Final Report Summary - INNOVER-EAST (Building a more effective pathway leading from research to innovation through cooperation between the European Union and Eastern Partnership countries in the field of energy efficiency) Executive Summary:The INNOVER-EAST project targeted five countries of the Eastern Partnership (in short, EPCs: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia and Ukraine) to overcome the bottlenecks of innovation and intensify the level of cooperation between research and business in the target countries. The project aimed, on one hand, to develop new skills and competences in innovation services at relevant organisations in the above countries, and, on the other hand, to contribute to the learning process on how to bridge knowledge and business with a direct focus on energy efficiency. In order to reach its objectives, the project carried out the following activities:+ Facilitated networking among actors in the knowledge/ innovation value chain in order to better focus research on socio-economic needs and to help exploit research results;+ Identified bottlenecks of and opportunities for technology and knowledge transfer in the targeted EPCs (with special focus on start-ups, spin-offs from public research organisations and existing small businesses); + Improved competencies and mutual learning by the exchange of good practices through twinning, trainings and other means of learning by the active involvement of relevant service providers;+ Developd and provided innovation support services for EPC stakeholders and build partnerships among relevant organisations in the Member States and Associated Countries on one side and in the targeted EPCs on the other side; + Carried out policy dialogue and produced recommendations for policy makers by organising national policy workshops and international policy conferences to debate and validate the needs identified and solutions offered for more efficient innovation services.The project consortium involved experienced actors from the whole spectrum of the innovation chain to facilitate effective cooperation and mutual learning, representing 6 EU member states and all of the targeted EPCs.Project Context and Objectives:Context:The 36-month INNOVER-EAST project targets five countries of the Eastern Partnership of the European Union (EPCs: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia and Ukraine) to overcome the bottlenecks of innovation and intensify the level of cooperation between research and business in the target countries. The project aims, on one hand, to develop new skills and competences in innovation services at relevant organisations, and on the other hand, to contribute to the learning process on how to bridge knowledge and business.INNOVER-EAST targets an area which is highly prioritised in all of the EPCs, being on the top of strategies and energy policies. All countries are active in energy efficiency and – based on activities of the past decade, largely due to assistance programs provided by major international players –have gathered experience on how to approach these challenges. Innovation, as an opportunity for solution is well-known, however, it has not been given too much emphasis so far. Therefore the concept of INNOVER-EAST brings new ways of tackling the challenges of energy efficiency in the targeted EPCs.Objective:The main objective of the project is to bridge effectively the gap between research and innovation; between researchers and business; and between the EU and the targeted Eastern Partnership Countries in the field of energy efficiency.This main objective will be achieved by targeting the following specific objectives:• Objective 1: Capacity building on innovation services in the targeted EPCs for assisting both researchers and businesses in improving their performance to transfer technologies and knowledge from academy to industry/market. Special attention will be given to start-ups and other innovative SMEs. • Objective 2: Paving the way for a more effective commercialization and market uptake process of innovative products and solutions in the targeted EPCs. • Objective 3: Facilitating the policy dialogue between the EU, EU MemberStates, Associated Countries and the targeted EPCs, and in particular inside the targeted EPCs, on innovation related to energyefficiency.• Objective 4: Building and developing capabilities at national level in the targeted EPCs among all stakeholders in the innovation value chain on energy efficiency, including academy, industry, government, (private and public) and bridging (service provider) organisations.• Objective 5: Improving and facilitating the networking activities of innovation actors (academy, industry, NGOs, intermediary service providers) between the EPC region and Europe (Member States and Associated Countries) and promoting investment related to innovation in theEPCs.Activities:• 5 national reports on the “Status of innovation in energy efficiency, 2017”, validated by professional community of energy efficiency innovation at national level;• Methodological handbook for running the national analysis (reports), approved by the consortium and tested by the INNOVER-EAST project;• 3 training courses with the participation of 30 trainees/course from the targeted EPCs; • Service guidelines approved and accepted by the consortium and tested by the pilot phase of service provision;• 5 short term twinning visits from organisations in the targeted EPCs to EU MemberState/Associated Country organisations and 5 visits from EU twins to EPCs;• 10 Letters of Intent signed by research and business organisations on the exploitation of research results;• Policy document titled “How to improve innovation in energy efficiency in the EPCs. Policy recommendations; 2017” validated by the professional community of energy efficiency innovation in both the EU and the targeted EPCs;• 5 national brokerage events with at least 30 participants in each EPC;• 1 international brokerage event with at least 50 participantsfrom business, SMEs, academy and other research, policy makers and other administrative actors from the EPCs, other Eastern European and Central Asian (EECA) Countries and EU MemberState/Associated Countries.Project Results:The unsatisfactory level of cooperation between research and business is one of the well-known bottlenecks of innovation in all countries in Europe, small or large, well or less developed. The countries in the Eastern Partnership targeted by the INNOVER-EAST project (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belorus,Georgia and Ukraine) also face this challenge, but on a much higher level than the innovation leading countries in Europe. (In the following we use the term of “targeted EPC” for the five countries included in the INCO Call for the Eastern Partnership Countries – Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belorus, Georgia andUkraine.) On one side these countries usually have a traditionally well-educated workforce, and a relatively strong academic community, but, on the other side, these resources are exploited in a very inefficient way. One of the key economic and social development policy challenges in the targeted EPCs is how and how fast the available research results can be turned from option to economic reality, and how fast and successfully the research agenda can be adjusted to the actual and future social needs. Allcountries have recognised this bottleneck, and introduced several measures to tackle these challenges, but the general framework conditions for innovation are