Business Readiness Acceleration for innoVative regional Energy ecosystems [FA]

Programme 2021 - 2027 Interreg VI-B North Sea

Date of latest update: 2025-02-03

Description

Description (EN):

Challenge: NS Europe is a frontrunner in developing clean, smart, local energy systems, chasing an investment opportunity of €700bn/year. However, despite technological maturity, many cleantech innovations remain stuck in the “pilot trap” - requiring continued public subsidisation and lacking a viable business case to attract investment for commercial independence and scaling. Further, an increasingly decentralised energy system leads to unclear - and ignored - investment responsibilities among regional actors (COPPER, Interreg 2023). Local authorities lack capacity to unlock finance for climate impact, and energy system investors are risk-averse. Therefore, innovative mutual partnerships between public-side authorities, business support, and private investors, are crucial to catalysing new investment into smart energy systems at the local level, and scale beyond pilot phase. (EU Sustainable Finance Policy, 2024). Objective: BRAVE enables NS local authorities and BSOs to build commercially attractive environments and mobilise new investments necessary to scale smart local energy systems. It matches mature technologies with collaborative investment solutions, combining innovative public sector support vehicles with private sector financing. Through novel investment models demonstrated across 7 local-level (scale of €1-10m) demonstrator sites (Aarhus, Amiens, Brabant, Flanders, Hamburg, Malmö, Rotterdam), the project aims to unlock >€150m of future public-private investment (see Annex). Investment models are validated by European cleantech investor networks, and actively integrated into public-private regional development strategies(e.g. Antwerp Tomorrow, Regional Development Skåne) through participatory workshops, both within and outside BRAVE regions. BRAVE's Business readiness methodology handbook and Blueprint investment strategy also benefit NS households/citizens, guiding effective investment pathways to unlock clean and affordable energy solutions for all.

Expected Achievements (EN):

WP1 develops an innovative "business readiness" methodology - for specific application to the unique commercial challenges of scaling smart local energy systems at the local level. It supports public authorities and BSO users to develop internal business readiness capacity, and to design and build a commercially enabling environment to crowd-in the new private sector investment necessary to support municipal climate and clean energy targets. WP2 validates WP1's collaborative investment models - trialled across a range of smart local energy system typologies in NS regions, policy, and market contexts. Pilots bridge public support instruments with private investments to commercially scale 7 close-to-market technologies already initiated, in Aarhus, Amiens, Brabant, Hamburg, Flanders, Malmö, and Rotterdam, with >€150m future potential. Activities inform investment Blueprint solutions guiding NS scale-up strategies beyond BRAVE. WP3 initiates a future pipeline of NS energy investment, integrating project findings within investment Blueprints which align the strategic ambitions of local authorities and BSOs with the investment conditions of project investors. It also connects to regional "off-takers" beyond the NS consortium to ensure future and wider impact - with direct engagement through interviews and in-person training sessions, and building long-standing public awareness through a digital knowledge repository.

Website: https://www.interregnorthsea.eu/brave

Thematic information

Clustering and economic cooperation Renewable energy Climate change and biodiversity

Priority: (VI-B_NS_1) Priority 1: Robust and smart economies in the North Sea region

Priority specific objective: RSO1.1. Developing and enhancing research and innovation capacities and the uptake of advanced technologies

Priority policy objective (Interreg specific objective): PO1 A more competitive and smarter Europe by promoting innovative and smart economic transformation and regional ICT connectivity

Type of intervention: 028 Technology transfer and cooperation between enterprises, research centres and higher education sector

Partners (13)

Lead Partner: gemeente Rotterdam

Partner’s ID if not PIC: 24483298

Address: Wilhelminakade 179, 3072AP Rotterdam, Netherlands

Legal status: public

Organisation type: Local public authority

Website: https://www.rotterdam.nl/

Total budget: EUR 968 448.00

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 581 069.00

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 60.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 387 379.00

GBER schemes / de minimis:

