MVO: Strategic participation at the EERA Secretariat

The EERASEC project has allowed SINTEF/Norway to actively participate at the EERA Secretariat to ensure that Norwegian interests are heard and discussed at the core of EERA/ EERA's network and at the same time ensure an efficient, high-quality implementation of such interests. This project has been really timely with EERA's updated strategy which has adopted a much impact-driven, multi-disciplinary and cross-sectoral approach where technology development is integrated in the wider context enabling the Clean Energy Transition to achieve climate-neutrality. EERASEC has had two main objectives: 1) Development/establishment of European Centres of Excellence. 2) Mobilisation of Member States (MS)/ Associated Countries (AC) to increase alignment of national efforts with EU strategic energy/climate priorities. At the end of the project one European Centre of Excellence (ECoE) on Energy Transition Modelling has been established and additionally, two other EERA Joint Programmes (JP), on Wind and Carbon Capture and Storage, are nowadays well positioned to become ECoE in the near future. Both JPs are have Norway represented in strategically important positions with powerful decision-making, either as JP Coordinator or as SubProgram Coordinator, and thus, facilitating the establishment of ECoE with Norwegian participation. If successful, such ECoE may contribute to Europeanise even further the Norwegian counterparts (FMEs). With regards to the mobilisation of MS/AC to align national and European energy and climate strategic priorities, the work has been downgraded, the main reason being the unprecedented crisis (geopolitical, energy, security of supply) Europe has faced since early 2022, which has caught most of EERA's attention/capacity. Nonetheless, EERA has established the so-called Country Action Groups (CAGs) consisting primarily of EERA Executive Committee representatives with the aim to mobilise national representatives of the SET-Plan, Clean Energy Transition Partnership and Horison Europe Program Committee and align national R&I agendas on five EU strategies: systems integration, solar power, offshore energy, hydrogen and renovation wave. Unfortunately, these CAGs have not started to mobilisation/alignment work, which is expected to kick off in 2023.

The main outcome has been the establishment of a European Centre of Excellence (ECoE) on Energy Transition Modelling and the high probability to establish two additional ones on offshore wind and on Carbon Capture and Storage, all of them with Norwegian participation/leadership. If successful, such Centres will have scientific, societal and economic impacts, both at national level, linking the activities of such Centres with the homologous FMEs, and at European level. These European Centres of Excellence will allow to create new, high-quality knowledge while coordinating/aligning existing transnational R&I and infrastructure. Furthermore, ECoE will allow to address and influence national and EU policy priorities through R&I and generate innovation-based growth. By means of ECoE "Team Norway AS", including industry, will also be well positioned to provide Norwegian R&I interests to the next framework programme, hopefully leading to higher success rate of funded projects. If/when the work to mobilise Member States/Associated Countries kicks-off, the alignment of R&I agendas on EU strategies (e.g. systems integration, off-shore energy, hydrogen, etc.) will be accelerated, contributing to fulfil the European Research Area Policy Agenda in time.

EERA has spent significant efforts during the past couple of years on strengthening its value proposition. The previous strategic work was restricted to contribute to the objectives defined in the European Strategic Energy Technology Plan (SET-Plan), thus focusing on the development of low-carbon technologies in a fast and cost-competitive way. In contrast, the updated EERA strategy adopts an impact-driven, multi-disciplinary and cross-sectoral approach where technology development is integrated in the wider context enabling the Clean Energy Transition to achieve climate-neutrality. In this renovated EERASEC project the efforts will be primarily concentrated on two elements. On the one hand, the development of European Centres of Excellence as EU Alliances to contribute to a more rapid development and deployment of strategic technologies. Norwegian FMEs will be showcased as best practices for Centres of Excellence. On the other hand, the mobilisation of Member States/Associated Countries in order to increase alignment and convergence of national efforts with EU strategic energy/climate priorities. SINTEF will take a national approach when performing the tasks of the EERASEC project and will ensure that in this crucial Clean Energy Transition phase Norwegian interests are heard and discussed at the core of EERA/ EERA's network and at the same time ensure an efficient, high-quality implementation of such interests.