typically unfriendly.All the five targeted Eastern Partnership countries (EPCs) consider as key strategic political and economic issues to increase their energy independence and security. All nations went through a deep reform process of their energy sector in the past 20 years, including privatization, restructuring the state owned utility systems, liberalizing their energy markets and implementing major institutional changes as well. Each country recognised at the early days of the recent transformation process that the production and use of energy is one of the most important strategic issues from both economic and social development point of views. It explains why they consider energy efficiency, energy savings and thegreater use of renewable energy sources as key priorities of their national energy strategies and policies.The EU is interested in peaceful process of social development and economic growth in the targeted EPC. But it is also important to the EU that the geopolitical stability in Eastern Europe and in the TransCaucasus is improved. These interests of the EU are reflected by the strategy toward the targeted EPCs.One of the four multilateral thematic platforms – “Platform 3: Energy security” − organized by the Eastern Partnership is focusing on energy security. Its main objectives are to enhance framework conditions and solidarity, to support infrastructure development, interconnections and diversification of supply, topromote energy efficiency and the use of renewable resources, and to approximate regulatory frameworks and energy policies. According to recent policy dialogue between the EU, the European Parliament and the EPC governments: “Strengthening energy security entails saving energy and maintaining the diversity of energy sources. The necessity to improve energy efficiency” is “identified as a key priority in the context of EU-Eastern partners’ cooperation”.The INNOVER-EAST project aims at developing new skills and competences in innovation services at relevant organisations in the EPCs, and contributing to the learning process on how to bridge knowledge and business with a direct focus on energy efficiency.The main objective of the project is to bridge effectively the gap between research and innovation, between researchers and business, and between EU and the targeted Eastern Partnership countries (EPCs) in the field of energy efficiency.State of the art – background and rationale The scope of the INNOVER-EAST project proposal combines three interdependent policies of the European Union: (1) innovation, (2) energy efficiency and (3) international relations. In shortly describing the state of the art of the environment where the project is planned to be implemented, issues in this triangle must be taken into consideration. INNOVER-EAST focuses on both the crossing areas of these three elements but also on the meeting points of innovation and energy efficiency at national level. EU strategies and policies on innovation and energy efficiency Europe 2020 and its relevant flagship initiatives As a reaction to the economic backdrop and the growing global competition, the EU has developed a strategy, called Europe 2020, in order to support growth and job creation.Europe 2020 puts forward three mutually reinforcing priorities, two of them directly relates to the subject of this project: (1) smart growth: developing an economy based on knowledge and innovation, and (2) sustainable growth: promoting a more resource efficient, greener and more competitive economy. The Commission is putting forward seven flagship initiatives to catalyse progress under each priority theme. Innovation Union and "Resource efficient Europe" are among them. The Innovation Union – fully in line with the Smart growth priority of Europe 2020 – aims at strengthening knowledge and innovation as drivers of economic growth and social development. This requires improving the quality of our education, strengthening the research performance, increasing the funding for R&D, facilitating technology and knowledge, and ensuring that innovative ideas can be turned into new products, processes and services that create growth, quality jobs and help address European and global societal challenges. But, to succeed, this must be combined with entrepreneurship, finance, and a focus on user needs and market opportunities. The aim is to re-focus R&D and innovation policy on the challenges facing our society, such as climate change, energy and resource efficiency, health and demographic change. The Commission will work to complete the European Research Area, to develop a strategic research agenda focused on challenges like energy security, transport, climate change and resource efficiency, health and ageing, etc. and to strengthen links between all actors of the innovation cycle, including education, business, research and financing. The Resource efficient Europe, among others, aims at supporting the shift toward low carbon economy, increasing the use of renewable energy sources and promoting energy efficiency. The EU’s long term strategies related to energy and energy efficiency are described by two main documents: the Energy Roadmap 2050 and the Energy Efficiency Plan 2020. EU strategies on energy - The Energy Roadmap 2050 and the Energy Efficiency Plan The Energy Roadmap 2050 highlights that the EU is committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 80–95% below 1990 levels by 2050. Energy efficiency is a high priority of this strategy. Energy efficiency is considered as Europe's biggest energy resource and it is one of the key objectives of the EU’s Europe 2020 Strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth. One of the five headline targets of this strategy is to achieve 20% primary energy savings in 2020. Energy efficiency means better use of energy resources and reduced import dependency, less CO2 and other harmful emissions, less impact on the ecosystems, and better quality of life for people.To give an impetus to energy efficiency, on 8 March 2011 the Commission put forward a new Energy Efficiency Plan setting out measures to achieve further savings in energy supply and use. This plan will be pursued consistently with other policy actions under the Europe 2020 Strategy's Flagship Initiative for a Resource Efficient Europe. The EU aims for a 20% cut in Europe's annual primary energy consumption by 2020. Energy efficiency and innovation are the key potential action lines to achieve this target. New energy saving buildings, construction technologies, transport systems, industrial processes may significantly contribute to manage successfully this challenge. EU policy toward the targeted Eastern Partnership countriesIn 2004 the European Union launched its European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) to promote closer relations with the countries adjacent to the East and South of the EU. At present, 16 partners are addressed by the ENP. Prosperity, stability and security are in the core of the programs financed by the EU as part of its ENP activities.The ENP is supported by regional forms of cooperation such as the Eastern Partnership, the Union for the Mediterranean, and the Black Sea Synergy. The Eastern Partnership was launched in 2009 in order to develop a multilateral dimension of collaborations, involving all EU Member States and the countries of the Eastern Partnership: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. The present call, however, targets only 5 out of these 6 countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belorussia, Georgia