On 9 September 2026, the EERA Joint Programme on Smart Grids organised the webinar “Securing Europe’s Electrified Future through RD&I in Electric Power System Components”, bringing together representatives from research, policymaking and industry to discuss how research, development and innovation can support the expansion and modernisation of Europe’s electricity grids.

The webinar built on the recently published position paper Securing Europe’s Electrified Future through RD&I in Electric Power System Components, developed by EERA JP Smart Grids together with 26 other signatory organisations. The paper calls for electric power system components and grid-enhancing technologies to be recognised as strategic RD&I priorities for Europe, in light of their essential contribution to decarbonisation, competitiveness, energy security and strategic autonomy.

The event was opened and moderated by Luciano Martini, Coordinator of EERA JP Smart Grids, while Knut Samdal, Vice President Research at SINTEF Energy, presented the main arguments and recommendations of the position paper. The panel discussion brought together George Paunescu (European Commission DG ENER), Knut Samdal (SINTEF), Niall Begley (CurrENT) Helena Le Goff-Jedrzejowicz (Europacable) and Elena Rodriguez Gonzalez (Ormazabal), reflecting perspectives from across the grid innovation value chain.

A central message emerging from the discussion was that Europe’s future power system should increasingly be regarded as a strategic European capability, rather than solely as infrastructure. As electrification progresses across transport, buildings, industry and other sectors, Europe will become increasingly dependent on a reliable and resilient electricity system. This makes innovation in physical grid components, as well as in enabling technologies for flexibility, digitalisation, monitoring, automation and optimisation, essential to Europe’s wider energy and industrial objectives.

Participants also highlighted that Europe’s challenge is no longer only its ability to develop innovative technologies, but its capacity to bring them from research and demonstration to large-scale deployment. Testing and qualification procedures, regulatory frameworks, procurement practices and fragmented approaches across Member States can all slow down market uptake. The discussion therefore stressed the need for stronger links between research, demonstration, industrialisation and deployment, as well as more coordinated approaches to testing, regulation and the replication of successful pilots across Europe.

This stronger innovation-to-market pathway is also closely linked to Europe’s competitiveness. Panellists underlined the importance of retaining the capacity to design, manufacture, operate and service critical grid technologies in Europe, while remaining competitive on global markets. Better alignment between research, energy and industrial policies was identified as essential to translate European innovation into manufacturing capacity, skilled jobs, resilient value chains and technological leadership.

Looking ahead, particular attention was given to FP10 and the European Competitiveness Fund as an opportunity to strengthen this approach. The discussion highlighted the potential complementarity between funding for research, development and validation on the one hand, and support for industrial scale-up, manufacturing capacity and market uptake on the other. At the same time, speakers stressed that funding alone will not be sufficient: regulation, grid planning, procurement and incentives for network operators will also need to create demand for innovative solutions and accelerate their deployment.

Closing the webinar, Luciano Martini reaffirmed the role of EERA JP Smart Grids as a European research hub connecting research with stakeholders across the wider value chain, from technology development to innovation and full deployment. The discussion confirmed a broad alignment around the need to move faster and smarter: strengthening targeted RD&I in electric power system components while ensuring that innovation can be scaled and deployed in time to support Europe’s electrified future.