INITIATE and EMERGE EU-funded projects

ESEIA Is Getting Ready for Two New EU-Funded Projects

We are pleased to announce that ESEIA is getting ready for two new EU-funded projects – EMERGE and INITIATE – that aim to propel sustainable development in Africa and empower the higher education landscape in Europe.

The EMERGE and INITIATE projects will kick off in December 2023 and February 2024 with a €2.5M and €4.5M budget, respectively. Coordinated by Professor Goran Krajacic from the University of Zagreb – Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture, the projects secured funding under the Horizon Europe programme for research and innovation run by the European Commission until 2027.

EMERGE: Energy System Modelling for Green Development of Africa

Aim of the project

The EMERGE project seeks to provide African policymakers, academics, investors, and citizens with the tools and knowledge required to increase the production of clean energy and the sustainable use of resources while bridging cultural and socioeconomic divides. It plans to achieve this by developing a Toolbox that combines existing tools, methodologies and approaches to simulate scenarios that optimize the use of current resources. Additionally, a Knowledge Base will be created to compile initiatives, materials, and knowledge-exchange activities. The project will focus on establishing knowledge communities in the North Western Africa (Morocco), Niger river region (Mali/Nigeria), and Mozambique.

ESEIA’s role

Within the scope of EMERGE, ESEIA will exploit its network to further enhance AU-EU collaboration. Additionally, ESEIA will lead the communication and dissemination activities, promoting the project and its results.

Project partners

The EMERGE consortium is composed of 11 partner organisations from 9 countries across Europe and Africa:

  • University of Zagreb – Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture, Croatia (coordinator)
  • Brain Information Technologies, Croatia
  • ESEIA, Austria
  • EnGreen Srl, Italy
  • Fundación CARTIF, Spain
  • Fundación CIRCE, Spain
  • Artelys, France
  • Ecowas Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency, Cape Verde
  • Universite Mohammed Premier 1, Morocco
  • Universidade Eduardo Mondlane, Mozambique
  • African Technology Innovation Hubs, Nigeria

EMERGE was one of the 21 proposals submitted for HORIZON-CL5-2022-D3-02-02: AU-EU Energy System Modelling call. The project secured €2.5M and will last 36 months, starting in December 2023. More information about the project is available here.

INITIATE: Supporting European R&I Through Stakeholder Collaboration and Institutional Reform

Aim of the project

The INITIATE project aims to empower higher education institutions to develop R&I through institution transformation. The project seeks to design an approach for this transformation that considers the institution’s needs, available resources, policy barriers, good practices from other initiatives, and potential collaboration opportunities with other institutions and local ecosystems. The process will involve iterative R&I Labs, supported by an online Knowledge Hub, to generate policy recommendations for helping stimulate R&I development and scientific excellence in Widening countries. The approach will be demonstrated in Croatia, Portugal and North Macedonia, resulting in a roadmap for long-term uptake of R&I in Widening countries with identified replication cases and an Alliance for the green energy transition to ensure the long-term sustainability of INITIATE results.

ESEIA’s role

Within the scope of INITIATE, ESEIA will exploit its network and establish connections to relevant European alliances and initiatives to implement best practices for universities in Widening countries. Additionally, ESEIA will lead the creation of the R&I Laboratory to provide constructive feedback for piloting, which will finally result in policy recommendations, a roadmap and the Alliance for green energy transition.

Project partners

The INITIATE consortium is composed of 14 partner organisations from 11 countries across Europe and Africa:

  • University of Zagreb – Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture, Croatia (coordinator)
  • ESEIA, Austria
  • The Cyprus Institute, Cyprus
  • Jožef Stefan Institute, Slovenia
  • Kharkiv National University of Radio Electronics, Ukraine
  • Brain Information Technologies, Croatia
  • B1 Media, Croatia
  • Universite Mohammed Premier 1, Morocco
  • Institut za nuklearne nauke – Vinča Institut, Slovenia
  • S.s. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje, North Macedonia
  • Javno preduzeće Elektroprivreda Bosne i Hercegovine d.d., Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • ISCTE ‐ Instituto Universitário de Lisboa, Portugal
  • Lviv Politechnic National University, Ukraine
  • Universitatea Transilvania din Brasov, Romania

INITIATE was one of the 61 proposals submitted for HORIZON-WIDERA-2023-ACCESS-03-01: European Excellence Initiative call. The project secured €4.5M and will last 42 months, starting in February 2024. More information about the project is available here.

We are excited to start these two groundbreaking EU-funded projects and look forward to a fruitful collaboration with our partners!

Contact:

ESEIA Project Manager Hana Lee: hana.lee@eseia.eu

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