and Ukraine) as the status of Moldova changed to associated FP7 partner. When this document talks on “targeted EPCs”, always these 5 countries should be considered. The Eastern Partnership follows two parallel tracks: bilateral and multilateral. The bilateral activities support reforms promoting (among others) sustainable economic, social, trade and investment development. The multilateral dimension provides framework for exchange and cooperation in a wide range of thematic areas. Energy, environment and promotion of SMEs are among the flagship initiatives of this partnership. The Eastern Regional Strategy paper for 2007–2013 (adopted by the EC in March 2007) identified priority areas, including transport, energy and environment. The present project proposal targets these areas from the perspective of energy efficiency. Instruments The EC supports the reform and transition processes underway in the EU’s neighbouring partner countries, including the Eastern Partnership countries, through the following cooperation instruments: CBC, TAIEX, Twinning, SIGMA and NIF. (The NIF focuses on the key sectors of energy, environment and transport while also providing support to SME development and social sector infrastructures.) For academic cooperation two more programs provide support: ERASMUS and TEMPUS. All these powerful tools facilitate the enforcement of the agreements between the EU and the Partner Countries. These instruments ensure the practical transfer of European know-how, supporting the EPC partners in upgrading and modernising their institutions. They promote approximation to EU law and policies, enhance co-operation, economic integration and democratic governance, and cover a number of fields including trade, energy, environment, education, health and research. The EU energy policy toward the Eastern Partnership countries The European Union’s energy requirements are growing. At the same time, some of the targeted EPC nations (in particular Ukraine and Azerbaijan) are seeking to improve the use of the region's significant energy resources. Cooperation between the EU and these countries may contribute to stimulate investment and economic growth, as well as the security of energy supply. The EU has initiated the Energy Community Treaty to extend the EU’s integrated energy market to South-East Europe. It provides a stable investment environment and contributes to the security of supply in a wider Europe. Ukraine (2011) and Moldova (2010) have joined the Treaty. Armenia and Georgia have observer status. Relevant projects in the Eastern Partnership countries A large number of projects have been (and are) financed by the EU – partly by the EU Eastern Partnership Programmes - to improve collaboration with the targeted EPCs, both in the field of innovation promotion and energy. Energy, and in particular energy efficiency, is among the highest prioritised activities for collaborations. It is very important to take into consideration the major projects completed or running in the targeted EPCs in the scope of INNOVER-EAST, in order to avoid repetition and achieve the necessary synergy of parallel running activities. INNOVER-EAST aims to build on, complement and ensure coordination with relevant activities, notably the Preparatory Action funded by the European Parliament and those implemented through the European Institute of Technology and its Knowledge Innovation Centres, the Framework Programme, the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP) and the European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instruments (ENPI), especially those aiming to reinforce science, technology and innovation (STI) capacities in the targeted EPCs. The following projects should be highlighted: Focus on science & technology and innovation IncoNet EECA: S•&T International Cooperation Network for Eastern European and Central Asian countries (http://www.increast.eu/en/1438.php) – completed in June 2012 The Framework Programme 7 (FP7) project focused on facilitating the S&T policy dialogue between the EU and the Eastern European and Central Asian (EECA) countries, strengthening the participation of EECA in FP7 (in particular in the Cooperation, the Capacities–SMEs, the People and the Ideas programs, improving the existing capacities of NIP/NCP in the EECA. The project addressed other EU policies and their Instruments from which S&T cooperation with EECA could benefit. The European Neighbourhood Policy – ENP, the Development Cooperation and Economic Cooperation (DCEC), the Education Policy (Life Long Learning Programme - LLL) and the Innovation policy (Competitiveness and Innovation Programme – CIP) were given high priority. All targeted EPCs participated in the project. INNOVER-EAST considers IncoNet EECA as predecessor. IncoNet CA/SC: S•&T International Cooperation Network for Central Asian and South Caucasus countries (2010–2013) (http://www.increast.eu/en/1438.php) The project financed by the INCO programme of FP7 focuses on the strengthening and deepening the S&T cooperation with the Central Asian and South Caucasus countries, as well as with Moldova. It was implemented in close coordination with the IncoNet EECA project. Key objectives of the project are: to enhance the policy dialogue on research priorities of mutual interest, to develop synergies with other Community policies and instruments for a stronger support to S&T related activities and to promote FP7 participation of project partner countries, to map the research landscape, to improve S&T statistics and innovation policies. The Regional Policy Dialogue Platform, developed and operated by the project, will serve as a tool for all these activities. BS-ERA.NET (http://bs-era.net/) • BS-ERA.NET is a networking project aimed at integrating the participating countries from the Black Sea extended region in the European Research Area by linking research activities within existing national, bilateral and regional RTD programmes. It is financed by the European Commission within the FP7 and managed by a consortium of 17 institutions from 13 European countries. The duration of the project is 36 months (January 2009 – December 2011). East-Invest (focus on SME promotion services) (http://www.eastinvest.eu/) • East-Invest is a regional investment and trade facilitation project for the economic development of the Eastern Neighbourhood region, launched in the framework of the European Eastern Partnership initiative. The project is funded by the European Union. It runs from November 2010 till October 2013, and has a total budget of 8.750.000 €. It targets business support organisations and SMEs from the 6 Eastern Partnership countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Republic of Moldova, Ukraine), which have potential for developing mutual cooperation and investment relations with the European Union. Focus on energy and energy efficiency INOGATE (http://www.inogate.org/) • The INOGATE programme originally aimed to promote the regional integration of pipeline systems and to facilitate oil and gas transport within the Newly Independent States (NIS) and onwards to EU markets. Over the past years, INOGATE's scope has been largely extended to cover issues in relation to electricity, renewable energy and energy efficiency. In addition, the programme encourages private investment and support from international financial institutions. TRACECA: Transport Corridor Europe-Caucasus-Asia (http://www.traceca-org.org/en/home/) The program started in 1993. It aims at developing a West-East transport corridor from Europe