Funding & calls

What can I use the FORESEA programme for?

What is the amount of funding/maximum grant I can receive via FORESEA?

FORESEA provides support to access open-sea test sites, rather than grants. Support packages are measured in length of time: the maximum available is 1 year of testing.

What do you mean by co-financing?

Co-financing is the additional budget required of an applicant to deploy their technology through the FORESEA programme.

Where would you suggest developers find co-financing?

The specifics of co-financing required vary with each test site. Developers should discuss this directly with the test centre they plan on deploying at, who will have some guidance and suggestions to offer in this area relevant on the national context.

Can I use the FORESEA programme to fund the building of my device?

No. FORESEA provides access to open-sea test centres. It does not fund the building of devices, but test centres can provide some advice in this area.

How does the FORESEA programme interact with EU State Aid rules?

Test centres will make sure that state aid regulation is respected; developers are not expected to take any action.

Eligibility

Which technologies are eligible for the FORESEA programme?

Any low carbon energy technology deployable at the FORESEA consortia test centres is eligible. This includes ocean energy devices, sub-components, sensors (device-related and resource-related), supply chain products, processes and services.

When you mention "components and services" can you explain what you mean?

The aim of FORESEA is to bring new low carbon products to market that enable ocean energy development. Products can be tangible or intangible - therefore services and components that require real-sea testing would also be eligible to apply on their own, or when accompanying a technology supplier.

If you are unsure if you’re product/service is eligible, please contact the FORESEA Access Coordinator to discuss this further.

First Call: What if our device/equipment will not be ready for deployment in 2016?

The first FORESEA call will prioritise applications which are ready for deployment. Due to this prioritisation, it is likely you will score better in a later call, and we recommend that you apply then.

Contact the test centre in which you wish to deploy to discuss the optimal timeline for you.

Can companies from outside the EU apply?

Yes, companies from outside Northwest Europe/the EU can apply. You will most likely have to set up a branch or subsidiary in the country in which the test site is based. The relevant FORESEA test centre can provide advice in this area.

Are developers currently using a test centre eligible to receive support?

Projects already under contract with a test centre are not eligible to access the FORESEA programme. However, FORESEA can provide support to such projects in some cases, e.g. extension of the testing period, increasing the scope of the testing programme etc.

Can a developer who already has EU funding for another part of their project (e.g. design/build/components/ subsystems) still apply for FORESEA support for testing?

Yes, FORESEA’s free access service does not depend on how the device has been built. However, there must be no overlap in the scope of the different parts of the project being funded through different programmes. Contact the test centres directly to look at your case in detail.

Is it necessary to be part of a consortium to be eligible for FORESEA?

Strictly speaking, a FORESEA award is granted to one enterprise, not a consortium. That enterprise can, however, represent a consortium of actors who will work on the deployment in question.

The strength of your consortium will be taken into account in your application, so it is important to detail who will be involved in your deployment in your application.

Can my consortium include a FORESEA test centre

Yes.

How can a research institute be involved? Should they cooperate with a company with a device for testing?

If a research institute or university has its own eligible technology, it can apply for access to a test site. Otherwise research institutes/universities are encouraged to cooperate with FORESEA applicants as part of a consortium.

Is a project still eligible for FORESEA if the estimated testing period at the test site exceeds a year?

In principle, a FORESEA award can provide access for maximum one year.  Any extension to this period would require a clear justification and has to be considered on a case-by-case basis. Please contact the test sites directly to see what is possible in your case. 

Is smaller scale testing also eligible for the FORESEA programme?

Yes, provided the project is feasible and the eligibility criteria set out the in FORESEA Call Rules & Conditions are met.

Test sites

What is included in access to the test centre time?

Typically, this would include access to the site; use of infrastructure; access to test site personnel; data services (including inter-comparison with reference data). However, what is offered varies according to the test site: contact the test centre you are interested in directly for a specific response.

Do you provide data and characteristics about the different test sites to help choose which one would be the most suitable for a given technology?

There is a comparison table available in the 1st call documentation which gives basic details of each test site’s specifications, along with links to more detailed data.

Contact the test sites directly if you need specific information relevant to your project.

Will the data collected be publicly available? What IP (Intellectual Property) sharing requirements are there?

Essentially the device IP rights, foreground and commercially sensitive results which belong to the developer will remain with the developer.

IP and data handling varies according to each test centre, so developers should discuss this directly with the test site they plan on deploying at.

Selection process

Will the evaluation criteria remain the same in future?

The next call will be launched at the end of 2016. The criteria will be the same for future calls, though the weighting assigned to each criteria will vary.

How are the awards chosen, and who makes the selection?

A selection panel within the FORESEA consortium will evaluate and rank applications; the selected test site has the final decision on taking the application forward or not.

What would happen if the test centre is over-subscribed? How are the bids prioritised or selected?

This would be decided by the User Selection Board, and would be prioritised according to the project’s score, based on the evaluation criteria laid out in the 1st call documentation. If the first choice test centre is oversubscribed, the Board’s preferred action would be to pass the application to the next most suitable test site. This would be done in dialogue with the applicant.

If this is not possible, the Board would return to the first-choice test site to see if room can be made in their schedule at a later stage.

Who is on the selection panel?

One member from each test site in the FORESEA consortium.

Other

How do you intend to verify the financial health of the applicants?

The usual test site procedure (specific to each test site) will be applied here. Please contact the test sites directly for more information about how this works.

How would you measure assistance by the supply chain - is it number of companies used, money spent, technology developed?

A combination of all three. The INTERREG NW-Europe programme requires FORESEA to record its contribution to several targets that have been made available thanks to the project.

How can we evaluate what level of TRL we are currently at?

The FORESEA project uses the standardised TRL scale, used by the European Commission.

You can contact the Access Coordinator for help with assessing your TRL.

Can I use the FORESEA programme to access a test site in other EU countries?

No. FORESEA only provides access at reduced costs to the four test sites in FORESEA consortium.

Will Brexit affect participation in this project for UK companies?

No.