The European Commission has set up a Strategic Forum for Important Projects of Common European Interest (IPCEI). This Forum was announced in the Industrial Policy Strategy of 13 September 2017.

The objectives of this group are to identify:

• key value chains of strategic importance to Europe
• joint investments by public authorities and industries from several EU countries which can make value chains more robust, in particular new IPCEIs.

The group will have a maximum of 50 members. They will include:

• national authorities
• other public entities
• individuals appointed in a personal capacity (type A)
• organisations representing academia, finance, industry, small and medium-sized enterprises, and employees (type C)

This call for applications is for type A and type C members.

Applications must be sent to GROW-STRATEGIC-FORUM@ec.europa.eu by 16 March 2018, 23:59 Brussels time.

Access the application documents

The Strategic Forum for Important Projects of Common European Interest

The Forum’s tasks are:

• advising the Commission on key value chains in Europe that require joint, well-coordinated actions and investments by public authorities and industries from several EU countries
• helping the Commission build a common European vision for these value chains
• advising the Commission on IPCEIs needed in these value chains
• helping the Commission cooperate and coordinate between public authorities and stakeholders from several EU countries
• helping the Commission monitor progress, reporting on IPCEI-related bottlenecks and obstacles, and proposing solutions to overcome these obstacles
• advising the Commission on any accompanying measures necessary for the successful implementation of new IPCEIs
• advising the Commission on alternative solutions for promoting joint, well-coordinated investments in key value chains when an IPCEI is not feasible

More information can be found in the Commission Decision setting up the Strategic Forum for Important Projects of Common European Interest (IPCEI).

Call procedure

Please read the call carefully.

Applications may be completed in any of the EU’s official languages but applications completed in English will help facilitate the evaluation procedure. If a language other than English is used, it would be helpful to also provide a summary of the application in English.

Applications will only be admissible if they are sent by the deadline and include all of the supporting documents below. All documents should be filled in, legible, signed and numbered sequentially.

Supporting documents

• cover letter explaining the applicant's motivation for applying and stating the contribution the applicant could make to the group
• classification form specifying the member category for which the application is made (annex I)
• selection criteria form documenting how the applicant fulfils the criteria listed in chapter 4 of this call (annex II)
• curriculum vitae (CV) in the European format
• declaration of interests (DOI) form for those applying for type A membership (annex III)

Selection criteria

For all applicants:

• proven competence and a minimum of 10-years’ experience, including at European and international level, in at least one but preferably several of the following areas:
  • advanced technologies, in particular advanced digital and key enabling technologies
  • industrial value chains and industrial base in Europe, including EU industry's positioning and comparative advantages
  • needs, obstacles and strategies for investments in industrial value chains in Europe, in particular investments in first industrial production of innovative products and/or large-scale investment projects in innovative manufacturing
  • international integration and trade
  • global market trends
  • industrial and high-tech skills
  • security and defence and related implications for industrial value chains, e.g. dual-use applications and critical assets and infrastructures
  • public subsidies and other support measures to selected investments, in particular (first) industrial production, existing in the EU and in other parts of the world.
• good knowledge of English for active participation in discussions

For Type A applicants:

• absence of circumstances that could give rise to a conflict of interest

For Type C applicants:

• competence, experience and hierarchical level of proposed representatives