through South Caucasus to Asia. Since energy efficiency is directly linked to transport, the collaboration with this project must be discussed at the first phase of implementing INNOVEREAST. CIUDAD: Cooperation in Inter Urban Development and Dialogue (http://www.ciudad-programme.eu/) • The program promotes cooperation between local and regional authorities in capacity building for improved governance in sustainable urban development and planning. CIUDAD has provided support for several areas, like environmental sustainability, energy efficiency, social cohesion and good governance. Between 2009 and 2012, 21 projects in the southern and eastern region are to be carried out and are co-financed with € 14 million by CIUDAD. NIF Regional (Eastern neighbourhood) on Energy Efficiency Programme in the Corporate Sector • (http://www.ebrd.com/pages/sector/energyefficiency/sei/corporate.shtml) This Technical Assistance programme aims at improving energy efficiency and energy savings in the corporate sector in a number of countries of the Eastern Neighbourhood. Energy Efficiency Survey Program [financed by the IFC – the International Finance Corporation,• World Bank Group] (http://www1.ifc.org/wps/wcm/connect/RegProjects_Ext_Content/IFC_External_Corporate_Site/UEE P_Home) The main goal of the project is to assess the current market for energy efficiency financing in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Ukraine and to raise awareness among local financial institutions, small and medium enterprises (SMEs), and policy makers about existing opportunities for energy efficiency financing in the country.By identifying best practices in SME energy efficiency and finance, the survey also provides benchmarks with other countries and might lead to a more comprehensive program to increase energy efficiency in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Ukraine and the region. Several other activities of international organisations related closely to energy efficiency or innovation service development have been implemented or are in action on bilateral basis with the targeted EPC. Examples: the Armenia Renewable Resources and Energy Efficiency Fund, the UNICE Project EE21 on energy efficiency, the SURE Sustainable Energy Resources and Energy Efficiency Fund in Belorussia, the SPIN-Energy efficiency & urban development planning and the NIF-Bilateral: Technical Assistance Support for Ukrainian Municipalities Sector (2008–2013) projects in Ukraine. The state of innovation and energy efficiency in the targeted Eastern Partnership countries The unsatisfactory level of cooperation between research and business is one of the well-known bottlenecks of innovation in all countries in Europe, small or large, well or less developed. The countries in the Eastern Partnership (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belorussia, Georgia, and Ukraine) also face this challenge, but on a much higher level than the innovation leading countries in Europe. On one side, they usually have a traditionally well-educated workforce, and a relatively strong academic community. But, on the other side, the lack of linkages between this academic community and businesses leads to inappropriate research agenda both at organisation and national level, and potentially unexploited resources for innovation. One of the key economic and social development policy challenges in these countries is how and how fast the available research results can be turned from option to economic reality, and how fast and successfully the research agenda can be adjusted to the actual and future social needs. All countries have recognised this bottleneck and introduced several measures to tackle with these challenges, but the general framework conditions for innovation is typically unfriendly. To change the present situation needs longer term efforts. However, building new capacities, and learning the good practices applied successfully in other countries would be an immediately useful task. The INNOVER-EAST project aims at developing new skills and competences in innovation services at relevant organisations in the targeted EPCs, and contributing to the learning process on how to bridge knowledge and business. According to recent analyses the focus on cooperation activities between the EU and the targeted EPCs in science and technology (S&T) is weak. The main focus lies on the country programs, i.e. fostering the implementation of political, economic and social reform programs in the individual partner countries. S&T is not adopted in all Annual Action Plans and the bilateral financial support for S&T can also be improved. At the regional level, ENPI provides a wide range of programs that can be regarded relevant for S&T cooperation (like ERASMUS and TEMPUS). The major area of priority, though, is in the energy sector or the water/wastewater management. This could and should be expanded towards STI projects including enterprises. INNOVER-EAST acted exactly in this broader innovation area, targeting energy efficiency, a very important area of social challenges. The Eastern Partnership Countries show many similarities in energy and energy efficiency point of view, but in some respects they differ from each other as well. Two of them play significant role in the international energy supply chain by producing and transporting energy (Azerbaijan and Ukraine), while the other three countries are very much dependent, mostly from Russia, in their energy consumption. The geopolitical location of Belorussia makes this country important, as one option for alternative routes for the transport of gas and oil from Russia to Europe. All countries (except Azerbaijan) are net energy importers, which explain why one of their key energy strategy objectives is to raise energy independence and security. All nations went through a deep reform process of their energy sector through privatization, restructuring the state owned utility systems, liberalizing their markets and implementing major institutional changes. Each country recognised at the early days of the recent transformation process that the production and use of energy is one of the most important strategic issues of both economic and social development. This fact is reflected by several measures, such as: legislation (for example the law on Energy Efficiency and Alternative Energy, adopted in 2004 in Armenia or the law on energy efficiency, adopted in 1998 and the law on energy saving, adopted in 2010 in Belarus), government strategies (for example: National Program on Energy Saving and Renewable Energy, 2007 Armenia; State Programme for the Development of the Fuel and Energy Sector in Azerbaijan [2005-2015] supported by the EU, the 4th Republican Program on Energy Saving in Belarus – 2011- 2015, and the National Program for the Development of Domestic Renewable and Unconventional Energy Sources in Belarus – 2011-2015), setting up specific public funds (like the Armenia Renewable Resources and Energy Efficiency Fund), creating new government organisations dedicated to energy or energy efficiency (like the State Agency on Energy Efficiency and Energy Saving in Ukraine, http://saee.gov.ua/en or the Department for Energy Efficiency of the State Committee for Standardization of the Republic of Belarus (http://energoeffekt.gov.by/).To promote energy efficiency, energy savings and the greater use of renewable energy sources are key priorities in the national energy strategies of all targeted EPCs. There are two key factors explaining this fact: high import dependency: a focus on