EWRC 2019: Implementing Smart Specialisation in Energy through Innovation Procurement
How to turn innovative public procurement from an underused option to a powerful boost for innovation in energy?
This question was discussed in a workshop organised as part of the European Week of Regions and Cities 2019, by the Smart Specialisation Platform on Energy (S3PEnergy), a joint initiative of DG REGIO, DG ENER and JRC. Representatives from different regions and organisations presented interesting examples of innovation procurement initiatives carried out across Europe with ESIF, in the context of smart specialisation.
The main aim of the workshop was to help public authorities, procurers, policymakers, researchers and other stakeholders harness the power of innovation procurement. In line with the Energy Union strategy, innovation procurement can be used as tool to facilitate a quick, clean energy transition, and at the same time create opportunities for local companies.
A pro-innovation procurement approach - using both public procurement of innovative solutions (PPI) and pre-commercial procurement (PCP) tools - could be more widely developed in the field of energy in order to influence the market towards innovative and more sustainable energy-related products and services.
The audience, mainly public procurers in the energy sector, was also informed about the initiatives and guidance ICLEI can offer to public procurers. The Procura+ Network, the Innovation Procurement Platform and the Procurement Forum offer useful support to public buyers to exchange and learn from best practice examples on innovation procurement in Europe.
Learn more about the event here.