The European Construction sector faces unprecedented challenges to achieve ambitious energy efficiency objectives, that can be met only if successful training initiatives and supporting policy instruments are put in place, acting as a springboard to stimulate the demand for energy efficiency skills. The INSTRUCT project aims to act at a market level by providing an operational framework and set of services serving a new generation of skilled and certified workers and fitters and paving the way to legislative changes that overall will stimulate the demand for energy skills across lifecycle and supply chains. Key outputs include: (a) quantitative and qualitative evidences that corroborate and reinforce the correlation between (i) skills and education and (ii) energy performance and quality; (b) a set of tools and instruments facilitating the mutual recognition of energy skills and qualifications in the construction sector; (c) real-world demonstrations (in 5 geographical European areas) of the usefulness and ease of use of the deployed instruments for recognition of energy skills and qualifications; (d) dissemination and awareness raising actions in consortium members countries, scaled up to the wider Europe; (e) new legislative frameworks enabling reliance on skilled workers in public / private procurement. The Consortium draws on (a) the engagement of internationally leading industry best practice and vocational training, (b) the educational excellence of leading institutions in Europe, (c) the robust experience of accrediting bodies in the construction domain. It provides a Europe-wide coverage with 7 participating countries, scaled up to 5 clusters, representing a multi-expertise ensemble of stakeholders and energy value chains deploying the INSTRUCT methodology and supporting tools in country-based pilots. It is supported by a network of stakeholders, involving the Build Up Skills chapters across Europe, and a Europe wide community of interest of 200+ members.

Sustainable energy Positive & zero cARbon CommunitieS demonstrates and validates technically and socio-economically viable and replicable, innovative solutions for rolling out smart, integrated positive energy systems for the transition to a citizen centred zero carbon & resource efficient economy. SPARCS facilitates the participation of buildings to the energy market enabling new services and a virtual power plant concept, creating VirtualPositiveEnergy communities as energy democratic playground (positive energy districts can exchange energy with energy entities located outside the district). Seven cities will demonstrate 100+ actions turning buildings, blocks, and districts into energy prosumers. Impacts span economic growth, improved quality of life, and environmental benefits towards the EC policy framework for climate and energy, the SET plan and UN Sustainable Development goals. SPARCS co-creation brings together citizens, companies, research organizations, city planning and decision-making entities, transforming cities to carbon-free inclusive communities. Lighthouse cities Espoo (FI) and Leipzig (DE) implement large demonstrations. Fellow cities Reykjavik (IS), Maia (PT), Lviv (UA), Kifissia (EL) and Kladno (CZ) prepare replication with hands-on feasibility studies. SPARCs identifies bankable actions to accelerate market uptake, pioneers innovative, exploitable governance and business models boosting the transformation processes, joint procurement procedures and citizen engaging mechanisms in an overarching city planning instrument toward the bold City Vision 2050. SPARCS engages 30 partners from 8 EU Member States (FI, DE, PT, CY, EL, BE, CZ, IT) and 2 non-EU countries (UA, IS), representing key stakeholders within the value chain of urban challenges and smart, sustainable cities bringing together three distinct but also overlapping knowledge areas: (i) City Energy Systems, (ii) ICT and Interoperability, (iii) Business Innovation and Market Knowledge.