Introduction of the Green Deal Industrial Plan as a response to the US's Inflation Reduction Act (IRA)

The European Commission presented the Green Deal Industrial Plan (GDIP) on 1 February to enhance the competitiveness of Europe's net-zero industry and support the fast transition to climate neutrality. The plan is a part of the European Green Deal and comes as a response to the US's Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). IRA came into effect in January and has been criticised for discriminating against EU-based companies by providing unprecedented subsidies to domestic green technologies and renewable energies.

The GDIP includes measures along four main pillars, which are (i) a predictable and simplified regulatory environment; (ii) faster access to sufficient funding; (iii) skills; and (iv) open trade for resilient supply chains. 

A particularly interesting aspect of the GDIP is that it opens for temporary state aid to ensure fair competition between countries inside and outside the internal marked. This measure will increase Member States' ability to support sectors connected to hydrogen, carbon capture and storage, zero-emission vehicles, and energy performance in buildings. 

The Commission also alerts that it will propose an EU Sovereignty Fund before the summer to support European industry, and in particular industries in Member States which are unable to increase their state aid. This fund is controversial, with Member States like Germany and France already having voiced their concerns as they are afraid this will create a trade war between the EU and the US. The sceptics are also principally opposed to establishing a new fund, as they believe the EU alread has sufficient funding available through earlier initiatives, such as unused funds from the Recovery and Resilience Facility.

Photo: Jennifer Jacquemart / © European Union, 2023

Sustainable Blue Economy Partnership pre-announces its first Joint Transnational Co-Funded Call

The Sustainable Blue Economy Partnership (SBEP) pre-announced its first Joint Transnational Co-Funded call on 25 January, which aims to support transnational R&I projects addressing one of the five intervention areas. The launch of the call took place 13 February and is open for applications until 14 April.

SBEP has a total of €450 million available funding between 2023-2027, and approximately €4 million is available for Norwegian applicants in the first (out of six) calls. Of these, €3 million is funded by the Research Council of Norway (RCN), whereas the remaining €1 million is top-of funding by the European Commission. To be eligible for the call, research consortia must include minimum three independent legal entities, from three different countries. 

RCN is a central partner in SBEP, with engagement in several of the work packages under the partnership. The Brussels Cellule is led by RCN and aims to act as a sound post towards EU institutions, as well as building the community of nations, at both regional and local levels. Innovation Norway is also involved from Brussels, with the key task of ensuring market uptake of the projects developed under SBEP. This work entails mapping blue financing streams in the EU, facilitating the creation of a partnership project pipeline, and establishing and maintaining dialogue with key EU financiers.

Photo: Jonas Bendiksen

10 pilot projects selected: European joint degree label and legal status

On 31 January, Mariya Gabriel, European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, launched 10 Erasmus+ projects to test new forms of transnational cooperation between higher education institutions, as outlined in the European strategy for universities one year ago.

Six of the selected projects will examine, test and facilitate the delivery of a joint European Degree label, a complementary certificate to the qualification of students graduating from joint programmes delivered in the context of transnational cooperation between several higher education institutions, based on a common set of co-created European criteria. The other four projects will allow alliances of higher education institutions, such as ‘the European Universities', to test new forms of cooperation, such as a possible European legal status for these alliances.

The proposals for a joint European Degree and European legal status were criticised when first launched in the European strategy for universities, for going beyond the complementary competence of the European Union in the area of education, and for not sufficiently taking into account the existing tools developed under the Bologna process.

Read more here. 

Photo: Smolaw / Shutterstock

‘Have your Say' on the future of learning mobility

The European Commission launched on 8 February the public consultation on the future of learning mobility in view of its policy proposal on the topic later this year. This consultation aims to inform citizens and all interested parties about the upcoming proposal and to gather evidence and their views.

The call for evidence and public consultation questionnaire will be open from 8 February to 3 May 2023, and can be accessed on Have your Say portal.

Photo: Claudio Centonze / © European Union, 2023

New Director-General for DG RTD

Marc Lemaître is the new Director-General for the Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, which is the Commission department responsible for research, science and innovation. Read more about Lemaître and his appointment here.

© European Union, 2023

New trainees at NorCore

A new year means new trainees at the NorCore office. This semester Marthe Skogland Wedøe will be the trainee connected to NorCore, while Maiken will divide her time between NorCore and Norway House as a Innovation Norway trainee. 

Read more about their first impressions of Brussels and NorCore on our website here.