The GREET CE – Green Transition in Central Europe project, implemented over a multi-year period from 20 November 2023 to 19 February 2026, is approaching the conclusion of its interregional cooperation activities aimed at strengthening bioeconomy-based innovation ecosystems and supporting the green and circular transition across Central and South-Eastern Europe.
To mark this important milestone, the GREET CE consortium is organising the Final Project Conference – Strategy to Scale: Regional innovation driving Europe’s green and competitive future, which will take place on Wednesday, 18 February 2026, in Brussels, with the possibility of hybrid participation (on-site and online).
The Final Conference represents not only the formal closure of the GREET CE project, but also a strategic opportunity to reflect on achieved results and to look forward. It provides a dedicated space to build upon and upgrade the bioeconomy and value chain approaches developed within the project, with a particular focus on less developed regions and their potential to actively participate in interregional and European innovation ecosystems.
By bringing together companies, innovation intermediaries, regional and national authorities, policy makers, investors and EU-level institutions, the conference aims to support the continuation, scaling and replication of GREET CE project pilots and business cases beyond the project lifetime. Special attention will be given to how bioeconomy-driven value chains can be further strengthened and connected across regions, contributing to competitiveness, resilience and sustainable growth in line with the European Green Deal, Smart Specialisation Strategies (S3) and the Interregional Innovation Investments (I3) Instrument.
The conference is designed as a forward-looking platform, encouraging dialogue on future cooperation, investment pathways and policy support mechanisms that can help transform project results into long-term structural impacts at regional and European level.
Event details
Date: 18 February 2026
Venue: University Foundation, Egmontstraat 11, 1000 Brussels, Belgium
Format: Hybrid (on-site & online)
Travel dates for on-site participants: from 17 February 2026
Project Pilots at the core of GREET CE
The GREET CE project is structured around four Project Pilots, each designed to support the bioeconomy, the European Green Deal, and the transition towards a sustainable, circular and resilient European economy. By addressing key sectors such as construction, energy, agriculture and waste-based resource management, the pilots demonstrate how regional strengths can be transformed into scalable European value chains. At the Final Conference, we expect the active participation of at least four companies per pilot, resulting in a minimum of 16 companies from the project partner countries and/or other EU Member States.
🔹 Eco Construction pilot focuses on resource-efficient and circular construction, including sustainable building materials, circular material flows, eco-design approaches and climate-resilient construction solutions. The pilot addresses the construction sector’s role in reducing emissions, material consumption and waste while increasing innovation and competitiveness.
🔹 Regenerative Farming pilot supports sustainable and regenerative agricultural practices, bio-based value chains and soil-friendly production models. It aims to strengthen resilience in food systems, promote biodiversity and support innovative agri-business solutions aligned with the bioeconomy.
🔹 Renewable Gases pilot focuses on circular energy solutions, including biogas, biomethane, hydrogen and other renewable gas technologies. The pilot explores the integration of renewable gases into regional and interregional energy systems, contributing to decarbonisation and energy security.
🔹 Digital Energy pilot addresses digitalisation in the energy sector, including smart energy management, energy efficiency solutions and data-driven optimisation of energy systems. A key component of this pilot is the integration of innovative financing mechanisms, including crowdfunding and crowd-lending approaches, to support investment in clean energy solutions.
WP4 – Crowdfunding and innovative financing
A horizontal focus of the Final Conference will be placed on WP4 – Crowdfunding and innovative financing mechanisms, demonstrating how crowdlending and alternative finance tools can support SMEs across all four Project Pilots.
The conference will showcase practical experiences, lessons learned and business cases where crowdfunding mechanisms have been used to improve access to finance, investment readiness and market uptake of green and circular innovations.
Conference programme highlights
The Final Conference programme will include:
presentation of key GREET CE project results and impacts,
in-depth presentation of the four Project Pilots and developed value chains,
company business cases and SME pitches,
EU policy perspectives on the Green Deal, circular economy and the I3 Instrument,
business–investor dialogue sessions,
panel discussions on scaling green and circular innovations across Europe,
discussion on future cooperation and investment opportunities beyond the project lifecycle.
To support on-site participation, the GREET CE project offers a flat-rate reimbursement of up to 800 EUR (VAT excluded) per company for participation in the Final Conference.
The reimbursement is intended to cover travel, accommodation and subsistence costs for one company representative. The reimbursement process will be coordinated by the project coordinator, KSSENA, in line with the project reimbursement guidelines. Interested to attend the conference on project costs? Contact us here>>
About GREET CE
GREET CE is a European project funded under the Interregional Innovation Investments (I3) Instrument, supporting green transition, circular economy and innovation-driven value chains in Central and South-Eastern Europe.
More information about the project, its pilots and activities is available at: www.greetce.eu
Further information on registration and participation will be published soon. We warmly invite companies and organisations from across Europe to join us in Brussels for the GREET CE Final Conference.
