This report is an overview of European initiatives for the strategic guidance of R&I in the field of Smart Energy Systems to support the energy transition and details the cases where RSE contributed directly to these activities.

The main objective of this commitment is to align national R&I activities with European priorities. The work continues on that of previous years, in which RSE had already assumed roles of responsibility in some of the most important initiatives.

Within ETIP SNET (Smart Networks for Energy Transition), RSE acted as a technical point of reference for the development of the R&I Roadmap 2020-2030. The 2019 activity consisted in contributing to analysing the characteristics of the various European and international strategic initiatives, identifying the coverage of the different energy segments by the most recent R&I projects and coordinating Working Groups on priority themes. In 2020, this multifaceted commitment will result in the updating of the Roadmap and the related Implementation Plan 2020-2023. RSE also has the important task of coordinating Implementation Working Group 4 ‘Increase the resilience and security of the energy system’ of the SET Plan. This Working Group is also tasked with aligning the Roadmap and national R&I activities with the European ones. In 2019, IWG4 focused on monitoring the projects implemented in its scope of action; It also reviewed its objectives, concluding that in order to keep them updated it is necessary to take into account the evolution outlined by the Vision and Roadmap of ETIP SNET.

A new important line of activity has concerned the contribution to strategic initiatives for the creation of the Horizon Europe, the new R&I programme of the European Commission. In particular, RSE is contributing to preparing the proposal of a proposal for a Public Private Partnership Clean Energy Transition for Cluster 5 ‘Climate, Energy and Mobility’, aimed at greater involvement of Member States.

Active participation in all the most important European R&I policy initiatives, conducted in parallel with similar activities at international level, allows RSE to access European forums for the development of Roadmaps and the creation of future programmes, which helps RSE strengthening its position as a study and guidance centre for R&I on Smart Energy Systems.