Through its involvement in European projects, EERA enables its members to access strategic discussions, influence research and innovation priorities, and position themselves where key decisions on Europe’s energy future are being made.

A concrete example of this is our work in SET-IndEU. Through this project, we engage directly with the European Commission and Member States to align policy priorities and funding mechanisms across European and national levels. This creates a unique opportunity for our community to contribute to these discussions and ensure that its expertise is reflected in future directions.

In parallel, we coordinate and draft key technical documents that define research and research and innovation priorities, working closely with experts from governments and industry. These documents play a direct role in shaping future policies and guiding the design of upcoming funding calls at both European and national levels.

Similarly, through CONNECT-NM, a co-funded partnership on nuclear materials, we support the design and implementation of the full lifecycle of funding calls. This ensures that the priorities addressed in these calls are aligned with European needs and opens opportunities for our community to engage in future projects.

These are concrete examples of what participation in EU projects means in practice: access to decision-making processes, alignment with policy and funding priorities, and increased visibility and positioning at European level.

This is where the EERA Project Team comes in.

We work at the interface between strategy and implementation, ensuring that the projects we engage in are not only relevant, but also deliver tangible value for our members. Our role goes beyond participation: we contribute to shaping discussions, coordinating technical work, and connecting actors across research, industry, and policy.

Our activities span key areas of the SET Plan, collaborating with Implementation Working Groups and ETIPs in fields such as energy-intensive industries, wind energy, direct solar fuels, system integration, and batteries. In addition, we coordinate technical discussions across our thematic areas, ensuring coherence and alignment between projects, Joint Programmes, and broader strategic priorities.

Behind this work is a multidisciplinary team combining expertise in communication, stakeholder engagement, community building, policy, and EU advocacy — allowing us to translate technical collaboration into concrete outcomes for our members.

Finally, this model also ensures the sustainability of the EERA Secretariat. The projects we participate in contribute directly to its financial stability, enabling us to continue supporting our members and reinforcing our collective impact.

Beyond this, project funding can also be used to strengthen the Joint Programmes themselves. For example, in certain projects, we are able to fund or co-fund dedicated Joint Programme Managers, providing additional capacity to support specific activities, coordination, and strategic development within the JPs. This is particularly relevant in instruments such as COST Actions, where project structures align closely with the needs of our community.

This creates a virtuous circle: projects strengthen the Secretariat and the Joint Programmes, and in turn, a stronger community is better positioned to shape and lead future initiatives.