On 25 June, the European Technology & Innovation Platform on Wind energy (ETIPWind) marked the conclusion of the SETIPWind project that supported the platform since 2022. The high-level hybrid event brought together over 60 stakeholders representing the wind energy community, representatives from the European Commission (DG RTD, DG ENER, DG GROW), national governments, and leading research and industry voices.
As global competition in wind energy intensifies and geopolitical uncertainties grow, the event focused on one question: how can Europe safeguard and strengthen its leadership in wind energy technology?
With his introductory words, Adrian Timbus, Chair of ETIPWind, set the scene with a look at the sector’s evolution. Wind turbine capacity has scaled rapidly in the past years – from 4MW turbines to models surpassing 20MW – but installations remain well below what is needed to meet EU’s energy and climate targets. Europe must act now to ramp up deployment and address bottlenecks in permitting and manufacturing capacity.
The challenges are not only political. With Chinese manufacturers moving into European markets and increasing production, Europe risks falling behind in technology edge and losing out on benefits the sector brings to the European economy.
In keynote interventions, Rosalinde van der Vlies (DG ENER) emphasised that ‘R&I is high on the agenda and a strong pillar of the Competitiveness Compass’, also at the core for a new Commission focused on innovation and competitiveness. Beatrice Coda (DG RTD) echoed the message, highlighting the role of ETIPWind in ‘defining the future R&I policies’ that will support industrial scale up and leadership.
During two panel discussions, the participants explored the way forward, with a clear consensus: Europe must reinforce now its wind energy Research & Innovation (R&I) strike force to compete. The first panel focused on how emerging technologies and shifting geopolitics are reshaping the wind energy sector. Panellists stressed the importance of defining common R&I priorities across the EU and implementing a unified innovation roadmap through 2050.
Building on this, the second panel deepened on how to align funding sources for wind R&I, enhance European collaboration between the Commission, Member States, industry and research communities, and define the future role of ETIPWind.
The European Commission also shared what will be the core aspects of the new Competitiveness Fund to be integrated in the next EU budget (2028-2034). Simplification, streamlining, and policy-driven will be the guiding principles of the future EU funding framework.
In closing, participants underscored the importance of continued collaboration, especially with Member States, to implement R&I priorities into tangible activities at national level. As ETIPWind will enter its next phase in the upcoming months, its role as a platform for aligning the wind energy community will be crucial to establish a dedicated European Fund for Wind Research & Competitiveness. This new funding framework will help to make the most out of the public funding for wind R&I and therefore safeguard Europe’s technology leadership in wind energy.
Finally, the event was also the opportunity for ETIPWind to release its brand-new video. The video summarises the main features of the proposed European Fund for Wind Research & Competitiveness. Check it out here!
Final event recording
Photo gallery
