Build Magazine June 2015

Build Magazine 29 Eco Building Currently 172 regions or countries accounting for over 80% of the EU regions participate in the activities of this platform. More than two-thirds of these have chosen energy as their area of Smart Specialisation. Smart specialisation is an innovative approach developed by the Europe- an Commission to foster economic growth and prosperity at regional level. It encourages efficient and targeted use of public investment in research and innovation to create competitive advantages and enable regions to specialise in the field of their relative strengths. It is also a precondition for benefiting from European Structural and Investment Funds. The new Platform on Energy will provide information, knowledge and expertise on investing in energy projects, in line with the needs of policy makers, authorities and stakeholders in charge of energy and research. It will also develop ways of matching Member States and regions with similar interests and planned investments in energy innovation. The EU plans to invest about EUR 38 billion in the period 2014-2020 in the framework of its Cohesion Policy including EUR 2 billion for investments in smart grids. The objective is to facilitate the shift towards a low-carbon economy by supporting projects in energy efficiency, renewables as well as in sustainable urban mobility and research and innovation.