18.11.2025
SOCIALNRG consortium meeting in Milan: progress, pilot planning, and a visit to the Italian community
Last week, on November 12 and 13, a two-day consortium meeting of the LIFE SOCIALNRG project took place in Milan. Under the excellent leadership of the energy cooperative èNostra, the partners reviewed the results of the first year of the project, exchanged experiences with the involvement of households, and coordinated plans for the next phases of the pilot implementation.
The first day of the meeting was devoted to a comprehensive review of the work done so far. After the introductory welcome, IRI UL presented a draft report on experiences with the project approach to co-creating solutions for establishing energy communities by involving vulnerable households that experience or are exposed to energy poverty. After refreshing our memories of the situation on the ground in all three pilot projects, the main workshop of the day followed. Under the leadership of èNostra and RESCoop, we developed draft blueprints that will be a key tool for forming energy communities by including vulnerable households in pilot locations and later replicating them in similar contexts. The discussion focused on the practical steps of the pilot implementation, the expected challenges, and the adaptation of tools to the context of individual countries. The day ended with an interactive test of the SOCIALNRG board game, which is being developed specifically for our project by RESCoop. The game serves as an educational tool to raise awareness among households about community energy solutions and promotes understanding of the energy transition through gamification.
The second day of the meeting took place in the field. In Cinisello Balsamo, we were welcomed by representatives of UNIABITA, a housing cooperative with more than 120 years of tradition, which carries out pilot activities in Italy. Among the hosts was a representative of the pilot community of residents, who shared with us their experiences, challenges, and opportunities in developing community energy solutions. The field visit provided a direct insight into the living conditions, administrative and technical barriers, and the dynamics of the local community in the Italian context. The afternoon part of the meeting was again devoted to plenary work – further reflection on the next steps for the pilots, preparation of training and capacity-building materials, and coordination of the project’s communication activities.
The meeting was effective, pleasant, with a clear sense of progress and a shared commitment to the successful implementation of the set objectives. The next consortium meeting of SOCIALNRG partners is scheduled for April next year in Brussels, where partners will plan the next steps outlined in the emerging roadmaps and plan the next phase of the project.
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