ESEIA at the INITIATE General Assembly in Belgrade
ESEIA attended the 4th General Assembly of the INITIATE Horizon Europe project, held on 12–13 May 2026 in Belgrade, Serbia, and hosted by the Vinča Institute of Nuclear Sciences. ESEIA Director Brigitte Hasewend and ESEIA Project Manager Sıla Celebi represented the Alliance at what proved to be two highly productive days of collaboration, strategic reflection, and knowledge exchange across the INITIATE consortium.
As leader of Work Package 4 – Research & Innovation Laboratory, ESEIA holds a central role in one of the project’s most operationally intensive workstreams. WP4 designs, implements, and evaluates the R&I Lab methodology, a participatory model that brings together researchers, policymakers, and institutional stakeholders to co-develop innovation strategies and policy recommendations within higher education and research institutions.
At the General Assembly, ESEIA presented the evaluation of nine R&I Labs successfully implemented at ISCTE in Portugal, UNIZAG in Croatia, and UKIM in North Macedonia. The assessment confirmed the relevance and impact of the R&I and Policy Lab model in strengthening stakeholder engagement, fostering collaborative innovation, and advancing policy dialogue within pilot institutions.
The findings will feed directly into three key deliverables: actionable policy recommendations, a roadmap for R&I uptake, and a scalable replication framework to extend the model to additional partner institutions. In the next phase, WP4 replicator activities will expand to Serbia, Cyprus, Romania, and Ukraine.
The second day of the General Assembly offered a concrete demonstration of the model in action. Vinča Institute hosted a replicator R&I Lab centred on its Energy Center and the institute’s contribution to the energy transition of the Republic of Serbia. External stakeholders from government and industry joined the session, generating a substantive exchange on the challenges and opportunities ahead for Serbia’s energy future.
ESEIA Project Manager Sıla Celebi complemented the session by presenting future collaboration and funding opportunities, connecting the INITIATE framework to the broader European R&I landscape and opening pathways for continued engagement beyond the project.
The Assembly concluded with a tour of Vinča Institute’s research facilities, giving participants first-hand insight into the institute’s infrastructure and scientific capacity.
ESEIA’s engagement in INITIATE reflects its broader commitment to supporting research and innovation ecosystems across Europe, connecting institutions, facilitating knowledge exchange, and helping translate research capacity into policy impact in widening countries.
ESEIA extends its appreciation to the Vinča Institute of Nuclear Sciences for their organisation and hospitality, and to all INITIATE partners for their continued contribution to the project’s objectives.
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