Interreg Danube SMEnergy Project

Issues addressed

SMEs make up 99% of all businesses in Europe, accounting for around 25 million enterprises. Many of these businesses lack the resources to fully explore opportunities for improving energy efficiency and adopting renewable energy solutions. To promote economic resilience in the EU and achieve the ambitious targets set out in the EU Green Deal, it is crucial to have mechanisms in place that support SMEs. By offering tailored and transparent solutions, we can create the enabling conditions necessary to accelerate the energy transition and promote sustainable growth among SMEs.

The Interreg Danube SMEnergy Project

Over the course of 30 months, the Interreg Danube SMEnergy project aims to create a pilot network of regional/countrywide service centers in order to support energy-intensive SMEs in accelerating the transition to adopting renewable energies. Corresponding outputs can be achieved only through transnational collaboration: an energy transition  roadmap providing answers to diverse company maturity & situations, as well as the model operation of Green Energy Knowledge, Operation and Service Hubs (GEKOS), assuring single-channel service, equipped with a cross-border green energy database and marketplace. Due to scalability, we must meet the needs of SMEs that are only just considering their energy transition, but also those that are already at the forefront of this. The final aim of the project is to create both national and transnational strategies/toolkits on how the diverse SME segments can be better supported in the increased use of renewables. 

The SMEnergy project is aligned with the Interreg Danube Region Programme 2021-2027 priority, “A greener, low-carbon Danube Region”, and directly contributes to the Programme Specific Objective 2.1, “Support greening the energy and transport sectors in the Danube Region by enhancing the integration of renewable energy sources.