The success of our University – the new scientific and research project under the Horizon 2020 program
An international consortium with a team of our university composed of
dr hab. Bożena Ryszawska prof. UE (project manager),
Magdalena Rozwadowska, MA, and
dr hab. Piotr Szymański prof. UE received funding of EUR 2,999,935.00 for a research project
Energy Citizenship and Energy Communities for the Clean Energy Transition
(EC2) under the
Horizon 2020 program. The call of the European Commission has been dedicated
to research on building a low-emission, climate-resilient future: safe, clean, and efficient energy. The European Commission made its decision at the end of December 2020.
This is the second research project under the Horizon 2020 program implemented by the team. The first Scalings project is currently in its final stages.
The EC 2 project will be implemented in cooperation with 14 partners from Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, and Spain, including the universities of Graz, Leipzig, and Groningen, Zentrum
fur Soziale Innovation GMBH, ICLEI European Secretariat GMBH, Global Ecovillage Network of Europe. The project also includes a long-term partner of our university, the Wrocław Południe Housing
Cooperative, and the Prusice Commune.
EC2 is an interdisciplinary project, it is normative and fits in with the EU strategy - the European Green Deal. The overall goal of the project is to study the growing role of energy citizenship
and energy communities in the energy transition. The decentralization of energy production and the simultaneous digital revolution are key drivers of the economic change that is taking place.
Energy citizenship means the active involvement and empowerment of citizens in the energy sector, which increases social acceptance for green change. Additionally, the project is part of building a
low-emission circular economy in EU countries.
The team of the University of Economics in Wrocław focuses its research on economic and in particular financial aspects of the energy transformation and climate neutrality. Economic barriers and
financial risks in this process will be identified and recommendations concerning new economic and financial tools adjusted to innovative initiatives undertaken by energy communities and citizens
will be proposed. Thematic areas related to the economic aspects of climate change and designing solutions for climate neutrality in cities are in line with the newest missions of the Horizon
Europe research program for 2021-27.
The research in the project offers an opportunity for extensive cooperation with the city, as it is part of the program of climate neutrality in Wrocław, as well as deepening cooperation with the
Housing Cooperative and the Prusice Commune, which implement projects in the field of renewable energy. The competencies and knowledge gained in the Scalings project and continued in the EC2
project support the Green Team activity at the university.
