H2020 new open call - Future and Emerging Technologies - FET Proactive: emerging themes and communities

[Susanne Henningsen]

For information, please see new open H2020 call, RIA Research and 
Innovation action,  single stage,   FETPROACT-01-2016

for details see link:

http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/portal/desktop/en/opportunities/h2020/topics/2217-fetproact-01-2016.html

deadline 12 April 2016


Short description copied here from participants portal:
**


          *Topic Description*

Specific Challenge:

To mature a number of novel areas and themes by working towards 
structuring emerging communities and supporting the design and 
development of transformative research themes. The main benefits of this 
structuring yet explorative approach are emerging novel areas that are 
not yet ready for inclusion in industry research roadmaps, and building 
up and structuring of new interdisciplinary research communities around 
them. It makes the step from collaborations between a small number of 
researchers, to larger collaborations addressing various aspects of a 
novel research theme to jointly explore possibilities for, and long-term 
implications of future technologies that matter.

Scope:

Proposals should address research and innovation activities, aimed at 
jointly exploring directions and options to establish a solid baseline 
of knowledge and skills, and to foster the emergence of a broader 
innovation ecosystem for a new technology as well as a fertile ground 
for its future take-up (e.g., through public engagement processes when 
relevant, or through formal and informal education). Proposals should 
address a single of the specific subtopics within one of the following 
areas:

*Area 1: Future technologies for societal change*

 1. _Being human in a technological world_: critical interdisciplinary
    explorations of potentially game-changing impacts of future
    technologies on humanity, in plausible as well as in extreme
    scenarios. This can include individual, gender, organisational,
    economic, cultural and societal impacts, for instance from changes
    to self- or social perception, to our narratives, or to human
    development (e.g., cognitive, physical) or evolution. Visions being
    addressed should be radically forward looking and relatively
    unexplored, such as hyperconnectivity, human augmentation,
    hybridisation of nature, life extension, extra-sensorial perception
    or real/virtual blending. The work should provide fresh perspectives
    that challenge current thinking, include ethical and social aspects,
    reflecting on the purposes, impacts and motivations for the research
    and innovation activity, the associated uncertainties, areas of
    ignorance, assumptions, questions and dilemmas; and by this
    crystalize through active stakeholder engagement concrete options
    for shaping a worthwhile and responsible future.
 2. _New science for a globalised world_ : tools and methods
    (mathematical, technological, social/organisational,…) for the
    collaborative study, projection and engineering of large scale open
    socio-technological and –ecological systems characterised by
    complexity and inherent uncertainty due to, among others, partial
    knowledge, ignorance and conflicting world-views by different
    actors. These tools and methods should include the study of informal
    opinion groups emerging on the Internet at a global level, and
    focusing on global topics such as Global Systems Science as a new
    integrative science approach, the emergence of global solutions as
    patchworks of local ones, non-rationality, the impact of open-data,
    the dynamics of social and cultural divides, of peace and conflict,
    and various incentives, drivers and enablers of change and
    innovation, including the arts.

*Area 2: Biotech for better life*

 1. _Intra- and inter-cell bio-technologies_: new technologies to enable
    the study and engineering of processes within and between biological
    cells, and their exploitation for purposes such as sensing,
    signalling, imaging, regulating, curing or for mimicking or
    re-engineering the intra- and inter-cell physics and dynamics. This
    can include the use of natural cells, optimised, therapeutic and
    compound, synthetic ones or combinations of these, as well as
    cell-free techniques. Where needed, multiscale mathematical
    modelling and computational simulation can be included. Proposals
    under this subtopic should also explore the paradigm-changing
    potential of these technologies, for instance in the bio-medical field.
 2. _Bio-electronic medicines and therapies_: using adaptive nerve or
    brain stimulation for precise regulatory control of organs or other
    biological processes inside the human body, in order to restore or
    maintain healthy conditions. This includes technologies for
    bio-electronic medicines, drug-free therapies, adaptive drug
    release, closed-loop BNCI, more invasive stimulation, or development
    of neurotransmitter sensor/actuator systems, all within a setting of
    personalised and adaptive medicine and the tight integration of
    diagnostic and therapeutic capabilities (theranostics). A
    Responsible Research and Innovation approach, including aspects of
    ethics, as well as social science and humanities should be taken
    into account.
 3. _Cognitive neuro-technologies_: integrated interdisciplinary
    approaches combining theory and novel technology-based experiments
    for understanding the circuits and pathways of higher-level
    cognitive functions (such as navigation, goal-oriented behaviour,
    motivation and reward, memory, knowledge and belief formation,
    reasoning and decision making, emotion, interaction, communication),
    the related principles of neural coding and operation within and
    between brain regions and the role of the physical and
    social/cultural environment in bringing them about. Proposals should
    focus on non-validated, leading-edge methodologies and technologies
    specifically relevant to cognitive neuroscience. Target applications
    could include, for example, adaptive human interfaces, specific
    brain interfaces and neuro-prosthetics to restore or support
    cognitive functions or to address unmet therapeutic needs.

