We are happy to share that our team is growing!

Weronika joined our team in January 2022 as a Junior social Media Specialist for Innovation Projects.
Originally from Warsaw, Weronika graduated from the International Public Management bachelor programme at The Hague University of Applied Sciences in The Netherlands, where she acquired knowledge on public administration, EU affairs and policymaking. Throughout her practice-oriented studies, she had a chance to gain her academic experience in the Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, as well as professional experience in the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Moscow.

In the last year of her studies, she entered the world of European projects and public funding, joining European Development Agency based in Prague, where she assisted in accessing financing and managing projects under Erasmus+ and Visegrad Fund. After graduation, she worked at EIT Urban Mobility Innovation Hub East, in which she was responsible for partner search, consortia coordination and writing applications for projects such as Horizon Europe, Interreg and Erasmus+ on behalf of the company.

In AMIRES Weronika is mainly contributiong to the preparation of Industrial Technologies 2022 conference.

We are happy to welcome Weronika to our AMIfamily and we wish her all the best!

A 3D bioprinting platform was developed in the ORGANTRANS project for the controlled assembly of live spheroids containing liver organoids into a bioconstruct. This instrument is one of the ORGANTRANS technology building blocks and it enables the mixing of hydrogel bioink precursors with live spheroids. The combination of biodegradable bioinks with a sacrificial biocompatible scaffold will promote medium perfusion and vascularization through the printed bioconstruct. To maintain the bioinks in a functional state the bioprinter comprises complex temperature controls together with integrated stirring that allows keeping live spheroids in suspension during printing. Functional validation of the technology with living spheroids is conducted in a cell biology laboratory to verify the viability of printed spheroids in the bioconstruct. Thanks to 3D bioprinting platform, the ORGANTRANS project aims at the creation of functional 3D liver tissues for the replacement of liver transplantation for end-stage liver failure patients.

QuIC is a not-for-profit association established by several major business actors – large enterprises, SMEs, investors, and startups – from across Europe. The mission is to boost the European quantum-technology industry’s competitiveness and economic growth, and bolster value creation across the continent.

As new members we are excited to share that we will proudly contribute to build this vibrant community.

We are happy to introduce our new colleague Eleonora who joined AMIRES as Project Manager in October 2021. After obtaining her bachelor’s degree in Economics at Federico II University of Naples, she joined the European Master in Business Studies, an International joint degree that is composed of 4 semesters in 4 different European countries: Italy, France, Germany, Spain.

Due to her interest in sustainability and circular economy, she took part in a one-year SVE project in a social cooperative in Belgium, where she organized debates and events on organic food consumption. Before joining AMIRES, she was Schuman Trainee at the European Parliament, Directorate for Security and Safety, where she acquired wide knowledge about EU procedures and activities.

In AMIRES, Eleonora is involved in H2020 projects ComBioTES (Compact bio-based thermal energy storage for buildings) and FRIENDSHIP (Forthcoming Research and Industry for European and National Development of SHIP).

Welcome on-board Eleonora and we wish you good luck in your new role!

ComBioTES attended the Mission Innovation Workshop in Affordable Heating & Cooling of Buildings that was held online on 30th November. The workshop was very rich and constructive and gave a very clear steer on countries and members innovation priorities on heating and cooling. The purpose of the workshop was to look back on the results of Innovation Challenge 7 (IC7, MI 1.0) and look forward to the next phase (Innovation Community, MI 2.0).

Find the recording of the workshop HERE.

Are you a creative soul who thinks out of the box? Are you not scared of a field full of innovations and technologies? If you have good communication skills as well as analytical thinking and digital design is your passion, maybe we are looking for YOU!

To our team we are happy to welcome a new member who will help us to create and run projects promotion campaigns and their content including social media and email marketing.

If you feel that this position might be a fit for you, please see the full advert and let us know by 17/12/2021.

We are looking forward to meeting you!

During November the European Innovation council (EIC) published the EIC Impact Report 2021.

This report contains the results and impact of the EIC pilot phase up to year 2020. During that period, the EIC supported 5500 start-ups and SMEs.

Moreover, in the document you will find information and data from EIC Fund, their investments which were entered in the first six month of 2021, as well as information which scientific breakthroughs as a basis for future innovations is the EIC generating.

Last but not least, the documents include new solutions for healthcare and the Green and Digital transitions.

To learn more, visit the European Innovation Council website.

The programmes are:

• Main work programme: with a budget of €1.38 billion, it will focus on the areas of artificial intelligence (AI), cloud and data spaces, quantum communication infrastructure, advanced digital skills, and the wide use of digital technologies across the economy and society until the end of 2022
• First specific work programme: with a budget of €269 million until the end of 2022, focuses on funding in the area of cybersecurity
• Second specific work programme: with a budget of €329 million until the end of 2023, focuses on the set-up and operation of the network of European Digital Innovation Hubs.

The work programmes will be implemented mainly through grants and procurement procedures.

The first calls for the Digital Europe Programme were published in November, and more calls will be published in 2022.

For original article visit the News site of the EC.

The integration of the PTC and Fresnel solar fields into the whole FRIENDSHIP solution is progressing at a good pace! The BoP (Balance of Plant), P&ID (Piping and Instrumentation Diagram), and BOM (Bill of Materials) for the different types of collectors, as well as the first concepts for their sizing and energy simulations have all been precisely defined. Discussions between partners are ongoing, to adapt these elements to different user cases and select the best HTF (Heat Transfer fluid) – for nanoparticles based HTFs, please refer to this article.

One of the key aspects to enhance the output of the solar fields is to produce better coatings: a kind of material able to absorb the solar rays and transfer the heat to the HTF. Several types of absorber coatings are studied, as you can see in the picture below: ageing studies, as well as absorptivity measurements, are being made by Absolicon, CEA and NIC.

