- SOCIAREM Showcases Its Contribution to Europe’s Innovation Ecosystem at Transfiere 2026 in Málaga
- Driving a People-Centred Energy Transition by Removing Social, Regulatory and Technical Barriers to Solar Energy Communities
Brussels, 3 March 2026. The SOCIAREM project participated in the Transfiere 2026 forum, one of the main European events dedicated to science, technology and innovation.
The forum took place from Tuesday 24th to Thursday 26th February in Málaga, Spain, and brought together researchers, companies, public institutions and innovation ecosystem stakeholders. The main objective of the event was to promote knowledge transfer, innovation and collaboration between the public and private sectors.
In this context, the Finnova Foundation presented the SOCIAREM project during the event. The project was represented by Blanca Asencio Fernández, EU project assistant at Finnova, and Juan Manuel Revuelta Pérez, CEO of the foundation.
SOCIAREM: People-centred energy transition
In Europe, social, regulatory and technical barriers still limit the development of solar energy communities and make it difficult for citizens to actively participate in the transition towards a more sustainable energy system.
SOCIAREM works to reduce these barriers through the use of digital tools, innovative governance models and new social engagement mechanisms. During the forum, the project team explained how these solutions can facilitate the deployment of solar energy communities and help accelerate the energy transition at local level, while sharing knowledge with other stakeholders from the European innovation ecosystem.
Social and technological innovation for the future of energy
The participation of SOCIAREM in Transfiere 2026 reinforces the role of innovation as a driver of change in the European energy sector.
The project demonstrates how social and technological innovation can contribute to building a more inclusive, sustainable and participatory energy system. By fostering collaboration between research, industry and citizens, SOCIAREM supports the development of the energy transition in Europe.
About SOCIAREM
Running from October 2025 to March 2029, SOCIAREM is a 42-month Horizon Europe project with a total budget of €5,572,687.50, co-funded by the European Union, together with the Swiss Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI).
The consortium is coordinated byComillas Pontifical University (Spain), leading the project’s energy and social research, PV optimisation tools, and serious game development. The partnership gathers 15 organisations with complementary expertise: SMEs such as AKUYARI (Spain) and8D-Games (Netherlands) contribute innovation in user engagement and gamification; research centres including R&D Nester (Centro de Investigaçao em Energia Ren), Watt-IS andCEVE (Cooperativa Eléctrica do Cale d’Este, Portugal) bring strong technical know-how in renewable energy and P2P exchange; while Phoebe Research & Innovation Ltd (Cyprus) and EMPA (Switzerland) advance monitoring, optimisation, and planning tools for PV adoption. Academic partners such as the University of Cyprus, the University of Deusto (Spain), and the University of Aswan (Egypt) contribute leading research in smart energy systems, social sciences, and network planning. Civil society and community actors like FMES (Fondazione dele Comunità del Mediterraneo Sostenibili e Solidali per l’Inclusione e l’Accoglienza – Ente Filantropico) and Sinloc (Italy) ensure close collaboration with local energy communities, while Finnova Foundation (Belgium) drives communication and dissemination, and Zabala Innovation Consulting (Spain) manages exploitation and innovation. Together, this diverse consortium combines research excellence, technological innovation, and strong outreach capacity to maximise the project’s impact.