Last week, the EERA Joint Programme e3s gathered in Vienna, Austria, for two productive days of exchange, collaboration, and strategic planning. The meetings were kindly hosted by the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology.

Day 1 – General Assembly

The first day was dedicated to the JP e3s General Assembly, bringing together members to review ongoing activities and outline priorities for the upcoming 2026 Work Plan.

Three new Thematic Groups were also launched, focusing on: (1) Societal readiness for the energy transition, (2) Gender perspectives in the energy transition, (3) Education and skills for the energy transition.

These groups aim to strengthen JP e3s’s interdisciplinary approach to understanding and supporting the societal dimensions of the clean energy transition.

Participants also had the pleasure of welcoming Marie Bysveen, Coordinator of EERA CCS – Carbon Capture & Storage, who presented opportunities for cross–Joint Programme collaboration, reinforcing synergies within the broader EERA community.

Day 2 – Brokerage Event and Field Visit

The second day featured a Brokerage Event focused on upcoming Horizon Europe calls, providing a forum for members to share project ideas, identify new collaboration opportunities, and initiate partnerships for future proposals.

In the afternoon, participants joined a field visit to aspern Seestadt, one of Europe’s largest and most ambitious sustainable urban development projects — an inspiring showcase of integrated innovation in smart and sustainable city design.