Based on the extensive material developed on Transition Lab implementation (Handbook and toolbox), the process was implemented in the regions, culminating in a "Call for Energy Innovation Solutions".
While the Call for Solutions, conducted like a public tender, did not comprise many specifications on the nature of the solution, it did include the obligation to go through a co-creation process with stakeholders from the quintuple helix while developing the solution, respecting RRI processes dimensions at the same time. In Extremadura and the Outer Hebrides (Highlands and Islands), one solution each was selected, and in Ostrobothnia the funding was divided between two different but related solutions. In Extremadura, the Transition Lab co-created a platform that informs the citizens of the region about the establishment of energy communities, including a website, online courses and a network of promoters across the entire region. In the Outer Hebrides, the solution revolved around establishing a local energy company and investigating solutions for energy efficient housing. The solutions in Ostrobothnia both dealt with the topic of energy transitions and energy calculation in villages. In all three regions, the solution provider, together with the regional team, established a co-creation process with members of the Transition Lab but also inviting new members directly affected by the solution (for example village inhabitants). Further, the RIPEET mutual leanrning programme was implemtend, focusing on how to organise regional energy transition processes with a societal needs-based focus and on sharing experiences in organising energy transitions. The Peer Learning concluded with a workshop with the energy innovation stakeholders from the mirror and pilots, and in addition regional representatives in Brussels, e.g. exploring the replication of the RIPEET approach in the context of the EU missions or the Partnership for Regional Innovation. In addition, the second period focused on analysis of the policy conditions and implications for integrating RRI-principles into regional energy transitions. Analysis revealed a lack of citizen involvement in energy innovation policy frameworks, identified potentials and barriers of policy co-creation, and the impacts of the TL process on transformative capacities. Finally, a position paper synthesised the policy insights and elaborated implications for RIS3 and further regional innovation policies.