The webinar features highly innovative, proven and scalable digital solutions that facilitate the technical and business preparation and project bundling of geothermal, ambient and waste heat utilisation projects for heating and cooling purposes. It will explore relevant experience, the rationale for using these solutions, blended funding (with public money or commercial loans) and the French regulatory system promoting crowdfunding and innovative practices in using heat pumps in geothermal, ambient and waste heat utilisation.
Idrogeo has been instrumental in developing and implementing highly innovative energy projects in Italy, such as low-enthalpy geothermal utilisation (using heat pumps) in Montecattini Terme or in the historic city centre of Florence. It can prepare digital groundwater hydrogeological models, as well as seismic, geomorphological, hydraulic and hydrogeological availability surveys.
Enerfip is a leading crowdfunding European service provider focusing on sustainable energy crowdlending. Using its digital platform, democratising energy project finance it has raised over EUR 700 million financing for renewable energy projects. It has recently acquired two leading sustainable energy crowdfunding service providers. In December 2025 it acquired Dutch Duurzaaminvesteren that has raised EUR 400 million. In November 2025 it acquired French Lumo that has raised over EUR 150 million.
Sewergy can facilitate much lower cost, faster, less human resource need, less risk, within election cycle wastewater waste heat utilisation project preparation – a major untapped and profitable local source of energy in cities. Such economically viable projects can also have a role in electricity grid balancing by wastewater waste heat utilisation (large scale heat pumps used for demand response).
Join us to learn how companies in the bioeconomy sector have successfully raised funding and scaled their operations using diverse financing instruments, including grants, venture capital, and crowdlending.
This webinar, organised under the GREET CE project, supporting the green transition in Central Europe, in partnership with Goparity (an impact crowdlending platform from Portugal), will showcase real case studies and practical insights from innovators in the sector, highlighting how impact‑driven financing can accelerate sustainable growth. You’ll hear directly from companies about their funding journeys, challenges, and strategies, and discover how crowdlending can complement traditional financing models.
Agenda, 12 December 2025
11:00 – 11:05 Welcome & Introduction
11:05 – 11:45 Company presentations (10 minutes each)
Goparity (Manuel Nina) – a platform enabling collective financing of sustainable projects and innovations
Oceano Fresco (Bernardo Carvalho) – pioneer in sustainable aquaculture, producing high-quality bivalves using an open-sea farm and science-driven methods
Bioo (Pablo Vidarte) – green-tech company generating electricity from soil and managing water/energy efficiency in urban green spaces
Efenco (Kristjan Tiik) – cleantech startup offering patented high-efficiency energy conversion technology, reducing fuel use and CO₂ emissions in heavy-industry furnaces
11:45 – 12:00 Q&A (15 minutes)
Registration
Please register for the event at this link by 11 December 2025
Link
will be shared later after the registration
Contact details
The meeting is organised by Bioeconomy Cluster and Goparity within Greet CE project. For additional information about the event, please feel free to contact: Martin Jamrich: jamrich@prounion.sk Manuel Nina: manuelnn@goparity.com
We’re excited to bring together researchers, innovators, and changemakers from across Europe and the Western Balkans for a full day of inspiring keynotes, expert panels, interactive sessions, and networking opportunities.
This year’s Forum will gather leading voices to share insights on innovation, collaboration, and turning research into real-world impact.
Whether you’re looking to find project partners, pitch your idea, or connect with research and business communities – Horizons of Innovation is the place to be.
Join us as we explore emerging trends, exchange knowledge, and build new collaborations that go beyond the event.
District heating has a significant role in Central European countries.
This webinar raises awareness of highly innovative technologies that can enable the utilisation of waste generated in urban infrastructure. It features Central- European firms that have technologies with high potential impact in the district heating sector – and other sectors.
Three presentations will introduce a solution that utilises wastewater waste heat, with a heat generation potential of over 10 MW in larger cities with over 100,000 inhabitants, a successful heat storage startup with significant international references and European investment, and an award-winning technology that converts CO2 created in energy production to useful materials. All three technologies can have major impact on the environmental and financial sustainability of district heating and geothermal energy production. This webinar is organised jointly by two Interreg projects (REHEATEAST and Heat 35) and two Horizon Europe I3 projects (Greet CE and Greet Geo). Energy Institute Hrvoje Pozar is a partner in all the projects. All projects focus primarily on Central and Southern Europe.
Award-winning patented (in 37 countries) solution utilizing wastewater (waste heat) to generate environment-friendly and cost-effective energy for heating and cooling buildings – with significant references of over 10 MW heat capacity
Scalable low temperature electrochemical technology that uses renewable energy to directly convert CO2 into e- chemicals, such as carbon monoxide, ethylene, and other products – winner of the EIT Manufacturing Day BoostUp! East 2025 pitch competition first prize in 2025. It is one of the six finalists in the Climate, Energy and Mobility sector for the European Commission Innovation Radar Prize 2025, an annual initiative celebrating the most promising EU- funded startups and innovators. The event will be held on 10 November 2025 in Lisbon.
