Quick Reference Please note that you must read the full Call document for guidance before submitting your proposal UK-China Low-carbon Manufacturing Workshop Funding Available: N/A Call type: Call for participants Closing date: 16:00 30 November 2017 How to apply: Please register your interest by completing the electronic Expression of Interest (EoI) form available on the call website. Assessment Process: Participants for the workshop will be selected by an internal sift. A UK-China call for research proposals, to be funded by EPSRC in partnership with the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), will follow the workshop, although attendance at the workshop is not a requirement to apply to the call. Key Dates: Activity Date Deadline for Expressions of Interest 16:00 on 30 November 2017 Confirmation to attendees December 2017 Workshop 14-15 March 2018 EPSRC-NSFC call issued May 2018 Intent to Submit deadline May 2018 EPSRC-NSFC Call deadline June 2018 Panel meeting October 2018 Grant Start Date 1 January 2019 The number of attendees from a single institution may be restricted in the event of multiple applications Contacts: Dr Shyeni Paul Tel: 01793 444431 Email: shyeni.paul@epsrc.ac.uk Dr Neil Bateman Tel: 01793 44 4496 Email:neil.bateman@epsrc.ac.uk Version4 April 2017 Page 1 of 6
UK-China Low-carbon Manufacturing Workshop Call type: Call for participants Closing date: 16:00 30 November 2017 Related themes: Energy, Engineering, ICT, LWEC, Manufacturing the future, Mathematical sciences, Summary EPSRC, as part of the RCUK Energy Programme, is inviting Expressions of Interest to attend a two-day workshop on the 14-15 March 2018 to engage in discussion and initiate new collaborative working partnerships with selected Chinese participants in the area of low-carbon manufacturing. The workshop will be held in Wuhan, China. A UK-China call for research proposals, to be funded by EPSRC in partnership with the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), will follow the workshop, although attendance at the workshop is not a requirement to apply to the call. In participating in this event, you will be able to discuss the research challenges which would benefit from collaboration between UK and Chinese experts in this field. The discussion will focus on the research required to achieve a step-change reduction in energy demand in energy-intensive industries, and is likely to include the following areas: Novel low-energy manufacturing processes Refinement of manufacturing process technologies to reduce energy demand, including system design, control, enhanced sensing, data capture and utilisation Improved on-site energy management, including energy harvesting, recovery and storage. You will also have the opportunity to initiate new working relationships with UK and Chinese collaborators. The closing date for Expressions of Interest to attend the workshop is 16.00 on 30 November 2017. Version4 April 2017 Page 2 of 6
Background To build on the excellent collaborative work carried out through a number of joint energy research activities over the last six years, EPSRC and NSFC have committed to a three-year, 20 million joint research programme entitled Lowcarbon Innovation. This programme has the following overarching aims: To reduce worldwide CO2 production To ensure energy affordability and security for each country To build lasting best-with-best academic relationships between China and the UK in an area vital to both countries. The first thematic call under this programme was in low-carbon cities research in 2016. The second activity in offshore renewable energy systems was completed in 2017. The third and final activity in low-carbon manufacturing technologies will commission during 2018 with grants starting 1 January 2019. The UK is legally committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the UK by at least 80% by 2050, relative to 1990 levels. The energy consumption scenarios produced by DECC for the Low Carbon Transition plan show that a reduction in energy consumption of 26-43% will be required to achieve an 80% reduction in carbon emissions. Industrial energy use, particularly in energy-intensive manufacturing industries, will have a large part to play in addressing this reduction, both through demand management and improvement of industrial processes. In 2011 China overtook the United States to become the world's largest producer of manufactured goods, and it has become a key component of global manufacturing supply chains. To achieve the national strategic goal towards environmentally and economically sustainable development, China has set responsible carbon intensity (reduction by 40-45% below 2005 level) and nonfossil energy targets (increase by 15% from 9.4% in 2010) in its 13th Five-year Plan on Social and Economic Development, even exceeding its Copenhagen Pledge, and it has taken series of measures to speed up establishment of an overall low carbon industrial system by 2020, aiming at a 15% increase of industrial resources utilisation rate. In addition, in future the world is likely to experience a greater global demand for resources. As highlighted in the UK s 2013 Future of Manufacturing Foresight project report, the result for manufacturing will be a reduction in the availability of resources key to the sector, including energy. Energy efficiency and management will therefore be increasingly important in supporting the economic sustainability of UK, Chinese and global manufacturers. This activity aims to support research which has the potential to contribute to a step-change reduction in energy demand in energy-intensive manufacturing industries. Energy-intensive industries have been defined as those whose energy intensity is at least 3%, i.e. energy costs are 3% or more of their production costs. 1 Companies which typically fall under this definition include those in sectors such as chemicals, steel, cement, aluminium, glass, paper and ceramics. 1 See for example the CBI Blueprint for energy-intensive industries, 2011 Version4 April 2017 Page 3 of 6
