ENERGYVILLAB - Network of virtuous living lab in energy saving and in the development of renewable energy sources

Italia-Slovenia 2007-2013

Environment, transport and sustainable territorial integration

EnergyViLLab is addressed to promoting virtuous behavior in energy production and use, and wants to become a large-scale laboratory where an extensive network of parties (universities, innovation centers, SME, production districts, councils and citizens), will be able to meet and interact in the joint-creation of innovative solutions and provide valid encouragement for the diffusion of ecofriendly development partnership initiatives.

Specifically, the project intends developing:
- Specific models for starting 6 pilot EnergyViLLab, to experiment innovative applications and solutions, based on using energy from renewable sources, energy saving and sustainable mobility methods (RRM – RES: Renewable Energy Sources, RUE: Rational Use of Energy, MOB: Sustainable Mobility System);
- A network of Living Labs called EnergyViLLab, to aid confrontation and exchange between professionals, company technicians, universities, centers and citizens in the cross-border area, who are able to promote joint energy development programmes and ententes.
- Favorable conditions for introducing sustainable and shared energy policies, that help reduce pollution, improve energy efficiency and increase the appeal of Italian and Slovenian areas.
- New local products and services that feed a new demand from internal RRM consumption in the cross-border areas, to revive the demand and direct the young towards new forms of qualified employment in cross-border energy production chains.
- Important training and information initiatives for potential participation in the ENoLL (European Network of Living Labs).

The project actions will be conducted in the Veneto, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Emilia Romagna, Obalno-Kra¨ka, Gori¨ka and Osrednjeslovenska

The total budget is for €1,341,000 for a total period of 31 months (from 1 November 2011 to 31 May 2014).

The project will include the following sections:
- Defining suitable models for the single Energy Virtuous Living Labs (EnergyViLLab) and their implementation in the cross-border area.
- Setting up six pilot EnergyViLLab, implementing and evaluating their activities at local and cross-border level.
- Comparative evaluation of the programmes and results of the pilot EnergyViLLab and construction of the cross-border EnergyViLLab network.
- Pilot actions dedicated to sharing common cross-border policies, for the repeatability and diffusion of the EnergyViLLab model in other areas.

The project aims to create in the crossborder territory a network of Living Labs called EnergyViLLab (Energy Virtuous Living Lab) which will develop virtuous behaviours linked to the use of RRM applications (RES: Renewable Energy Sources, RUE: Rationale Use of Energy, MOB: Sustainable Mobility System) among SMEs, clusters, universities, innovation centers, municipalities and citizens. The following activities are foreseen: definition of suitable Living Lab models for the EnergyViLLabs and their Network; start up of the 6 pilot Energy Virtuous Living Labs (EnergyViLLabs) through local and crossborder pilot initiatives and involvement of other potential EnergyViLLabs; comparative evaluation of the results achieved; sharing of crossborder policies for sustaining and replicating EnergyViLLabs in the territories involved, so that they can gain significant roles inside ENoLL (European Network of Living Labs). The project will have unifying and multiplicative functions at cross-border level, because it will link Slovenian experiences already started in the field of Living Labs with innovative Italian experiences on RRM. The following main project results are foreseen: a) establishment of six Living Labs based ony RRM (EnergyViLLab) in the crossborder territory and their gradual admission in ENoLL network. b) increase of RRM projects, initiatives and achievements in the crossborder territory thanks to EnergyViLLabs, together with awareness and information activities. c) creation of a crossborder EnergyViLLab network (made of 6 pilot EnergyViLLabs and minimum other 2 potential EnergyViLLabs, identified during the project implementation) which ease the information and best practices exchange and widens the capacity of joint elaboration of projects' and RRM initiatives between Italy and Slovenia. 

- Unioncamere Veneto (Lead Partner)

- Centro Regionale di Assistenza per la Cooperazione Artigiana società cooperativa

- University of Padova  - Dipartimento di Processi Chimici dell'Ingegneria

- Province of Treviso

- Venice Chamber of Commerce

- Municipality of Jesolo

- ConCentro Special Company of Pordenone Chamber of Commerce

- IAL Innovazione Apprendimento Lavoro Friuli Venezia Giulia

- Institute for the development of innovation of Ljubliana University (IRI UL)

- University of Ljubljana (UL)

- Development centre of Valle dell'Isonzo

- Local Agency for the Energy of Obalno-Kraska, Goriska - GOLEA Nova Gorica

- UIP University center for the development and university incubator of the Littoral Zone

- Foundation Institute on Transport and Logistics (ITL)

- Municipality of Musile di Piave