The report presents the journey of 21 policy workers from all over Europe who participated in the Energy-SHIFTS’ Policy Fellowship Programme. The aim of the latter was to establish a direct dialogue between research and policy by connecting researchers working across the Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) with professionals working in the energy policy field. To this end, in the first half of 2020, 21 Policy Fellows engaged in online conversations and exchanges with previously matched energy-SSH researchers and Policy Associates conducting research in fields that were relevant to their work.

In order to provide comprehensive and engaging discussions, as well as to enable a closer interaction between Policy Fellows and researchers, the formers were divided into five different thematic areas, namely Citizen Engagement, Social Acceptance, Just Transition, Behaviours, and Human Capital. Despite this division, all discussions held between Policy Fellows and researchers covered a variety of relevant topics.

Adel El Gammal, EERA Secretary General, participated in the programme as a Policy Fellow. As such, from March to May 2020, he engaged in fruitful discussions and bilateral calls with each of his Policy Associates and energy-SSH researchers. Moreover, El Gammal participated in an online workshop with other Fellows and Associates working under the “Behaviours” thematic category, one of the SSH-related themes that are steering current policy discussions.

Taking stock of the discussions between Policy Fellows and researchers, the report outlines policy challenges, main discussion points, insights, and translated policy impacts, as well as a detailed description of the policy context of each Policy Fellow. By allowing face-to-face interactions and engaging discussions, the Policy Fellowship programme enabled both policy workers and researchers to strengthen their work through personal connections and a mutual understanding of each other’s perspectives.