Smart Energy Cluster: Why collaboration still matters in EU projects

In the latest episode of the EU Energy Projects Podcast, I had a discussion with Vasilis Kotrogiannis, representing the Smart Energy Cluster, about why clusters like this may be more valuable than they first appear.

The Smart Energy Cluster already brings together 39 ongoing projects and its mission is simple: help EU-funded initiatives cooperate, share results, and avoid working in isolation.

That may sound obvious. Yet in practice, many projects still operate in parallel, each running their own dissemination plans, events, newsletters and stakeholder outreach. Necessary work, yes, but often repetitive.

This is where clusters can make a real difference.

According to Vasilis, members gain access to joint events, collaboration workshops, networking opportunities and shared visibility through the cluster’s channels. More importantly, they can exchange technical know-how, discuss replication pathways, and build partnerships beyond the usual communication exercise.

And notably, membership is free.

Projects from LIFE, Horizon Europe and other EU funding programmes can apply through the cluster’s website, provided their activities align with its thematic focus. Those topics range from energy efficiency and smart buildings to flexibility, electric mobility, blockchain, ICT and digital energy solutions.

One clear trend emerged during our discussion: buildings and flexibility continue to dominate interest. That is hardly surprising. Buildings account for a major share of Europe’s energy consumption, while flexibility is quickly becoming essential in a system built around renewables.

What I found most interesting, however, was the long-term ambition. The cluster has been active for more than two years, but its organisers do not see it as a temporary project output. They want it to continue well beyond the lifetime of the original funding.

Frankly, that is the right instinct. Europe does not need more short-lived platforms. It needs ecosystems that survive after the grant ends.

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Listen to previous episodes:

Bridging the gap in energy storage with project SINNOGENES
Using smart storage to turn buildings into prosumers