GLOBAL ECOVILLAGE NETWORK OF EUROPE EV

Their core work

The Global Ecovillage Network of Europe (GEN Europe) is a pan-European NGO that represents a network of intentional communities and ecovillages practicing sustainable living. Their primary value in research projects is as a community engagement and citizen science partner: they bring direct access to real communities that are already experimenting with bioeconomy practices, community energy, and sustainable lifestyles — something no university lab can replicate. In H2020 projects they contribute transdisciplinary research methods, co-creation processes with citizens, public outreach campaigns, and qualitative fieldwork grounded in real living communities. They translate between scientific teams and lay publics, and between policy aspirations and on-the-ground realities.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In their first project (BLOOM, 2017–2020), GEN Europe was deployed primarily as a public engagement and science communication partner — their role centered on outreach, arts-based engagement, formal education, and connecting bioeconomy research to broader publics through responsible innovation (RRI) principles. By their second project (EC2, 2021–2024), the profile deepened considerably: the emphasis shifted from general public communication toward substantive community-level empirical research on energy citizenship, with qualitative studies and policy recommendations as explicit outputs. The trajectory shows a clear move from "messenger to the public" toward "voice of the community in research and policy."

GEN Europe is consolidating around community energy and energy citizenship — a fast-growing research and policy area — while carrying forward their transdisciplinary engagement toolkit, making them an increasingly relevant partner for Horizon Europe projects on energy poverty, local energy markets, and just transition.

How they like to work

GEN Europe has never led an H2020 project — both participations are as a consortium partner, which fits their profile as a network organization that brings unique community access rather than research infrastructure or technical capacity. They operate in mid-sized consortia (24 unique partners across two projects) spanning 9 countries, suggesting they are valued as a European-level community connector rather than a local actor. Working with them means gaining credible access to a real, active network of intentional communities and sustainability practitioners who are willing to participate in research processes.

GEN Europe has collaborated with 24 unique partners across 9 countries in just two projects, reflecting the broad European footprint expected of a pan-European NGO umbrella. Their geographic reach spans Northern, Western, and Central Europe, consistent with where ecovillage networks are most active.

What sets them apart

GEN Europe occupies a rare niche: they are not a research institute or a consultancy, but a living network of communities that are themselves research subjects and active co-researchers. No other H2020 partner type offers what they do — verified, motivated citizen communities willing to participate in co-creation, fieldwork, and real-world pilots. For any project needing genuine community buy-in, qualitative field access, or public legitimacy in the energy or sustainability space, they are one of very few organizations that can deliver this credibly at the European scale.

Highlights from their portfolio

• EC2
  Their largest and most recent project (€341,850), EC2 is notable for positioning GEN Europe not just as an outreach partner but as a contributor to empirical research and policy recommendations on energy communities — a significant step up in research responsibility.
• BLOOM
  BLOOM established GEN Europe's H2020 track record by combining arts, formal education, and RRI in a bioeconomy awareness project, demonstrating an unusual capacity to bridge hard science communication with cultural and artistic engagement methods.