Bach, Brigitte

Firenze University Press: E-Journals

9 TECHNE Special Issue 01 | 2018 
9
THE ROLE OF THE EERA JOINT PROGRAMME 
SMART CITIES IN EUROPEAN ENERGY RESEARCH
Brigitte Bach, 
European Energy Research Alliance Executive Committee vice-chair
In 2018 the European Energy Research Alliance (EERA) celebrates 
its 10th anniversary. Founded with the aim to accelerate the devel-
opment of innovative energy technologies and to pave the way to-
wards a low-carbon Europe, this strong alliance of European public 
research centres and universities has developed from originally ten 
organisations to over 200 members across 30 countries. It forms 
the research pillar of the European Strategic Energy Technology 
Plan (SET-Plan), which is designed to develop the technologies 
required to meet Europe’s targets on greenhouse gas emissions, 
renewable energy and energy efficiency over the coming decades. 
Building on national research initiatives, EERA has since launched 
17 Joint Programmes enabling research organisations from differ-
ent European countries to work together on shared priorities and 
research projects in fields ranging from wind and solar energy to 
smart grids and smart cities.
Smart Cities and communities play a prominent part in the SET 
Plan as fundamental building blocks of tomorrow’s low-carbon en-
ergy system. The two most pressing challenges in this respect are 
urbanisation and climate change. Today, more people worldwide 
live in cities than in rural areas and around 75% of all energy is con-
sumed in and around cities. This concentration together with the 
characteristics of urban morphology give cities enormous leverage 
in increasing energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emis-
sions. However, transforming cities into sustainable cities using in-
novative technology and integrated approaches requires concerted 
research efforts and innovation. EERA therefore launched the Joint 
Programme (JP) on Smart Cities in 2011 headed by AIT (Austrian 
Institute of Technology) to foster scientific collaboration in this 
field with the aim to create sustainable and energy-efficient cities, 
enhance research expertise, promote collaboration for a low-carbon 
Europe and secure European leadership in Smart Cities research. 
The EERA JP on Smart Cities has made valuable contributions to 
the development of this important topic at the European level. It 
has forged strong networks and is actively involved in the SET Plan 
Temporary Working Group 3.2 “Smart Cities and Communites” 
and in the European Innovation Partnership on Smart Cities and 
Communities. It will also present its results at the SET Plan Con-
ference 2018, which is due to be held in November in Vienna and 
contributes relevant ideas and feedback to the upcoming Frame-
work Programme 9 for the period 2021 to 2027.
These networking activities are complemented by joint research in 
integrated energy planning, thermal and electrical networks, sus-
tainable interactive buildings and renewable supply technologies. 
This peer-reviewed special issue on “European Pathways to Smart 
Cities” takes stock of the comprehensive research carried out over 
the past years. The EERA Executive Committee welcomes this ini-
tiative, which provides an impressive overview of the state of the 
art in European Smart City research aimed at supporting European 
cities in their urban transformation.
STARTING SESSION
ISSN online: 2239-0243 | © 2018 Firenze University Press | http://www.fupress.com/techne
DOI: 10.13128/Techne-23563


The role of the EERA Joint Programme Smart Cities in European Energy Research

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