SET3: Establishment and Strategic Development of the EERA Joint Programme: Smart Cities

SINTEF and NTNU take a leading role in the establishment and strategic development of the EERA Joint Programme (JP) on Smart Cities, with joint leadership of 1 Sub-Programme on Energy-Efficient Interactive Buildings and participation in all other 3 Sub-Pr ogrammes. The leadership is based on ongoing and near-future research and strategic goals of the Research Centre on Zero Emission Buildings (FME-ZEB). While the research framework for JP EERA Smart Cities is established in 2011 (with full participation an d own financing from SINTEF and NTNU) the concrete research activities need to be detailed in 2012, and the scope of participating research institutions needs to be widened in each country. As such 2012 will be a critical year for the JP to consolidate an d intensify its strategic connections between research agendas of participating institutions, including identification of shared research topics, added capacity due to exchange of research staff and laboratory facilities, and common brokerage towards nati onal and European policy development on Smart Cities. While the research agenda is based on existing and near-future projects, strategic development will to a large degree depend on the budget each participant is able to allocate in addition to its resear ch funding. In order to maximise political and research impact on a national and European level, SINTEF and NTNU apply for funding for strategic development to the Research Council of Norway. Considering their full partnerships in EERA JP Smart Cities, re presentation in other EU fora such as the Energy Efficiency in Buildings Association (E2BA) and the European Construction Technology Platform (ECTP), and their extensive national networks and collaborations with industrial and governmental partners such a s the partners of FME centres ZEB and CenSES, SINTEF and NTNU are in the position to best represent and promote Norwegian interests in policy and research related to Smart Cities and Energy-Efficient Buildings.