City Hungary 2013 Forum on sustainability – The state of play in Hungary

Although the discussion on sustainability has started more than 50 years ago, there is arguably a lot left to be discovered in terms of what the concept means and how it could best be integrated into our daily lives, both nationally and globally. So it is in the context of constantly discovering the semantics of sustainability that I find networking conferences to be extremely useful in convincing the research community to find a common language, collaborate and inform themselves on what is available for them in terms of legislation, funding and political will.

 

 The City Hungary Conference which took place on 29^th October 2013 was a good opportunity to see how the concept of sustainability is integrated in the Hungarian discourse and plans for urban development, especially given that I am mostly involved in EU-funded projects. With the aim to follow the EU’s plans for 2020, but also as a means of keeping track of what is happening in the country, the conference brought together several companies, members of the political environment and, of course, researchers such as myself.

To begin with, I liked the setting of the conference and its overall organisation. The decision to go for a big, old retrofitted industrial building in Buda was extremely appropriate for an event which aimed to include so much. In terms of the event itself, there were some interesting discussions and speeches.

One of the presentations which I personally thought to be of use for those in my position came from  Katalin Szili, member of the Hungarian parliament. As chair of the Committee on Sustainable Development, Ms. Szili gave a good overview of how the Committee sees and acts towards sustainability, as well as how this is represented in the legislation process, for instance. On this occasion I learned that, this year, the Hungarian Parliament accepted the National Sustainable Development Strategy, which will be valid until 2014. This measure will have a visible impact on future legislative procedure at local, regional and national level. My belief is that researchers need to pay good attention to what politicians say because it is them really who decide how and when to implement the EU’s general recommendations with regards to sustainability research.

Another interesting point for me was a presentation from a Hungarian ESCO, a company dealing with financial services for energy-related projects. As a business-minded project developer, it was great to hear that, for the 2014-2020 period, there will be three times more money for energy efficiency and renewable energy projects than it was for 2007-2013. In figures, the Hungarian government will provide 800 billion Forints in the next years. This type of information is vital for researchers. Basically, the main point is that if we know what budget to expect in Hungary for the type of activities which some of us are involved in, then we will be able to manage the projects efficiently and without unpleasant surprises, as we would have an approximate estimate of the time and effort which are to be invested.

                                                                                     

From my observations throughout the entire event, the projects which got the most visitors to their stands were those which had a strong visual presence. I envied a stand that brought a machine which saves energy so that participants could test it for themselves. In terms of socialising with the rest of the participants, again, it was interesting to see what other are working on. For instance, it was useful to exchange views with representatives of the industry, particularly big companies which can do large-scale replicas of the projects I am working on. However, this forum was focused to showcase most of the aspect of the sustainable development aspects in urban environment. Thus it was evidently hard to find a common ground, a focused topic, as well as to easily identify among the audience those we could get in touch with for effective talks concerning ICT and urban-building master planning.

What is always important to remember is that scientists need to find a common language when they talk to the rest of the world. First, they need to find the appropriate “audience” and the right way they give their talks. We may be doing something interesting, but that something needs to be explained in easier terms. Secondly, from a technical point of view, there are always more possibilities of doing one thing, so we as researchers can go into so many directions, not knowing what else is happening in some other project’s back yard, nor in the parliament’s for that matter. So, given the need for a transparent flow of information between all parties involved, not to mention a clear direction for state of the art research, conferences like the City Hungary one represent a good opportunity to exchange views and learn from each other.

by Peter Gyuris

International Learning Network (ILN) Workshop in Budapest – EU aspires to innovation through international cooperation

Representatives from the European Commission and coordinators of EU-funded research cooperation projects targeting various geographical areas worldwide met in Budapest, Hungary to promote synergies among the projects and facilitate dialogue between the projects’ consortia and the European Commission. In light of the approaching first call for proposals under Horizon 2020, the EU’s new research and innovation framework programme for the next seven years, those present at the Hungaria Conference Hall of Continental Zara Hotel had the chance to exchange opinions on the work that has been carried out under the soon-to-end FP7 and prepare a strategy to increase cooperation between existing and future EU initiatives.

Opening the workshop, Ms. Elisabeth Lipiatou, Head of Unit at European Commission’s DG Research and Innovation, highlighted the double significance of this year’s ILN meeting.

“This 8^th ILN workshop is a great opportunity for the Commission to meet with coordinators and researchers in the hope that we can all learn from each other. Secondly, we are now less than two months away from the beginning of Horizon 2020.”

