ESEIA

Collaboration, innovation, and knowledge exchange were at the heart of the latest ESEIA - European Sustainable Energy Innovation Alliance Working Group Meeting, on 29 May 2026. ↓

A highlight of the meeting was the presentation by Fabio Maria Montagnino, Coordinator of the ESEIA WG Education and Training, The Cyprus Institute, CY, who shared insights into the role of nano-enabled building materials in supporting Europe's green and human-centred transition.

💡 The meeting also featured an overview of upcoming European research and innovation funding opportunities related to energy systems, regional energy integration, and clean energy solutions for the built environment, providing members with valuable insights into potential areas for future collaboration and project development.

A sincere thank you to all members who participated and contributed to the discussion.

📅 Save the date: The next ESEIA Working Group Meeting will take place on 26 June 2026 at 11:00 CET. | Contact: [email protected]

Learn more: https://eseia.eu/news/eseia-working-group-meeting-highlights-innovation-in-sustainable-energy-and-the-built-environment/

Next week, ESEIA - European Sustainable Energy Innovation Alliance takes the floor in Brussels, at Unite! Widening Conference, 17-18 June 2026.

ESEIA - European Sustainable Energy Innovation Alliance Director and Member of the Governing Council Brigitte Hasewend will speak in the session "Bridging the Gap: Academic and Policy Insights into European Research Integration" at the UNITE! Widening Brussels Conference 2026, on 17 June at 15.30, alongside:

▸ João Coroado, President of the Instituto Politécnico de Tomar and President of the KreativEU - European University Alliance.

▸ Peter Hošták, PhD, Leader of the research management team at FunGlass - Centre for Functional and Surface Functionalized Glass, coordinating the GlaCerHub Excellence Hub.

▸ Natalya Shakhovska, Rector of Lviv Polytechnic National University


Through individual presentations followed by an interactive Q&A session, the speakers will share experiences and perspectives on research and innovation collaboration across and Non-Widening countries, offering both academic and policy insights into Europe’s shared challenges, opportunities, and ambitions.

👉 Find out more about the session and the conference programme: https://eseia.eu/news/eseia-contributes-to-the-unite-widening-conference-in-brussels-17-18-june-2026/

📍 Attending the conference? Let's meet in Brussels — reach out or drop a comment below.

Registration still open: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeBviZJHUSbZjZHkZu3tyQdBRN-mcuBhQumSUU_rP606Xr_PA/viewform

The EMERGE EU Project is entering one of its most active phases. 🌍 As a consortium partner leading communication and stakeholder engagement, ESEIA - European Sustainable Energy Innovation Alliance is proud to support the dialogue, collaboration, and knowledge exchange driving sustainable energy transitions across .

📍 Policy Labs | May–June 2026
Bringing together policymakers, researchers, energy experts, and civil society representatives from Africa and Europe to discuss local energy challenges and explore practical solutions supported by the EMERGE tools.

💡 EMERGE Hackathon Series
Mini-Hackathons are taking place across all three pilot regions, leading to the Final Hackathon in Maputo, Mozambique (October 2026), co-organised by ESEIA, AfriLabs, and Universidade Eduardo Mondlane.

Tomorrow: 3rd EMERGE Co-design Workshop
📅 3 June 2026 | 💻 Online | Hosted by Universidade Eduardo Mondlane (UEM), Mozambique. Join the workshop online: https://zoom.us/j/94930325533?pwd=HTcs1Xb8itiV6PBnKjkA9ec1ffTSHn.1

The workshop provides a collaborative space where experts, stakeholders, and decision-makers can validate approaches, exchange feedback, and ensure project outcomes respond to local realities and implementation needs.

👉 Events & Registration: emerge4green-africa.eu/events

👉 Learn more about EMERGE: https://eseia.eu/ongoing-projects/emerge/

ESEIA - European Sustainable Energy Innovation Alliance CARTIF ECOWAS Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE) Artelys CIRCE - Centro Tecnológico University of Zagreb, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture AfriLabs Université Mohammed Premier Oujda Eduardo Mondlane University brainit Engreen

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞?
Join us and explore what's possible at the 18th ESEIA Lecture Series: Adaptive Reuse of Buildings and Urban Spaces

📅 11 June 2026 | 19:00 – 21:00 CET | Online
Register now: https://www.cognitoforms.com/Eseia1/ESEIALectureSeries18thLecture

Adaptive reuse is redefining how European cities meet climate targets transforming existing buildings and underused urban spaces into new ecological, social, and architectural value, while reducing demolition waste and embodied carbon.
This lecture explores both the opportunities and limitations of adaptive reuse, framed through the values of the New European Bauhaus: sustainability, inclusiveness, and beauty.

𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫𝐬:

✔️ Laura Aelenei, Head of the Research Area Energy in the Built Environment, LNEG, Portugal — Invited Lecture
✔️ Eva Schwab, TU Graz, Austria — 1st Response
✔️ Urs Hirschberg, TU Graz, Austria — Chair & Host

Co-organised by ESEIA - European Sustainable Energy Innovation Alliance and Technische Universität Graz. For students, participation can also be recognised through ECTS credits — learn more about Academic Recognition (ECTS Credits): https://eseia.eu/academic-recognition-ects-credits/

👉 Learn more about the 18th ESEIA Lecture Series: Adaptive Reuse of Buildings and Urban Spaces: https://eseia.eu/news/announcing-the-18th-eseia-lecture-series-adaptive-reuse-of-buildings-and-urban-spaces/

Check out our upcoming events in 2026 and book your calendar: https://eseia.eu/education-and-training-running-courses/

If you could bring one R&I question on sustainable energy into a room with 350+ energy experts, what would it be? 👇

‘We have reshaped the format of our ESEIA Working Group meetings to make them even more valuable for our members and experts.’ - ESEIA Director Brigitte Hasewend

Each session will now be structured in two parts:

1. A deep dive into a specific Research & Innovation topic, with space for real exchange and new ideas.
2. A quick overview of ongoing ESEIA initiatives, keeping everyone connected across active projects and proposals.

