WELLBASED has made substantial progress beyond the state of the art by addressing a critical knowledge gap: the intersection of energy poverty and health. The project has explored the potential of targeted interventions in energy-poor households to improve health outcomes—an area that has received limited attention in previous EU projects. By integrating policy, technical, and social dimensions, WELLBASED contributes a novel and interdisciplinary perspective that lays the groundwork for future research and action in this field. Our policy work (D5.5 and the 7 Policy Briefs), solution catalogue (D5.2) and financial models (D5.1) offer replicable, scalable pathways for future implementation and policy action across the EU.
During the project, we organised multiple high-impact events, both online (capacity-building webinars, End of Energy Poverty! Forum sessions, replication-focused workshops, etc.) and in-person (Right to Energy Forum! in Brussels, WELLBASED Final Event, Urban Health Cluster Final Event). These served to disseminate findings, engage policymakers, and strengthen stakeholder networks. The WELLBASED Manifesto campaign, with 13 city signatories and growing interest from others such as Barcelona, reflects strong municipal commitment to the project's vision.
All pilot cities hosted hackathons that engaged local communities, universities, and start-ups to co-create solutions. Additional final events were held locally to celebrate pilot achievements and foster lasting community engagement. We also participated in around 30 conferences and events, reinforcing the project's reach across scientific, political, and civil society audiences.
Extensive dissemination through our website, social media, podcasts, and press has increased visibility and uptake. As a result, WELLBASED has:
- Positioned itself as a leading EU initiative at the intersection of health and energy poverty;
- Informed and influenced policy and research communities;
- Contributed to public awareness of the Right to Energy and Right to Health as interconnected issues.
Even after the official end of the project, dissemination continues—e.g. in the COST Action General Assembly or Right to Energy Coalition meeting. Equally, our outputs remain accessible and are being used by multipliers.
Key impacts are already emerging, as actors from both the health and energy sectors begin to engage more closely around shared challenges. Health-focused stakeholders are increasingly contributing to discussions on energy poverty, while institutions and advocacy networks traditionally focused on energy policy are expressing interest in deeper collaboration with health counterparts. These developments signal early but meaningful shifts toward greater cross-sectoral alignment and policy integration.
Looking forward, partners are exploring individual exploitation roadmaps (D6.3) to sustain impact: some pilot interventions have been scaled-up and incorporated as a long-term projects (e.g. Citizen school for the Right to Energy led by the Energy Office of Valencia), further development of hackathon-generated solutions tailored for scale, or potential synergies are emerging such as collaboration on integrated data spaces. These efforts are expected to reinforce WELLBASED's legacy by bridging innovation with real-world application and deepening socio-economic and health equity across Europe.