Universitetet i Sørøst-Norge

Name: Universitetet i Sørøst-Norge

Partner’s ID if not PIC: 911 770 709

Address: Postboks 235, 3603 Kongsberg, Norway

Legal status: public

Organisation type: Higher education and research organisations

Website: http://www.usn.no

Total budget: EUR 228 360.00

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 114 180.00

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 50.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 114 180.00

GBER schemes / de minimis:

BOM Business Development & Foreign Investments BV

Name: BOM Business Development & Foreign Investments BV

Partner’s ID if not PIC: 8523.18.315.B01

Address: Goirlese Weg 15, 5026PB Tilburg, Netherlands

Legal status: private

Organisation type: Business support organisation

Website: http://www.bom.nl

Total budget: EUR 407 500.00

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 244 500.00

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 60.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 163 000.00

GBER schemes / de minimis: GBER

Erasmus Centre for Entrepreneurship

Name: Erasmus Centre for Entrepreneurship

Partner’s ID if not PIC: NL804735529B28

Address: Aert van Nesstraat 45, 3012CA Rotterdam, Netherlands

Legal status: private

Organisation type: Education/training centre and school

Website: https://ece.nl/

Total budget: EUR 185 696.00

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 111 418.00

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 60.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 74 278.00

GBER schemes / de minimis:

Scandinavian Clean Technologies Group AB

Name: Scandinavian Clean Technologies Group AB

Partner’s ID if not PIC: SE556732812401

Address: Scheelevägen 2, 22363 Lund, Sweden

Legal status: private

Organisation type: Business support organisation

Website: https://cleantechscandinavia.com/

Total budget: EUR 202 500.00

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 121 500.00

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 60.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 81 000.00

GBER schemes / de minimis: De Minimis

Pôle MEDEE - Maîtrise Énergétique des Entraînements Électriques

Name: Pôle MEDEE - Maîtrise Énergétique des Entraînements Électriques

Partner’s ID if not PIC: FR92527675888

Address: 8 Boulevard Louis XIV, 59000 Lille, France

Legal status: private

Organisation type: Business support organisation

Website: https://www.pole-medee.com/welcome/

Total budget: EUR 159 290.00

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 95 574.00

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 60.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 63 716.00

GBER schemes / de minimis: GBER

Malmö stad

Name: Malmö stad

Partner’s ID if not PIC: SE212000112401

Address: August Palms Plats 1, 20580 Malmö, Sweden

Legal status: public

Organisation type: Local public authority

Website: https://malmo.se/

Total budget: EUR 388 040.00

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 232 824.00

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 60.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 155 216.00

GBER schemes / de minimis:

LNC LogisticNetwork Consultants GmbH

Name: LNC LogisticNetwork Consultants GmbH

Partner’s ID if not PIC: DE 194947943

Address: Georgsplatz 12, 30159 Hanover, Germany

Legal status: private

Organisation type: Business support organisation

Website: http://www.lnc-hannover.de

Total budget: EUR 218 190.00

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 130 914.00

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 60.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 87 276.00

GBER schemes / de minimis: GBER

HIW Hamburg Invest Wirtschaftsförderungsgesellschaft mbH

Name: HIW Hamburg Invest Wirtschaftsförderungsgesellschaft mbH

Partner’s ID if not PIC: DE235323314

Address: Wexstraße 7, 20355 Hamburg, Germany

Legal status: public

Organisation type: Business support organisation

Website (not verified): https://en.hamburg-invest.com/

Total budget: EUR 455 000.00

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 273 000.00

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 60.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 182 000.00

GBER schemes / de minimis:

Flux50

Name: Flux50

Partner’s ID if not PIC: BE0824.769.323

Address: Koningsstraat 146, 1000 Brussels, Belgium

Legal status: private

Organisation type: Business support organisation

Website: https://flux50.com/

Total budget: EUR 477 500.00

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 286 500.00

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 60.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 191 000.00

GBER schemes / de minimis: GBER

Centre de Déploiement de l’Eco-transition dans les Entreprises et les Territoires

Name: Centre de Déploiement de l’Eco-transition dans les Entreprises et les Territoires