increasing the energy security,very high energy intensity of both industry and households (for example the energy intensity of the industry in Ukraine is three times higher than the EU average).Despite the considerable estimated potential in the energy efficiency sector, the implementation of energy saving measures is constrained by the large amount of required investment and the low average income of the local population. All international organisations active in the region (including EU, UN, Word Bank) have recognised the need to launch programs on energy. Main targeted areas of these assistance programs are policy and strategy setting, capacity building of policy implementation, creating funding schemes, promoting investments and energy efficiency.The INNOVER-EAST project, by focusing on the innovation in energy efficiency, targets an area which is highly prioritised in all of the targeted EPCs, being on the top of strategies both in economic and energy policies. All countries are active in energy efficiency and - based on activities of the past decade, largely due to assistance programs provided by major international players - have gathered experience how to approach these challenges. Innovation, as an opportunity for solution is well-known, but it has not been given too much emphasis so far. So the concept of INNOVER-EAST brings new ways of tackling the challenges of energy efficiency in the targeted EPCs.In summary, INNOVER-EAST will target the following key challenges the targeted EPCs are facing in the crossroads of innovation and energy efficiency:building new partnerships between research and business (both locally and internationally);adjusting the organisational and national research agenda in energy efficiency to the social and economic needs; strengthening the networking capacities of the research community with EU Member States and other key international actors; increasing the motivation of research in innovation;matching better the national and research organisations’ research agenda and business interest; improving the capabilities of SMEs and researchers in the targeted EPCs to access public and private financial sources for their innovative projectsPotential Impact:Expected results and measuring the success in achieving the objectivesThe planned and expected results of the project:• New capacities built up at the EPC organisations in the field of providing innovation services,measured by the following indicatorso Number of persons in the staff of the partner organisations with new knowledge and experience;o Number of SMEs serviced by the pilot phase;o Number of new contacts set up with the active participation of the project between stakeholders ininnovation.• New platform for international dialogue between the EU and the targeted EPCs in energy efficiency,measured by the following indicatorso Number of new linkages in operation among the targeted stakeholders;o The quality and function of these linkages;o Intensity of platform activity.Potential impact via the implementation of the following activities:• Setting up a stakeholder databaseSetting up and maintaining the searchable, Innovative Energy Services interactive database• Analysis of the energy sectors and of the innovation situation in participating EaP countries through 5+1 National Studies and a Synthesis Report)• Compiling Policy Recommendations 2017 for the EU• Implementing twinning activities among EU and EaP partners (EaP to EU, then EU to EaP)• Brokerages at national (EaP) and international levelPolicy events at national (EaP) and international level• Targeted training activities on innovative service provision, innovation financing and international cooperationInnovation service provision and mentoring to EaP partnersBased on the activities presented, the following impacts were expected and have been achieved over the project’s lifetime:5 National Studies on innovation in energy efficiency in the participating EaP countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Ukraine, plus Moldova)5 Validation Workshops in the EaP countries to discuss and validate the reports with about 100 local key stakeholders.5 National Brokerages in participating EaP countries with about 150 participants 3 train-the-trainers workshops on various aspects of innovation: service provision, innovation financing and international cooperation with about 100 participants5 National Innovation Workshops provided by INNOVER-EAST EaP partners to local stakeholders, with about 150 participants2x5 Staff exchanges/study visits involving about 40 participantsAs the result of the above activities a network of stakeholders had been set up. Most of them were introduced to EU colleagues and initiatives (e.g.: KIC InnoEnergy). At the end of the project 13 Letters of Intent were signed on future cooperation and exploitation of research results. These cooperations might have already been started or being started and are based on real acivities to be exploited in the near future.One of the biggest results of the project is an initiative by our Georgian partner on implementing a new collective chimney systems in Georgia that was included in the local government programme for Tbilisi.Main dissemination channels and toolsINNOVER-EAST website (www.innovereast.eu)INNOVER-EAST national and international policy events INNOVER-EAST national and international brokerage events INNOVER-EAST training workshops• External networking, brokerage events and conferences• Dissemination towards other networks (i.e. R2I clustering)INNOVER-EAST project leaflet & posterINNOVER-EAST Twitter accountINNOVER-EAST LinkedIN groupINNOVER-EAST Facebook website (https://www.facebook.com/innovereast)INNOVER-EAST project video (https://vimeo.com/124923634)INNOVER-EAST compiled a Strategy Plan to reach and actively involve policy makers (D4.1) within WP4 Policy dialogue and networking for contacting, informing and actively engaging all relevant stakeholders to key policy activities and exploiting the project results consisting of the the following steps:• The validation of national studies on Energy Efficiency (EE) and Renewable Energy Sources (RES) by the policy makers, representatives of the local research and business community, innovation service providers, NGO’s; • The establishment of INNOVER-EAST service guidelines and the provision of innovation services; • The formulation of recommendations for policy makers on how to overcome potential barriers for innovative technologies to promote the RES market penetration and the implementation of legislation supporting Energy Efficiency (EE) improvements; • The creation of a network to promote the dialogue and encourage mutual learning on low carbon technologies as well as the establishment of long-term positive relationships between organisations with different missions and goals at regional and European level; • The participation at the foreseen project events (brokerage events, workshops, conferences) at which the stakeholders can exchange their experiences and best practices; • The involvement of stakeholders in the energy policy design and implementation increasing the public awareness of the potential for green growth in Energy Efficiency (EE) and Renewable Energy Sources (RES). Stakeholder Database on EPC stakeholders in energy efficiency, RES and innovationFirst, during the very first months of the project, a stakeholder database was set up within WP1 based on desk research, by asking project partners to provide contacts and by exchanging information with partner projects (EaP R2I projects: ener2i