ERA-IB-2
ERA-NET for Industrial Biotechnology: Since 2006, a network of European funders and associated states have worked together to reduce fragmentation in national research efforts in Europe and to foster the exchange of knowledge across borders via joint transnational calls. ERA-IB-2 built on the success of the FP6 project “ERA-IB” and developed the network further, into a truly pan-European approach to IB R&D funding. ERA-IB-2 ran between 12/2011 and 05/2016 with a total of 19 partners from 15 countries, coordinated by FNR.
Up to today, 71 projects with project partners from 17 countries have been funded in 7 joint calls in the frame of ERA-IB and ERA-IB-2 with a total funding of over 90 million €.
- 1st Joint Call (2008) - 8 funded projects
- 2nd Joint Call (2009) - 10 funded projects
- 3rd Joint Call (2011) - 12 funded projects
- 4th Joint Call (2012) - 9 funded projects
- 5th Joint Call (2013) - 10 funded projects
- 6th Joint Call (2014) - 13 funded projects
- 7th Joint Call (2015) - Projects were suggested for funding; currently national applications running; projects are supposed to start in spring 2016. Out of the three German funding agencies only JUELICH and SMWK participated in this joint call.
The general evaluation by the researchers about the opportunities ERA-IB-2 offered, highlighted the benefits of international cooperation, the exchange of knowledge across borders and disciplines, the chances to investigate multiple production systems in parallel and the challenging project tasks that could not be carried out without the partners complimentary expertise and specialised techniques.
- “… work with world class research groups with the EU” (Preben KRABBEN, Green Biologics Ltd)
- “…Open exchange of methods, materials and ideas…” (Andreas SCHIERMEYER, Fraunhofer IME)
- “Collaboration has allowed us to compete on an international stage” (Paul WALTON, University of York)
- “Exchange visits of postdoctoral and graduate students between partners laboratories and annual meetings have been both scientifically beneficial and have offered a culturally experience” (Jennifer Littlechild, Exeter)
A high number of scientific papers in high impact journals, many publications, researcher exchanges, posters and presentations at international conferences as well as a participation in Marie Sklodowska Curie Innovative Training Network (ITN) further emphasized the outputs/benefits of the network.
In the future the majority of the ERA-IB funders network join forces with funders from the ERA-NETs for Systems Biology and Synthetic Biology to work together in the “ERA-NET CoFund on Biotechnologies”. Besides a big call cofunded by the EC, it is envisaged to continue with annual calls for the next 5 years which allow for many more exciting new IB projects which contribute to secure Europe’s competitiveness in the field of Industrial Biotechnology.
Further information:
This project received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Programme for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 291814.