Our scope includes all relevant aspects of a single manufacturing process and/or manufacturing site. It is not intended to cover the interactions of industrial plants/processes with the broader energy system, as these topics have recently been covered under the EPSRC call in industrial energy demand reduction. Discussion at the workshop is likely to include the following areas, which are not intended to be mutually exclusive: Novel low-energy manufacturing processes Refinement of manufacturing process technologies to reduce energy demand, including system design, control, enhanced sensing, data capture and utilisation Improved on-site energy management, including energy harvesting, recovery and storage. It is worth noting that EPSRC has a number of existing major research investments relevant to this research area, including the End Use Energy Demand (EUED) Centres and the UK Energy Research Centre (UKERC). This activity aims to build on these investments and advance UK-Chinese collaboration in this important research area. Proposals submitted to the call following this workshop should aim to collaborate with existing projects where appropriate, but should not duplicate research already underway through these or other projects. For more information about EPSRC s portfolio and strategies, see our website: http://www.epsrc.ac.uk/research/ourportfolio/ Funding available There is no funding associated with the workshop. EPSRC will cover reasonable travel expenditure and food and accommodation will be provided for the duration of the workshop. Up to 3.3 million will be made available through the EPSRC-NSFC call issued later in the year for the UK academics. Chinese academics will be funded via NSFC. Attendance at the workshop is not necessary for applying through the EPSRC-NSFC call. Equipment Equipment is not available through this call. For more information on equipment funding, please see: https://www.epsrc.ac.uk/research/facilities/equipment/ Eligibility We aim to achieve an appropriate mix of UK participants, taking into account the Chinese attendees selected by NSFC. We are looking for a balance of academics, industrialists and public sector stakeholders including: Version4 April 2017 Page 4 of 6
Researchers with an interest in industrial energy demand and/or novel manufacturing processes Industrialists and other end users with an understanding of how the basic research can be exploited to deliver outcomes and impacts Stakeholders (e.g. government, public sector, regulatory, or other) with an understanding of the issues and challenges surrounding energy demand in the manufacturing sector for which the research base might provide solutions. How to apply If you wish to attend this workshop, please register your interest by completing the electronic Expression of Interest (EoI) form available on the call webpage. The deadline for submitting completed Expression of Interest forms is 16:00 on 30 November 2017. The workshop will begin at in the morning of 14 March and continue until the evening of 15 March. Accommodation and food will be provided for the duration of the workshop and the preceding evening if required, for all UK delegates. Delegates will be reimbursed for reasonable travel expenses. If you submit an EoI and are selected, you are committed to attending the workshop. Assessment Assessment process Attendees for the workshop will be made at an internal sift. EPSRC reserve the right to apply additional selection criteria in the event of the call being so substantially oversubscribed as to be unmanageable as initially planned. Assessment criteria Selection of applicants for the workshop will be based on the spread of expertise and institution. In the case of multiple applications from a single institution, priority will be given to those with the required expertise. The degree of interaction the applicant has with Chinese academics and industries will be used as a secondary criteria. No feedback will be provided to unsuccessful applicants Key dates Version4 April 2017 Page 5 of 6
Activity Date* Deadline for Expressions of Interest 16:00 on 30 November 2017 Confirmation to attendees December 2017 Workshop 14-15 March 2018 EPSRC-NSFC call issued May 2018 Intent to Submit deadline May 2018 Call deadline June 2018 Panel meeting October 2018 Grant Start Date 01 January 2019 *EPSRC aims to adhere to the key dates as published, however there may be exceptions where the sift, prioritisation or interview meeting may have to change due to panel member availability. Contacts Dr Shyeni Paul Tel: 01793 444431 Email: shyeni.paul@epsrc.ac.uk Dr Neil Bateman Tel: 01793 44 4496 Email:neil.bateman@epsrc.ac.uk Change log Name Date Version Change Shyeni Paul 02/11/2017 1 N/A Version4 April 2017 Page 6 of 6