Partner’s ID if not PIC: FR47441606803

Address: Base 11/19 – rue de Bourgogne, 62750 Loos en Gohelle, France

Legal status: private

Organisation type: Business support organisation

Website: http://www.cd2e.com

Total budget: EUR 188 040.00

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 112 824.00

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 60.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 75 216.00

GBER schemes / de minimis: GBER

Cambridge Cleantech International

Name: Cambridge Cleantech International

Partner’s ID if not PIC: 81830947

Address: Hofplein 20, 3032AC Rotterdam, Netherlands

Legal status: private

Organisation type: Business support organisation

Website (not verified): https://www.cleantechdelta.nl/cluster/cambridge-cleantech/

Total budget: EUR 275 000.00

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 165 000.00

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 60.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 110 000.00

GBER schemes / de minimis: GBER

Aarhus Kommune

Name: Aarhus Kommune

Partner’s ID if not PIC: 55133018

Address: Karen Blixens Vej 7, 8220 Brabrand, Denmark

Legal status: public

Organisation type: Local public authority

Website: https://www.aarhus.dk/

Total budget: EUR 397 500.00

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 238 500.00

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 60.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 159 000.00

GBER schemes / de minimis: GBER

Partners map

Partners and Projects info

University of South-Eastern Norway

Business Readiness Acceleration for innoVative regional Energy ecosystems [FA]

Partners and Projects info

BOM Business Development & Foreign Investments BV

Business Readiness Acceleration for innoVative regional Energy ecosystems [FA]

Partners and Projects info

Erasmus Centre for Entrepreneurship

Business Readiness Acceleration for innoVative regional Energy ecosystems [FA]

Partners and Projects info

Cleantech Scandinavia

Business Readiness Acceleration for innoVative regional Energy ecosystems [FA]

Partners and Projects info

MEDEE Cluster - Motors and Electrical Devices for Energy Efficiency

Business Readiness Acceleration for innoVative regional Energy ecosystems [FA]

Partners and Projects info

City of Malmö

Business Readiness Acceleration for innoVative regional Energy ecosystems [FA]

Partners and Projects info

LNC LogisticNetwork Consultants GmbH

Business Readiness Acceleration for innoVative regional Energy ecosystems [FA]

Partners and Projects info

Hamburg Invest

Business Readiness Acceleration for innoVative regional Energy ecosystems [FA]

Partners and Projects info

Flux50

Business Readiness Acceleration for innoVative regional Energy ecosystems [FA]

Partners and Projects info

Center for Deployment for the Eco-transition in Companies and Territories

Business Readiness Acceleration for innoVative regional Energy ecosystems [FA]

Partners and Projects info

Cambridge Cleantech International

Business Readiness Acceleration for innoVative regional Energy ecosystems [FA]

Partners and Projects info

City of Aarhus

Business Readiness Acceleration for innoVative regional Energy ecosystems [FA]

Partners and Projects info

City of Rotterdam

Business Readiness Acceleration for innoVative regional Energy ecosystems [FA]

Lead partner

Project partner

Summary

Operation of strategic importance (OSI) or above EUR 5 million

Project name (EN): Business Readiness Acceleration for innoVative regional Energy ecosystems [FA]

Project acronym: BRAVE

Project ID: X29xlVzK2

Project start date: 2024-07-01

Project end date: 2027-09-30

Project status: ongoing

Relevant mentions and prizes:

false

Total budget/expenditure: EUR 4 551 064.00

Total EU funding (amount): EUR 2 593 623.00

Total EU funding (co-financing rate): 60.00%

Co-financing sources:

ERDF: Amount, EUR 2 593 623.00. Co-financing rate, 60.00%.

