The affordable preservation of existing apartment buildings, biodegradable Styrofoam, digital help with independent day care for clients and better housing for laboratory animals.These four sustainable innovations have successfully applied for a grant from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).The European Union, the provinces of Overijsel and Gelderland and the State are making nearly €3.2 million available for this purpose. Including the contribution of the 19 project partners, this represents an investment of over € 6.6 million in the economy of the Eastern Netherlands. All these projects involve cooperation between SMEs, large companies and/or knowledge institutions.Making existing apartment buildings more affordable sustainable The partners in the TriWaSol project are contributing to making existing apartment buildings climate-proof and natural gas-free. The approach focuses on technical aspects such as heat stress, noise nuisance from equipment and excess rainwater in an urban environment. The goal is efficient use of energy and improving livability. &nbsp;In the project, three companies, a housing corporation and the University of Twente are working together to demonstrate the approach in an occupied apartment building. The consortium consists of Ulamo (Ulft), Orange Water Works (Hengelo Ov) Wonion (Ulft) Boonstoppel Engineering (Alblasserdam) and University of Twente (Enschede).Biodegradable Styrofoam&nbsp; The partners in the 'Biologically Recyclable Alternative to EPS Packaging' (BRAVE) project are developing a bio-based and compostable alternative to EPS (Styrofoam) packaging materials based on starch foam. The goal is to develop packaging materials for products heavier than 5 kilograms. The material must have similar properties of EPS such as: density, resilience, tensile and bending strength. There is an increasing need in the market for more environmentally friendly alternatives. Because of legal restrictions and because companies and consumers no longer want to receive plastic and Styrofoam. The consortium of the project 'Biologically Recyclable Alternative to Packaging with EPS' consists of PaperFoam (Barneveld) Innograaf (Doorn), Thermoware Particle Foam Machinery (Barneveld), Jadima Fine Metal Processing (Ede), Vaventis (Enschede).Digital help with independent day care The project “Genus Care in VG and GGZ” is intended for clients in Care for the Mentally Handicapped (VG) and in Mental Health Care (GGZ) who cannot speak or read well, or who have difficulty using a tablet or smartphone. By providing these clients with a digital daily schedule using pictures, they know what to do and when the care worker is coming. This increases their independence. In addition, the system can give care workers early warning if the clients are tense. This project will test and improve the system in care facilities. &nbsp;The consortium of 'Genus Care in VG and GGZ' consists of Zorggroep BOAT B.V. in Meppel, Genus Care (Zwolle), Tico Care (Amstelveen) Zorggroep Vitez (Weiteveen) Meesterwerk (Zwolle). &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Better accommodation for laboratory animals In the 'Efficient Lab Animal moNitorin' (ELAN) project, a larger and 'smart' enclosure is being developed for laboratory animals, especially rats. The aim is to encourage natural behavior and prevent stress and frustration in the animals. This promotes both animal welfare and the quality of measurement results. ELAN consists of newly designed home cages equipped with cameras, ultrasonic microphones and other sensors. Software with artificial intelligence for processing the data is also being developed. The consortium consisting of four partners Noldus Information Technology (Wageningen), Uno Life Science (Zevenaar), Brain Builders Intelligence (Bemmel) Radboudumc (Nijmegen).ERDF East 2021-2027 The ERDF East 2021-2027 program strengthens the sustainable innovative power in the region and thus the earning power of the East Netherlands business community. In addition, it contributes to solutions in the energy transition. Subsidies can also be applied for now. See: <a href="https://www.efro-oost.eu/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">EFRO Oost</a>Source: <a href="https://www.efro-oost.eu/nieuws/europese-bijdrage-voor-vier-duurzame-innovaties-in-oost-nederland">https://www.efro-oost.eu/nieuws/europese-bijdrage-voor-vier-duurzame-innovaties-in-oost-nederland</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;

European contribution for four sustainable innovations in Eastern Netherlands