Final Report Summary - SET_IRELAND (Organising and delivery of the Irish Presidency Conference on the European Strategic Energy Technology Plan ("SET-Plan"))
Executive Summary:
EU SET-PLAN CONFERENCE, DUBLIN, 7-8 MAY 2013:
CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS
CONFERENCE OBSERVATIONS:
The conference emphasised how energy and innovation policies are rooted in security and climate concerns, competitive needs, enterprise opportunities and jobs. Today’s designs and technologies are not good enough and an accelerated innovation is essential for the transformation required. Key messages emphasised the need to accelerate this innovation in a smarter way.
The Conference indicated that a transformational journey is needed that emphasises the role and increased importance of coordination across the pan-European research organisations engaged within SET-Plan activities. Research Technology and Innovation can only be mobilised through a suite of instruments to stimulate and support the development of ideas to market. The SET-Plan Dublin conference was a significant milestone on the journey to making this happen.
Project Context and Objectives:
The objectives of this international “SET-Plan” Conference are:
· To bring together, in a forum comprising plenary and breakout sessions, those diverse mainstream audiences that will be directly responsible for accelerating the development and market roll-out of low carbon technologies across Europe.
· To support the audience in finding a shared view of the benefits, costs, interactions and other issues to be addressed across the “SET-Plan” implementation.
· To invite interaction from these audiences, and enable full consideration to be given, on issues and ideas that will best facilitate the effective implementation of the “SET-Plan”, consistent with its ultimate purpose.
Project Results:
THE CONFERENCE - MESSAGES AND CHALLENGES:
The SET-Plan Dublin Conference was the sixth EU SET Plan conference and presented a number of key messages and conclusions across the two days. There have been a number of SET Plan conferences since 2009, including Madrid, Brussels, and Warsaw.
Reflecting the status of this event, the Conference was addressed by the two EU Commissioners, for Energy and Research, Ireland’s Minister for Energy, as well as senior officials from EU and US jurisdictions. Topics discussed at this Dublin conference included mechanisms for funding and leveraging collaboration, status updates on the portfolio of technologies, and advancing the "European innovation area" and a new integrated roadmap for the SET Plan.
The Dublin SET Plan Conference offered a first opportunity to discuss the newly adopted Communication on Energy Technologies and Innovation, presented by Commissioner Oettinger. The Commissioner highlighted the Conference focus, namely how EU energy research and innovation is entering a new era where cooperation and interaction (and integration) between all actors will be key to success. The consequent panel discussions affirmed a common need for an Integrated Roadmap (by end 2013) that will include mapping the portfolio of technologies and measures, setting priorities and setting roles for the actors in the research, technology and innovation ecosystem. Such a roadmap will aim to ensure a strategic fit between all pieces of the energy research acceleration and deployment.
A key message in the Communication on Energy Technologies and Innovation highlighted the need to strengthen the SET Plan monitoring system and the delivery and impact of research, technological and innovation actions (growing from SETIS). This is a key ingredient is achieving an appropriate regime of monitoring and assessment across all stages of the research cycle to track performance, guide appropriate adaptation and maximise value for money.
Keynote speaker discussed the main purpose of the Dublin conference as to catalyse a co-ordinated portfolio of investment across EU Member States in the matrix of research, technology and innovation actions and associated collaborations necessary to maximise the competitive development, speed to market, and enterprise opportunities of new and improved energy technologies. The conference acted both as a barometer and a stimulant of progress along this development path and has given it a renewed impetus.
The Conference enabled the responsible community across EU Member States to further position and prepare for Horizon 2020 which is seeking to integrate the traditional RD&D instruments (FP) with dissemination, capacity building and deployment (IEE). This involves aligning and integrating the activation of the innovation chain with market conversion and uptake measures.
THE CONFERENCE - PRINCIPLES
A number of recurring principles resonated throughout the conference, especially calls for an integrated roadmap for the SET Plan. Principles included the call to accelerate and strengthen approaches to research deployment and delivery and the requirement for an integrated and systems approach to meeting societal challenges across energy.
