ATELIER is a smart city project that demonstrates Positive Energy Districts (PEDs) within 8 European cities with sustainability and carbon neutrality as guiding ambitions. Amsterdam and Bilbao are the Lighthouse cities that will generate an energy surplus of 1340 MWh of primary energy, prevent 1,7 kt of CO2- and 23 t of NOx-emissions, and invest 156 mln Euros to realise their PEDs. Together with district users, ATELIER will showcase innovative solutions that integrate buildings with smart mobility and energy technologies to create a surplus of energy and balance the local energy system. Bratislava, Budapest, Copenhagen, Krakow, Matosinhos, and Riga are the Fellow cities that will replicate and adapt successful solutions. All cities will establish a local PED Innovation Atelier to co-produce locally embedded, smart urban solutions. In the ateliers, the local innovation ecosystem (authorities, industries, knowledge institutes, citizens) is strengthened, enhancing embeddedness and removing any obstacles (legal, financial, social, etc.) for implementation of the smart solutions. The Innovation Ateliers are designed to be self-sustaining and to live on after the project has ended. The ateliers are engines for upscaling solutions within the ATELIER-cities and replication to other EU-cities. ATELIER integrates a high degree of citizen engagement throughout the project, by actively involving local residents (>9000), local initiatives, and energy communities in activities to align technical solutions with citizens’ objectives and behaviour. Each of the cities will develop a City Vision 2050 that creates the roadmap for upscaling the solutions in the long term. ATELIER has the ambition to pave the way for “energy positive cities” in Europe. All ATELIER activities will be monitored (socially and technically), and lessons learned are systematically drawn and disseminated to relevant SET-plan groups, city networks, and innovation forums.

The immediate objective of project EDDIE is to develop a Blueprint Strategy for Digitalisation of Energy value chain (BSDE), based on sustainable cooperation (and partnership) among key stakeholders, matching current and future demand of skills, and the supply of best practices and courses from education/training providers. The design of such strategy must address long-term goals such as the efficient digitalisation of the European Energy Sector for innovation and competitivenes, the modernisation and flexibilisation of the training & education ecosystem, and -in general- the improvement of employability and sustainability (meaning green skills and circular economy) in the European context. Three Work Packages are devoted to management (including quality and dissemination): • WP1 Project Management • WP7 Dissemination, Exploitation and Policy recommendations • WP8 Monitoring and Evaluation The other five are directly involved in the contents, research and contributions of the project: • WP2 Identification of current and future skill needs in the Energy Sector • WP3 Stakeholder mapping and strategic network building • WP4 Assessment of policies and requirements for VET and beyond • WP5 Blueprint for the digitalisation and decarbonisation of the European Energy sector development • WP6 Blueprint: Roll out and action plan WP7 results are relevant both for the Consortium itself and for the overall goals of the project since they help building the stakeholders system and networking. The degrees of activity and media diversity are quite satisfactory during the first year of the project (including WEB page, blogs, social networks, interviews, events, and newsletters) The results from WP2 -this work package has already been completed- are critical for the digital skills analysis of the Sector, successfully addressing the needs (demand) the current training supply, and the skill gaps. The results are documents and tools (tailored surveys and analysis methods). WP3 is directly devoted to the stakeholders’ map, and it has not delivered formal results yet – although it is running on schedule. WP4 has produced -as expected- a first delivery, a comparative analysis of VET systems in five European countries, being VET one of the key topics of the SSA initiatives. WP5 is closely aligned with the BSDE design, and it has not delivered formal results yet – although it is running on schedule. It is currently at a brainstorming and speculative stage, consistent with an openminded, complex and ambitious approach. The results from WP1 and WP8 are only relevant for internal issues, and they have provided the project with good management and quality standards. Project implementation is well going along the schedule and with the defined scope. Management routines are running smoothly and efficiently. COVID 19 did not cause any significant impact, apart from impeding presential meetings that could help to enhance the institutional and personal relationship. Members have been fully committed in their assignments and resources dedication, with the only exception of a member (GE) leaving the Consortium by July and due to their own reorganization and new strategy definition. Since then, all the other members have filled out any gap due for GE (second half of the period). The Participation of the International Advisory Board as well as the Dissemination activities have shown an increasing degree of interest in EDDIE, fully aligned with the relevance of the Green Deal and Digital Europe programs very much highlighted in the Recovery Plans.