Investments, deliverables, policy contributions

(bullets are inserted automatically and may be incorrectly placed)

Deliverables:

Scoping regional finance opportunities and needs / Lead Partner Rotterdam coordinates an assessment of the NS public and private financing landscape - highlighting opportunities and needs for each pilot country. Financing conditions are considered and compared, as well as market dynamics and regulatory obstacles affecting investor confidence. Input from commercial partners ECE, CCI, CTS, and USN supports financial literacy, enriched with insights from WP3 interviews. A "State of the Sector" report summarises the NS energy investment landscape.
Preparation of pilot roadmaps / Lead Partner Rotterdam will coordinate pilot lead partners (x7) to each prepare a pilot roadmap - a plan that includes site identification processes, responsible parties, necessary stakeholder engagement, expected timelines, risks and mitigation, and intended monitoring and data collection. It also considers contingencies for pilot technologies, sites, partnerships, and investment models trialled.
Validating through investor input / CTS and CCI engage their energy infrastructure and investor network and events, to ensure relevance and viability of the WP1 BR methodology, overall project objectives, and final outputs. CTS and CCI facilitate 6 interviews with private-public finance institutions (e.g. BWB, Impact Europe) gathering real-world insights into investment challenges for local energy systems. Interview results will be built into WP3 BRAVE investment Blueprints to pair expert insight with practical How-to knowledge.
Business readiness coaching / Collaborative workshops and coaching sessions (1 per pilot region) co-develop the BRAVE "Business readiness" methodology and toolkit. The methodology supports public authorities and BSOs to assess and foster local energy system commercialisation. ECE supports programme management and integrates business model and governance; USN supports technical modelling; CCI connects to case studies from its cleantech network - ensuring relevance to the specific challenges of smart local energy systems.
Uptake of collaborative investment models / Pilot partners implement their smart local energy pilots, initiating the collaborative investment models developed in WP1. Models combine public investment support vehicles (e.g. grants, guarantees, "patient capital", municipal bonds) with typical private financing instruments (e.g. equity, debt, crowdfunding) across a diverse range of local energy technology systems in each NS country - rooftop solar PV, heat pumps, a public EV fleet, energy communities, industrial sites, and hydrogen.
Consolidate collaborative investment templates / USN leads development and partner engagement to build collaborative investment templates, contributing expertise in modelling energy grid investments. These documents capture WP2 model best practice into a standardised form for future replication - adapted for different energy system technologies, scales (€1m, €5m, €10m), stakeholders, success factors, risks, optimum partnership, and potential investment leverage. Templates inform later integration activities within BSO development strategies.
Collaborative investment model development / Using the business readiness methodology, ECE, CCI, and USN support co-development of 2-3 viable collaborative investment models for trial within WP2 pilots (summarised in 7 reports). ECE draws on successful case-studies from Rotterdam's SME ecosystem; CCI contributes a "systems" design approach to investment models which align mutual incentives and risks between public and private actors; USN provides validation through technical modelling. The model long-list is integrated into Output 1.1.
Ongoing monitoring of pilot business readiness / ECE conducts biannual measurement of pilots through interviews and data collection - validating Business readiness methodology and investment models. Monitoring assesses how investment models de-risk, incentivise, and catalyse new investment from both private and public sources to better achieve climate and energy targets. Findings are collectively evaluated through management meetings (e.g. biannual General Assemblies), and uploaded to WP3's digital knowledge repository for public viewing.
Creating an interactive digital knowledge hub / A digital publicly accessible and interactive knowledge hub - developed by Rotterdam - will guide users to the most appropriate BRAVE deliverables for their context. The repository will ask off-takers a series of key questions serving as filters and connecting users to the most relevant BRAVE investment Blueprints (Output 3.1) for their context. The hub will be showcased at relevant events and its content will be integrated into the content plan in the communications plan.
Maximising impact / Rotterdam leads a BRAVE Communications Strategy to produce and disseminate engaging findings for European-wide uptake beyond the consortium (e.g. local, regional and national governments, investors, SMEs, large enterprise, infrastructure developers). The strategy combines in-person and digital engagement (inc. workshops, matchmaking, interviews with key sector influencers) through a 'waterfall approach' with outputs in multiple formats suitable for both public sector and finance actors.
Engagement with organisations to integrate BRAVE tools and strategies / Knowledge-exchange seminars with regional public authorities, BSO service desks, and private investors (7x local, 1x EU) identify concrete opportunities to integrate BRAVE tools and strategies within investment plans (e.g. Smart Energy Hubs Programme NL, Antwerp Tomorrow). Seminars highlight key opportunities and needs for public and private sector investors, and seek to foster a more dynamic, ambitious, and interactive ecosystem for collaborative financing of local energy systems in NS and EU.
Pilot open days and replication workshops / Pilot leaders host an open day and collaborative workshop to showcase the investment solutions being trialled and to explore NS replication opportunities. All partners attend and external NS target groups are also invited (local authorities, BSOs, finance institutions, policy) to inspire support for follow-on replication beyond the consortium. Dissemination will be achieved through multimedia coverage (photos/ videos) and launch campaigns (articles, interviews, social media) per pilot open day.

