Transformer

Turning regional climate-transition frameworks into knowledge other regions can use

TRANSFORMER was a Horizon Europe project designing long-term, systemic transformation frameworks for regions across Europe to facilitate the shift from fossil-fuel to zero-carbon and climate-neutral economies. Piloted in four regions in Europe: the Ruhr area, Emilia Romagna, Lower Silesia, and Western Macedonia.

 
 

PROGRAMME / FUNDING: Horizon Europe · Coordination and Support Action · Grant Agreement No. 101069934

EU contribution: 2.3 million euros

DURATION: September 2022 – August 2024

Themes: Regional climate neutrality ; Just transition; Transition Super-Labs; Exploitation & Business models; Replication; Energy transition;

TWNTY ROLE: WP6 Lead:Communication & Dissemination, Networking, Training & Exploitation

 

The project

TRANSFORMER applied the Transition Super-Lab approach: treating an entire region, not just a district, as a living laboratory for the shift from fossil-fuel to climate-neutral economies. Four European regions piloted the approach: the Ruhr Area, Emilia-Romagna, Lower Silesia and Western Macedonia, bringing together public authorities, universities, companies and civil society.

The challenge

Regional decarbonisation crosses industries, public authorities, infrastructure, investment decisions and social priorities. TRANSFORMER therefore had to do more than test a framework in four regions. It needed to make the methodology understandable, transferable and usable by regions that were not part of the original pilots.

How TWNTY approached it

Framework and reach. TWNTY set out the dissemination and communication framework across project, regional, national and European levels, preparing the ground for replication and uptake.

Knowledge hub. We established the project’s online knowledge-sharing environment, connected to the toolkit, so that stakeholders could find methods, outputs and lessons in one place.

Training, replication and exploitation. We connected stakeholder engagement, the User Forum, training, capacity building and exploitation so that project results could be applied beyond the pilot regions.

What TWNTY delivered

  • Communication and dissemination framework across project, regional, national and European levels

  • The online TRANSFORMER Knowledge Hub, connected to the project toolkit

  • The User Forum and stakeholder engagement for follower regions and communities, Brussels conference (February 2024), and the final conference at Ruhr University Bochum (June 2024)

  • Training, capacity-building and knowledge-sharing framework

  • Workshops, scientific publications, white papers and reusable project resources

  • Exploitation strategy and plan

Primary audiences

EU institutions and policymakers · National policymakers and industry · Regional administrations and development authorities · Follower regions and local communities

Related expertise

Strategy & Transformation · Energy & Climate Transition · Knowledge Platforms & Digital Tools · Exploitation & Replication · Stakeholder Engagement

Related work

ASCEND · H2CE · Scalable Cities

Project sources

Official website: https://www.transformer-project.eu