The purpose of EERA is to strengthen and expand Europe’s capabilities in sustainable energy research by connecting and joining European energy research activities. EERA’s efforts take place in the context of and contribute to the targets formulated in the Strategic Energy Technology (SET) Plan. The core activity of EERA is the operation of the EERA Joint Programmes. EERA currently runs 17 Joint Programmes. The EERA Joint Programmes are strategic platforms for cooperation and joint programming between major research organisations on common research agendas. Active in diverse areas such as wind energy, smart grids, advanced materials and energy storage, the Joint Programmes represent today an important part of Europe’s energy research backbone. Through the Joint Programmes, EERA support Member States in their efforts to coordinate their long-term energy research activities. Serving as the research arm of the SET-Plan, the EERA Joint Programmes are developing into a sort of “Virtual European Institute on Energy Research”, working in open collaboration with innovation and industrial initiatives and stakeholders. In order to provide support to the different EERA bodies (Executive Committee, Joint Programmes) and ensure efficient operations, the EERA Secretariat was established in 2010. The main objective of the EERA Secretariat is to support EERA as key actor in the implementation of the integrated SET Plan by: • Accelerated EU delivering on the SET-Plan priorities • Ensure a more transparent and better functioning EERA • Strengthen EERA structuring effects on the energy research community

The SUPEERA project supports the implementation of the SET-Plan. Since the SET-Plan does not yet have a mechanism for using cross-cutting research capacities or pooling interdisciplinary activities, SUPEERA will improve the exchange of information between the Implementation Working Groups and make recommendations for joint actions. SUPEERA will also help to accelerate the uptake of new technologies by industry and to examine the impact of EU policies in the view of bringing the SET-Plan forward in the broader context of the Clean Energy Transition.

The CSA Strategic Energy Technology for Industry in Europe (SET-IndEU) is responding to the call HORIZON-CL5-2022-D4-02-06, to propose a structured Secretariat for supporting and strengthening the activities and outcomes of the IWG6 on Energy Efficiency in Industry. The consortium will support the IWG6 to advance the monitoring and revision of the Action 6 Implementation Plan (IP) with the aim of reaching technology targets collectively across SET Plan countries making EU industry less energy, resource and emissions intensive and more competitive. For that purpose, the future needs of the process industry, the R&I targets, and the emerging policy priorities will all be taken into consideration by engaging the IWG6 stakeholders in key activities with industrial and research associations and fora, specifically strengthening the relations, dialogue and exchange with the other SET Plan IWGs and the ETIPs.

SmILES zooms in simulation and optimisation of smart storage in local energy systems for increasing the understanding and transparency of innovative multi-energy projects. Setting up a shared data and information platform and effective dissemination of related results will contribute to competence building. The objective is to obtain fundamental knowledge about linking and optimising heterogeneous energy carriers and systems including storage and renewable energy technologies from local to national level. Furthermore guidelines for modelling and optimising such systems on European level are developed. These guidelines are derived from knowledge of different energy system configurations (SC), which combine heat and electrical power with storage. The SCs are selected to favour a high relevance for replication throughout Europe including e.g. urban quarters, rural township or industrial environment. This requires the development of a harmonised rich format describing hybrid energy systems and study cases for various scenarios. Different technologies are used to exchange models, allow cross-checks and validate results of simulation and optimisation. A catalogue of best practices of modelling, operating and integrating multi-energy systems is compiled and intended to serve as guideline for stakeholders. Key success factors and barriers from a socio-technical point of view are identified aiming at the reduction of technological gaps and successful implementation of best practices in a socio-economic context. Thus, SmILES will proof the benefit of a hybrid combined heat- and electrical power systems with storage capabilities and deploy the added value of storage integration in future energy systems. Supplementing the research activities, a long-lasting framework across EERA JP borders is set up by the consortium for extending storage integration technologies by linking other EERA members, stakeholders, energy supplier and industry.

The SETWind project supports the implementation of the SET-Plan Implementation Plan for Offshore Wind. The proposal has been developed in consultation with the Temporary Working group that authored the Implementation Plan and key stakeholder organisations including ETIPWIND, WindEurope, the EERA Joint Programme for Wind Energy, the IEA Wind TCP and the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre in Petten. The SETWind project will update and work with the Implementation Plan to maintain it as a dynamic reference point for offshore wind energy research and innovation; it will monitor and report on progress towards the Implementation Plan targets of 1090 million € to be invested in R&I in the offshore sector until 2030; it will strengthen policy coordination in European offshore wind energy R&I policy by supporting the work of the SET-Plan Implementation Group for Offshore Wind; and it will facilitate a breakthrough in the coordination across borders of nationally funded R&I projects. The SETWind project will be run in the same spirit as it was developed: as a collaborative efforts bringing in European and international stakeholders to translate the Implementation Plan into a living document by updating the research and innovation priorities and implementing these together with relevant stakeholders through nationally funded projects coordinated across borders.