Do you belong to the ecosystem of photonics-based medical devices but you are not part of MedPhab consortium? Do your capabilities complement those from MedPhab partners? Do you have prototypes, products or services that contribute to the ecosystem and would like to share that information with the ecosystem? Register your organisation and your items here on MedPhab marketplace, part of the Community Management Platform (CMP), check the guidelines for publications HERE.

The consortium held its final event on the 25^th November, welcoming a broad public from all over Europe and further, both online and in the premises of CENER in Sangüesa (Spain). Although the day was cloudy, the participants who travelled there had a chance to behold the prototype with their own eyes and follow the operations with the receiver and the tracking system. The online participants could get an impression of what the prototype looks like through a virtual visit, available here.

The event also featured several speakers from the consortium and one guest, who all gave technical details about the different parts of the prototype and the implementation of this innovative technology in the future.

The audience, in particular the members of the External Advisory Board, thanked the whole consortium for their hard work during these past five years and expressed their interest in seeing the further developments of the concepts studied in Sangüesa. It is now time to enhance the MOSAIC technology and pave the way for its commercialization!

Soon a short, final video will be shared, that describes the project as a whole and shows how it can be essential in the energetic transition. Stay tuned for this last piece of the mosaic!

One year after the start of the project finally had first in-person meeting. On 15th and 16th November 2021, the EU-funded MARVEL project team has met at the MARVEL M12 meeting organized by the CNR SCITEC ‘Giulio Natta‘ partner in Milan, Italy. During the meeting, the achievements of the first 12 months of the project were highlighted and it was discussed the next steps and upcoming activities.

On the one hand, the first year was dedicated to the analysis of technical requirements and specifications as well as the selection of the criteria for the system demonstration. In addition to this, specific attention was given to the biological sample’s parameters, their selection, and processing. On the other hand, a strong focus was on the development of new affinity peptide ligands that outclass antibody-based isolation methods in terms of capturing efficiency, versatility, and cost-effectiveness. These achieved targets will introduce a breakthrough in current Extracellular Vesicles (EVs) isolation standards.
The next year will be mostly focused on the integration and optimization of the developed technology into several systems, leading to ground-breaking innovations for EVs deployment in cardiac repair and the non-invasive diagnosis of bladder cancer.

Follow our progress on Marvel Official Webpage.

Watch the new video about the TINKER project to learn more about the use of microelectronics and RADAR and LiDAR sensors for autonomous or self-driving cars and to discover a novel fabrication pathway that will allow further miniaturization, without compromising on accuracy, functionality or efficiency.

The consortium is delighted to invite you to the final event of MOSAIC, in the form of a visit of the prototype and a series of conferences relative to innovative CSP technologies. Given the particular sanitary conditions affecting the whole Europe, the event will be both physical, in the form of conferences and a visit of the prototype in Sangüesa, Spain, and re-transmitted online; but we can only recommend you the physical visit of the prototype, as you will have a unique chance to see it with your own eyes !

Only a few places remain for the physical version ! You can still register for the online version until the day of the event.

Registration takes place HERE.

The final stage of the MOSAIC project has started. With the construction of the solar field completed, the final tests and tune-ups on the prototype are being carried out. The receiver, controlled by a tracking system made of actuated cables and a control loop, moves over the solar field, following during the whole day the path of the sun and collecting the maximum amount of energy.

As you can see in the video below, the receiver shines brightly when in the tracking position. The HTF is circulated through the receiver by the means of two special hoses, which connect the receiver to the skid tower. Temperature probes at the entry and exit points measure the thermal gap achieved by the effect of the solar heating.

Different tests are being carried out to check and improve the accuracy of the tracking system and the global performance of this innovative thermo-solar plant system. If you wish to have more detailed explanations and a closer look on the prototype, don’t forget to REGISTER to the final event.

On 20th and 21st October 2021, the EU-funded ComBioTES team has met up online to sum up and discuss the achievements of the first 6 months of work. In fact, the project ComBioTES was started in November 2019, but due to internal problems of one of the partners, it was immediately suspended for 18 months. Now everything is back on track, first prototypes have been developed and are soon to be tested. The project’s objective is to develop a modular compact thermal energy storage (TES) solution for heating, hot tap water and cooling, fully adapted for electricity load shifting.

One year after the start of the project, the second press release is published to highlight the achievements of the first 12 months of the TINKER project. The partners have been working on developing and perfecting designs, processes and materials required for the two selected use cases.

They have been able to overcome the obstacles that the Covid-19 pandemic posed and collaborated successfully on developing equipment and tools and shared samples, technologies, and processes.

We are already anticipating the results of the upcoming years and we look forward to continuing our participation.

Read the press release HERE.

The teambuilding is an important part of every company culture. In non-professional environment people are more relaxed and opened. This time was well deserved and very much needed. And frankly speaking, we did enjoy to the fullest.

First day starting with breakfast, continuing by a hike to the brewery in Unětice where we find out how to make beer and had a chance to taste it directly from the tank.

Second day we “sweat” our ideas and brainstormed about future.

Well, no more words needed, see for yourself:

This month, project FRIENDSHIP has released three scientific works available in open-access: one article in a specialized journal and two public deliverables. The links can be found here.

The article, Choked liquid flow in nozzles: Crossover from heterogeneous to homogeneous cavitation and insensitivity to depressurization rate, compares two theoretical methodologies, based on delayed equilibrium models, to available experimental data on the critical mass flow rates of CO2 and H2O through nozzles, and achieves a very good predictability. This work is particularly useful for the development of the ejector chillers in WP4.

The two deliverables focus on a literature review of nanofluid based HTF and the integration of the heat pump to the whole SHIP200 system, respectively.

The literature review, D2.4, presents recent advances and research on nanofluids at high temperatures and the application of nanofluids to solar collectors, focusing on their enhanced thermophysical properties, but also the important challenges with the use of nanofluids, especially their stability at temperatures above 100 °C.

