ESEIA Celebrates 15 Years of Sustainable Energy Innovation and Collaboration

The European Sustainable Energy Innovation Alliance (ESEIA) celebrated its 15th Anniversary in Brussels, on 19 November 2024. This event marks a significant milestone in advancing sustainable energy systems in Europe and beyond. The event brought together 50 selected key stakeholders from the European Commission, members, and partners to reflect on 15 years of impactful work. ESEIA is looking forward to future collaborations and innovative projects.

The celebration, hosted at the prestigious Fondation Universitaire in Brussels, provided a platform for members to reconnect, reflect on achievements, and engage in discussions about the next decade of ESEIA’s journey.

Event Highlights: A Celebration of Success and Future Ambitions

A Strong Alliance

In the past 15 years ESEIA is proud to have built a strong reliable network of members and partners. ESEIA had 28 member organisations on average in 15 countries. 64 member organisations, one third from business, paid 1,2 Mio € in membership fees. ESEIA funds 5 Working Groups and 7 Focus Groups with 300 active experts from all fields of the energy system. In addition, ESEIA has worked with 300 partner organisations from all EU countries and from abroad, one third from business, industry, and public agencies, two thirds from higher education and research organisations.

R&I Coverage

ESEIA covers the entire innovation ecosystem. As such ESEIA spots R&I gaps in a wide range of fields including in circular economy, bioresource utilization, sustainable urban regions, smart mobility, sustainable built environment, advanced computing, smart grid services, new business models, sustainable governance and legal frameworks, as well as education and training.

Recognizing Impact:

Firstly, over the past 15 years, ESEIA has led sustainable energy research and innovation with 15 EC funded R&I projects for a total of 17.7 Mio € of which more than half for external partners. The ESEIA success rate is 25% overall and even higher in strategic projects.
The second major impact was created by training 1,750 students and professionals in 42 ESEIA training courses.
Thirdly, global projects like EMERGE have extended ESEIA’s impact beyond Europe by diffusing knowledge, exporting best practice, and enabling market access to 150 partners outside Europe.

Member Recognition: ESEIA Members are the backbone of the alliance. This is why during the celebration ESEIA awarded several members for their outstanding contributions to the alliance. This recognition underscored the importance of member-driven innovation and collaboration central to ESEIA’s success.

Vision for the Future: The event also served as a launchpad for ESEIA’s future strategy. ESEIA Vice-President Teresa Ponce de Leão from LNEG, PT delivered a keynote address outlining a bold vision for the next decade, focusing on continued innovation in renewable energy, the expansion of ESEIA’s international network, and deeper collaboration with policymakers to drive the EU’s climate agenda forward. She also referred to the ESEIA FP10 Position Paper published in the spring of 2024 advocating thematic priorities in the upcoming European Commission’s Framework Programme 10 (FP10), reinforcing ESEIA’s commitment to guiding EU policy in alignment with Green Deal objectives.

Networking and Collaboration: Attendees, including industry leaders, researchers, and policymakers from the European Commission, had the opportunity to network and discuss future collaborations. The event concluded with a celebratory dinner and entertainment, fostering a renewed sense of community among ESEIA members.

Notable Interventions: ESEIA Leadership on the Importance of Collaboration and Innovation

Distinguished Speakers: The celebration featured insights from prominent figures, including ESEIA Honorary President Harald Kainz, TU Graz, AT who led ESEIA for the past 12 years and key representatives from the European Commission. These leaders emphasized the critical role of ESEIA in co-creating energy solutions with the innovation ecosystem for the Green Deal.

ESEIA President Brian Norton reflected on the organization’s rich history of driving collaboration and innovation, remarking, “Over the past 15 years, ESEIA has become a beacon of innovation, connecting industry, academia, and policymakers to create tangible solutions for Europe’s energy challenges. Our strength lies in our members’ collective vision and ability to turn groundbreaking ideas into reality. As we look to the next 15 years, our focus remains firmly on empowering our members to lead the way in sustainable energy transitions.”

Looking Ahead: Building on 15 Years of Success

ESEIA Director Brigitte Hasewend who founded ESEIA with Franz Stelzer and Michael Narodoslawsky, from TU Graz, AT, highlighted main opportunities for members, stating, “ESEIA adds value in three ways. First, we create joint research and innovation projects for green solutions. This is a sector in which the EU is known to be highly competitive in the world. Secondly, ESEIA is a space for knowledge diffusion, including for innovators from the widening countries. And thirdly, ESEIA is also a window to the world. I think of ESEIA as a robust European player for the implementation of the Green Deal. I believe ESEIA has great potential to grow more in terms of relevance, reach, and societal impact.”

The 15-year Anniversary celebration was a powerful reminder of ESEIA’s legacy of success and a strong signal of its future ambitions. ESEIA is committed to providing a one-stop-shop for research and innovation, education and training, policy advice, and societal debate for the implementation of the Green Deal.

Long Live ESEIA!