The Horizon 2020 Green Deal Projects Support Office (GD‑SO) marked a major milestone with its flagship final event on 28 April 2026 in Brussels and online, convening a diverse community of policymakers, researchers, industry leaders, local authorities and civil society.
Bringing together more than 300 participants, the event highlighted the collective achievements of 73 projects funded under the €1bn Horizon 2020 Green Deal Call.
Turning research into real-world solutions
Showcasing tangible results and real-world impact, the gathering underscored how EU-funded research and innovation are driving practical, scalable solutions to support the European Green Deal. From clean energy and climate resilience to biodiversity, sustainable food systems, circular economy, nature-based solutions and citizen engagement, the projects demonstrate a strong foundation for accelerating Europe’s green transition.
The Green Deal Call funded 73 projects spanning five core transitions corresponding to projects’ thematic Working Groups: clean energy, food and health, climate and biodiversity, urban environment and mobility, and knowledge and citizens.
Taken together, they represent something relatively rare in EU research funding: a coordinated, thematically coherent portfolio designed not just to generate knowledge, but to produce solutions ready for real-world deployment.
Breakout sessions focus on integrated approaches
Building on the plenary discussions, three interactive breakout sessions explored key dimensions of the transition: the One Health approach, pathways towards competitive and low-pollution systems, and citizen and societal engagement. These sessions underscored the importance of integrated, participatory and innovation-driven approaches in accelerating the delivery of the European Green Deal.
Delivering European firsts in green technology
Across the portfolio, projects have achieved a number of European firsts, ranging from circular solutions and cutting-edge monitoring tools to novel technological and social approaches. Notable results include the deployment of a 100 MW renewable hydrogen electrolyser, CO₂ capture rates reaching up to 99%, and renewable energy pilots generating more than 110 MWh.
Beyond technical milestones, these achievements have expanded access to clean energy, supported job creation at the local level and demonstrated how research can translate into tangible societal benefits.
Collaboration at the core of the green transition
The strategic value of collaboration was a central message throughout the event. Astrid Ladefoged, Head of Unit for Green Transitions at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Research and Innovation (DG RTD), emphasised that cross-project and cross-sector cooperation is key to amplifying impact. She highlighted that the results presented illustrate the added value of European scientific cooperation, which brings together expertise, technologies, and stakeholders across disciplines and borders.
The discussions also reinforced the critical role of EU funding frameworks in bridging the gap between innovation and implementation. Through coordinated governance, policy alignment and strong partnerships, these frameworks help ensure that research outcomes are translated into real-world change.
Strengthening the link between research and policy
Echoing this, Ivona Malbasic, Coordinator of the Green Deal Projects Support Office, highlighted the GD‑SO’s role in bridging the gap between research and policy by strengthening coherence across projects and distilling evidence that supports decision‑making at European, national and local levels.
By fostering alignment, enabling knowledge exchange and increasing the visibility of results, the GD‑SO has helped create the conditions needed to scale proven solutions and integrate them into policies that drive Europe’s green transition.
From final event to next phase of action
As the discussions throughout the day made clear, the focus now shifts from showcasing results to ensuring their uptake and long-term impact. In this sense, the Green Deal Projects Support Office’s final event is not merely a conclusion but a transition point.
Rather than marking an endpoint, it signals the beginning of the next phase, in which years of research and collaboration are translated into real-world transformation, scaled across sectors, and embedded in policies and investments that will shape Europe’s green future.
Under the Horizon 2020 Green Deal Call, the European Union funds 73 research and innovation projects to accelerate a just and sustainable transition to a climate-neutral Europe by 2050. The Green Deal Projects Support Office was established under a contract with the European Union to support the projects funded under the Green Deal Call and to help facilitate collaboration, share best practices and increase their impact.
The projects mentioned in this article have received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement numbers 101036702, 101036631, 101036449, 101036599, 101036245, 101037509, 101036763.
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