Brussels, 13/07/2009 (Agence Europe) - On Monday 13 July, the European Commission announced that, along with the private sector, it was to invest €268 million to trigger economic recovery. A first call for research proposals will be launched on 30 July in three key sectors - manufacturing industry, construction and the automotive sector - to boost recovery. In all €3.2 billion has been earmarked for the European public-private partnerships (PPPs) “Factories of the Future” (€1.2 billion), “Energy-efficient Buildings” (€1 billion) and “Green Cars” (€1 billion). The three planned partnerships form part of the Commission's European economic recovery plan, that was approved by the European Council in December 2008 and which seeks to bring together public interest and industry commitment in research. “Through these innovative partnerships, the Commission and industry join forces to foster the development of clean technologies and to position Europe as a leader in this field,” said Science and Research Commissioner Janez Potoènik. “The early launch of the calls also proves our capacity to act together rapidly to respond to the research demands of the European Economic Recovery Plan,” he added. These joint actions between the Commission and the industry will foster global competitiveness for European businesses, bring down the excessive energy consumption of Europe's buildings that make up one-third of EU CO2 emissions, and develop new and sustainable forms of road transport. “Joint investment by the Commission and industry represents an important step towards a knowledge-based and low-carbon EU economy. Achieving research excellence and combining efforts are crucial for making Europe emerge from the crisis as a strong, more sustainable and more competitive society,” stated European Information Society and Media Commissioner Viviane Reding. The first call for proposals will be for projects to run until mid-2010. The €268 million thus injected into research funding will be used to develop, for example: - innovative manufacturing technologies, materials and processes to produce more, while consuming less material, less energy, and producing less waste; - more energy-efficient buildings, including new constructions and greening of existing buildings, new materials and construction techniques; - greener cars and smarter transport systems, including electrification of road and urban transport, and research into hybrid technologies. (B.C./transl.rt)