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Support to the coordination of European smart buildings innovation community

 

The proposals should focus on facilitating the flow and exchange of information between EU-funded projects in the field of smart buildings and the related business, policy and media, e.g.:

  • Map out the European smart buildings innovation community, e.g. main innovators, lessons learned, success stories and potential market developments.
  • Identify the main initiatives, media and events in the field of smart buildings across the EU and coordinate the European smart buildings innovation community in their communication, contribution and participation.
  • Encourage and support the contribution of the European smart buildings innovation community to the promotion, experimentation and roll-out of the SRI in the EU, and to other relevant policy initiatives.
  • Suggest priorities for EU support to research, innovation and market uptake in the field of smart buildings from the point of view of potential applicants and target markets

Proposals should not necessarily aim at the largest possible census of the smart buildings community or to seek participation in every possible events or initiatives, but rather focus on efficiency in breaking silos and bridging the gaps between innovation, markets and policy (e.g. sharing case studies, communicating success stories, seizing relevant contribution opportunities, etc.).

The proposed consortium may involve representatives of the target groups relevant to the EU smart buildings innovation community, e.g. specialised media, business or consumer organisation, policy or technological initiatives civil society organisations,, etc.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between EUR 1 and 1.5 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

The revised Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD)[[Directive 2010/31/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 May 2010 on the energy performance of buildings (recast)]] encourages the use of ICT and smart technologies to ensure that buildings operate efficiently. To this aim, the Directive further promotes smart building technologies and in particular requires the establishment of a Smart Readiness Indicator (SRI) for buildings. The SRI will allow for rating the smart readiness of buildings, i.e. their ability to adapt their operation to the needs of the occupant, to optimise energy efficiency and overall performance, and to adapt their operation in reaction to signals from the grid. The SRI will be further developed in consultation with member states and stakeholders, with a view to eventually ensure a broad uptake of a robust SRI reflecting the state of the art in the field of smart buildings.

Since 2014, the EU has been supporting at least 64 projects relevant to this new definition of smart buildings, providing near to EUR 450 million funding. This support has been spread across 35 funding topics and 29 calls for proposals, mostly Horizon 2020 Innovation Actions. Similarly, the cross-cutting issue of building smartness is often addressed as a fringe issue in media, conferences or businesses specialised in energy, IT or buildings. Despite this fragmentation, most challenges faced by smart buildings are common, such as engaging building occupants, connecting and managing various devices and systems, achieving optimal building operation, or integrating buildings to energy markets.

Proposals are expected to demonstrate, depending on the scope addressed, the impacts listed below:

  • Draw up an overview of the main stakeholders of the EU smart buildings innovation community updated annually;
  • Improve the exchange of information between R&I and market uptake projects via at least 6 workshops;
  • Increase visibility of innovation in the field of smart buildings by coordinating the participation in at least 6 major events relevant to smart buildings;
  • Coordinate contributions of the EU smart buildings innovation community to the SRI promotion, experimentation and implementation, and to other policy or technological initiatives.