Press releases
11 May 2021
Share this pageDuring its annual General Assembly, the European Energy Research Alliance (EERA), Europe's largest energy research community, elected the new members of its Executive Committee for the period 2021- 2024.
Brussels – To reinforce the representation of the energy research community and increase its leverage in the EU Clean Energy Transition landscape, EERA elected the new members of its Executive Committee. Jointly with its Secretary General, this body will manage the Association in the next three years and will be responsible for leading the execution of EERA's strategic approach towards carbon neutrality.
At its 11th General Assembly, held on 6 May 2021, the European Energy Research Alliance (EERA) elected a new Executive Committee for the period 2021-2024. In turn, the new members of the management body of the Alliance reappointed Nils Røkke (SINTEF) as president for the third period. They also elected Teresa Ponce de Leão (LNEG) and Leen Govaerts (VITO/EnergyVille) as vice-presidents.
The election of the EERA Executive Committee is of paramount importance for the energy community as the body brings together some of the most outstanding research and innovation (R&I) players in Europe. Moreover, its members are selected through a competitive process based on indicators assessing the significance of the organisation in the field of clean energy research and on its actual contribution to the joint research programmes that constitute EERA.
This year's election was particularly significant as it was the first one to be held after the amendments to the Association's statutes entered into force. Such changes aimed to increase EERA Executive Committee's representativity when it is crucial for the low-carbon energy community to expand and strengthen its position and leverage in the European Clean Energy Transition landscape.
Under the new rules, EERA's General Assembly confirmed the selection of 13 members based on the indicators mentioned above. It also approved the nomination of four additional members based on existing R&I capacities and expected contributions to the low-carbon energy community. EERA's Executive Committee is now composed of 17 organisations from 13 different EU countries. The newly elected members of the EERA's Executive Committee are (in alphabetical order):
1. BERA (BE) – Leen Govaerts
2. CIEMAT (ES) – Carlos Alejaldre
3. CNR (IT) – Monica Fabrizio
4. CVREZ (CZ) – Danes Burket
5. DTU (DK) – Preben Jørgensen
6. ENEA (IT) – Ezilda Costanzo
7. IEN (PL) – Tomasz Galka
8. IFPEN (FR) – Catherine Riviere
9. Helmholtz Association (DE) – Oliver Kraft
10. LNEG (PT) – Teresa Ponce de Leão
11. NERA (NL) – Richard van de Sanden
12. SINTEF (NO) – Nils Røkke
13. TECNALIA (ES) – Luis Pedrosa Rebolleda
14. TNO (NL) – Ton de Jong
15. UKERC (UK) – William (Jim) Watson
16. University of Bergen (NO) – Kristin Guldbrandsen Frøysa
17. VTT (FI) – Tuula Mäkinen
In the words of the reelected EERA's President, Nils Røkke, this new Executive Committee is the result of a two years-long process in which "we have heard the low-carbon energy community and its request to expand and increase its representation in the Executive Committee of EERA”. “We are convinced that a better represented and stronger research community is essential to boost the multidisciplinary collaboration needed to face the daunting challenge of the energy transition” Røkke rounded off.
For its part, Adel el Gammal, EERA Secretary General, concluded that “the largest energy research association has expanded its management body with new members. We are confident that they will benefit the whole community in the testing times that lay ahead as we drive Europe towards carbon-neutrality".
The European Energy Research Alliance (EERA) is an association of European public research centres and universities active in low-carbon energy research. EERA pursues the mission of catalysing European energy research for a climate-neutral society by 2050. Bringing together more than 250 organisations from 30 countries, EERA is Europe's largest energy research community. EERA coordinates its research activities through 18 Joint Programmes and is a key player in the European Union's Strategic Energy Technology (SET) Plan. For further information, see https://www.eera-set.eu/.
Maria Luisa Fernandez Vanoni
Communications Manager
The European Energy Research Alliance (EERA)
E-mail: ml.fernandez@eera-set.eu