The attendees called for enhanced coordination and alignment of the strands of energy research and innovation investment to ensure coherence across research initiatives and infrastructures. Keynote speakers stressed the importance of achieving research prioritisation while stressing the need for academic and industrial collaboration in achieving value of investment with an accompanied pooling of resources. Such collaboration as placed in the context of an overall research ecosystem where the complementary roles of industrial players and academic institutions could be stressed.
Engagement of stakeholders across the innovation chain where initiatives have high technological readiness was promoted. While stressing the call for close to market technological investment, the Conference also placed emphasis on a portfolio approach of energy technologies and their prioritisation and development.
THE CONFERENCE – STRESSING IMPLEMENTATION
Keynote speakers emphasised the importance of coordination and integration of resources across the SET Plan spectrum. For example, the Communication on Energy Technologies and Innovation called for an Action Plan (MS & EU, mid 2014) of public investment. The conference presented some successful examples of joint actions across Member States. This point was reiterated across Member State presentations where speakers called for complementary mechanisms and expressed a clear wish to continue on this collaborative path. The Dublin conference reflected a formidable challenge of prioritising various technologies, especially given a number of competing themes within the SET Plan.
THE CONFERENCE – FOCUS ON PRIORITISATION
The Conference provided a forum for a number of learned and experienced presentations on the policy, technology, training and financing challenges across the portfolio of energy technologies that are required to support the projects, people, infrastructure and networks required for energy research, technology and innovation acceleration.
Presenters provided a selection of examples from the large array of national and EU policy priorities and instruments while stressing a portfolio of competing technologies. A number of individual Member State strategies and roadmaps for individual technology sectors where presented that included technologies such as bioenergy, solar thermal, building efficiency and nuclear energy. A particular focus was on the energy efficiency technologies, including the challenge of addressing underrepresentation of efficiency within the SET Plan. The strengths of energy conservation and efficiency were cited through various Austrian case studies.
While accepting common challenges that affect all Member states, the various participants cited the diverse circumstances they experience within the EU in the context of the SET plan common principles and drivers. Notably, for innovative businesses in smaller Member States, collaboration with businesses in other EU countries was cited as being vital considering the small scale of the national market and research funding.
The Conference provided an opportunity for Individual Technology Platforms to present status reports and expectations for technologies and to present some models of cooperation in action. Presenters stressed the need to avoid competitive fragmentation and harness the collective intelligence and energy of different players. The increasing role of enabling (‘non energy’) technologies, including materials and ICT, was cited throughout the two days alongside calls for enhanced skills development and capacity buildings initiatives, such as KICs.
THE CONFERENCE – CALLING FOR SMART COLLABORATION & COMMERCIALSIATION
A key theme throughout the two day Conference was the call for smarter collaboration of actors and agencies to enable research cooperation and coordination enhancement. This message was reflected in keynotes from the Energy Industrial Initiatives, EERA , EUREKA and ERANet. In terms of commercialisation and scale deployment, the Dublin conference called for a setting of priorities and a mobilisation of investments in terms of achieving required levels of market impact across the full innovation chain. This calls for an appreciation of the market dynamics (character, readiness and appetite).
In stressing collaboration among actors, the participants recognised the challenges that derive from the holistic nature of the SET Plan agenda and from current economic circumstances across the E.U. In this context, calls were made for a research and innovation agenda that is integrated across the research lifecycle. In facing those challenges, keynote speakers presented a consistent message that the Commission has a vital and multifaceted role to play:
• As a catalyst of action through its coordination and funding role
• As an agent that brings coherence, clarity and coordination to the research and innovation arena
• As an authority that builds confidence and competence institutionally and achieved commitment across all relevant actors to deliver on the vision.
THE CONFERENCE – CONCLUSIONS
The Dublin SET Plan Conference provided a forum and voice to the Member States to step up their commitment and implementation of the SET Plan vision and agenda. This message is about converting research policy and energy policy jointly from ideas into reality.
The key message involves the call for more integration across approaches, enhancing collaboration across suitable mechanisms that mobilise and amplify investment and commitment to maximise value and impact.
