The European Commission’s framework programmes support activities in the areas of research, innovation, education, and culture. The funding covers the entire innovation chain - from basic research to preparing marketable products and services. The framework programmes, which have defined funding periods, are oriented on the European Union’s strategic goals, and define the thematic focus, types of grants, and rules of participation. 

LIGHTCOCE

Building an ecosystem for the up-scaling of lightweight ceramic materials and structures

The project aims to develop non-metallic, inorganic lightweight materials. Prof. Krcmar’s working group is tasked with developing a new lightweight hollow block with improved material properties. The project also includes constructing a pilot unit for producing lab bricks at the Energie Campus Nürnberg (EnCN) and accepting research assignments from EU countries. More information is available on our website or on the official website of LIGHTCOCE. 

FOODCoST

FOOD costing and internalisation of externalities for system transition

To ensure sustainable food systems, the environmental and health costs must be significantly reduced, while at the same time healthy and sustainably food must be made affordable for everyone. In the current food systems many costs associated with “harmful” foods and the benefits of healthy foods are externalised, i.e., they are not reflected in the market prices and therefore are not part of decision-making on the part of the actors in the food value chain. FOODCoST’s aim is to develop a roadmap to effective and sustainable strategies to evaluate and internalise external effects of foods, in order to ensure sustainable food systems by indicating the external costs, which have been disregarded previously, of foods in food prices in the future.

More information about FoodCoST and the “Wahre Preise” campaign.

MOEEBIUS

Modelling optimization of energy efficiency in buildings for urban sustainability

The construction and energy services branch is faced with the challenge to ensure that the energy efficiency and savings predicted when defining energy efficiency measures are actually achieved during the operation of a building. However, there are many indicators that building performance is unsatisfactory, i.e. there is a large difference between a building’s estimated and actual energy consumption. The aim of this project is to minimise this difference using innovative simulation tools that can register and describe the complexity of the actual building operation in precise simulation predictions. Further information can be found on the official website of Moeebius.

SENSIBLE

Storage-enabled sustainable energy for buildings and communities

In Evora (Portugal), Nottingham (United Kingdom), and Nuremberg (Germany), the SENSIBLE project demonstrates various types of energy storage in small-scale that can be integrated into buildings and communities. These types of storage can improve the integration of variable renewable energy sources, increase energy security for customers, and facilitate own production and use. Further information can be found on the European Commission website

LIFE (“L’Instrument Financier pour l’Environnement”) is the only EU funding programme focusing exclusively on environmental protection. The programme, set up in 1992, funds measures relating to biodiversity, and environmental and climate protection.

HYPOBRICK

Towards hypocarbonic economy – Development of non-fired waste-based building materials

The three-year EU project launched in October 2019 with 5 project partners from 2 EU countries. The aim of the project is to develop new “non-fired” bricks – based on industrial waste using so-called geopolymer routes. Geopolymers are “cold-setting” binding materials which do not require firing for solidification. More information is available on our website or on the official website of Hypobrick.