*Area 3: Disruptive information technologies *

 1. _New computing paradigms and their technologies_: new foundations
    for computing, including bio-, nature- and socio-inspired ones that
    can encompass also aspects of communication, interaction, mimickry
    or differentiation (adaptation, learning, evolution), as well as
    non-technological aspects like organisational or physical/virtual
    architectural ones, and tailored to future and emerging challenges
    and requirements in highly interdisciplinary settings and for new
    kinds of mathematical and computational approaches in science.
 2. _Quantum engineering_: reproducible, economical and scaleable
    approaches, architectures and techniques for designing and realising
    devices and systems that exploit quantum phenomena, such as
    superposition and entanglement, for achieving new or radically
    improved functionalities (for instance in sensing, precision
    measurement, transduction, secure communication, control, simulation
    and computation) and demonstrated in the context and boundary
    conditions of a specific application area (for example in the
    biological, medical, materials, process, energy or standards domain).
 3. _Hybrid opto-electro-mechanical devices at the nano-scale_: new
    working principles and their first-time validation in nano-,
    molecular- or atomic-scale devices based on the interaction and
    mutual control of multiple physical degrees of freedom to achieve
    new or radically improved functionalities and application scenarios
    under plausible operating conditions. The interacting degrees of
    freedom are those involved in e.g. nano-optics, nano-scale
    electromagnetism, nano-mechanics and phonons and fluctuations.

*Area 4: New technologies for energy and functional materials*

 1. _Ecosystem engineering_:[[This topic is aligned with the Commission
    communication SWD(2014) 211 'Towards a circular economy: a zero
    waste programme for Europe' and its annex, which describes specific
    contributions expected from FET.]] new models, materials, processes,
    devices and systems going beyond a single dimension for extreme
    energy and resource efficiency and recovery, and footprint
    management into circular ecosystems (energy, raw materials, waste,
    water,…). New approaches and technologies for extremely efficient
    energy generation (e.g., artificial photosynthesis or microfluidic
    conversion), transfer, conversion, high-density storage and
    consumption. The targeted improvements with respect to the state of
    the art are to be stated in quantitative terms. Genuine
    cross-fertilisation and deep synergies between the broadest range of
    advanced sciences and cutting-edge engineering disciplines for
    emerging ecological technologies seeking holistic paradigms,
    striving to reduce or eliminate the environmental impact, and the
    replacement of toxic/pollutant substances by ecofriendly materials
    should be considered. First time validation and assessment of these
    results in the context of integrated synergetic circular economy
    solutions or other quasi self-sufficient environments.
 2. _Complex bottom-up construction_: new technologies and methods for
    self-organisation, assembly and adaptation of materials and physical
    devices/systems with complex functionality (including for instance
    energy storage, conversion or recovery), complex composition and/or
    spanning a range of scales (nano, meso) and with superior properties
    on each of them. Energy and resource/material availability,
    ecofriendlyness and efficiency are to be taken into account). Where
    needed, multiscale mathematical modelling and computational
    simulation of materials and related production or self-organisation
    processes can be included.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from 
the EU of between EUR 4 and 10 million would allow this specific 
challenge to be addressed appropriately. When appropriate, this allows 
for proposals to provide financial support to third parties in line with 
the conditions set out in Part K of the General Annexes, for example to 
access specific expertise, to enhance impacts or to award an inducement 
prize following a contest organised by the beneficiaries.

The Commission further considers that proposals with a duration up to 5 
years would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. 
Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of 
proposals of different duration.

The funding budget per area is with a maximum of EUR 20 million for each 
of the areas 1 and 4, and a maximum of EUR 30 million for each of the 
areas 2 and 3.

Expected Impact:

  * Establish a solid baseline of knowledge and skills for a future
    technology in the theme addressed.
  * Goal oriented community structuring and true interdisciplinary
    collaboration.
  * Emergence of an innovation ecosystem around a future technology in
    the theme addressed from outreach to and partnership with high
    potential actors in research and innovation, and from wider
    stakeholder/public engagement.