Proposing solutions to the ever-evolving challenges of globalisation and modern urban living is a specialism of United Technologies Research Centre (UTRC) Ireland.
The Cork-based company has been involved in EU and State co-funded projects for the past five years and could already be described as a veteran of the application process.
Currently, UTRC Ireland has several Horizon 2020 projects at varying stages of development in its research and development queue and has ongoing work supported by Horizon 2020’s predecessor programme, FP7.
The Horizon 2020 team at Enterprise Ireland is keen to make researchers and entrepreneurs aware that the funding application process has been simplified and the team is eager to offer its assistance.
Stevo Mijanovic, general manager at UTRC Ireland, echoes the point that improvements have been made in the application process under Horizon 2020.
“UTRC’s experience with this type of funding overall is quite solid. We’ve been involved in these frameworks for four to five years and the EU has succeeded in simplifying the process,” he says.
Improved procedures
Partnerships and consortiums are a regular feature of approved projects and, again, UTRC Ireland is experienced in this approach and has felt the benefit of the improved procedures.
“The paperwork is different from that of FP7, which makes negotiations easier and simpler once your application is approved,” Mijanovic notes.
One of UTRC’s c(DHC) systems is aimed at delivering energy cost savings of 30 per cent, through efficient and cost-effective design, operation and maintenance.
District heating is expected to double its share of the European heat market by 2020 and district cooling will grow to 25 per cent.
While this expansion will translate into a 2.6 per cent reduction in the European primary energy need and 9.3 per cent of all carbon emissions, it will not be achieved through modernisation alone.
As an example of the diversity of projects that can be funded under Horizon 2020, UTRC Ireland is also working on projects in aviation and building security systems.
UTRC Ireland Ltd operates as the European research hub of United Technologies Research Center, which is based in East Hartford, Connecticut, USA.