ACENET aims to enhance the coordination of European innovation-driven research in the field of catalysis and sustainable chemistry. The nine participating countries will initially focus on cooperation between programmes which have similar themes. The participating organisations intend to jointly manage these research programmes and based on these experiences, they will establish new joint European programmes. Parallel to this, the organisations will establish the fundamentals of a framework for a European training and education programme.
ACTS, the platform for Advanced Chemical Technologies for Sustainability of the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO), coordinates this European network. The other participants are organisations and ministries of Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Greece, Italy, Poland, Portugal and Spain.
Applied catalysis and sustainable chemistry demand an interdisciplinary approach. The results of scientific research will contribute to sustainable development and innovation in the chemical and related industries. At this moment there is a lack of coordination between the research programmes of the different EU countries. Cooperation between the countries should increase efficiency and contribute to a stronger position of this field on the European research agenda.
ERA-NET is a funding scheme of the European Commission within the 6th Framework Programme
(2002-2006) for Research and Innovation. It provides support for the transnational networking and coordination of national research programmes. The networks should lead to long-term cooperation between the participating organisations and should enhance the coherence between national and European strategies.