ERA-NET Bioenergy

ERA-Nets (European Research Area Networks) aim to improve cooperation and coordination of national and regional R&D support programmes. ERA-NET Bioenergy is concerned with energy production from biomass and has set the goal to enhance European research cooperation and coordination in this field by way of networking of the relevant R&D programmes of national governments.

The ERA-NET Bioenergy started in October 2004 with founding members from Austria, Finland, Germany, The Netherlands, Sweden and the United Kingdom. Since January 2011, ERA-NET Bioenergy is a self-sustained network with a clear focus on joint calls for R&D proposals. Currently 4 funding agencies cooperate in ERA-NET Bioenergy: BMK/AT, SFOE/CH, FNR/DE, NCBR/PL.

FNR is part of the network since the beginning and is in charge of the ERA-NET Bioenergy Secretariat coordinating the network. The Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) participates in this network via FNRs funding programme “Renewable Resources”.

So far the ERA-NET Bioenergy network has launched 14 joint calls for proposals:

1st Joint Call (2006) on small-scale combustion (5 funded projects)
2nd Joint Call (2007) on cleaning of product gas from biomass gasification (6 funded projects)
3rd Joint Call (2008) on short rotation coppice (3 funded projects)
4th Joint Call (2009) on clean biomass combustion (5 funded projects)
5th Joint Call (2010) on sustainable forest management and optimised use of lignocellulosic resources - together with another ERA-Net called "WoodWisdom-Net 2" (12 funded projects)
6th Joint Call (2012) on biogas and energy crops (4 funded projects)
7th Joint call (2013) on small-scale heat and power production (2 funded projects)
8th Joint Call (2014) on integrated biorefinery concepts (3 funded projects)
9th Joint Call (2015) on innovative bioenergy concepts; 5 projects
10th Joint Call (2016) on biobased economy projects (2 funded projects)
11th Joint Call (2017, together with BESTF3) on “Bioenergy as part of a smart and flexible energy system” (6 funded projects started 2018)
12th Joint Call (2018, together with BESTF3) on “Biomass as an important pillar within energy systems and the circular economy” (2 funded projects started 2019)
13th Joint Call (2019, together with BESTF3) on “Combined biomass valorisation to bioenergy, industrial feedstocks and bio-based products”(3 funded projects started 2020)
14th Joint Call (2021) on „Development and improvement of biomass conversion technologies for the provisioning of heat for industrial processes“ (2 projects recommended for funding will start 2022)