MEDUNARODNI CENTAR ZA ODRZIVI RAZVOJ ENERGETIKE VODA I OKOLISA UDRUGE

Their core work

SDEWES Centre is a Croatian research centre focused on sustainable energy systems, bioeconomy strategies, and environmental policy for communities and regions. They specialize in supporting the market uptake of renewable heating and cooling solutions, developing bioenergy village concepts, and building integrated energy-economy-environment assessment models. Their practical work spans capacity building for local authorities, designing bio-based value chains for rural development, and modelling low-carbon transition pathways. They bridge the gap between sustainability research and real-world implementation at the municipal and regional level.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In their early H2020 period (2015–2017), SDEWES Centre focused on practical energy deployment — bioenergy villages, district heating market uptake, and public acceptance of renewable heat systems. From 2019 onward, their work shifted decisively toward bioeconomy, integrated sustainability modelling, and regional policy design, with keywords like "bio-based value chains," "regional policy," and "system dynamics" appearing prominently. This evolution shows a move from technology-specific energy projects toward broader systems thinking and policy-level sustainability frameworks.

SDEWES Centre is moving from hands-on energy deployment toward integrated regional sustainability planning and modelling, making them increasingly relevant for bioeconomy and green transition policy projects.

How they like to work

SDEWES Centre operates exclusively as a consortium participant — they have never coordinated an H2020 project, suggesting they contribute specialised expertise rather than leading large consortia. With 77 unique partners across 24 countries from just 7 projects, they work in large, diverse consortia and maintain a broad European network rather than a tight circle of repeat collaborators. This makes them an accessible and experienced partner who integrates well into multi-country teams without requiring a leadership role.

Extensive network of 77 partners across 24 countries built through 7 projects, indicating participation in large pan-European consortia. Their reach spans well beyond the Western Balkans, with strong connections across EU member states.

What sets them apart

SDEWES Centre sits at a rare intersection of energy systems, bioeconomy, and regional development policy — a combination few single organisations cover. Based in Croatia, they bring a Central/Southeast European perspective to sustainability challenges, which is valuable for projects needing geographic diversity and understanding of transitioning economies. Their ability to work across both technical modelling (LOCOMOTION) and community-level implementation (BioVill, REPLACE) makes them versatile contributors to projects spanning research through deployment.

Highlights from their portfolio

• LOCOMOTION
  Their largest project (EUR 465,000) and most technically ambitious — building open-source integrated assessment models for low-carbon transition, representing a step into complex systems modelling.
• BioVill
  Directly addresses community-level bioenergy adoption with a practical focus on public acceptance and market uptake — core to SDEWES Centre's identity as a bridge between research and local implementation.
• BE-Rural
  Marks their strategic pivot toward bioeconomy policy and regional development, combining co-creation methods with bio-based value chain design for rural EU regions.