InterConnect: an EU project for interoperable solutions

InterConnect, a project approved by the European Commission under the Horizon 2020 programme, has announced a call of €2.1 million ($2.2 million) in funding for the development of 14 interoperability solutions.

The disconnect between utilities and consumers has long been a subject of concern as service providers have started trying to maximise energy efficiency as called for by the energy transition.

To resolve such an issue, a keyword has been finding itself more and more on our tongues – interoperability. That is the ability of different sets of information systems to communicate with each other in as seamless a format as possible.

But while this may be something we all know is needed, it is not something very easily achieved.

And although technologies such as the Internet of Things and artificial intelligence have been making significant headway, there is still a call for larger, more creative solutions and technological initiatives.

And this is where InterConnect, touted as one of Europe’s largest research projects, comes in.

With the hopes of designing interoperable prototypes that support the digitalisation of the European electricity sector, Interconnect has announced over €2 million ($2 million) for EU member-countries’ companies to develop 14 technological solutions comprised of applications or services for smart homes and grids.

The InterConnect funding programme is mainly aimed at European start-ups and SMEs.

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Each application will receive a maximum amount of €150,000 ($156,000) to develop the solutions. This is the first of three scheduled open calls for financing, which aim to promote innovation in the electricity sector, actively contributing to its digitalisation, as well as to the energy efficiency of homes and business buildings.

The selected applications will enter a support programme with technical experts and business mentors who will guide the proposal until its implementation and integration in the market.

The European country company Funding Box leads this process and is also responsible for communicating results in late October.

Yolanda Moreno, project lead at Funding Box, said: “In November, we will start working with the 14 companies chosen during the 1st Open Call and will launch the associated seven-month support programme.

"During this period, we will go through three phases: firstly, the objective is to define the proof of concept; then, we will move on to the stage where companies will develop their prototypes and their business models and, as a last step, the products will be tested in a market environment using the demonstrators that are being installed at European level to test all the solutions that are being developed by the project.”

Applications are open until July 26, 5pm, CEST.