With 350+ experts across 5 Working Groups and 7 Focus Groups, these meetings are where Horizon Europe proposals take shape and collaborations are born. 👉 Learn more about ESEIA Working Groups: https://eseia.eu/expertise/working-groups/

Already a member? Log in to MY ESEIA to confirm your participation.
Not yet a member? Join ESEIA and become part of Europe's sustainable energy innovation community.

♻️ The circular economy sits at the core of Europe’s sustainability transition, but what drives companies to act?

In the most recent edition of the series, we feature research from Rupert J. Baumgartner, Professor for Sustainability Management, Department of Environmental Systems Sciences (ESS), Technische Universität Graz, AT, offering a clear framework:

“Basically, we see three different motivations for companies to do something for sustainability and for circularity. One is legal pressure, European initiatives like the Green Deal or the circular economy package are forcing companies to a minimum level. Then we see opportunistic companies: if you do it in the right way you can have better value creation, you can be better off economically. And there are companies, the minority, with intrinsic motivation: they want to contribute to a better world, they want to solve the sustainability crisis we observe currently.” — Rupert J. Baumgartner

💡 The key takeaway: circularity is not automatic. Understanding these drivers is essential to shaping effective policies, business models, and partnerships.

This conversation is featured in the latest series, our editorial space for the perspectives, research and projects shaping the energy transition.

📖 Read the full feature:
https://eseia.eu/news/from-compliance-to-conviction-what-drives-companies-toward-a-circular-economy/

📬 Check your inbox; ESEIA Spring Newsletter 2026 out now: https://eseia.eu/news/eseia-spring-newsletter-2026-is-out/

📰ESEIA 33rd General Assembly Highlights

On 16 April 2026, ESEIA held its 33rd General Assembly, bringing together members from across Europe for a day of review, dialogue, and strategic alignment. 🔽

A key highlight of this edition was the invited intervention from Ágota Dávid, European Commission, DG Research & Innovation, who shared insights on the Western Balkans R&I Strategy highlighting the region’s growing role within Horizon Europe and the importance of strengthening innovation ecosystems and cooperation across Europe.

Key topics discussed:

✅ Adoption of the ESEIA Annual Report 2025: https://heyzine.com/flip-book/62661f92ed.html /1

✅ Progress across ESEIA Working Groups and running EU projects: ToFuel Project, INITIATE HORIZON EUROPE PROJECT, EMERGE EU Project: https://eseia.eu/expertise/ongoing-projects/

✅ Outlook towards upcoming milestones, including the upcoming ESEIA International Conference 2026: https://eseia.eu/education-and-training-eseia-conference/

🔽 Next stop: 34th ESEIA General Assembly, back-to-back with the 7th ESEIA International Conference
📅 23 November 2026 | Lisbon| Registration: https://7eseiaconference.lneg.pt/

A big thank you to all members and contributors for their continued engagement and commitment to advancing sustainable energy innovation in Europe. Learn more: https://eseia.eu/news/eseia-holds-its-33rd-general-assembly-meeting-2/

📢 Just one week to go until the 17th ESEIA Lecture: Jobs for the Green Transformation. Join us on 23 April 2026 for this timely discussion, co-organised by ESEIA - European Sustainable Energy Innovation Alliance and Technische Universität Graz, with the support of the INITIATE HORIZON EUROPE PROJECT and sister projects.

📅 23 April 2026 📍 Online event
🔗 Registration: https://www.cognitoforms.com/Eseia1/ESEIALectureSeries17thLecture

We are pleased to welcome an outstanding panel of speakers:

🔵 Invited Lecture: Davide Villani, Joint Research Centre, European Commission, BE
As a Researcher at the JRC’s Centre for Advanced Studies, Davide Villani works across macroeconomics, labour relations, international economics, and corporate finance. He brings a rigorous analytical perspective to one of the key questions of the green transition: how do we measure the jobs it creates?

🔵 1st Response: Reinhard Nöbauer, Austrian Ministry of Education, AT
A Senior Expert for International Co-operation in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), Reinhard Nöbauer brings decades of experience in dual training and TVET system development across four continents, offering valuable insight into how vocational education is responding to the green transformation.

🔵 2nd Response: Fabio Maria Montagnino, The Cyprus Institute, CY
Head of Innovation and Entrepreneurship at The Cyprus Institute, Fabio Maria Montagnino has spent around thirty years fostering open and impactful innovation ecosystems across Europe and the Mediterranean. He will share his perspective on the role of entrepreneurship education in advancing the green transition.

Chair: Kienberger Marlene, Technische Universität Graz, AT
Host: Brigitte Hasewend, ESEIA Director, Technische Universität Graz, AT

🎓 For TU Graz students, participation can also be recognised through ECTS credits https://eseia.eu/academic-recognition-ects-credits/

👉 Learn more about the 17th ESEIA Lecture Series: https://eseia.eu/education-and-training-eseia-lecture-series/