Page 23 - European Energy Innovation - summer 2018 publication

Summer 2018 European Energy Innovation 23

EU ENERGY TRANSITION

acknowledge that beyond technology, Structuring a “bottom-up” Either they give way to short term
successfully transitioning towards institutional alignment has been the political motives and drive illusory
a low carbon regime, is a wider primary and original focus of EERA; it nationalistic priorities that will
challenge that entails redefining has resulted in the strong and unique irremediably weaken Europe’s share
aspirations, preferences and lifestyle convergence of efforts towards of voice in the global geopolitical
whereby citizens take stock of their sharing research agendas across arena and eventually endanger the
entire energy footprint. It is about organizations within and across EU continuity of its very founding values.
rethinking our societal values and and associated countries.
eventually our education system. EERA has been created along the
However, at the outset of the fundamental belief in the virtues
EERA, capitalizing on its social critical execution phase of the SET of collaboration. It stands more
science experts, is leading several Plan, increasing the convergence than ever firmly, with the entire EU
initiatives to establish the conditions of SET Plan countries priorities – Research Community, to support a
of a successful transition, by representing more than 90% of better common EU future. l
increasing awareness of Social the mobilizable research funds -
Sciences and Humanities (SSH) represents now the key challenge on About Adel El Gammal
concerns within the SET Plan policy which much of the SET Plan success
making process. will depend.

EU SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY IS While research funding allocation fully Adel El Gammal is a recognized
DELIVERING, GOVERNMENTS NOW remains within the political Member expert and a senior EU Affairs
NEED THE POLITICAL VISION TO State’s remit, EERA, with its extensive professional in the fields of low
MAKE IT HAPPEN European coverage and through the carbon technologies, energy
While the size and structure of intimate institutional connections transition, and climate change.
“Horizon Europe”, the next EU its members hold with national
Research and Innovation framework stakeholders, will concentrate efforts to Before joining EERA as Secretary
programme are still under discussion foster and facilitate higher convergence General, Adel was active for
at the time of writing this article, it of SET-Plan countries research priorities the last 10 years in the EU
is essential to recall that the vast towards the SET-Plan objectives. climate energy debate, notably
majority of public R&I funding still as Director of the Becquerel
resides with Member States. At a moment where many of the EU Institute, a consultancy
Member States are struggling under providing advanced research
By the end of June, 14 thematic populist and nationalist pressures, and intelligence on the energy
Implementation Plans covering the Member State governments are transition, and Secretary General
full SET Plan scope will have been now confronted with a fundamental of the EU PV Industry Association
endorsed by the SET Plan Steering choice on their common future. (EPIA, now SolarPower Europe),
Group – the governing body of the where he launched the SET-Plan
SET Plan – detailing the R&I actions Either they demonstrate the political Solar Europe Industry Initiative
that need to be implemented courage of implementing a strong (SEII).
to achieve the overall SET Plan and competitive Europe, united by
objectives. shared fundamental values, striving to Adel is civil engineer from Ecole
maintain and consolidate a common Polytechnique of Brussels,
About EERA EU vision and leadership. holds degrees in Business
Administration from Solvay
The European Energy Research Alliance (EERA) is an alliance of Business School (Belgium)
European public research centres and universities. It constitutes the and Insead (France) and later
strategic research pillar of the European Strategic Energy Technology specialized in Environment
Plan (SET-Plan). Management (IGEAT, Belgium).

EERA brings together about 250 research centres and universities,
representing about 50.000 energy experts across 30 countries. Actively
working together on 17 joint research programmes, they build on national
research initiatives. In a Joint Programme a research organization join
institutions in other European countries to work on shared priorities
and research projects. The EERA Joint Programmes are aligned with the
priorities of the EU SET-Plan.

Visit: www.eera-set.eu

www.europeanenergyinnovation.eu