HeatInvest focuses on accelerating the deployment of heat pumps and geothermal applications in less developed regions, enabling pertinent value chain actors to pursue investment collaborations within their territorial value chains and to develop synergies with actors from business ecosystems with higher innovation performance.
Background
EU-27 countries have adopted the objective to decarbonise Heating and Cooling (H&C) applications, responsible for almost half of total energy consumption, as a necessary condition for reaching climate neutrality by 2050.
Heat pumps and geothermal energy technologies have been identified as optimal clean alternatives for H&C, combining significantly lower carbon emissions and a reduced need for energy imports. Large-scale uptake of these technologies is a necessary condition for the EU bloc to reach climate neutrality; this requires a massive investment wave but also constitutes a tremendous opportunity for the EU heat pumps and geothermal value chains, enhancing industrial competitiveness and employment, and reducing at the same time regional disparities.
Objectives
The core HeatInvest objective is to build the capacities of innovation actors from regions that face substantial, chronic or structural obstacles to secure balanced participation in EU value chains and interregional innovation partnerships. These actors – especially members of emerging clusters and business associations active in the sector of heat pumps and geothermal energy applications in less developed regions, as well as public authorities – will be supported to participate in business innovation ecosystems and pursue investment and collaboration opportunities with mature value chains from more advanced regions. HeatInvest’s core objective will be reached through the attainment of three project specific objectives:
1. Strengthen the investment and business planning capacities of regional value chain actors, accelerating ecosystem development and facilitating access to markets.
2. Improve regional policy frameworks to create enabling environments for innovative investments, fostering collaborations among policy actors and stakeholders.
3. Scale-up research, investment and business synergies within regional and interregional value chains.
Activities
In order to effectively achieve the project’s objectives and ensure their long-term impact, it is essential to implement a coherent set of well-structured and strategically designed activities. These activities translate the project’s goals into concrete actions, fostering measurable results and sustainable outcomes.
- Living labs, seminars and matchmaking events that will strengthen the investment and business planning capacities of regional value chain actors, facilitating their access to local and EU-wide markets.
- Study visits, virtual tours and demonstration days to support knowledge transfer and create new interregional collaboration opportunities.
- Workshops, surveys, online databases and action plans that will enhance market understanding and inform territorial policies related to innovation and Smart Specialisation (S3).
Work Packages
WP1: Project Management and Communication
Work Package 1 (WP1) aims to oversee and synchronise the tasks and timelines of all partners to ensure the project progresses smoothly in accordance with quality criteria, meets its milestones and achieves the specified KPIs.
In addition this Work Package facilitates seamless information flow among all partners and effectively disseminate project results to stakeholders and target groups from the quadruple helix, focusing on established and prospective innovation actors in the heat pumps and geothermal applications value chains.
Deliverables:
D1.1 Progress Reports
D1.2 Report on Internal Reforms
D1.3 Communication and Dissemination Plan
WP2: Enhancing Regional and Interregional Synergies
Work Package 2 (WP2) focuses on facilitating and promoting synergies within both regional and interregional value chains. Ecosystem mapping and benchmarking activities, which constitute a prerequisite for strengthening ecosystems, represent an important part of this WP; equally important are a series of knowledge transfer activities, including visits to actors from more developed regions.
Deliverables:
D2.1 Innovation Mapping and Assessment Report
D2.2 Market Analysis
D2.3 Onsite and Virtual Study Visits on Technology and Business Models Innovations
D2.4 Interregional Demonstration Day
D2.5 Skills Requirement Analysis with Development Strategies and Recommendations for Collaborative Training Programmes
WP3: Fostering Business Planning and Investment Development
Work Package 3 (WP3) primarily serves the achievement of the following project-specific objective:
Strengthen the investment and business planning capacities of regional value chain actors, accelerating ecosystem development and facilitating access to markets. In addition, this WP will facilitate through different channels the encounters and interactions among previously unconnected actors in regional ecosystems, to enable the upscale of innovation solutions and the planning of joint investments.
Deliverables:
D3.1 Funding Database
D3.2 Exploitation Plan
D3.3 Seminar Sessions
D3.4 Online Living Labs
D3.5 Intercompany Exchanges – Matchmaking Events
WP4: Enabling Policy Actors to Better Support Innovation Actions
Work Package 4 (WP4) concentrates on improving regional S3 frameworks, as well as other complementary policies that support innovation activities, through visits, workshops and joint assessments, culminating in comprehensive action plans, to be implemented in each HeatInvest regional ecosystem by economic and policy innovation actors.
Deliverables:
D4.1 Study Visit and Workshop on S3 Policies
D4.2 Policy Guidebook to Support Innovation
D4.3 Action Plans