All news
EUA contribution to New Energy strategy for Europe 2011-2020
EUA has submitted on behalf of its members a written contribution to the European Commission’s public consultation: ‘Towards a new Energy Strategy for Europe 2011-2020’.
EUA holds the firm view that Europe’s universities should have a recognised and distinct role to play in the forthcoming new EU Energy Strategy. University research and training environments foster innovation with their potential for interdisciplinary approaches, particularly through collaborative research projects with external industry partners. Europe’s universities have the capacity both to develop new skills by providing specialised education that encourages entrepreneurial skills and approaches to the development of new energy technologies and markets, and to conduct “frontier” basic research addressing long-term 2050 energy perspectives.
To strengthen the position of European universities in EU energy research, the European University Association (EUA) is establishing the European Platform of Universities engaged in Energy Research (EPUE) that will provide a strong voice for universities in EU energy research, particularly in the SET‐Plan context. The EPUE also seeks to ensure that characteristic university attributes such as fundamental research and training are properly included in EU energy activities and to facilitate competitive European university groupings to participate in the realisation of the SET‐Plan, in particular through the European Energy Research Alliance (EERA); and to link more strongly the various disciplines ranging from natural sciences, engineering to social sciences and arts/humanities to best fulfill the needs of society in energy research. At present, over 130 European universities have joined the European Platform and its membership remains open to universities with research and training capacities in energy fields.
The European Commission’s Directorate General of Energy has indicated that views submitted to the consultation will feed into the preparation of a new Energy Strategy that the Commission aims to adopt early next year.
Download the EUA contribution here. To find out more or join the European Platform of Universities engaged in Energy Research (EPUE) please email: EPUE.platform@eua.be