 

Quantifying the achievements

The 8^th International Learning Network Workshop was dedicated to the idea of fostering innovation through stimulating international cooperation, and was divided into four parts – EU tools to support cooperation, Perspectives from stakeholders, three parallel sessions focusing on activities in neighbourhood, developing and industrialised countries, and conclusions.

With the aim to give examples of what is currently available on EU and national level in terms of cooperation, the first session introduced the work of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) together with those of the Hungarian Investment and Trade Agency (HITA).

“What we want to achieve now is a culture based on entrepreneurial spirit and cooperation” said Mathea Fammels, Head of the Policy and Communication Unit at the EIT. By referring to the EU’s knowledge triangle, Fammels praised the work of the Institute’s operational basis – the Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs) – and called for more such autonomous networks which bring bright researchers and students together. For the national level perspective, Monika Aliz Meszaros from HITA introduced the activities undertaken to support Hungarian SMEs in forming international partnerships.

Explaining the vision of the EU in terms of innovation, Lipiatou stressed the importance of supporting SMEs and more marketable results. It is then expected that the new mechanism, which is based on three pillars – Excellent science, Industrial leadership and Societal Challenges – will rely on cross-cutting activities and the creation of synergies between organizations.

A new approach

Next to the Commission and coordinators, the panel dedicated to setting up international innovation partnerships also introduced the perspectives from other stakeholders, such as the World Bank Institute and various European networks. In terms of establishing partnerships, the opinions were unanimous in the belief that the EU needs a new approach outside its borders.

“The world is in the middle of a change and the traditional north-south paradigm on information flow is now outdated” said Ilari Lindy from the World Bank Institute. “The solution to productive cooperation lies now on listening to and inclusion of local stakeholders”.

On the same note, Jarmo Eskelinen, CEO of Forum Virium Helsinki, stated that Europe needs to reassess itself in relation to other geographical areas. “Europe will never grow to what it was in the past”. Eskelinen then emphasized the potential of business done by and for the people. “Let’s look at cities as living organisms which can adapt and find solutions to their problems”. Giving the example of various apps developed by Nordic entrepreneurs but replicated in highly-populated southern metropolises, Eskelinen showed how business models which rely on content provided by citizens represent a viable form of international cooperation.

 

Bringing innovation to the market

Despite the differences between the three categories of countries included in the parallel sessions, the rapporteurs for each group submitted similar results. On behalf of the coordinators attending the workshop, the key concerns expressed referred to the continuation of existing EU initiatives – such as ERA-WIDE and INCONET – and training of researchers so as to be able to attract non-EU sources of funding.

Alberto Soraci from INNOVA BIC expressed concern for attracting investors. “An important issue now is attracting funding from venture capitalists. It often happens that researches don’t know how to make and present a business plan, so they simply stop the project.”

With respect to collaboration between the EU and non-EU countries, several participants called for more help for EU in countries where public-private partnerships are difficult or non-existent. At the same time, they expressed hope for a strategy which will couple existing capabilities in neighbourhood countries – such as the strong research base in former Soviet countries – with the market experience of Western Europe.

As a general comment, coordinators remarked that there is still no consensus over what the words “innovation” and “SME” stand for in various geographical areas where the EU is seeking collaboration. Several complained that the different understanding of the terms, as well as socio-cultural differences become obstacles in the work of researchers.

In response to the concerns raised by the project coordinators, Thierry Devars, International Relations Officer at the European Commission’s DG Research and Innovation, pointed to the existing success stories and pleaded for a leap of faith. “In the beginning, nobody expected the collaboration with Africa to be this successful, yet it is one of our biggest achievements. With EU projects you need to be a believer”.

To improve the communication between existing projects, their coordinators and the Commission, the participants agreed to make use of the ILN platform, whose applications and benefits were introduced in a presentation by Martina de Sole from APRE, the Agency for the Promotion of European Research.

The workshop ended with establishing the agenda for the next and last ILN meeting, which will take place in Brussels, in October 2014.

The 8^th ILN Workshop was organized at the initiative of the European Commission, together with APRE, FORTH and Europa Media, which together form the ILN consortium.

If you have more suggestions or interesting experiences from your own work in EU projects, please share them with us in the space below.

EU plans for energy efficiency in urban areas – Transitioning from Concerto to Smart Cities

In my previous post, I have tried to look at means of improving community life by explaining the difference between Norwegian Grants and EU funds, as well as how they can complement each other for a common ideal. For the present one, I’ve decided to continue on the same note and present what those interested in society issues – and energy efficiency specifically – can expect of Smart Cities, EU’s new co-financing initiative for intelligent urban development. For a bit of flavor, I will also give you an update of the general vibe on the CONCERTO conference in Brussels which I have just returned from.

