ESC is encouraging shippers to join European proposals to guide innovation for more effective supply chains. Indeed, the European Commission’s wish to have shippers involved in funded projects is getting more and more expressive. ‘This is the best possible guarantee for innovation to be implemented’, they say!
Through different funding programmes the European Commission pushes the current transport system towards a maximum use of digitalisation and to zero emissions.
By participating in funded projects, shippers are sure to shape innovative solutions from which, in the end, their supply chains will only benefit. A consortium of partners, who are mostly the stakeholders in the supply chain, work together on a project. Depending on the topic, software and/or hardware suppliers together with knowledge institutions and authorities (for example, customs) will integrate innovative solutions into pilot projects as brought forward by shippers and, in some occasions, freight forwarders. In most cases, all or the most part of the work done is funded by the European Commission. Perfect examples of such projects are CORE and LEARN.
There are of course issues to be taken into account while joining a proposal. Since the funding is coming from taxpayers’ money, the financial reporting on how the funding is used is very strict. It takes from 9 till 12 months to have the proposal approved by the EC. The project itself lasts typically from 36 to 48 months.