The D3.1 presents an evaluation of two initial heat pump concepts and integration principles for SHIP200: a high-temperature concept based on water/steam (R718) for short term heat delivery up to 200°C and a reversed Brayton heat pump concept based on CO2 (R-744) for long-term heat delivery up to 250°C. Model improvements to both concepts will be made to improve simulation accuracy and performance in the next months.

After several months of installation of the electrical and mechanical parts of the prototype, the solar field was the last major element to be assembled on the field. This phase of the works, started in September, was completed and canted by 28th October, and the prototype has finally achieved its final, impressive look:

On the following video, you can observe how some of the latest mirrors were assembled in the outer rings of the solar field.

Additional installations (grounding and sprinklers system) should be executed during the coming days, as well as the final tests of the project, concerning the tracking system and the receiver heating. If you wish to have more detailed explanations and a closer look on the prototype, don’t forget to register to the FINAL EVENT.

MARVEL project partner, CNR-ITM, is currently working on the elaboration of a highly selective membrane that will be integrated into the Tangential Flow Filtration system in order to isolate and purify the specific EVs subpopulations.

Extracellular vesicles (EV) are cell-derived membranous structures ubiquitously found in all biological fluids that act as signaling vehicles in both physiological or pathological mechanisms. Nowadays, the potential applications of these nanoparticles are attracting increasing interest in the fields of medicine, cosmetics, and nutrition. However, the manufacturing of EVs is currently challenging and is characterized by low yields. In addition to this, the main drawback of the existed size-based EV isolation methods is the presence of a large number of nanoparticles with the same size as small EVs (<200 nm) and of other contaminant molecules after the isolation process.

In the MARVEL project, one of the planned goals is to overcome these challenges through the integration of the modified with the hybrid probes membrane unit into the current Tangential Flow Filtration (TFF) system. The membrane will be modified with the specific peptide probes which are characterized by a high affinity for clinically relevant EV protein markers.  In particular, the surface of the membrane is functionalized with the highly selective hybrid probes for specific EVs subpopulations isolation. The planned further optimization of the functionalization process will lead to the development of a highly selective membrane without altering the structural properties, which are responsible for the separation process. This system will offer new opportunities in the design, rationalization, and optimization of EVs isolation and purification processes with significant reduction of contaminants.

More information about the project is available HERE.

It’s been 10 years since we entered the business of supporting inventions and innovations to make better future for all of us. During this time, we enabled many new partnerships and collaborations and had clients from across Europe, from Oulu to Catania and from Dublin to Tel Aviv. We helped fundraise several hundreds of millions € via dozens of collaborative projects.

The real success is, however, when the funded projects bring a strong advantage to European companies and organizations in the form of new products, processes, or services. This is the part when our mission usually ends, but it is profoundly engraved in our early client discussions and approaches. Our continuous aim is to keep repeating this whole process again and again for bringing the best results to Europeans, in the form of digitization and manufacturing, but going to more fundamental needs like clean air, soil and water, access to green energy or having the best possible disease detection or treatment in place for us, our families, our children.

For this mission, we are honoured to work with the most innovative organizations and companies which select us as a partner. This ecosystem brings a rich and productive environment for new concepts and project planning. The world struck by Covid-19 pandemic is showing us the fragility of the system as we know it and allows reflections about many aspects of business. We are available to assist in all forms of innovations towards economical and societal sustainability.

The most important ingredients for the success are our AMIRES colleagues. I can’t thank enough to all of them (including the past colleagues) for sharing the same passion for innovation and for better future at one side and for the support of excellent coordinators and consortia on the other.  Personally, my biggest satisfaction is brought by the AMIRES team full of curious professionals, continuously developing their leadership and empathy skills. The individuals operating in a multinational environment, supporting cutting edge technologies and European companies (irrespective of the size), will be ready to respond to challenges, which we will face in the future. Only with such a team we are now ready to take part in new actions, initiatives, events and ventures.

Congratulations AMIRES!

Rudolf

On 5^th October 2021, FlexFunction2Sustain organized a webinar to introduce the Open Call for Pilot Cases. The event was specifically aimed at informing companies about the possibilities to apply to develop and test novel nano-functionalised plastic and paper surfaces and membrane.

Prior to that there was a session with information about the FlexFunction2Sustain project and details on the Open Innovation Ecosystem – core competencies, service portfolio and application examples.

The video recording that was taken during the webinar is available here:

More information about the conditions of the Call can be found here. Further assistance is available through the Helpdesk by phone to +420 226 217 422 or by email to helpdesk@flexfunction2sustain.eu  (Monday – Friday from 9 AM to 5 PM CEST).

On the 18^th October the European Innovation council announced that the European Innovation Council Summit 21 is open for registration. Due to the Covid restriction there are only limited spots available for attending on-site in Brussels. The summit will be also available online. For registering, click here.

The event will offer an opportunity for European start-ups, innovators in SMEs, researchers, corporates as well as potential investors and venture capitalists to connect and network.

You will have the opportunity to join interactive pitching sessions and participatory workshops where you can find out more about early stage and impact investments, innovation procurement, swarm robotics and space technology.

Mariya Gabriel, the European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth will officially launch the EIC Forum and announce the winners of the EIC Women Innovators Prize and the iCapital Award. Moreover, there is the opportunity to meet the winners of the European Innovation Procurement Awards.

On September 22, MedPhab completed the first EC review meeting after 18 months since the start of the project in January 2020. During this meeting, achievements and highlights of the pilot line were presented to the EC Project Officer (PO) and three external reviewers. The main topics included: the progress of the pilot line operational processes through the establishment of the Front Office, the technology maturation through the model and use cases, the technology modular mapping, launch of the open calls, dissemination to stakeholder groups, and business planning.

The pilot line has encountered some challenges mostly due to the universal obstacle of the pandemic which has delayed the on-site progress.  However, mitigation strategies have been implemented succesfully. During an open discussion, the reviewers and PO have acknowledged the efforts of the consortium and provided valuable feedback to further strengthen the establishment of MedPhab photonics pilot line dedicated for medical diagnostics.

