To promote Europe’s green and digital transition, Riga Technical University (RTU), together with partners from six countries – Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Bulgaria, and Cyprus – over two years will collaborate within the project FINEX to enhance innovation, cooperation, and support for clean technologies across Europe. The project is supported by industry partners HEC Paris and Cleantech Group, providing access to a broad international network and expertise.
The FINEX project (FINEST: Fostering and Integrating Sustainable Experimentation Practices and Spaces for European Climate and Digital Innovation) aims to strengthen and interconnect clean technology innovation ecosystems, driving forward the green and digital transformation by developing world-class pilot regions, otherwise known as «experimentation spaces», and opportunities for testing and scaling new solutions. By effectively leveraging international networks, the project partners will contribute to a more harmonized EU regulatory and legal environment, while also identifying and supporting companies and innovators in relevant sectors.
Within the project, RTU and its partners will map the resources and needs of the clean technology ecosystem, build stakeholder capacity through training and mentoring, and provide testing environments for innovative technologies that will accelerate the development of new solutions. The project will also produce policy recommendations and best practice guidelines, while fostering collaboration between innovators, businesses, and investors to ensure effective communication and public engagement.
RTU will develop the Exploitation, Replication, and Sustainability (ER&S) Plan for the project to ensure that FINEX results are applied in practice and deliver long-term impact beyond the project’s conclusion. Special emphasis will be placed on knowledge management and commercialization opportunities.
RTU historically has served as the leading partner of EIT Climate-KIC Hub Latvia, a community dedicated to innovation and sustainability. The university’s Innovation Ecosystem Development Unit actively participates in national and international initiatives in the fields of digital and clean technologies, implementing education, entrepreneurship support, research, and networking programs.
The FINEX project brings together several leading European and global partners, including EIT Digital – Europe’s largest digital innovation ecosystem – as well as HEC Paris and Cleantech Group, global leaders in clean technology innovation. The consortium also includes world-class research and innovation centers such as FINEST CoE, KIOS CoE, and GATE CoE, along with Lithuania’s Sunrise Valley Science and Technology Park, Aalto University in Finland, and RTU.
The project is implemented with financial support from the European Union’s Horizon Europe program.
