ESI projects
Early-stage Innovation (ESI) projects involve innovative research that is unique with regards to the state-of-the-art, has a clear differentiating factor, and tests disruptive ideas at low TRL levels.
Learn More
Project Procedure
Project Procedure
Before a Moonshot project can take off, it passes through several evaluation stages. Every Moonshot project starts from a particular project idea. This idea first has to become a full project proposal before it can be evaluated, approved and subsidized. Project ideas need to fit within one of the available Moonshot project types.
The Moonshot evaluation procedure is not unique, but based on the procedure successfully implemented in recent years by spearhead clusters like Catalisti. For a schematic overview of this evaluation procedure, please consult the evaluation tollgates below.
Project ideas
The idea should start from the overall Moonshot targets, the input from the context analysis/roadmap study and the KPIs of each path. For an Early Stage Innovation project (ESI) a consortium consists of at least 3 research groups from at least 2 knowledge, for Later Stage Innovation (LSI) this is not a requirement.
A consortium writes a 3-pager on the basis of a template. The 3-pager captures the research goal and the way in which this goal is to be achieved (high level work package description). It describes the proposed composition of the consortium and the impact of the proposed research on the overall Moonshot targets, including the CO2 emissions reduction potential, and the path KPIs. The Moonshot operational team can be supportive in the elaboration of the 3-pager and provide feedback. This feedback is an opportunity for the consortia to align the 3-pager with the minimal requirements imposed by the cSBO project format, i.e. an industrially oriented basic research project. Then, the 3-pager is submitted to the scientific advisory board (WAR), which evaluates the ideas based on fit with moonshot, the scientific and valorization potential. Afterward the Board of Directors of Catalisti (represented by the Industrial Expert Committee) – and to the Board of Directors of Flux50 in case of energy-related project ideas (Path4) strengthens or modifies the advice of the WAR. The Boards of Directors select promising project ideas based on their technological and economic relevance.
Proposals
Project ideas selected by the Catalisti and/or Flux50 Board of Directors are further developed into a full project proposal. The Moonshot operational team supports the consortium in implementing the suggestions formulated by the respective Board of Directors and helps the applicants with the elaboration of the 3-pager into a full project proposal. Then, the Moonshot operational team submits the full project proposal to VLAIO, which checks its admissibility and starts the evaluation procedure.
Evaluation
Before a Moonshot project can take off, it passes through several evaluation stages. For ESI projects, external scientific experts will write a report about the scientific quality, on which the consortium has the opportunity to write a rebuttal. This information goes to the WAR , which will evaluate the projects. The Moonshot governance board (representing the energy intensive sectors such as petrochemical, steel,..) will strengthen or modify the advice so that it fully aligns with the needs of the industry. Afterwards VLAIO will take the final decision. The Moonshot evaluation procedure is not unique, but based on the procedure successfully implemented in recent years by spearhead clusters like Catalisti.
