Objective
AT~SEA is a 3-year European project within FP7 (NMP work programme). The project aims at the development of advanced technical textiles in order to demonstrate the technical and economical feasibility of open sea cultivation of macroalgae (seaweed).
The project targets the development of novel textile materials for 3 different elements of the aquatic biomass cultivation farms:
• Advanced 3D multilayer textile substrates for seaweed cultivation
• Advanced textile based cables and connections for positioning and anchoring of the 3D multilayer textile substrate
• Advanced coated textiles for flexible and light-weight floatation tubes, as well as for storage and transportation tanks
By reaching these goals, AT~SEA targets at the development of innovative offshore textile products. Further, it wants to stimulate bio-energy production from seaweed by enabling open sea large scale cultivation and harvesting.
The choice for macroalgae based aquatic biomass cultivation in AT~SEA is based on the following reasoning: 1) 70% of the earth’s surface is ocean, thus there is a huge potential for biomass growth, 2) macroalgae grow much faster than conventional crops on land, 3) by producing the biomass at sea we avoid the discussions about land food crops being used as fuel/energy source. This is the so-called food-energy nexus.
It is an important challenge as today the total worldwide energy consumption is ca. 480 exajoules (EJ, 480 × E18 J). Approximately 90% is derived from the combustion of fossil fuels. Fossil fuels, i.e. coal, oil and natural gas, are limited in supply and will one day be depleted. As a result the quest for renewable energies started decades ago. These are energies generated from natural resources such as sunlight, wind, tides, etc. but also from industrial or urban waste and biomass. Induced by numerous studies and energy conferences, the 27 member states of the EU decided in 2007 that 20% of our energy should come from renewable sources by 2020 (Lisbon Treaty). Biomass energy, being the oldest source of renewable energy, is generally acknowledged as one of the most promising. The technology is based on converting biomass material (plants and animal waste) into energy (i.e. heat, electricity and/or chemicals, like methane gas, butanol, etc.).
The project consortium is well-balanced and consists of 11 partners from 8 countries (6 SME’s, 4 RTD’s and 1 LE). In order to facilitate a successful project, the consortium covers a broad range of required competences, i.e. textiles, biology and biotechnology, offshore engineering, and renewable energy. Since the focus is on the development of textiles, 6 out of 11 partners stem from the textile sector.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/euroscivoc.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/euroscivoc.
- engineering and technology environmental engineering energy and fuels renewable energy
- engineering and technology environmental engineering energy and fuels fossil energy coal
- engineering and technology environmental engineering energy and fuels fossil energy natural gas
- engineering and technology materials engineering textiles
- agricultural sciences agricultural biotechnology biomass
You need to log in or register to use this function
We are sorry... an unexpected error occurred during execution.
You need to be authenticated. Your session might have expired.
Thank you for your feedback. You will soon receive an email to confirm the submission. If you have selected to be notified about the reporting status, you will also be contacted when the reporting status will change.
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
FP7-NMP-2011-SME-5
See other projects for this call
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
CP-TP - Collaborative Project targeted to a special group (such as SMEs)
Coordinator
8850 Ardooie
Belgium
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.