Overview
Funding:
European Commission, Horizon 2020 Programme
Timeframe:
01/02/2017 – 31/01/2019
Budget:
1 996 573 Euro
Contractors:
Anglia Ruskin University, UK (Coordinator); Karlsruher Institut Fuer Technologie, Germany; Politecnico di Torino, Italy; École Nationale des Travaux Publics de l’État, France; Norges Teknisk-Naturvitenskapelige Universitet, Norway; Middle East Technical University, Turkey; Univerzita Tomase Bati ve Zline, Czech Republic; Black Sea Energy Research Centre, Bulgaria; Energy Cities, France; Friends of Europe, Belgium; Duneworks, Netherlands; Acentoline Comunicación Editora, Spain; European Council for an Energy Efficient Economy, Sweden
Description
SHAPE-ENERGY represented a new European platform for energy-related social sciences and humanities (energy-SSH). Energy-SSH has so far played less of a role in shaping (European) energy policy than Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines. By funding this project, the European Commission supported a better integration of energy SSH into the policy process
The project aimed to develop Europe’s expertise in using and applying energy-SSH. The SHAPE-ENERGY Platform aimed to unite those who ‘demand’ energy research, because they can use it to develop practical initiatives, with those who ‘supply’ that research. Each of the Platform’s activities created space for these two groups to meet and work together to ‘shape’ the European energy agenda. SHAPE-ENERGY reported directly to the Energy Strategy unit of the European Commission, which was responsible for energy research and innovation (including the EU’s Energy Union and Strategic Energy Technology Plan).
The disciplines covered the full range of social sciences and humanities, including energy-related research (both current and potential) within: Business, Communication Studies, Demography, Development, Economics, Education, Environmental Social Science, Gender, History, Human Geography, Law, Philosophy, Planning, Politics, Psychology, Science and Technology Studies, Sociology, Social Anthropology, Social Policy, and Theology.
Results
The Platform coordinated the following activities: 18 multi-stakeholder workshops in partnership with cities across Europe; MEP workshops in Brussels; conferences; Horizon 2020 sandpits; early career researcher summer schools and secondments to Horizon 2020 energy projects; funding for collaborative think pieces; funding for an innovative ‘research design challenge’; and online policymaker-citizen debates. SHAPE-ENERGY also undertook a comprehensive review of the state-of-the-art in energy SSH research landscape, and sought to bring together European energy researchers/practitioners around a commonly agreed framework for future interdisciplinary energy-related efforts. The project provided recommendations to the European Commission on the future direction of the energy work programme in Horizon 2020 and beyond.