SONNET Webinar Series 1: (Almost) Everything you need to know about the “What, Who and How”

 
What activities “count” as social innovations in energy transitions and how do they work? What roles do cities play in such initiatives? The SONNET project kicks-off its first webinar by exploring (Almost) Everything you need to know about the “What, Who and How”. Will you join us on March 31?
 
This webinar will open a discussion on Social Innovation in Energy (SIE) in Europe today, and explore the diversity of SIE already being deployed. Speakers will then share their practical experiences from both research and a local government perspectives.
 
Panellists:

• Dr. Julia Wittmayer, DRIFT
  Julia is an Assistant Professor at the Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences and works as a senior researcher at DRIFT. She has a background in social and cultural anthropology, and her work focuses on the changing role of science in cities and neighbourhoods. Julia acts as principal investigator for DRIFT in the SONNET project, and the primary contact for the City of Antwerp.
• Dr. Jana Deforche, City of Antwerp
  Jana has a PhD in Social Sciences from the University of Antwerp. Since 2014, she has been working for the City of Antwerp as the European project manager for energy and environment projects. She is also currently project leader for the “Stadslab2050”, a social and energy transition project. She is also the lead for the City of Antwerp within the SONNET project. Her interests lie in (social) innovation, urban living lab methodology and a just energy transition.
• Dr. Donal Brown, University of Leeds
  Donal is a Research Fellow in Renewable Electricity Business models at the University of Leeds, and works as part of the European Union project “Prosumers in the Energy Union” (PROSEU). He is the Sustainability Director at the Sustainable Design Collective, a collective of architects, and environmental and construction professionals, who provide sustainable building solutions. He will enrich our discussion by sharing insights on the mainstreaming of prosumer-business models in the European Energy Union.

 

The webinar will be facilitated by Niklas Mischkowski, Governance and Social Innovation Officer, ICLEI Europe. Niklas works on local social innovation projects with a focus on co-creation and transdisciplinary work.
 
This webinar is a part of the SONNET Webinar Series “Explored: Social Innovation in Energy Transitions”, which aims to bring diverse groups together to discuss how SIEs can contribute to a more sustainable energy system in Europe. Stay tuned for updates and join us to take the conversation forward!
 
Registration
The webinar takes place on March 31, 2020, 11:00 – 12:00 CET. Click here to register today, and get ready to dive deeper into the topic of social innovation in energy transitions!
 
Read more about the SONNET-project at our projectpage.
 
SONNET is funded under the EU Horizon 2020 Research and Innovations Actions (RIA) programme (Grant Agreement 837498).