Smart Cities (http://www.eu-smartcities.eu/ ) represents the EU’s support for regions and cities who wish to develop in a sustainable and community-friendly manner. In a sort of indirect way, it is an answer to the fact that cities are responsible for 70% of the EU’s energy consumption as well as to the fact that most Europeans now live in urban areas. In line with the union’s aims on energy and climate change, the Smart Cities Initiative will provide support (both financial and know-how) to three interconnected pillars – buildings, energy networks and transport. So, by combining new building construction ideas with utilizing renewable energy  and low carbon public transport – to name just a few -, the initiative’s planners hope to achieve a 40% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions as well as to put together the basis of smart management.

Still, Smart Cities is not entirely new as it is a continuation – and, arguably, an upgrade – to the CONCERTO Initiative (http://concerto.eu/concerto/ ) which is now coming to an end. With Concerto, 22 projects in 58 cities were implemented, providing a starting point for the endeavors which are foreseen for Smart Cities. What the EU hopes to do next is to take these projects and multiply them – preferably on a larger scale – drawing more and more partners into cooperation. To support this upgrade, a new Strategic Implementation Plan defining the core activities for the integration of Transport, ICT and Energy technologies – will make it easier for cities to apply for EU instruments.

Sometimes the best way to get the pulse of things and get an idea about how things work beyond the EU talk is to be around those who are involved in this business. For this purpose, the CONCERTO Conference on Energy solutions for Smart Cities and Communities which I have just attended in Brussels on the 22^nd of October was very interesting for me as a project manager, for several reasons.

First of all, the event was a great opportunity to see what happened with CONCERTO projects and what project managers and EU people alike expect from the recently-started Smart Cities initiative. Albeit delays and other managerial issues, most projects which sought to find really innovative solutions to the way we as communities consume energy, have been completed and people are now hoping to do even more. From my personal observation, at least on the declarative level, the bar has been raised; through its new financial framework, the Commission wishes to see concrete results, which will work not just in small villages, but can be replicated on a large, potentially national scale. To illustrate this, Ireland is a great example. Under Concerto II, the small European country developed a project – Holistic (http://www.concerto-holistic.eu/ ) – whose aim was to showcase how to employ different energy technologies in a smart and integrated manner.  Since its completion, the results demonstrated locally by the project have now become national standards and I personally believe that this is the way to go. What Europe needs now is to move from these small scale projects to something which has regional or national application. If we look at China, for instance, they are doing much better than us exactly because they do things on big scale.

Another great thing about the conference was the fact that it brought together managers from three different project generations – Concerto I, Concerto II and Smart Cities (which only began in 2012). In practice, this meant that all of us could just sit down at the round table and discuss any concern about whichever moment of the project life-cycle. Before meeting the Concerto and EU representatives, we had enough time to discuss financial issues, protocols as well as little issues pertaining to daily management.

Overall, the advantages for those who participate in a Smart Cities project are many fold. For a municipality, the key gain would be the chance to have access to cutting-edge technology and infrastructure. Basically, you work with the best people for the best possible outcome. Moreover, half the project’s expenses are paid by the Commission. So, instead of worrying about the limitations of your own budget, you have the possibility to pay less for something which is many times better. This is why initiatives like CONCERTO and Smart Cities are beneficial for society as a whole – they help authorities and people alike.

It would only be fair, of course, to highlight that, as with any other initiative or funding source, there are some less than great aspects which need to be considered.  Smart Cities is an EU initiative which means it will bear the same general administration procedures i.e. bureaucracy. Secondly, and perhaps the first thing that we need to really consider, either CONCERTO or Smart Cities initiatives imply bringing together many stakeholders whose different needs mean putting significant strains on the management process. It can happen that some people would not give their permission to alter their building or some designer will clash with an engineer. It will take a lot of persuasion, diplomacy and patience to make sure everybody is on board for the same goal.

On top of this, problems may arise when, let’s say, a municipality has elections and someone new comes in charge. That person may not know much about the project or may not be interested in the same way. And let’s not forget the economic crisis, which affected the construction segment really badly and caused significant delays with CONCERTO planning. In some cases, like the Stacato project, for instance, delays meant years.

To conclude, I think it is safe to say that, as we move from Concerto to Smart Cities, we are now transitioning to a new stage of EU programmes. Things are not perfect just yet, but there is visible evidence that the direction the EU has taken is generally good and quite a few projects have had results which can be further replicated in less developed areas of the continent. Overall, the efforts to increase participation and dissemination are welcome, but it is time we start thinking big.