On the 12^th October 2021 after the Summit of European Union and Ukraine, the leaders of the European Union and its Member States finalized the association of Ukraine to Horizon Europe, the EU research and innovation programme (2021-2027) and the Euratom Research and Training Programme (2021-2025). Ukrainian researchers and innovators can now participate under the same conditions as entities from EU Member States.

This alliance between the EU and Ukraine will be strengthen by the cooperation in science, research and innovation. Moreover, it will help to deliver on common priorities, such as the twin green and digital transition.

The full news is available on the European Commission NEWS site.

In September/October, FRIENDSHIP was represented by our partner CEA at two major European events: at Sustainable Places 2021, held both online and in Rome (Italy), on 30^th September; and at SolarPaces 2021, held online from 27^th September to 1^st October. The Project Coordinator, Valéry Vuillerme, highlighted the progress and results achieved during the first year of the project, while Fabio Aste and Pierre Garcia presented the latest achievements in the work packages dedicated to the absorption chillers and the heat storage respectively. Two papers, as well as a presentation, were submitted in the process. You can find more information here and here.

The European Commission has published a guidance on gender equality plan (GEP) which is a new eligibility criterion of the Horizon Europe calls for proposals with deadline of 2022 and beyond. This obligation applies to all public authorities, research organizations and higher education institutions from the Member States and the countries associated to the Framework Program. The equivalent strategy of GEP will also be accepted.

The 54-page handbook was published by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Research and Innovation (DG RTD) on 27 September 2021 and is available HERE.

On the 29^th of September The European Commission launched five new EU missions.

EU missions aim to tackle big challenges in health, climate and the environment, and to achieve ambitious and inspiring goals in these areas.

Five missions will aim to deliver solutions to key global challenges by 2030:

1. Adaptation to Climate Change: support at least 150 European regions and communities to become climate resilient by 2030;
2. Cancer: working with Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan to improve the lives of more than 3 million people by 2030 through prevention, cure and solutions to live longer and better;
3. Restore our Ocean and Waters by 2030;
4. 100 Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities by 2030;
5. A Soil Deal for Europe: 100 living labs and lighthouses to lead the transition towards healthy soils by 2030.

With its Communication on EU missions adopted on the end of September, the Commission is giving them the go-ahead, after the approval of the missions’ individual plans this summer.

Full article is available here.

We were happy to contribute to the preparation of the MARVEL project poster which won the first prize among 76 competitors at the 2nd EVITA symposium organised by the Italian Society for Extracellular Vesicles and held on 20-22 September 2021 in Italy. It is the first in-person meeting that we attended to share our first results since the COVID19 outbreak. The event was attended by more than 150 researchers and scientists presenting their work on Extracellular Vesicles. Our poster titled “Hydrophobic effects in membrane sensing peptides for small Extracellular Vesicle isolation and analysis” showed the important results on the development of a new generation of membrane-sensing peptides for EV isolation and further their analysis. Apart from participating in the poster session, MARVEL project was showcased during the pre-meeting session. You can find more information about the presented result and MARVEL project here.

More information about the event is available here.

This webinar introduces MedPhab, presenting MedPhab technology capabilities and how to work with the pilot line. By registering here for the event, participants may find a solution to a product development problem.  The Webinar will take place on October 28, 2021 and five MedPhab partners will speak about MedPhab, including Mariana Pacheco Blanco, MedPhab project manager and Programme manager at AMIRES who will present MedPhab Community management platform (CMP).

MedPhab pilot-line CMP includes a technical marketplace, the virtual catalogue of capabilities of the whole Photonics-based medical devices ecosystem. Although at this moment MedPhab partners technical services are visible, during October 2021, non-MedPhab partners will be able to register their organisation and offering (prototypes, products and services). This platform is a community building tool that allows lowering the barrier for photonics technologies adoption by companies interested in medical applications. Therefore, through CMP third parties interested in MedPhab services can submit their enquiries via the in-take form.

A fully synthetic PEG-based hydrogel is 3D-bioprinted along with a biocompatible sacrificial material that is used to create channels in the printed construct. The channels will then allow for the formation of a vascular network inside the hydrogel. This construct is an essential block in the ORGANTRANS project in the creation of a liver tissue 3D printing platform which aims to replace liver transplantation for end-stage liver failure patients. Additionally, this platform can be scaled to other organ systems, as organoid technology is one of the largest parts of regenerative medicine.

More information is available on OrganTrans website.

On the 4^th October the European Commission announced a new series of info-day for Horizon Europe Cluster 1 and Cluster 6 will be held virtually between 25^th and 29^th October 2021.

The info-days will present the topics of the Horizon Europe Cluster 1 (Health) and Cluster 6 (Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment) work programme 2022 and will give the opportunity to prospective applicants to learn more about funding under the two clusters of the new programme.

Info-days calendar:

25-26 October 2021: Cluster 6 info-days,

27 October 2021: Cluster 6 brokerage event,

28 October 2021: Cluster 1 info-days,

29 October 2021: Cluster 1 brokerage event.

For a detailed agenda and more information, visit the event website.

On the 24^th of September 2021 the Joint Committee of the European Economic Area (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and the EU) adopted the relevant decision for Iceland and Norway, which makes them the first to be associated to Horizon Europe, which allows the entities in those two countries to participate in Europe’s €95.5 billion research and innovation programme, under the same conditions as entities from the EU Member States.

This is an opportunity to continue and deepen cooperation in science, research and innovation, focusing on common priorities: the twin green and digital transition, public health and Europe’s competitiveness in the global landscape.

Joint efforts will aim to address environmental problems in the Arctic, develop hydrogen and carbon capture technologies, boost data-driven innovation, and more. This early association also enables these partners to get involved from the outset in the European Partnerships.

Iceland and Norway have a long history of association to the EU Framework Programmes for Research and Innovation, starting in 1987 for Norway and 1994 for Iceland, with a win-win cooperation throughout the years.