Potential Impact:
A dissemination report will be attached a s a pdf
List of Websites:
http://www.setplan2013.ie/(s’ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre)
EU SET-PLAN CONFERENCE, DUBLIN, 7-8 MAY 2013:
CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS
CONFERENCE OBSERVATIONS:
The conference emphasised how energy and innovation policies are rooted in security and climate concerns, competitive needs, enterprise opportunities and jobs. Today’s designs and technologies are not good enough and an accelerated innovation is essential for the transformation required. Key messages emphasised the need to accelerate this innovation in a smarter way.
The Conference indicated that a transformational journey is needed that emphasises the role and increased importance of coordination across the pan-European research organisations engaged within SET-Plan activities. Research Technology and Innovation can only be mobilised through a suite of instruments to stimulate and support the development of ideas to market. The SET-Plan Dublin conference was a significant milestone on the journey to making this happen.
Project Context and Objectives:
The objectives of this international “SET-Plan” Conference are:
· To bring together, in a forum comprising plenary and breakout sessions, those diverse mainstream audiences that will be directly responsible for accelerating the development and market roll-out of low carbon technologies across Europe.
· To support the audience in finding a shared view of the benefits, costs, interactions and other issues to be addressed across the “SET-Plan” implementation.
· To invite interaction from these audiences, and enable full consideration to be given, on issues and ideas that will best facilitate the effective implementation of the “SET-Plan”, consistent with its ultimate purpose.
Project Results:
THE CONFERENCE - MESSAGES AND CHALLENGES:
The SET-Plan Dublin Conference was the sixth EU SET Plan conference and presented a number of key messages and conclusions across the two days. There have been a number of SET Plan conferences since 2009, including Madrid, Brussels, and Warsaw.
Reflecting the status of this event, the Conference was addressed by the two EU Commissioners, for Energy and Research, Ireland’s Minister for Energy, as well as senior officials from EU and US jurisdictions. Topics discussed at this Dublin conference included mechanisms for funding and leveraging collaboration, status updates on the portfolio of technologies, and advancing the "European innovation area" and a new integrated roadmap for the SET Plan.
The Dublin SET Plan Conference offered a first opportunity to discuss the newly adopted Communication on Energy Technologies and Innovation, presented by Commissioner Oettinger. The Commissioner highlighted the Conference focus, namely how EU energy research and innovation is entering a new era where cooperation and interaction (and integration) between all actors will be key to success. The consequent panel discussions affirmed a common need for an Integrated Roadmap (by end 2013) that will include mapping the portfolio of technologies and measures, setting priorities and setting roles for the actors in the research, technology and innovation ecosystem. Such a roadmap will aim to ensure a strategic fit between all pieces of the energy research acceleration and deployment.
A key message in the Communication on Energy Technologies and Innovation highlighted the need to strengthen the SET Plan monitoring system and the delivery and impact of research, technological and innovation actions (growing from SETIS). This is a key ingredient is achieving an appropriate regime of monitoring and assessment across all stages of the research cycle to track performance, guide appropriate adaptation and maximise value for money.
Keynote speaker discussed the main purpose of the Dublin conference as to catalyse a co-ordinated portfolio of investment across EU Member States in the matrix of research, technology and innovation actions and associated collaborations necessary to maximise the competitive development, speed to market, and enterprise opportunities of new and improved energy technologies. The conference acted both as a barometer and a stimulant of progress along this development path and has given it a renewed impetus.
The Conference enabled the responsible community across EU Member States to further position and prepare for Horizon 2020 which is seeking to integrate the traditional RD&D instruments (FP) with dissemination, capacity building and deployment (IEE). This involves aligning and integrating the activation of the innovation chain with market conversion and uptake measures.
THE CONFERENCE - PRINCIPLES
A number of recurring principles resonated throughout the conference, especially calls for an integrated roadmap for the SET Plan. Principles included the call to accelerate and strengthen approaches to research deployment and delivery and the requirement for an integrated and systems approach to meeting societal challenges across energy.
