COMETS views citizen engagement a key element to the success of its research activities. The engagement of CAI members will transpire through the consortium benchmarking process and will be instrumental to accessing direct information on CAIs. 

Additionally, COMETS will be co-producing a cognitive framework, engagement strategies and more in-depth knowledge for understanding CAIs that supports their future development.

Not only will this provide the COMETS consortium with in-depth findings, it will support network building among CAIs and promote strategies for seizing opportunities for social innovation within the energy sector.

Engaging citizens will benefit CAIs members by providing practical support to improve on the cognitive, strategical, relational and informational level (e.g. through access to blueprints for business and organizational models, tailored feedback on activities, access to CAI networks, and learning within these networks). In turn, their engagement in the project will add to an in-depth and context-specific understanding of the sustained evolution of CAIs.

Citizen engagement will be especially highlighted in the participatory case studies, which will consist of 3 main activities:

• a kick-off workshop aimed at defining the best strategies for engagement sessions
• at least two engagement sessions, so called ‘futuring tours’, lasting one day each, aimed at integrating the methodology to draw future desirable scenarios
• a final workshop aimed at identifying strategies (roadmaps) to reach the desirable futures at the CAI scale.

• Participatory reports from local partners
  Formalized in a report by each of the local partners, co-produced knowledge of the engaged community and an effective engagement strategy will be used for scenarios and roadmaps building. Results are also planned to be published in peer-reviewed journals.

Managed by: JRC
Info: angela.pereira@ec.europa.eu