For the full article click HERE.

In July 2021 it was announced that Switzerland will be treated as non-associated third country in Horizon Europe.

On 17 September 2021, the Federal Council therefore decided to initiate transitional measures until Switzerland achieves its stated aim of full association.

Under non-associated third country status, researchers and innovators in Switzerland are able to participate in most Horizon Europe collaboration projects. The accessible programmes will not be funded by European Commission but will be funded by the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI). However, the participation in individual projects will not be possible – including grants from the European Research Council (ERC), the European Innovation council (EIC) and certain Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA). Submissions from Switzerland under the first calls of 2021 for ERC (Starting Grants and Consolidator Grants) and EIC (Accelerator) projects are still being evaluated by the European Commission. If the evaluations are favourable, SERI can fund these researchers and businesses directly.

The Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research (EAER) is charging the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) with the task of implementing transitional solutions. The transitional solutions will be based as far as possible on the European calls but will have their own deadlines for project submissions.

The transitional solutions should compensate the lack of participation in ERC Advanced Grant and MSCA 2021 Postdoctoral Fellowship calls as well as for ERC Starting Grants and Consolidator Grants for 2022 in the event that Swiss researchers are not entitled to submit project proposals for these calls.

The EAER will launch further transitional measures through Innosuisse, the European Space Agency ESA and other actors.

The planned transitional measures will be submitted to Parliament in the winter session in the form of an addendum to the 2022 budget.

We are proud to announce that the PHABULOuS Pilot Line Association has hired its first official employee and is now fully operational! With the help of Jessica van Heck as Head of Business & Sales, the pilot line front office is ready to offer accelerated innovation and production cycles from prototyping to piloting up to large volume production. Curious to see what free-form micro-optics can do for you? Take a look at www.phabulous.eu or read the full press release at https://lnkd.in/ehBXN.

A major phase of works has started in the MOSAIC project: the solar field assembly. This highly essential element, acting as the concentrator of the solar rays, is composed of 43 modules of mirrors divided in 3 zones: a central skull-cap, and 2 concentrical rings of modules.

Each module is composed by a group of mirrors placed on a metallic frame at a very accurate position. The frame with the mirrors is placed on the correspondent support. Once the module is completed, it is necessary to check and adjust the orientation of the frame, so that it is precisely oriented towards the receiver and provides the maximum heat concentration, allowing for higher temperatures in the heat transfer fluid.

Supports in the central skull-cap are already placed and the first frames with mirrors have also been installed on them. The works are on course and will continue during the following weeks until the entire solar field is completed.

Are you passionate about Energy & Sustainability topics? Is admin work not bothering you? Are you a team player? Do you wish to be part of international team? Do you want to learn and gain new experiences? If you answered YES, then we might be looking for you!

We are opening position of Project Manager of European R&D&I projects in Energy & sustainability domain.

For more information click HERE.

We are already looking forward to welcome you in our team!

Our AMIwomen working on Flexible and Wearable Electronics proudly present the SmartEEs2 Marketplace: a virtual catalogue for products, prototypes and technologies. You can find more information here: https://marketplace.smartees2.eu/

“No matter gender stereotypes are, we follow our interest that is thriven by innovation“

Enjoy watching!

We are pleased to announce officially the release of the FlexFunction2Sustain Project Handbook. It is an advertising material presenting the Open Innovation Test Bed (OITB) for nano-functionalisation technologies that enable sustainable and smart plastics and paper-based products.

The Handbook aims at highlighting the core competencies and unique products and services of the ecosystem and what benefits it brings to their customers. In order to present the capabilities of the OITB, the Handbook provides a quick overview on the facilities covering all major nano-surface processing techniques for flexible plastic and paper surfaces and membranes. In addition to that, six application examples are presented to demonstrate how technical services of the OITB can be combined to solve complex industrial problems involving smart nanotechnologies and materials.

Click HERE to download the Handbook and follow the project website to not miss any project progress!

Lenka is Managing Director of AMIRES in the Czech Republic and in September 2021 she will be celebrating an important milestone, 10 years in the company. Lenka started to work for AMIRES in 2011 shortly before the Czech branch of the company was founded and since then, she has been responsible for overseeing and managing its operations.

Before joining AMIRES Lenka gained her experience in European Union’s Framework Programme for R&D as a National Contact Point for several FP7 priorities. She was working in this position for 5 years and was also a Deputy Head of the Department National Information Centre for European Research, co-leading team of Czech FP7 NCPs. During the Czech Presidency of the Council of the European Union in 2009 she was actively involved in the preparation of two conferences – EUFORDIA 2009 (impact assessment of research and development) and EuroNanoForum 2009.

In AMIRES, during the last 10 years, Lenka was personally involved as Project and Dissemination Manager in many FP7 and H2020 projects such as AMBASSADOR (Autonomous Management System Developed for Building and District Levels), PI-SCALE (Bringing flexible organic electronics to pilot innovation scale), SABINA (Smart bi-directional multi energy gateway) or currently Switch2Save (Lightweight switchable smart solutions for energy saving large windows and glass facades). At the same time, she has been overseeing management activities in other projects with AMIRES involvement. Building on this broad experience, she has contributed to the set-up of internal management procedures for EU projects supported by the company and to the transfer of this knowledge and internal standards to new colleagues. Lenka has been also involved in proposal preparation at this moment especially in the Horizon Europe Widening topics.

About 10 years in AMIRES Lenka says: “It is amazing to see, how the company has grown during the last 10 years, both in scope of the AMIRES team itself (raising from 2 team members at the beginning to 18 employees currently) as well as with the portfolio of the services we are ready to provide to our clients. I am very happy I accepted the challenge Rudolf (our CEO) gave me at the beginning and that I has been able to contribute to this amazing adventure. I had the opportunity to work in different research and innovation topics with people with different background (scientific, industrial, business) and I learned a lot (both professionally and personally) thanks to that. It is great to be part of the AMIRES family that I hope will continue to grow in the 10 years ahead of us.”

