The 18th SET Plan Conference is a high-level conference organised under the patronage of the Hungarian Presidency of the Council of the EU in cooperation with the Commission.

The event will provide a platform for policymakers, researchers and industry stakeholders in energy sector to establish connections and expand collaborations aimed at developing and demonstrating innovative cleantech energy solutions, while accelerating their deployment.

This year's theme, Scaling up research, innovation and competitiveness in clean energy technologies, highlights the need to reinforce the research and innovation landscape, to enhance competitiveness and sovereignty of clean energy technology value chains within the EU.

The agenda includes several thematic parallel sessions and high-level panels in the following areas: the commercialisation of innovative technologies, industrial decarbonisations, geothermal energy, energy storage, hydrogen and skills. We are expecting high-level speakers from the Commission and the Hungarian Ministry of Energy to open the conference. The main goals of the conference are:

• enhancing cooperation and synergies between national and European policies;
• facilitating collaboration within energy R&I;
• gathering the most promising results of energy R&I

On the afternoon of 13 November, a day before the SET Plan conference, 2 side events will take place:

• A workshop with the Secretariats of Implementation Working Groups (IWGs) and European Technology and Innovation Platforms (ETIPs) funded under Horizon Europe (by invitation only).

The workshop aims to facilitate awareness and understanding of each other's activities among all ETIPs and IWGs in the area covered by 5 task forces mentioned in the Communication on the revised SET Plan. It also seeks to establish a continuous cooperation between different ETIPs and IWGs and develop a specific action plan for future collaboration, aligned with the overarching aim of the clean energy transition.

• A CETPartnership event on how to work together on crosscutting areas between the CETPartnership and the SET Plan with a focus on the 5 task forces and funding opportunities, especially in the context of the Horizon Europe.