By the end of the summer and the beginning of autumn, FlexRICAN stepped into a new phase of its implementation. Coming on strong from the summer and fully recruited and equipped for the upcoming deliverables and milestones, we are glad to share the latest updates.
Firstly, FlexRICAN 2nd Consortium Meeting was held on September 19-20, 2024, at the Extreme Light Infrastructure ERIC (ELI) in the Czech Republic. Graciously hosted by our partner, ELI, the event kicked off the technical implementation phase of the project and provided a platform for the partners to come together and exchange the progress of the first six months of the project, discussing potential challenges and plans.
The meeting played a crucial role in bringing together 35 participants including work package leaders and researchers from 10 partners from 7 countries. Additionally, the role of RIs in combating climate change by improving energy efficiency has been highlighted by Allen Weeks, ELI ERIC Director General and Mamad Eshraqi, FlexRICAN Project Technical Lead, to stress the importance of the EU-funded project. To read more about the meeting, follow the link to the ELI ERIC website.
Secondly, following the week of the FlexRICAN 2nd Consortium Meeting, the project’s Steering Board joined ESSRI – Energy for Sustainable Science at Research Infrastructures on September 25-27 in Madrid, Spain. ESSRI is a key platform bringing together academia, the public sector, and industry to discuss strategies for developing and sustaining research infrastructures (RIs) across Europe to address environmental and climate challenges.
Consortium members from ESS, ELI, and CNRS represented FlexRICAN at ESSRI. FlexRICAN Coordinator Serkan Üçer and WP5 and WP6 Leader François Debray presented “FlexRICAN EU Project: Flexibility for Research Infrastructures and Global Carbon Neutrality,” emphasising how FlexRICAN designed to serve as a blueprint for enhancing the sustainability of research infrastructures and advancing them toward carbon neutrality.
Finally, following the amendment to the FlexRICAN grant agreement, we gladly welcome two affiliated entities on board to our project: Institut Polytechnique de Grenoble (IPG) and ELI ALPS. Both IPG and ELI ALPS will contribute to the FlexRICAN project bringing their expertise and experience in sustainability solutions at their facilities.
September has been busy yet productive and pivotal for FlexRICAN as it started with the delivery of the first set of deliverables and milestones of the project following the 2nd Consortium Meeting, ESSRI participation and the addition of IPG and ELI ALPS to the FlexRICAN Consortium. For more updates, follow our website and our social media pages on LinkedIn and X.