Apart from the AMIRES family, Lenka is dedicated also to her own family, to which she currently dedicates all her free time.

Thanks to cooperation with IAESTE that is an international, non-governmental, non-profit organization that brings together students and academics around the world and strives for the professional and personal development of students and young graduates we were happy to welcome during this summer our intern Erik who arrived from Norway. Within six weeks Erik was a great help while working on different tasks related to our projects. Erik is young talented focus-oriented person which we believe will be a great colleague and great employee for any company in a future.

Here is what he says about his internship:

“I am Erik Møller Steen, this year’s summer intern at AMIRES, and I study for a Master of Science in nanotechnology with a specialization in bionanotechnology at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. The background for my choice of studies is an interest in science and technology, and a wish to study a field at the scientific forefront with great potential. This has given me a broad scientific background, but through my studies I have also had courses in project management and finance that made me realize their importance in several aspects of getting research out of the laboratories and to the market and real-world applications. I wanted to explore this further and how it is done in practice. AMIRES is involved in several aspects of research projects and innovation they are highly relevant in that regard, which is why I applied for an internship at AMIRES through IAESTE, an organization that coordinates internships for students throughout the world.

That is a choice I don’t regret! Here I got the possibility and trust to contribute to several aspects of project management previously unknown to me, giving me the opportunity to learn and gain new experiences. Through my various tasks I have worked with projects highly relevant to my field of study and gotten insight into how research is developed into innovative products through cooperation between universities, research institutes and SMEs. By help and guidance from great colleagues I have contributed to the day-to-day organization of projects, market research and reporting, and thus feel that my work is useful and valued.

The diversity of tasks has given me a range of experiences that are truly valuable, and I am certain they will be useful in my future career. My colleagues at AMIRES have done a great job welcoming me, and the international and open environment gave me a wonderful summer in Prague. Thank you, I hope we´ll meet again!”

We would like to thank Erik once again and we hope to meet him in the future. Good luck Erik!

On the 17^th August the European Commission (EC) launched a call for action to stakeholders in the energy sector who would be interested to become members of a new platform on equality in the energy sector. The “Equality platform for the energy sector” will be established in October, therefore the European Commission calls on organizations, governments, private sector, universities and civil society to join. With this platform, the Commission aims to bring together energy stakeholders in their commitment towards equality and offer a forum to discuss and exchange good practices for diverse and inclusive workplaces.

The European Commissioner for Energy, Kadri Simson will officially launch the platform at the European Union Sustainable Energy Week (EUSEW) on 25^th October 2021.

Registration to the EUSEW will open on 7^th September 2021.

The Commission is asking for applications for membership from any stakeholder in the EU energy sector that:

• has taken action to improve equality in their area of activity or business
• wishes to share experiences and be at the forefront of change in the energy sector
• wants to create innovative approaches and develop inclusive and diverse environments that support progress

To join, applicants should send an e-mail to ENER-EQUALITY@ec.europa.eu which contain:

• the e-mail subject should be “Equality platform – reply to the call to action”
• the body of the email should include a description of the actions implemented to promote equality in the organisation’s activities
• the applicant should include information showing that those actions are SMART – Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-bound.

European Commission, UN, scientists and stakeholders around the world have one same goal: reach gender equality. AMIRES shares the same vision and interest to reach gender equality, within the company and through the organisations with which collaborates.

AMIRES believes that a successful team is based on diversity and acknowledging the importance of a multidisciplinary approach. AMIRES is as well an example of social and cultural diversity. Therefore, we have learned that tackling situations from different angles provides more efficient and effective solutions thanks to a multidisciplinary and enriched vision. Read our Gender manifesto, which is signed by not only our directors, but also by our employees, showing their commitment. Gender equality is possible to be reached together; because we are in this together.

The Manifesto is available HERE.

Our consortium, made of European partners from 6 countries, has regularly published news about the construction site in Spain. To make the process clearer, we have created this explanatory video that sums up the important milestones along the progress of the construction, as well as the roles of each partner and the steps ahead. It will be updated with the remaining steps, once the project is completed in November.

Enjoy watching !

More on https://mosaic-h2020.eu/

The MOSAIC project has reached a new important milestone: the first access of the receiver to the oven for heating-up procedure testing. On 15^th June, the prototype site was ready for this manoeuvre, which allows the receiver to be placed inside the oven for heating process or to prevent high temperature losses from the receiver (during night, for example).

The complete manoeuvre in this specific installation consists of the following steps:

1. The receiver is placed by means of the tracking system control in a vertical position, just in front of the oven. The upper crossbars of the receiver are laid on a specific retractable support.
2. This support moves to the oven, placing the receiver in its right position.
3. The doors of the oven close. The isolation parts of the receiver at its ends fit with the oven doors, so the receiver is kept in an isolated space, where the heating-up process can take place.

When the receiver is needed to move from the oven to the workspace, the inverse manoeuvre is carried out.

See the whole process in this video (accelerated 20 times):

From now onwards, the prototype can be tested with HTF preheating at intermediate temperatures, a previous step before the solar field is built and the higher temperatures are reached.

For more information visit MOSAIC website.

On 27 May, 2021, the European Innovation Council (EIC) launched a call for expression of interest for new EIC board members. The EIC funding worth over €1 billion aims to help scale up start-ups and small and medium-sized businesses that have the potential to achieve high impact. While over half of the funding is open to breakthrough innovations in any field, €495 million are earmarked for innovations that support the European Green Deal as well as digital and health technologies.

The EIC Board acts as the “voice of the innovator”, to ensure all EIC activities are innovator-centric and to promote the EIC as the investor of choice for researchers and innovators with visionary ideas.

The Board advises directly the European Commission, the EIC and European Innovation and SME Executive Agency (EISMEA, henceforth referred as ‘the Agency’) as the dedicated implementation structure, and interacts with a number of full time EIC Programme Managers with leading expertise in their fields. It also liaises with the EIC Fund, as the investment arm of the EIC, as well as with the European Research Council (ERC), the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) and other innovation programmes and initiatives.

