The European Union’s Green Deal Support Office (GDSO) is spearheading a paradigm shift in climate action, with 73 EU-funded research initiatives demonstrating tangible, scalable solutions to the climate and biodiversity crises. This approach, which integrates technology, policy, and regional implementation, is already yielding measurable results across various sectors, from wildfire management to circular economy transformation.
Unlike traditional research programmes, GDSO projects are designed to deliver practical, replicable solutions. For instance, Agro2Circular is tackling food waste and agricultural plastic pollution in Spain’s Murcia region, with replication sites in Italy and Lithuania. The project has developed technologies to transform agrifood waste and agricultural plastic into valuable new products, engaging over 40 partners from the private sector, public institutions, and academia. “The significance extends beyond waste reduction,” says a GDSO spokesperson. “Agro2Circular demonstrates that implementing a circular economy requires territorial systemic solutions – engaging entire regional value chains.”
Similarly, CIRCULAR FOAM is addressing the challenge of rigid polyurethane foams, which are ubiquitous in refrigerators, construction insulation, and industrial applications. The project is establishing ‘hubs for circularity’ in three European industrial regions, bringing together 32 beneficiaries, including major industry players like Covestro, universities, and regional authorities. Through chemical recycling and cross-sectoral cooperation, the project is creating entire circular value chains that keep complex materials in circulation indefinitely.
In the energy sector, StoRIES (Storage Research Infrastructure Ecosystem) is creating Europe’s largest energy storage research network. The project brings together 32 beneficiaries from 17 countries, including technology institutes, universities, and industrial partners. It provides researchers with subsidised access to 64 leading research infrastructures addressing all five energy storage technologies. “By optimising hybrid energy systems and developing breakthrough materials, this project makes energy storage more competitive and cost-effective,” the GDSO notes.
The GDSO’s Clean Energy working group comprises 16 projects demonstrating renewable energy integration, hydrogen production, and energy access solutions. Project ENERGICA, for example, is implementing Africa’s first electric service station in Kenya while deploying innovative nano-grids in rural Madagascar and efficient biogas systems in Sierra Leone. The project addresses productive use systems, local renewable value chain development, and e-mobility while providing grid flexibility services.
GreenHyScale, another GDSO project, represents Europe’s ambitious push into large-scale green hydrogen production. The €30m project is building the world’s first 100 MW green pressurised alkaline electrolysis plant in GreenLab, Denmark. The project aims to achieve a capital cost below €400 per kilowatt and reduce hydrogen production costs to below €2.85 per kilogramme.
The GDSO portfolio demonstrates that addressing the green transition requires more than technological innovation. Solutions must integrate technology, policy, governance, finance, and stakeholder engagement while accounting for regional contexts, equity considerations, and implementation capacities. For researchers, policymakers, and practitioners globally confronting similar challenges, the GDSO model offers valuable insights: invest in demonstrations not just research, fund implementation support not just innovation, create dialogue platforms for stakeholders and structure projects as ecosystems where success in one domain supports progress in others.
This news could shape the development of the sector by encouraging more integrated, systemic approaches to climate action. It highlights the importance of collaboration and stakeholder engagement, as well as the need for policy and governance frameworks that support innovation and implementation. Furthermore, it underscores the potential of circular economy models and energy storage solutions to drive the green transition. As Europe commits to becoming the world’s first climate-neutral continent by 2050, the GDSO’s work provides a roadmap for accelerating the green transition through integrated, scalable solutions.