SET 9: Deltagelse i EERA ExCo, PR og Sekretariat

SINTEF's participation in EERA with roles in both the Executive Committee (ExCo/PR) and the Secretariat during the period 2016-2017 has clearly provided added-value for Norway. With the recruitment of a Secretary General and the renewed Chair team, led by Norway through Nils Røkke (SINTEF), EERA's level of activity and quality has increased significantly. The EERA Joint Programs (JP), most of them with Norwegian researchers as part of the management teams, all in close collaboration with government representatives and industry, have become a key factor in the SET Plan strategy process. All JPs have contributed to defining R&I needs in the 14 SET Plan areas and often their participation in this process has strengthened interaction with the industry, primarily through the European Technology and Innovation Platforms (ETIPs), Members States (MS)/Associated Countries (AC) and the European Commission (EC). As usual the participation in this process has taken place through the management teams, several Norwegian researchers have had a strong voice in the SET Plan process. In key energy areas for Norway, such as carbon capture and storage (CCS), the Norwegian government in close interaction with the Norwegian representatives of EERA JP CCS have committed to contribute to the realization of the SET Plan Implementation Plan. This will have an obvious positive effect on the Norwegian community working on this field at all levels, i.e. R&I, industry and the public sector. Further on the strategic front, EERA has established two internal Working Groups (WG), both led by Norway (SINTEF). One WG defines EERA's strategy for the coming years and the second one addresses policy issues. This second group has, for instance, worked intensively on influencing the next R&I Framework Program "Horizon Europe" and linked to that, on the definition of energy-driven "missions". Also in this case the Norwegian community has had an active role, positioning Norwegian interests at the core of the European future energy system. As for scientific developments/project generation, the JPs, supported by the EERA Secretariat, have facilitated the development of H2020 projects through workshops, brokerage-events, etc., with participation of researchers, NCPs, EC and industry. Several Norwegian institutions have benefit from such events, with participation in several H2020 projects originating from the EERA research community. Further on the scientific frame, it is worth highlighting the First EERA Scientific Conference organized by the Secretariat (SINTEF) in Birmingham in November 2016. The conference attracted more than 200 EERA members to discuss four cross-thematic energy topics, all relevant to Norway (energy materials, energy systems, standardization and Earth undergrown energies). The conference, including a combination of oral presentations, poster presentations and panel debates was well received, and several concrete strategic key messages and project initiatives were formulated and established.

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Energidelen av det europeiske forskningsprogrammet Horisont 2020, SET Planen, er under revisjon både styrings- og innholdsmessig. En viktig ny driver for denne utviklingen er Energy Union Package som den Junker lanserte da han tiltrådte som leder for den nye kommisjonen i 2014. EERA er forskningsinstituttenes arena for direkte dialog med EU kommisjonene, medlemslandene og industrien for å utvikle den nye styringsstrukturen, velge tematisk fokus og trekke i gang prosjektene som skal realisere ambisjonene. Gjennom styret for i EERA, ExCo, og aktiv deltagelse i EERA sekretariatet er SINTEF på vegne av norske aktører sentralt plassert i denne prosessen for å ivarte ta norske interesser og øke norske muligheter for deltagelse. Dette skjer i tett samarbeid med norske myndighetsaktører.