Call for projects: accelerating collective intelligence

01/07/2023

Emmanuelle Saux

“Stone has no hope but to be something other than stone, but from collaborating, it assembles and becomes a temple.” That’s how Antoine de Saint-Exupéry perfectly defined collective intelligence in his day! And that’s exactly the relevance of a Call for Projects, which aims to bring together the strengths of several partners to create a unique and solid project. Our society, which is constantly on the move – and particularly so these days, when we have to question many principles – needs new projects and innovations. By combining their strengths, the partners involved in a single project will be able to generate new ideas and create solutions with a positive impact.

What is a call for projects?

An AAP call for projects, also known as an AMI (Appel à Manifestation d’Intérêt) call for expressions of interest, is a mechanism set up by a public or private organization, with the aim of financing a project in the form of a grant. This organization, which we will also refer to as the funder, defines a framework within which applicants can freely construct the content of their project, within this framework of course.

The subject of the call for projects often responds to a problem that the funder is seeking to solve. Applicant partners will then propose a response to this problem, combining their know-how, products and services in their application.

The call for projects is therefore a fair process, enabling us to reduce the number of subsidies, grants and donations, and target them at specific, much-needed projects. This ensures greater transparency for the selected project.

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France 2030's "Hydrogen Territorial Ecosystems" call for projects aims to finance the production and distribution of hydrogen and the deployment of vehicles.

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is the budget earmarked for this new call for projects.

For the record, since its first launch in 2018, 35 ecosystems have been supported across France, for more than 320 million euros in public funding.

How does a call for projects work?

Calls for projects are published on an annual, biannual or even triennial basis, and are generally issued by public bodies, such as ADEME, or private associations or foundations. They are published directly on their websites, as well as on specialized platforms that bring together current calls for tenders and calls for projects. This is a widely-used tool, which has the particularity of being neutral, enabling structures with no reputation or address book to access funding.

Candidates are provided with a full set of specifications outlining the issues at stake. This reference document will provide a framework for the various partners, enabling them to put together their application in compliance with the rules laid down by the AAP, while retaining the great freedom of action that is the strength of the AAP (unlike the call for tenders).

Becoming a candidate in a PAA is a way of showcasing your skills, gaining visibility, challenging issues, launching innovative projects and, of course, receiving funding. It’s a way of sharing ideas and creating collective solutions.

The drawback, if there is one, is that to apply for a call for projects, you need in-house resources, one or more people to put together the dossier, follow it through and drive the project forward collectively. This takes time and commitment.

How can SAFRA be a partner in a call for projects?

Our company responds perfectly to today’s environmental challenges by offering products and services linked to decarbonized mobility: building hydrogen buses, designing hydrogen retrofit kits, extending the life of passenger transport vehicles… the complementary nature and diversity of our activities enable us to offer a wide range of solutions for local authorities.

The recently published AAP ECOSYSH2, Ecosystèmes territoriaux hydrogènes, is perfectly in line with our activities. This call for projects aims to develop hydrogen ecosystems in our territories, integrating all the links in the chain: hydrogen production, hydrogen distribution, and uses of hydrogen, whether industrial or for mobility.

This call for projects is a perfect example of how to accelerate the development of the hydrogen industry, which is currently in full swing. It’s true that all the players are in place, but to produce hydrogen, you need applications, and conversely, to sell hydrogen vehicles, H2 stations need to be in place and developed. This call for projects will enable us to create a complete hydrogen ecosystem, from production to use, in order to develop consortia of partners in all regions, to finance and build these ecosystems.

SAFRA is one of the partners able to respond to this call for projects, in the “hydrogen mobility uses” category. Our sales teams are at your disposal to discuss the subject and help you put together your applications.

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