Strong engagement as INCITE celebrates its first year

The EU’s innovation hub for industrial transformation has celebrated its first anniversary, with representatives from various industries, research institutes, innovators, technology providers, government offices, and authorities gathering at Jernkontoret. The event emphasized the importance of collaboration, innovation, and information sharing to drive industrial transformation toward a more sustainable and competitive future.

INCITE – the European Innovation Centre for Industrial Transformation and Emissions – is the European Commission’s central platform for identifying and evaluating innovative technologies with strong climate and environmental performance. The initiative was launched by the Commission in 2024 and officially inaugurated on Midsummer’s Eve of the same year. Initially, the INCITE consortium focused on the iron and steel industry, later expanding to include several other energy-intensive sectors. Over a year has now passed, and a well-attended seminar was held at Jernkontoret to follow up on the initial work.

“We had an excellent turnout, confirming how important and wide-ranging this issue is. It was a unique mix of participants – 70 on site and 120 via video link. Attendees came from the Commission, around ten different countries, industries from ten different BREFs, NGOs, innovators, universities, and institutes. By the end of the day, more than 200 people had participated. INCITE’s three representatives presented and interacted throughout the afternoon, which was highly valuable for us,” says Eva Blixt, Senior Advisor at Jernkontoret.

Eric Aries, Project Leader for INCITE at the Joint Research Centre (JRC) in Seville, European Commission, presented INCITE’s achievements since its inception, emphasizing the excellent collaboration between national authorities, industry, technology providers, and research and technology organisations. The procedure for submitting information to INCITE was highlighted for all participants, including an overview of the INCITE information platform where innovative technologies are showcased.

“What distinguishes INCITE is the need for collaboration. INCITE creates the conditions to achieve the EU’s environmental and climate goals by gathering innovative technologies on the platform and in forthcoming technical reports, serving as input for upcoming BREFs (Best Available Techniques Reference Documents) and research funding,” says Eva Blixt.

INCITE is part of the EU’s Industrial Emissions Directive (IED) and aims to accelerate industrial transformation by identifying and promoting technologies that reduce emissions, increase resource efficiency, and support the circular economy.

A presentation of the Swedish Metals & Minerals IMPACT INCITE project was given by Jill Sundberg and Tova Jarnerud Orell, showcasing tangible outcomes from collaborative projects involving Swedish stakeholders such as Swerim, Teknikföretagen, LKAB, SSAB, Lund University, Kanthal, and Jernkontoret. The discussion illustrated how INCITE supports participants in demonstrating progress, sharing best practices, and addressing common challenges.

The presentations, panel discussions, and Q&A sessions were engaging and informative, clearly highlighting INCITE’s role as a catalyst for collaboration and technological progress toward a sustainable and competitive industrial future. The event underscored the strong cooperation among all relevant Swedish stakeholders and the great commitment to participating in the initiative.

Among the key takeaways from the day were the importance of maintaining momentum – expanding the work to more energy-intensive sectors beyond iron and steel, and strengthening collaboration with environmental, growth, and innovation authorities. These included Johan Kuylenstierna (Swedish Environmental Protection Agency), Mattias Blomberg (Formas), Rémy Kolessar (Vinnova), and Björn Langbeck (Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth).

The discussions mainly focused on how to collaborate and identify relevant actors for INCITE in Sweden, for both the platform and upcoming workshops in Seville, where research institutes also play a key role. Representatives from Swerim and RISE participated in one of the panels.

INCITE is based at the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) in Seville, which ensures scientific independence and technical expertise. On the European Commission’s website, you can find examples of various INCITE projects currently underway across the EU, including Swedish examples from Hybrit, Kanthal, Swerim, and GreenIron.

🎥 You can watch the full seminar recording here