Development of an online resource to train enterprises with the final objective to foster them into Environmental Technology Verification
Europe faces a range of environmental challenges that will impact on its future prosperity. These include resource depletion, increasing water scarcity, air pollution, climate change and biodiversity loss. Europe leads on innovation in environmental technologies which can provide solutions, while also increasing EU competitiveness. However, breaking into the market with innovations can be a significant problem, because innovation by definition cannot show a successful track-record. Without credible information about innovative technologies, potential buyers are unsure whether or not to trust the claims made about their performance. In 2011, the European Commission with 7 Member States launched a solution to address that problem: Environmental Technology Verification (ETV). It is an initiative that provides third-party verification of the performance claims made by technology manufacturers. By using a Statement of Verification, which is the product of a successful ETV process, ETV provides credible information on the new technology. Market access for innovative environmental technologies is significantly enhanced and the technological risk for technology purchasers is reduced.
ETV4INNOVATION is a two-and-a-half-year long EC funded VET Strategic Partnership project under Erasmus+ programme. It has been designed with the aim to support the development and the implementation of an innovative practice and a new training path in the field of Environmental Technology Verification (ETV). There is a very strong demand from buyers of innovative eco-technologies for performance guarantees. The Environmental Technology Verification (ETV) statement offers the only internationally accepted guarantee of performance for any eco-technology. As the new ISO 14034:2016 standard, ETV can provide eco-technology developers with a real competitive edge for marketing their products. As the ETV verification statement offers guarantees of the performance of eco-technologies, the process of obtaining ETV verification statements follows very strict guidelines and procedures. To obtain such statements rapidly and at the lowest cost, companies must meet the level of requirements of the ETV verification process at all phases of product development.
ETV4INNOVATION is part of a global endeavour to provide companies that develop eco-technologies with an efficient and successful access to Environmental Technology Verification. ETV4INNOVATION aims to design and develop Joint Curricula for filling gaps in relation with ETV for current and future managers and workers in technological sectors as materials wastes and resources; energy technologies. More specifically, ETV4INNOVATION will develop open-access e-Learning modules aiming to help eco-technology developers gain an in-depth understanding of the ETV scheme, thus providing them with knowledge and resources to facilitate the procedure of obtaining ETV verification statements for the eco-technologies they market.
The ETV4INNOVATION partnership has defined the following specific objectives:
- Identify the lack of knowledge in the organisations (SMEs) to be able to manage and bet on ETV, which incorporates green requirements in the development of new eco-technologies.
- Design and develop a Joint Curriculum on ETV with the participation of stakeholders from the industry and experts from the green technologies topic, such as Verification Bodies, Clusters and Universities, and other with expertise in this eco-innovative verification (ETV).
- Deliver the Joint Curriculum on E-learning platform
- Break borderlines among SMEs and large companies and experts in ETV, creating common procedures and skills.
- Equipping enterprises with the right skills and knowledge for the ETV verification and fostering a sustainable technology process.
- Promoting better anticipation of ETV skills needs and developing better matching between skills, companies needs, and European green requirements.
- Creating awareness of current environmental problems, the need to carry out a sustainable development, and bring more respectful practices with the environment.
ETV4INNOVATION project defines the following Intellectual Outputs:
- OUTPUT 1: Key study on general needs by SMEs towards ETV
- OUTPUT 2: ETV4INNOVATION Joint Curriculum
- OUTPUT 3: ETV4INNOVATION Training Material
- OUTPUT 4: ETV4INNOVATION Training and Collaborative Platform
