Blue Planet Academy & Consulting
Blue Planet Academy & Consulting, an energy training, consultancy and R&D spin-off from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, is specialized in energy in buildings, energy related database applications and data interpretation and energy specialization training courses. Over the last few years, Blue Planet has become an important Belgian contributor in the field of EPB/EPC (EPBD directive) matters. Flemish energy experts (EPB/EPC) must undertake a central exam organized by Blue Planet in order to get accredited as an EPB EPC expert (VEA, Flemish Energy Agency). Blue Planet was commissioned by IBGEBIM (Brussels Energy Agency) to create and organize the nation’s first Tertiary Certificateur training course, and has since risen to be the biggest Brussels training center for all training courses related to energy efficiency in buildings (carbon footprinting, EPB/EPC training courses, BREEAM exclusive distributor). Besides training courses and government consultancy, Blue Planet has recently developed a new type of (building) insulation that will be commercialized in the near future.
Resourcefully
Resourcefully is an environmental consultancy, which was created to provide solutions to the squandering of resources that characterizes our society. It develops knowledge and expertise in the areas of both energy and water, two crucial resources which are facing different challenges and opportunities today. Resourcefully is located in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, but the majority of Resourcefully’s projects are realised in European context. Both the legislation and funding coming from the EU have a well-known influence in determining how the water and energy sector will evolve in the coming years in the different countries. These are crucial factors in shaping the Dutch and the European market consultancy services sector in which Resourcefully operates.
University of Bergen — Centre for the Study of the Sciences and the Humanities
The University of Bergen is Norway’s second largest university. The responsible department at UiB in this project is the Centre for the Study of the Sciences and the Humanities (SVT). The SVT interfaculty research centre has coordinated a number of interdisciplinary research projects including the FP7 CRPs TECHNOLIFE, EPINET and VALUE ISOBARS. In FP7, SVT also participated in NANOPLAT, PEGASUS and SEAT. The SVT has also coordinated several Research Council of Norway research projects of similar size. SVT is characterised by the interdisciplinary combination of philosophy and history of science, STS and science ethics/bioethics, risk and complexity theory, in many cases also in transdisciplinary dialogue with practising scientists, decision-makers and citizens. Of special relevance to the PARENT project, the SVT coordinated the EPINET project, in which one research line was about the social acceptability and governance (including privacy and data protection) of smart grids in the EU. This was one of the first projects of this kind, and conclusions and collaborations from EPINET will be continued and brought into the SVT’s work in the PARENT project, which will be dealing especially with societal acceptability and public engagements.
Utrecht University — Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development
The Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development at Utrecht University investigates and develops processes and opportunities for innovative change towards sustainability. The institute seeks to contribute to the development of knowledge and techniques as well as methods and instruments in the field of sustainable development. The group Energy Resources is active in various sustainable technologies, of which photovoltaics (PV) is of relevance for this project.
Vrije Universiteit Brussel — Institute for European Studies (project coordinator)
The Institute for European Studies (IES) at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) is a Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence and a policy think tank that focuses on the role of the European Union (EU) in an international setting. Research at the IES currently covers: EU foreign and security policy; environment and sustainable development; migration, asylum and diversity; and European economic governance. The IES has demonstrated its capacity to conduct both academic research and provide scientific expert advice to policy-makers in various projects for local, regional, national, European and international sponsors.
Vrije Universiteit Brussel — Research Group on Law, Science, Technology & Society
The interdisciplinary Research Group on Law, Science, Technology & Society (LSTS) was created in 2003 as an independent entity within the Faculty of Law and Criminology at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB). With more than 30 researchers at all levels of experience, LSTS has become a prominent European research institute in the area of technology regulation. LSTS has a well-established reputation in research concerning privacy and data protection, an area where the work done by LSTS researchers is highly influential. LSTS researchers also operate the Brussels Privacy Hub, an internationally focused privacy research centre and the Privacy Salon, an NGO aiming at public awareness of privacy and other social and ethical consequences of new technologies. LSTS is the main organizer of the yearly Computers, Privacy & Data Protection Conference (CPDP).