and NoGAP) to serve as the first, initial pool of stakeholders to work with. The original excel chart – being constantly updated – included the following actors (aaproximately 170 entries: organisations and people):• Research/academic organisations; • Business (by size of companies: total, large-medium-small-micro firms; special attention to young or new innovative companies and spin-offs; by sectors: identification of main energy intensive industries, main sectors to produce energy efficient products and processes or being active on the RES development and market penetration); • Business and innovation promotion service providers (non-profit and for profit sectors; science and technology parks, incubators, business development agencies, innovation centres, etc.); • Public authorities (national and regional/local governments in energy efficiency and innovation as well as in the RES deployment and RES RD&D (energy regulators, policy and strategy makers, financial organisations, National Contact Points etc.); • Key actors in forming public opinions on innovation and energy efficiency (mostly media actors and NGO’s); • Young professionals in public sector, business sector and research organisations; • Local champions (key individuals who may play a significant role in mobilizing resources, creating alliances, etc. due to their personal skills and the recognition they receive among local actors). Innovation Energy Services (IES) Interactive DatabaseThe second step in order to achieve policy engagement as described in D4.1 Strategy plan to reach and actively involve policy makers, was the identification of the stakeholders and the development of the Innovation Energy Services (IES) Interactive Database within WP1 Survey of national state of innovation in EPCs. The database is a focal point for both Eastern Partnership (EaP) stakeholders and INNOVER-EAST project partners interested in the field energy efficiency, innovation and developing new innovation services. In the database that is available on the project website under http://innovereast.eu/en/innover/results and http://www.innovereast.eu/en/innover/map users had and still have the opportunity to include information about innovation services and projects after two more years after the end of the project (until mid-2019).The tool offered by INNOVER-EAST is very easy to use since the entry to the information is provided in the form a geographic map and the map is directly linked to the database, which allows automatic updates. Once the map is displayed users have to follow two steps:Step 1:The information is searchable by country and by type of organization. The user has to select either a specific country via the list or by clicking on the map or to select an organization type. Once this first selection has been done the user is able to select the area that interests him. The available results/entries in the database are searchable. Keywords enriching the research results profiles make filtering available for a better user-friendliness. Moreover, the results can be filtered also by type of organisation. Step 2:The information according to the user preferences (made in Step 1) is now displayed in form of a list of profiles. Each specific profile can be viewed by the user by clicking on it. The information that is displayed for each specific profile includes: i) Contact details, ii) Title and area of interest, iii) End users/Beneficiaries, iv) Target sector, v) Innovation topic and achieved result, vi) Partnerships, vii) Services, viii) Information/References, ix) Source of funding if available, x) Information on the relevance for the project, xi) Method of transfer and xii) Main lessons learnt.As originally planned the database was used for inviting stakeholders to project and cluster events and to set up the list of innovation services requested by the EaP partners (as laid down in D2.1 List of innovation services suggested for development and introduction by the project in EPCs within WP2 Development of innovation services. As mentioned earlier, the Innovative Energy Services Interactive Database will be available for the public for two more years, until mid-2019 to make the results of the project sustainable and to help the work of the club of energy stakeholders to be described later on in section. In July 2017 there were around 70 entries found in the database.One of the main purposes of INNOVER-EAST project has been the creation of substantial contacts among significant EPCs and EU actors performing R&D&I activities in the fields of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Systems, with the aim of establishing permanent and fruitful networks for the design of collaborative projects which could lead to the industrial exploitation of research results in both directions (EPCs <–> EU).As a result of the efforts of the INNOVER-EAST consortium a step further was done during the International Brokerage Event where 13 Letters of Intent (LoIs) were signed. (The expected result of the international brokerage event was at least 10 project ideas directed at the exploitation of EPC research results.) The parties stated their intention for collaboration in Letters of Intent. These relations are presented in the following table and discussed in more details in deliverable D3.2 10 letters of intent for further collaboration on exploitation of research results signed by research organisation(s) and business(es) including EPCs:N. INSTITUTION A COUNTRY A INSTITUTION B COUNTRY B1 Sustainable Technologies Development Centre Ltd (CROTEH) CROATIA Belarusian Institute of System Analysis and Information Support of scientific and technological Sphere (BellSA) BELARUS 2 Sustainable Technologies Development Centre Ltd (CROTEH) CROATIA Faculty of Organic Substances of the Belarusian State Technological University (BSTU) BELARUS 3 International Centre for Sustainable Development of Energy, Water and Environment Systems (SDEWES Centre) CROATIA Azerbaijan Scientific, Research and Design Prospecting Power Institute (Azerbaijan SR and DPPEI) AZERBAIJAN 4 STENUM GmbH AUSTRIA Resource Efficient and Cleaner Production Centre (RECP) UKRAINE 5 University of Trieste, Dept. Of Engineering and Architecture (UNITS) ITALY Engineering Academy of Armenia (EAA) ARMENIA 6 University of Trieste, Dept. Of Engineering and Architecture (UNITS) ITALY National Polytechnic University of Armenia ARMENIA 7 Energy efficiency and Environmental Protection (EE&EP) GEORGIA GRAMAR Energy Services GREECE 8 Bay Zoltan Nonprofit Ltd. for Applied Research (BZN) HUNGARY Cleaner production and Energy Efficiency Center (CP&EE) AZERBAIJAN 9 Cleaner production and Energy Efficiency Center (CP&EE) AZERBAIJAN Energy Engineering Consulting Company (ENECA) BELARUS 10 Ivano-Frankivsk National Technical University of Oil and Gas (IFNTUOG) UKRAINE AGR Petroleum Services AS NORWAY 11 Energy Engineering Consulting Company (ENECA) BELARUS Energy efficiency and Environmental Protection (EE&EP) GEORGIA 12 International Centre for Sustainable Development of Energy, Water and Environment Systems (SDEWES Centre) CROATIA Energy Engineering Consulting Company (ENECA) BELARUS 13 Ivano-Frankivsk National Technical University of Oil and Gas (IFNTUOG) UKRAINE INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT NORWAY NORWAYThe 13 Letters of Intent that were signed aimed at both advancing the collaboration between the partners but also to have clear results in the frame of promoting research undertaken and bringing this research to the market. Having been able to sign the 13 LoIs is