Contribution to wider strategies and policies:

BRAVE supports the ambition of the European Green Deal for a carbon-neutral continent by 2050 by supporting a decarbonised energy system in Europe. BRAVE will contribute to the Deal's objective to promote innovative technologies and modern infrastructure through development of new viable collaborative investment models to catalyse investment in mature local energy technology systems - rooftop solar PV, heat pumps, a public EV fleet, energy communities, and industrial sites.
BRAVE's outputs are intertwined with digital technologies, a central pillar of Europe's green transition. Leading cleantech technologies will be leveraged through real world pilots, whilst project deliverables and outputs to be shared through a digital open-source knowledge platform. This digital platform will be available to a broad range of off-takers - from SMEs to policy makers, to support scale up and replication of BRAVE'S collaborative investment models.
BRAVE supports the development of a market for climate neutral energy systems in Europe, a key priority of the Industrial Strategy. Business Readiness is a key pillar of BRAVE, with new collaborative investment models showcased across a range of contexts including energy communities and industrial sites. Capacity building activities including transnational site visits, training events and digital knowledge platform will support industry and SME off-takers to replicate BRAVE findings.
BRAVE contributes to the Territorial Agenda 2030 by promoting integrated and sustainable development, addressing climate change and environmental pressures. Deployment of 7 pilots will deliver new energy infrastructure to support diversified energy production and supply in the NSR. More broadly, Business Readiness to take up collaborative investment models will be built, in turn promoting tailor made up-take of smart local energy systems in the NSR, a key action for climate change mitigation.
BRAVE supports the transformation of the European transport system to achieve a green and digital transformation through pilot activities such as EV buses in Amiens, FR. Through this pilot, BRAVE will develop transport sector specific collaborative investment models and learnings which will be shared via the BRAVE digital knowledge platform to provide replicable and scalable solutions to other public transit operators in the NSR and beyond to adopt.
BRAVE aligns with the EIC's focus on developing business readiness to achieve Europe's strategic energy and social ambitions. Through its Pathfinder, Transition, and Accelerator funding opportunities, the EIC fund represents a bridge from taking mature technology to becoming "scale-up ready".

Programme Common Output Indicator:

RCO 084 - Pilot actions developed jointly and implemented in projects, Measurement unit:
RCO 083 - Strategies and action plans jointly developed, Measurement unit:

Delivered output indicator(s):

(RCO83) Strategies and action plans jointly developed: 256
(RCO84) Pilot actions developed jointly and implemented in projects: 756

Programme Common Result Indicator:

RCR 104 - Solutions taken up or up-scaled by organisations, Measurement unit:
RCR 079 - Joint strategies and action plans taken up by organisations, Measurement unit:

Delivered result indicator(s):

(RCR79) Joint strategies and action plans taken up by organisations: 2
(RCR104) Solutions taken up or up-scaled by organisations: 7

Information regarding the data in keep.eu on the programme financing this project

Financing programme

2021 - 2027 Interreg VI-B North Sea

Last month that data in keep.eu was retrieved from the Programme's website or received from the Programme

2025-02-03

No. of projects in keep.eu / Total no. of projects (% of projects in keep.eu)

65 / 65 (100%)

No. of project partnerships in keep.eu / Total no. of project partnerships (% of project partnerships in keep.eu)

791 / 791 (100%)

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Business Readiness Acceleration for innoVative regional Energy ecosystems [FA]

Description

Thematic information

Partners (13)

Partners map

Summary

Investments, deliverables, policy contributions

Information regarding the data in keep.eu on the programme financing this project

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