The REALIZE project invites you to its Online Final Conference “Market-Readiness in Renewables: Enabling the Energy Transition in Europe” on 9 February 2026 from 14:00 to 17:10 (CET).
During the conference, representatives of the REALIZE project, innovative technologies developers, industry and think tank representatives, and private funding providers will share lessons learnt and best practices for market scale-up. In addition, a panel discussion will allow speakers to exchange on the European Competitiveness Fund and how it will deliver for innovative renewable energy start-ups and scale-ups.
You can register here.
Agenda:
- 14.00 – 14.10: Welcome and introduction
During this introduction, Céline Suchet (EUREC) will cover the scope of the event, the planned schedule, and housekeeping items, followed by a brief presentation of REALIZE by Fernando Gomez Hermoso (Euro-Funding).
- 14.10 – 14.50: Two years of helping technologies graduate from Horizon 2020 to Innovation Fund – what have we learned?
The objective of this session is to share the project’s results and lessons learned. Participants will hear from the following speakers: Thomas Garabetian (SolarPower Europe) on the IF process and results in bringing innovative renewable technologies to market, and David García Arrate (Euro-Funding) on the Innovation Pipeline, challenges, barriers, progress, and achievements. The presentations will be followed by a Q&A.
- 14.50 – 15.50: Best practices for market scale-up
The objective of this session is to give industry representatives, who were successful in applying to the Innovation Fund, the opportunity to share their road to market and best practices, including insights on co-financing through various instruments. The session will be moderated by Jan Erik Hanssen (1-Tech) and structured as a panel discussion followed by a Q&A.
- 15.50 – 16.00: Break
- 16.00 – 17.00: Bridging R&I to deployment: The role of the Innovation Fund and the Clean Industrial Deal in enhancing industrial competitiveness
During this session, Maria Jordano (DG CLIMA, European Commission) will share insights into the creation of the new horizontal call within the Work Programme 2026-2027, specifically designed to support the Clean Industrial Deal in those years and in particular to facilitate the readiness for deployment of R&I results. It will explore the European Commission’s rationale behind developing this instrument and what sets it apart from previous funding mechanisms. DG CLIMA will present key messages on the Innovation Fund instrument. Salvatore Amico (DG GROW, European Commission) will present how the European Competitiveness Fund joins the mix from 2028. A panel discussion on how these initiatives can help bridge the gap from R&I to deployment will follow introductory presentations by DGs CLIMA & GROW.
Confirmed speakers for the panel discussion:
Victor Van Hoorn, Director, Cleantech for Europe
Isabelle Canu, Partner, the Green European Tech Fund
Salvatore Amico Roxas, Policy Officer, DG GROW – European Commission
Greg Arrowsmith, Secretary General, EUREC
Philip Hawkins, Policy Officer, DG CLIMA – European Commission
Marie Latour, European Affairs Director, Euro-Funding – Moderator
- 17.00 – 17.10: Closing remarks
CINEA – European Commission will provide the closing remarks for the event, summarizing the key outcomes and reflecting on the discussions.