EIC is looking for innovators – entrepreneurs, investors and venture capitalists, corporate leaders, researchers and academics with leading expertise in fields relating to future and emerging technologies, breakthrough and disruptive innovation, starting and scaling businesses, innovation ecosystem builders, and innovation experts. The Commission will select between 15 and 20 members with estimated start in September 2021.

The application deadline is 30 June, 2021.

More information available: EC News and European Innovation Council.

During the last months, different systems had been tested by means of a dummy receiver connected to dummy hoses, simulating work conditions. Once the tests were completed, both the receiver and the hoses were replaced by the real ones. The operation was carried out from 20^th to 22^nd April and needed the participation and the cooperation of different partners and their subcontractors. The thermal installation is now complete with its real components.

The elevation of the ensemble was performed by means of a crane which lifted the real hoses, already connected to the receiver, while the receiver itself was lifted by the tracking system cables, in a coordinated operation. The hoses’ end, opposite to the receiver, was connected to the skid installation, on top of the main metallic tower.

In the following days, the system will be filled with HTF, and then the thermal loop system will be ready for the different tests that will assess its fine working. In a few weeks the solar field will be installed, before the final period of set-up tests starts.

AMIRES is excited to offer an additional support for innovation projects! Do you need to show your product or prototype visualization to investors, to funding agency or to test how it will be looking or interacting in modelled environment?

Now we offer to our clients to design and visualize a concept and create attractive images and animations using 3D models. Our consultants will guide you by using the tools (Blender, SketchUp, Solidworks, Dialux) to your needs and propose realistically looking models.

Examples of applications of this service:

• Design and create engineered components and innovative concepts to analyse their structure and interactions
• Visualize the installation of a product or production line in a building or a natural environment, foresee the obstacles and the space available
• Render realistic images of products, infrastructure, interiors, buildings, landscapes
• Plan the illumination of an internal or external space
• Create short animations (under 30 seconds) which are ideal for dissemination purposes
• Test some physical properties in simulations

The service includes the whole process of 3D modelling: design, conversion of 2D plans or images to a 3D geometry, texturing, physics, environment. The fields of applications is very broad, including health and biotech, material sciences, photonics, smart systems, energy generation and energy efficiency.

For more information contact Dr. Rudolf Fryček.

Thematically on the day that is internationally dedicated to women (8.3), the European Commission announced a new initiative called “Women TechEU”.

The aim is to support women leading deep tech start-ups in Europe. It is funded under European Innovation Ecosystem Work Programme of Horizon Europe and it will offer first-class coaching and mentoring to female CEOs and founders. Moreover it will be a targeted funding to help them to take their business to the next level.

“Women-led companies are on the rise” – the full view is that it is not only a matter of fairness, but also a major case of using Europe´s full potential of excellence in science and businesses. As per the latest statistics at least 25% of applications invited for the second stage of evaluation should come from the women-led companies.

To support the idea and fulfill the aim a call for mentors has been launched.

For more information and to view a original article, click HERE.

The consortium aims at constructing the prototype of a fixed semi-Fresnel solar concentrator and an ad-hoc mobile receiver. This novel approach of CSP plants will optimize the cost of the installation per Kwh; besides, it will be modular and scalable to adapt to the needs of the solar industry and energy demands.

The prototype at Cener facilities in Sangüesa is on its way towards its final state, as depicted in this video created by Increscendo:

Here is a brief overview of the last works carried out on the construction site:  

• The mounting towers for the mobile elements and the oven have been erected.
• The mechanical, optical and electrical elements of the tracking system have been installed and are being tested.
• The innovative dummy hoses have been connected to the receiver.
• The meteorological station has been connected to the tracking system, and the DCS of the whole prototype has been updated to achieve a full control of the plant.

The next key step will be the installation of the field of the solar mirrors, along with the evaluation of a watering system for the mirrors.

For more information, do not hesitate to visit the MOSAIC website. For the latest news about the tracking system by Tekniker, click HERE. 

On the 16^th March, 2021 the Webinar on success stories of EU-SmartEEs organized by PrintoCent and VTT presented together seven projects.

AMIRES as a business coaching partner of SmartEEs was proud to support the project IoTflexNode – the IoT device that fits and bends, the project by Fuelium SMARTK7 – Smart cassette, Adaptive Architecture Systems (FLXilight) – MESH – modular adaptive skin for high efficiency buildings and last but not least O.light by ESYST – Modern Smart Lighting.

During the presentation, our CEO Rudolf Fryček presented a digital Marketplace for Flexible & Wearable Electronics.

The Marketplace offers Innovation companies the possibility to explore innovative offerings, based on flexible electronics. Moreover, the digital marketplace offers information and contacts to the leading European organizations involved in flexible & wearable technologies research, development, integration and commercialization. The SmartEEs Marketplace is a place to innovate the business of SMEs, Mid-caps and Large companies while scouting for new business opportunities with flexible electronics technologies and to connect supply (ready to integrate products, prototypes, services) & demand (designers, integrators, solution providers, vendors), and to facilitate the promotion of innovative products.

To learn more about SmartEEs, click HERE.

SABINA was an EU funded H2020 research and innovation project that aimed to develop new technology along with financial models that would connect, control and actively manage thermal and electric networks using generation and storage assets in order to exploit synergies between electrical requirements and the thermal inertia of buildings, whilst allowing aggregators to provide flexibility and balancing services to the grid. SABINA aimed to maximise the usage of variable renewable energy sources by converting excess electrical energy to heat or cold and storing it using the thermal inertia of buildings. Provision for aggregation at district level were provided to maximise the effect of SABINA. SABINA lasted for 4 year and finished in October 2020 with AMIRES as a partner responsible for project management and dissemination.

