EU-funded SUNER-C project celebrates Yearly General Assembly in Brussels

The SUNER-C project, with ICIQ as a consortium partner, aims to create a European ecosystem to strengthen and accelerate innovation in the solar fuels and chemicals sector

ICIQ, committed to addressing the challenges of climate change and fostering the deployment of solar fuels and chemical products, is a partner of the SUNER-C EU-funded project, a unique consortium of 29 organizations from across the EU. SUNER-C is the tool employed by SUNERGY community, uniting science, business, societal and other relevant stakeholders, to develop and expand the innovation ecosystem for solar fuels and chemicals.

On October 10-11, 2023, the SUNER-C project held in Brussels its Yearly General Assembly followed by a Stakeholder Dialogue Workshop and its 3^rd Consortium Meeting. In total, the events brought together around 100 participants from industry, research, government, and civil society. During these two days, the attendants had the opportunity to network and discuss the progress of the project as well as planning future actions.

On the first day, the General Assembly started with an opening session by SUNER-C coordinators Prof. Bert Weckhuysen (Utrecht University) and Dr. Frédéric Chandezon (CEA). This session provided an overview of the SUNERGY initiative and the SUNER-C project, as well as its progress to date.

The afternoon was dedicated to a series of talks on making solar fuel technologies a reality. The speeches covered current works being carried within the SUNER-C project such as the developing of the vision and roadmap. Carina Faber from the European Innovation Council, presented opportunities to support solar fuels research and innovation from this flagship innovation programme.

The following presentations focused on policy aspects and showcasing connections with Mission Innovation initiatives. Bill Tumas (National Renewable Energy Laboratory) explained the “Sunlight-to-X” advances and common actions with SUNER-C.

The last session consisted of an overview of SUNER-C’s achievements and future plans beyond the end of the project. The General Assembly ended up with an open discussion including an intersectorial panel and interaction with the audience.

The second day began with the Stakeholder Dialogue Workshop from the Work Package 6 that address socio-technical and cross-cutting aspects. The session was designed to create a dialogue between representatives from Industry, Academic research and EU policy and key societal stakeholders. The goal was to better understand the needs and concerns of these stakeholders, so that their interests can be reflected in the development of solar fuel technologies.

Finally, the 3rd SUNER-C Consortium Meeting joined together the CSA partners to discuss coming deliverables, now that the project is approaching its mid-term.