Smart Energy Systems

The Smart Energy Systems programme aims to provide solutions for sustainability along two paths:

• by using ICT in order to reduce and control energy consumption in e.g. logistics, mobility, health care, lifetime-robust housing, and to enable and control decentralized energy generation, and
• by reducing the energy consumption within ICT, in order to reduce CO₂ emission, global warming, and to more efficiently utilize scarce energy resources and improving sustainability.

Scope of the call
Based on proven strength in relevant Dutch research areas the following lines of research in the programme have been selected: Smart ICT methods for energy saving, storage and generation in buildings. The research challenge is to minimize energy consumption in offices and homes e.g. using sensor networks for energy monitoring and control. For this line of research new intelligent real-time (on-line) scheduling, planning and control software plus related hardware control options need to be developed.

Smart control systems for flexible electricity networks
The generation of energy on a small scale and in a decentralized manner leads to grid topologies, that might result in increasingly complex electrical power supply networks. In order to guarantee current key performance and reliability figures of electricity systems huge challenges are created, amongst others: modelling and simulating these complex networks, visualisation techniques, developing software agent technology for maintaining the equilibrium between energy supply and demand, developing smart control systems, guaranteeing correctness and safety of the control systems, and guaranteeing stability, reliability and economic efficiency of the electrical power transmission and distribution networks in a market context.

Energy reduction in processing and storing of information
Given the fast growing amounts of information which are essential for running our society, huge volumes of data need to be processed and stored in data centres, digital libraries, etc., entailing fast rising energy consumption. Following worldwide green IT initiatives all over the world, research is needed to realise more efficient signal processor architectures and data storage strategies, addressing both the hardware and the software aspects, e.g. programming of parallel architectures with hundreds of programmable cores in an energy-efficient way. From the software point-of-view, also, energy-efficient cloud computing mechanisms can contribute to energy saving.

Energy reduction in communication networks
Exchanging these large amounts of information puts heavy demands on our communication networks, and ways need to be found to master the increasing energy consumption for the transport and routing of the data streams. A wide range of challenges arise here: a.o. technologies for provisioning of capacity and of Quality of Service tailored to actual user needs, always-on or event-controlled access connections, smart power-efficient interfaces (incl. intelligent sleep modes), power-efficient data packet routers, resource-efficient interworking of wired and wireless networks, battery-efficient user terminals.

What can be applied for

The maximum amount available in this round is 6 million euro. The programme will mainly subsidise research positions. Two categories of the projects are distinguished: smaller projects involving at least one researcher and a budget up to 400,000 euro and larger projects involving at least two researchers and a budget up to 750,000 euro. A necessary condition for the larger projects is that they have to be collaborative projects: The researchers involved in these projects have to be employed in at least two different research institutions.

The grant can be used to fund:

• Full-time trainee research assistants (AIOs) and/or two-year or three-year post-docs.
• Other non-scientific staff involved in the proposed research (such as programmers etc)
• Activities and equipment to support the proposed research, provided their total costs are lower than the cost provided for the salaries of researchers. The equipment must be intended exclusively for the project described in the proposal. The need for the equipment and its relationship to the project must be well substantiated;
• Travel expenses associated with the research;
• Travel and accommodation costs for guest researchers from other countries whose input is relevant to the research;

When can be applied

• Closing date for the submission of pre-proposals was 8 March 2010, 12:00 hrs
• Closing date for the submission of full proposals was 26 May 2010, 12:00 hrs

The round consists of two phases:

• A mandatory pre-proposal phase in which you may submit abridged research questions (pre-proposals). The guidelines for this phase are set out in the Call for proposals.
• The detailed application phase. The assessment committee will invite applicants to submit a full application. The guidelines applying to those selected to submit a full application are set out in the Call for Proposals.

Extra Information

Compartments

Researchers may submit proposals in two different 'compartments':

1. Application oriented research
2. Curiosity-driven research

Compartment 1, Application oriented research
Proposals submitted in this compartment should be demonstrably geared towards the application of proposed research in industry or society. Granted projects are conducted by Technology Foundation STW.

Compartment 2, Curiosity-driven research
Proposals submitted within this compartment, prompted by theoretical scientific questions, may focus on any aspects of the four research areas described above. Granted projects are conducted by NWO Physical Sciences. Standard assessment procedures and criteria apply to the assessment of proposals in both compartments, as described in the Call for Proposals.

Criteria

Applications are assessed on the following criteria:

1. scientific quality,
2. innovative character and
3. relevance, for compartment 2 (see 4.2.2) or
4. utilisation, for compartment 1 (see 4.2.3).

For applications in compartment 1, criteria 1 and 2 and 4 will be graded and the final mark will be extracted by the formula average(average(1,2),4). For applications in compartment 2, the criteria 1, 2 and 3 will be graded and all three will be weighted equally: the final mark will be calculated based on the formula average(1,2,3).

Scientific assessment

Full applications and, in case that a pre-selection takes place, pre-proposals will be assessed by the assessment committee on the basis of their scientific quality, innovative character and relevance. The scientific quality of the proposed research will be assessed on the basis of the following characteristics:

• the scientific significance of the proposal;
• the clarity of the objective;
• the competence of the research team, also in terms of cross-border research;
• the plan of work and its feasibility;
• the relationship between the research goal and the funding requested;
• the urgency of the proposed research.

The innovation of the proposed research should lead to new concepts, deeper understanding or new methods.

The relevance of the proposed research will be assessed on the basis of whether it has a bearing on the challenges of the research theme.

In the event that several proposals occupy an equal position in the prioritisation, preference will be given to proposals in which one or more candidates for implementation are named, or where the main applicant is a woman.

Utilisation

For all proposals submitted in compartment 1, the utilisation will be assessed. Applications in compartment 1 promote the utilisation and the transfer of knowledge to potential users.

Procedure

The same procedures apply to the detailed proposals submitted to both compartments. The assessment committee will rank the proposals. For full proposals the views of international reviewers and any rebuttal received from the applicants will be taken into account.

The assessment committee will formulate a granting advice for the decision body (“beslissingsorgaan”). The decision body will make the final decision about grants.

Committees

Both pre-proposals and full applications will be assessed by an international assessment committee made up of scientists from universities and industry. Membership of the committee will depend on the number and heterogeneity of the applications. The members of the committee will be listed on the website at a later stage.

Representatives of the participating NWO divisions, as well as the Netherlands ICT Research and Innovation Authority and STW will make up the programme's decision body. The representatives of the divisions in the decision body are mandated to decide to grant the proposals in the SES programme.

Budget

The intention is to divide the total available budget of 6 M€ into two equal parts, with a minimum of 2.4 M€ and a maximum of 3.6 M€ for each of the compartments.

Contacts

• Mr. dr. M. (Mark) van Assem
  phone: +31 (0)70 - 344 09 15, e-mail: m.vanassem@nwo.nl
• Dhr. dr. A.P. (Lex) Zandee
  phone: +31 (0)70 344 06 60, e-mail: l.zandee@nwo.nl
• Dr. ir. Frank Karelse
  phone: +31 (0)30 600 12 70, e-mail: frankk@stw.nl