Periodic Reporting for period 1 - SET-IndEU (Strategic Energy Technology for Industry in Europe)
Okres sprawozdawczy: 2023-09-01 do 2025-02-28
Europe's energy-intensive industries (EIIs) are vital to its economy but contribute significantly to greenhouse gas emissions. The EU's goal of climate neutrality by 2050, outlined in the European Green Deal and supported by initiatives like the Net-Zero Industry Act, requires coordinated action to decarbonise these sectors. The SET-IndEU project has been granted to support the SET Plan Implementation Working Group on Industry (IWG-Industry) by establishing a proactive Secretariat to enhance the group's outcomes. It aims to align European and national R&I priorities, foster synergies, strengthen collaboration with other working groups, and prevent duplication in industrial decarbonisation. SET-IndEU facilitates dialogue among Member States, industry, research organisations, and the Commission, while monitoring and revising the IWG-Industry Implementation Plan. The project also identifies barriers to deploying innovative solutions, promotes best practices, and encourages new cooperation models to integrate clean energy technologies. It focuses on widening participation by involving SMEs and civil society to ensure an inclusive transition. SET-IndEU incorporates Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) to address societal needs, regulatory frameworks, and policy coherence, ensuring that technological innovation drives sustainable societal transformation. The project will accelerate the decarbonisation of Europe’s industrial sectors, improve R&I investments, and reinforce industry’s role in shaping energy policies. By integrating societal dimensions, SET-IndEU ensures that industrial transformation is economically viable, socially acceptable, and aligned with the EU’s energy and climate objectives.
During the first reporting period, the SET-IndEU project implemented a range of technical activities to support the decarbonisation of energy-intensive industries through research, innovation, and enhanced coordination at the European level. A Secretariat was activated to support the IWG-Industry, ensuring efficient governance. The project focused on revising the IWG-Industry Implementation Plan (IP), designing a methodology to assess R&I progress, identify emerging priorities, and align with the SET Plan and European Green Deal targets. Key activities included discussions with Activity Leaders, reviewing documents, and launching a database to map R&I projects across Europe. A technical analysis identified barriers to clean technology deployment, providing insights into technological, financial, and regulatory challenges. SET-IndEU also promoted cross-sectoral dialogue, including a joint Task Force with IWG-Energy Systems on electrification. Collaboration with other SET Plan Working Groups and ETIPs strengthened stakeholder engagement, aligning activities with industrial needs. A significant achievement was integrating Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) into industrial energy R&I, with an SSH review identifying gaps and proposing recommendations to address societal needs and behavioural dimensions. These activities laid a strong foundation for accelerating industrial decarbonisation in Europe, ensuring that future R&I actions are targeted and aligned with EU policy goals.
In its first reporting period, the SET-IndEU project established a Secretariat to support the IWG-Industry, strengthening coordination among industry, research, and policymakers, and advancing industrial decarbonisation across Europe. The project fosters industrial decarbonisation by promoting cross-sectoral R&I efforts and aligning national and EU priorities for funding and policy. It ensures industry input in shaping energy policies and integrates Social Sciences and Humanities perspectives to enhance societal relevance and acceptance of innovations. Key needs for further impact include continued R&I to overcome barriers, improved access to markets and finance for scaling clean technologies, supportive regulatory frameworks, and guidance on intellectual property rights. Strengthened international cooperation will also enhance the global competitiveness of European industries.By addressing these needs, SET-IndEU will support the EU's goals of a climate-neutral, competitive, and resilient industrial sector.