BRIDGE, an official cooperation platform established under the European Commission, brings together projects funded under the Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe research and innovation framework programmes. Focusing on smart grids, energy storage and digitalisation, BRIDGE facilitates cooperation and knowledge exchange among projects and supports the sharing and uptake of project results. Through its working groups on data management, regulation, business models, and consumer and citizen engagement, BRIDGE contributes to practical knowledge on key aspects of the energy transition, including interoperability, flexibility, data sharing and market design.
BRIDGE has published its 2026 Brochure, titled “Cooperation between Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe Projects in the fields of smart grid, energy storage, and digitalisation.” The brochure brings together the work and results of projects addressing key challenges in Europe’s energy transition, including the integration of distributed energy resources, enhancing grid resilience, enabling demand-side flexibility, supporting energy communities and facilitating the wider deployment of innovative solutions.
In addition, the Regulation Working Group has published its 2025–2026 Annual Activity Report, examining the role of regulatory frameworks in accelerating the energy transition. Drawing on evidence and experience from Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe projects, the report highlights that innovation in areas such as flexibility, energy sharing, sector coupling and grid operation is progressing rapidly, while regulatory frameworks are not always evolving at the same pace.
The report underlines the need for a more coherent, interoperable and implementation-oriented regulatory framework to support the transition from pilot projects to large-scale deployment. Greater alignment between regulatory developments and technological innovation is considered essential for overcoming barriers to the uptake of innovative solutions and translating research and innovation results into tangible impact across the energy system.
The 2026 BRIDGE publications demonstrate the importance of strengthening cooperation between research and innovation projects and ensuring that technological advances are accompanied by appropriate regulatory frameworks, business models and stakeholder engagement mechanisms. Such an approach is crucial for accelerating the implementation and scaling-up of innovative solutions and supporting Europe's energy transition.
The BRIDGE 2026 Brochure is available here, while the BRIDGE 2025–2026 Annual Activity Report can be accessed here.