A set of critical factors are required to enable deployment of any new technology focussed on energy and carbon reduction in any market. While any technology may be proven in test environments deployment in real word settings can often be subject to other outside influences that should be reviewed prior to attempting deployment. Policies already exist in a number of member states that supports the introduction of innovative new technologies to deliver on a common EU carbon target. The interplay between the market, technology development and policymaking align itself well to the wider deployment of SABINA either as a technology supporting market and policy ambition or as a seed for transformative change in countries seeking to scale up ambition in carbon reduction. As part of our work on SABINA the partners assessed which markets in EU member states were already undertaking a reasonable level of demand side response at a national strategic level. Based on IEA data the findings demonstrate that a large proportion of the EU would be viable for SABINA deployment on the basis that flexibility and aggregation markets either already exist or are ramping up activity.

As the SABINA system relies on critical and regular data streams and the ability for swift response to them much of the successful deployment of the system will be dependent on the maturity of smart grids within any EU member state. The viability of SABINA is dependent on a number of key Net Zero transitions within any host member state. The challenge to enable the switch over from gas to electricity for our heating brings a number of critical risks in supply and demand of energy, placing greater pressure on our national energy infrastructure and requiring low and zero carbon generation to provide demand in a way that reduces our contribution to climate change. In order to provide the additional demand required to support the electrification of heating and vehicles in a sustainable way significantly higher levels of renewable deployment is needed.

Coupled with an increase in overall demand it will be important to develop technologies that can support swift demand side response, much greater flexibility in smart energy systems and digitalisation of operational control – SABINA can play a leading role in supporting this.

More information related to SABINA is available here.

We are proud of the work we do, and our success is primarily the result of our passionate team of dedicated people. To support our growth, we are looking for highly motivated people to join our team in Prague for a position of Project Manager of European R&D&I projects.

If you are interested in new technologies, great at communication, familiar with European R&D&I funding, have analytical mind set and organizational skills and like challenges, then our job proposal is for you. Read HERE for more.

There are over 200 projects that deal with flexible electronics within the H2020 programme. The most active organisations are the RTOs and the Higher Education Institutions such as Fraunhofer, VTT, CEA, IMEC, TNO, CNRS, Cambridge, Oxford, EPF Laussane and Imperial College, among others.

Discover more in-depth analysis of flexible electronics within the Horiozon 2020 Programme, created by John Kennedy Mwangi, AMIRES. The analysis includes:

• NUMBER OF PROJECTS OVER THE YEARS
• DISTRIBUTION OF PROJECTS AMONG THE FUNDING INSTRUMENTS
• PROJECT RANKING IN TERMS OF FUNDING
• THE KEY PERFORMERS
• THE DOMINANT PRIVATE FOR PROFIT ENTITIES
• NUMBER OF PROJECTS PER COUNTRY

Full report HERE

Continue reading →

Can flexible and wearable technologies innovate your products and services? How to get technical, business and financial support for testing it?

On December 4, 2020, AMIRES organized a webinar in the framework of the SmartEEs2 project. This webinar was specifically aimed at informing companies in Central Europe about possibilities to participate in the open calls for Application Experiments.

Within SmartEEs2 five Calls for Application Experiments are opened inviting interested companies to submit their application experiment proposals. Selected Application Experiments will demonstrate the transfer of flexible and wearable electronics technologies into new products / series of products, processes, business models and business opportunities. The next, already third, Call for Application Experiments is open until the 15^th of January 2021.

At the workshop, participants were informed about the SmartEEs2 project and its objectives and how to submit a proposal in the Call for Application Experiments. The webinar also included two examples of companies that were supported through the first SmartEEs project.

Webinar presentations

Presentation title	Speaker
Introduction to the workshop	Michael ten Donkelaar, AMIRES
Introduction to SmartEEs2	Rudolf Fryček, AMIRES
Company testimonial 1 – ESYST	Jaroslav Sochor, ESYST, Czech Republic
Company testimonial 2 – IDEA	Gianluca Di Buo, IDEA, Italy
SmartEEs2 registration process	Minja Maric, AMIRES

Webinar recordings

We are proud of the work we do, and our success is primarily the result of our passionate team of dedicated people. To support our growth, we are looking for highly motivated people to join our team in Prague for a position of Project Manager of European R&D&I projects.

If you are interested in new technologies, great at communication, familiar with European R&D&I funding, have analytical mind set and organizational skills and like challenges, then our job proposal is for you. Read HERE for more.

Are you passionate about the newest technological trends in medical technologies and medicine in general? Are you target oriented and responsibility, flexibility, team spirit or time management are no strangers to you? MS Office is your best friend and you are not worried to organize calls, take minutes or prepare presentations? Do you enjoy working in multinational environment with English as the main communication language? Are you ready to cooperate with excellent European R&D&I organisations, SMEs, hospitals and large industries? Then AMIRES is looking for you!

Apply for our newly opened position of Project Manager of European R&D&I projects in Health and Biotech sector by sending your CV and motivation letter (both in English) to bajarova(at)amires.eu till August 14 2020. Only candidates that will proceed to the next round of the job competition will be contacted by August 18 2020.

Are you responsible, proactive, diligent? Do you enjoy working on different administrative and organisational tasks having colourful daily routine? Would you like to support our multinational team and help to strengthen its team spirit? Are you a proficient user of Microsoft Office? Do you speak fluently Czech and English? Then AMIRES is looking for you.

Apply for our newly opened position of Office Manager / Executive Assistant by sending your CV and motivation letter (both in English) to bajarova(at)amires.eu till August 5 2020. Only candidates that will proceed to the next round of the job competition will be contacted by August 7 2020.

We are proud of the work we do, and our success is primarily the result of our passionate team of dedicated people. To support our growth, we are looking for highly motivated people to join our team in Prague for a position of Project Manager of European R&D&I projects.

If you are interested in new technologies, great at communication, familiar with European R&D&I funding, have analytical mind set and organizational skills and like challenges, then our job proposal is for you. Read HERE for more.