very important since it shows that indeed there is a potential in bringing forces together. Even in the situations were no LoIs have been signed introductions have been made which might lead in the future in interesting collaborations as the variety of participants in the brokerage events opened up further opportunities that could not be realised at that point of time but might be opened up in the future. Best twinning practices – case studiesTwinning activitiesIn fact, one of the main inefficiencies and bottlenecks in EPCs is that research results are often “left inside researchers’ drawers” and are not exploited. This occurs mainly because the industry sector does not know their existence. In order to start tackling this loss of knowledge, the INNOVER-EAST project implemented the twinning actions that were focused on relevant net-building/networking activities and on the provision of innovation services suggested for development and introduction by the project in the EPCs. The aim of the twinning activities was to have a systematic process for the transfer of knowledge between both, public and private research centres, and industry. The twinning visits were thus structured in the form of training sessions and sharing of best practices on innovation service provision in the fields of energy efficiency and renewable energies, and didactic visits to relevant laboratories and innovative companies to see how innovation is done in practice. At the same time technology offers and technology requests coming from research organisations belonging to the network of project partners were also presented and analysed during the twinning sessions and preliminary informal agreements have been made with the aim of identifying concrete matches and further collaboration on the exploitation of research results and on the advancement of entrepreneurship. Also in this frame and combined to the brokerage events a list of relevant contacts of the project was established. Georgia and Greece-Italy-HungaryA key issue related to emissions from residential buildings has been dealt in Georgia in the framework of the project. Energy Efficiency & Environmental Protection Ltd. (EE&EP), the local partner wished to work on setting up a regulation for flue outlet in residential buildings. EE&EP started discussing the issue with CERTH that later involved in the discussion the other EU technical partners, mainly AREA and BZN.AREA provided support and a reference to a specific national law. The present situation in Georgia is similar to what was happening in Italy in the period 1980-2000 when a massive migration from centralized heating to individual heating occurred with a large numbers of flue outlet created on the façade of several buildings. The issue was tackled at local and national level until the publication of the national law 90/2013 which is the latest law on this issue. The law requires all flue outlets to be placed on roofs with just a limited number of exceptions.On 23 February 2017 within the framework of a special workshop was organized for construction companies operating in Tbilisi, in the Conference Hall of the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia. EE&EP conducted a presentation about innovation services prepared in the framework of INNOVER-EAST project that need to be developed in Georgia in the field of energy efficiency and innovation. The workshop was especially dedicated for EE&EP to meet local construction companies, where EE&EP informed participants about the Innovation Service on Collective Chimneys development in Georgia. Approximately 25 people participated in the event (representatives of Tbilisi City Hall, LEPL Agency of Technical Supervision on Construction Activities, Union of Architects, construction companies working in Tbilisi, Georgian Technical University, etc.)The participants of the workshop were requested to review the Innovative Proposal/ Innovation Service presented by Ms. Verulava and submit their opinions to the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development. The positive opinions and proposals from participants were received by Ministry.The key elements of the law has been shared with EE&EP who lobbied the Georgian ministries for setting up a national rules based on Italian experience for having the flue outlet on roofs. As a consequence in July 2017 the State Program “On measures to facilitate the reduction of atmospheric air pollution in Tbilisi” which included an Innovative Initiative on the elevation of the fuel combustion products in the multi-storey buildings above the roof by EE&EP was released.This is certainly a first direct impact of the project on EPC countries policies, but we can assume that in the long term INNOVER-EAST could have further similar impacts due to the knowledge on EU standards that the project EPC countries acquired and the cooperation network set up by the project. There is already an interest coming from the Azerbaijani project partner to cooperate on the issue and learn from the upcoming technical regulation to be provided by the Georgian policy makers.It is needed to be noted that despite the great experience of working in the energy and environmental protection sphere EE&EP may not have studied the case of gas outlets and the decision may not have been adopted by the Government of Georgia. Belarus and CroatiaFollowing the twinning activities with the Belarus partner, as well as participating at the various brokerage events in Belarus and Ukraine, the Croatian partner, International Centre for Sustainable Development of Energy, Water and Environment Systems (SDEWES)reached the following results.Four letters of intent were signed among different interested parties, not only the partners in the project, but also the companies/institutes/universities outside the project; namely: 1 Sustainable Technologies Development Centre Ltd (CROTEH) CROATIA Belarusian Institute of System Analysis and Information Support of scientific and technological Sphere (BellSA) BELARUS2 Sustainable Technologies Development Centre Ltd (CROTEH) CROATIA Faculty of Organic Substances of the Belarusian State Technological University (BSTU) BELARUS3 International Centre for Sustainable Development of Energy, Water and Environment Systems (SDEWES Centre) CROATIA Azerbaijan Scientific, Research and Design Prospecting Power Institute (Azerbaijan SR and DPPEI) AZERBAIJAN4 International Centre for Sustainable Development of Energy, Water and Environment Systems (SDEWES Centre) CROATIA Energy Engineering Consulting Company (ENECA) BELARUSCroatian partners also agreed to widen collaboration with some of the mentioned companies/institutes and initiated dialogue:CROTEH - The Sustainable technologies development centre Ltd (Mr. Lukić and Dr. Panjičko), following the International Brokerage Event at Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine, on 16 May 2017, started talks with Prof. Andrey Lednitskiy (specialists at biogas technologies) and Dr. Ilya Kuznetsov, both from Belorussian State Technological University (BSTU), to discuss perspective projects in the field scientific and technological projects.The company CROTEH has also been in communication with Ms. Vazhinskaya Viktoria (the Foreign Economic Activity Specialist at the ENECA, Belarus) regarding some of the equipment used in biogas plants (biogas engines and small capacity turbines); and they also exchanged data on the services that those two companies provide; currently no firm contract was signed.Also there is an initiative of the company CROTEH to contact some