The attendees called for enhanced coordination and alignment of the strands of energy research and innovation investment to ensure coherence across research initiatives and infrastructures. Keynote speakers stressed the importance of achieving research prioritisation while stressing the need for academic and industrial collaboration in achieving value of investment with an accompanied pooling of resources. Such collaboration as placed in the context of an overall research ecosystem where the complementary roles of industrial players and academic institutions could be stressed.
Engagement of stakeholders across the innovation chain where initiatives have high technological readiness was promoted. While stressing the call for close to market technological investment, the Conference also placed emphasis on a portfolio approach of energy technologies and their prioritisation and development.
THE CONFERENCE – STRESSING IMPLEMENTATION
Keynote speakers emphasised the importance of coordination and integration of resources across the SET Plan spectrum. For example, the Communication on Energy Technologies and Innovation called for an Action Plan (MS & EU, mid 2014) of public investment. The conference presented some successful examples of joint actions across Member States. This point was reiterated across Member State presentations where speakers called for complementary mechanisms and expressed a clear wish to continue on this collaborative path. The Dublin conference reflected a formidable challenge of prioritising various technologies, especially given a number of competing themes within the SET Plan.
THE CONFERENCE – FOCUS ON PRIORITISATION
The Conference provided a forum for a number of learned and experienced presentations on the policy, technology, training and financing challenges across the portfolio of energy technologies that are required to support the projects, people, infrastructure and networks required for energy research, technology and innovation acceleration.
Presenters provided a selection of examples from the large array of national and EU policy priorities and instruments while stressing a portfolio of competing technologies. A number of individual Member State strategies and roadmaps for individual technology sectors where presented that included technologies such as bioenergy, solar thermal, building efficiency and nuclear energy. A particular focus was on the energy efficiency technologies, including the challenge of addressing underrepresentation of efficiency within the SET Plan. The strengths of energy conservation and efficiency were cited through various Austrian case studies.
While accepting common challenges that affect all Member states, the various participants cited the diverse circumstances they experience within the EU in the context of the SET plan common principles and drivers. Notably, for innovative businesses in smaller Member States, collaboration with businesses in other EU countries was cited as being vital considering the small scale of the national market and research funding.
The Conference provided an opportunity for Individual Technology Platforms to present status reports and expectations for technologies and to present some models of cooperation in action. Presenters stressed the need to avoid competitive fragmentation and harness the collective intelligence and energy of different players. The increasing role of enabling (‘non energy’) technologies, including materials and ICT, was cited throughout the two days alongside calls for enhanced skills development and capacity buildings initiatives, such as KICs.
THE CONFERENCE – CALLING FOR SMART COLLABORATION & COMMERCIALSIATION
A key theme throughout the two day Conference was the call for smarter collaboration of actors and agencies to enable research cooperation and coordination enhancement. This message was reflected in keynotes from the Energy Industrial Initiatives, EERA , EUREKA and ERANet. In terms of commercialisation and scale deployment, the Dublin conference called for a setting of priorities and a mobilisation of investments in terms of achieving required levels of market impact across the full innovation chain. This calls for an appreciation of the market dynamics (character, readiness and appetite).
In stressing collaboration among actors, the participants recognised the challenges that derive from the holistic nature of the SET Plan agenda and from current economic circumstances across the E.U. In this context, calls were made for a research and innovation agenda that is integrated across the research lifecycle. In facing those challenges, keynote speakers presented a consistent message that the Commission has a vital and multifaceted role to play:
• As a catalyst of action through its coordination and funding role
• As an agent that brings coherence, clarity and coordination to the research and innovation arena
• As an authority that builds confidence and competence institutionally and achieved commitment across all relevant actors to deliver on the vision.
THE CONFERENCE – CONCLUSIONS
The Dublin SET Plan Conference provided a forum and voice to the Member States to step up their commitment and implementation of the SET Plan vision and agenda. This message is about converting research policy and energy policy jointly from ideas into reality.
The key message involves the call for more integration across approaches, enhancing collaboration across suitable mechanisms that mobilise and amplify investment and commitment to maximise value and impact.
Potential Impact:
A dissemination report will be attached a s a pdf
List of Websites:
http://www.setplan2013.ie/(s’ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre)
