Course: DISCOVER the PROJECT - Synergies and collaboration for a sustainable future

DISCOVER motto: "let's not reinvent the wheel"

The DISCOVER team is currently focusing on completing the work package aimed at preparing the CEP (Community Energy Projects) phase. The current goal is to connect with other European projects, known as "sister projects," to establish stimulating connections and fruitful synergies.

This activity is strongly encouraged by the European Commission, which recognizes the need to utilize existing resources. Adopting this approach avoids wasting funds and energy on producing tools that already exist and are often available in the toolbox section of the Energy Community Repository. Another important goal of the Commission is to prevent excessive overlap between initiatives, which could lead to unnecessary competition between projects. The overall idea is to not "reinvent the wheel", but to connect and strengthen what is already out there, the "old" tools, plus the New and Advanced Services that the project itself is going to create and deliver.

The DISCOVER team is progressing with deliverables D2.1 and D2.2 to identify as many European and national initiatives dedicated to the development and support of CER as possible. Partners are tasked with researching projects developed in their respective territories, with the exception of AISFOR, which conducts research at the European level. Specifically, the first document gathers information about the project, describing its purpose, target audience, main tools provided, as well as useful contacts and links. However, many projects are still in the early stages and have not yet produced concrete results, while others already have a wealth of material available. The second deliverable focuses on a detailed analysis of these tools, seeking possible points of contact for future collaborations.

The Sister Projects

Several interviews have been conducted with sister projects, such as BECKON, COMANAGE, LIFELOOP, and webinars have been attended, such as the CITIZEN LED RENOVATION initiative. The interest from DISCOVER has been warmly received by other teams, as the importance of understanding the landscape of European projects under development and creating synergies between similar initiatives is recognized. Indeed, all interviews concluded with the exchange of valuable information, results, and contacts.

Another significant success was achieved on Friday, May 17, when a meeting was held with some projects from the LIFE 2022 program, including EC4RURAL, POWER-E-COM, ENCOM HUB, and DISCOVER itself, moderated by Cinzia Morisco, an expert in European funding for research and innovation at the Bruno Kessler Foundation. The common goal was to identify areas of interest for cooperation, recognized in the sharing of produced tools, planned events, and adopted communication schemes. This approach allows the utilization of existing services or those in development, enriching and adapting them to various contexts, and focusing energies on creating events with greater resonance and involvement of a larger number of stakeholders. To achieve this, shared workspaces will be established, and new dedicated meetings will be scheduled.

The meeting on Friday was particularly productive, laying the groundwork for concrete collaboration. The experiences and expertise of individual projects will be networked for coordinated planning and working together towards a more sustainable future.

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