of the companies from the Area Science Park, Trieste (Italy), but this initiative is at the very beginning; but possible visit of CROTEH to AREA could be scheduled for the autumn this year. SDEWES Centre continued developing contacts with the several partners introduced through Innover-East project. That resulted in collaboration on one EU funded project where the experts from SDEWES (Professor Neven Duić), also affiliated with the University of Zagreb, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture (UZ-FSB), Croatia (www.fsb.hr) participate in the joined EU Horizon 2020 project PHOENIX. Project Phoenix applies the partners’ complementary expertise and creates synergies between them through the targeted secondments of staff aimed at advancing research and innovation knowledge in bioenergy. Project Phoenix is under the program MSCA-RISE, with full title: "People for tHe eurOpean bioENergy mIX - Phoenix" led by the Belarusian National Technical University (BSTU); http://en.bntu.by/horizon-2020-msca-rise-people-european-bioenergy-mix-phoenix.The project will finish at the end of 2019.Ukraine and NorwayIn the frame of the INNOVER-EAST project, two very important Letters of Intent were signed between the Ivano-Frankivsk National Technical University of Oil and Gas (IFNTUOG) and Norwegian partners. The first letter of intent was signed with AGR Petroleum Services AS which is one of the most advanced oil/servicing companies from Norway and which operates on all continents. AGR is the leading well design and drilling project management, HSEQ, reservoir and field management service company delivering solutions for the entire oil field life cycle. AGR also provides rig procurement, tailored training, software and technical manpower for the company’s global clients. AGR’s track record includes among others more than 500 well projects spanning 6 continents, more than 1,000 reservoir studies in only five years and over 25,000 people trained in 45 countries. The bilateral cooperation with IFNTUOG will be focused on technology transfer in oil and gas issues, and in partnerships on energy-related projects in Ukraine and CIS countries. The second Letter of Intent was signed between the Ivano-Frankivsk National Technical University of Oil and Gas (IFNTUOG) and International Development Norway (IDN). International Development Norway Group is a spin-out from SINTEF foundation, the largest contract research institute in Scandinavia. IDN is organised in three entities, IDN Association working with social projects, IDN Research working with R&D projects and IDN Solutions working with Business Development projects. IDN takes care of the whole project life cycle, from idea phase, design, management, expert tasks and reporting/closing and its network of Norwegian and international experts is used in expert tasks to secure successful projects. The sector focus of the IDN is renewable energy, environmental technology, industrial production, and ICT, and the main geographical areas are Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). The bilateral cooperation of IDN with IFNTUOG is focused on i) supporting commercialization with a focus on supporting high-tech startups and spin-offs in the early stagesii) promoting technology transfer by facilitating the implementation of research developments into existing and new technology companiesiii) promoting the dissemination of IFNTUOG research and scientific developments to the international and European audienceClub of innovationA club of innovation in energy efficiency, serving as an informal network was established by INNOVER-EASTin each EPC at national level. The aim was to bring together innovation actors in energy efficiency, promote thenetworking between the actors of the „knowledge value chain”, as well as support all project activities relatedto policy dialogue and dissemination. Possible members of the network were selected based on datacollection and mapping made at the beginning of the project implementation period. All the three key types of stakeholders are wellrepresented (research, government and business) so as to achieve the maximum transfer of knowledge andknow-how. Contact Person Country Organization Organization Type WebsiteAlexander Uspenskiy Belarus Republican Centre for Technology Transfer (RCTT) R&D Institution http://ictt.by/engAlla Minko Belarus Belarusian Innovation Foundation R&D Institution http://www.bif.ac.by/Arif Hashimov Azerbaijan “Azerenerji” ISC Company http://www.azerenerji.gov.az/Artak Hambarian Armenia American University of Armenia University www.aua.amGevorg Vardanyan Armenia National Center of innovation and Entrepreneurship R&D Institution http://www.innovcentre.amHryhoriy Nykyforchyn Ukraine Karpenko Physico-Mechanical Institute of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine Academic Organization http://www.ipm.lviv.ua/new/eng/ Mykhailo Lytovchenko Ukraine 2mike Company -Nikoloz Sumbadze Georgia Association of Young Professionals in Energy of Georgia (AYPEG) R&D Institution http://www.aypeg.geRazmik Barseghyan Armenia Engineering Academy of Armenia Academic Organization http://eng.engineeracademy.am/Rovshan Karimov Azerbaijan Institute of Geography of Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences R&D Institution www.igaz.azSabina Ahmadova Azerbaijan Azerbaijan Scientific-Research and Design-Prospecting Institute of Energetics SME http://www.pei.azSergey Voytyuk Ukraine MPS Development LLC Company http://mpsdevelopment.net/Taras Sakalosh Ukraine Recourse Efficient and Cleaner Production Centre R&D Institution http://www.recpc.kpi.ua/en/Vazhinskaya Viktoria Belarus ODO ENECA SME http://eneca.byVladimir Pilipenko Belarus Republican Unitary Enterprise “Institute of Housing-NIPTIS named after S.S. Ataev” R&D Institution http://niptis.mas.by/Yurii Onyshkevych Ukraine e-dim Company http://e-dim.com.ua/Yuriy Alekseev Belarus Scientific and Technological Park of the Belarusian National Technological University "Polytechnic" R&D Institution http://park.bntu.by/Zhozef Panosyan Armenia National Polytechnic University of Armenia University www.polytechnic.amThe sixth EaP country: MoldovaAn extra, additional product of the INNOVER-EAST project that is not included in the Description of Work was a concise National Study on Moldova in the field of energy efficiency and innovation compiled in the framework of INNOVER-EAST at the beginning of the project due to good connections among some of the project partners, especially WP1 and Task 1.4 Leader ICEG, responsible for compiling the studies and Moldovan stakeholders invited to INNOVER-EAST and cluster events. The Moldovan National Study is attached in D5.6 Exploitation results strategy.Looking through so many results and activities in which the stakeholders of the INNOVER-EAST were engaged and still being engaged we can clearly see that the project has a lot to add to the European Union and Eastern Partnership partners to work on in the future in the field of energy efficiency and innovation.The major communication channels used to address and engage the stakeholders were:• consortium partners themselves who directly engaged with the stakeholders; • general communication tools that had been designed and/or provided by the project, most importantly the website;• events that were organized in the framework of the project, in particular twinnings, policy conferences and national and international brokerage events. List of Websites:www.innovereast.euwww.bayzoltan.hu+36 1 463 0500 Documentos relacionados final1-innover-east-consortium.docx
