SOCIAREM, the new European project – of which Sinloc is a partner – stands out for a multidisciplinary approach that integrates research, technology and social involvement, in order to promote the transition towards renewable energy.
Madrid, 29 September 2025. The European project SOCIAREM will officially kick off with a consortium meeting on Thursday 2nd and Friday 3rd October 2025 in Madrid, Spain. Co-funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe programme and the Swiss Secretariat for Education, Research, SOCIAREM brings together a multidisciplinary consortium of 15 partners from 9 countries to accelerate the uptake of photovoltaic (PV) systems and energy-sharing models by addressing social, regulatory, technical, and economic barriers.
The project will develop innovative tools and services, tested in real-world settings, including:
- gamification strategies for energy educationstrategie di gamification per l’educazione energetica;
- open-source models for energy communitiesmodelli open-source per la gestione delle comunità energetiche;
- unbiased guidance tools for consumersstrumenti di orientamento imparziali per i consumatori;
- advocacy actions to simplify authorization processes and regulatory frameworks.
With a duration of 42 months and an overall budget of more than €5.5 million, SOCIAREM aims to make PV adoption easier, more accessible and sustainable, contributing to the European goals of decarbonisation and social inclusion.
The consortium
the coordination of the project is entrusted to Comillas Pontifical University (Spain), which leads energy and social research activities, the development of PV optimization tools and the creation of serious games. Partners include innovative SMEs such as AKUYARI (Spain) and 8 D-Games (Netherlands), research centres such as R&D Nester (Portugal), Watt-IS and CEVE , academic bodies such as Universiteit de Cyprus, University of Deusto
(Spain) and University of Aswan (Egypt), and civil society actors such as Foundation of the Messina Community
(Italy) and Sinloc (Italy). Finnova Foundation (Belgium) deals with communication and Zabala Innovation Consulting (Spain) of innovation management.
Comillas Pontifical University of Madrid is recognized for its academic excellence, social responsibility, and international outlook. Within its School of Engineering (ICAI), the Institute for Research in Technology (IIT) promotes research and postgraduate training through projects developed in collaboration with industry and government. As a non-profit center, IIT combines academic expertise with practical applications, delivering technological solutions, consultancy, and publications, while training young researchers through a structured program that integrates real-world challenges with academic development.
The project is coordinated by the university, where optimization models for operation and planning will be developed, as well as the participation in the creation of a video game aimed at promoting citizen engagement and education. In addition, Comillas leads the WP1 where the specification of the tools should be defined, the WP5 where the tools will be tested in the four demos and the WP4 where the exploitation and business models should be studied.
Together, this diverse consortium combines research excellence, technological innovation, and strong outreach capacity to maximise the project’s impact.
About Sinloc
In SOCIAREM, Sinloc leads activities on the identification and customization of business models for integrating SOCIAREM tools into renewable energy communities. By analyzing current market trends, value propositions, and institutional arrangements, Sinloc will develop strategies to align stakeholders’ interests and ensure the financial and social sustainability of PV-based energy communities enhanced by SOCIAREM innovations.
SOCIAREM represents a concrete opportunity to encourage the energy transition in Europe, promoting sustainable and inclusive development models, in line with Sinloc’s mission.
Press release – Madrid, 29th september 2025
