants are for technological innovation at TRLs 6-8. Grants + equity is available above TRL 8.

In 2020 alone, there will be 4 calls to allocate a total budget of €654m.

In an exclusive OEE members-only webinar, European Commission official Agustin Escardino Malva explains the Accelerator and answer questions from the sector. Agustin works in DG Research, is one of the creators of the Accelerator. He knows the ocean energy sector well, and the challenges of navigating the Valley of Death.   

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The European Innovation Council (EIC) Accelerator (formerly ‘SME Instrument’) provides grants, optional equity and coaching to SMEs to help them develop and bring to market new innovative products, services and business models.

The EIC Accelerator pilot has a total budget of €654 million for 2020 – 89% grants, 8% equity, 3% for coaching.

Following the recommendations of the Ocean Energy Forum’s Strategic Roadmap, the European Commission is launching a 2nd call for proposals to fund environmental data collection and monitoring activities around deployed wave and/or tidal energy devices. The budget for the call is €2.3m.

Please use the password OEEMEMBER0719-EIC to watch the video.

The European Innovation Council (EIC) is a new EU initiative, to provide direct funding to disruptive and breakthrough market-creating innovation. Ocean energy is most certainly disruptive and market-creating, so OEE wants the sector to get the maximum possible funding from EIC’s new opportunities.

There will be significant funding opportunities available – €2bn has been set aside for the EIC in 2019-2020, and a further €10bn is planned from 2021 onwards.

European Commission officials Dr. Matthijs Soede (DG RTD) and Walter Van de Velde (DG CONNECT) will present the EIC, highlight some of the upcoming calls, and take any questions the sector might have.

The European Innovation Council is a new ‘one stop shop’ for DG RTD innovation funding. It will act as an ‘umbrella’ program for various H2020 related instruments such as the SME instrument, Fast Track to Innovation or the Future and Emerging Technologies (FET) instrument.

The Fund is designed to support innovative renewable energy generation and is extra flexible for smaller-scale projects. Large upfront capital grants are available and grants can be blended with other financial instruments.

‘Horizon Europe’ will be the successor to Horizon 2020 (H2020), once the European Parliament and Council of the EU have agreed on a final text.