The 2025 LEAP-RE Stakeholder Forum once again brought together the Africa–Europe research and innovation community for three inspiring days in Brussels, dedicated to advancing renewable energy, accelerating impact, and strengthening partnerships across continents.

This year’s edition was all about action & demonstrating how collaborative research translates into real-world solutions that change lives and drive sustainable development.

Day 1: Building bridges between research and impact

The Forum opened with a powerful reminder: we don’t do research for the sake of knowledge, but to create real, lasting impact on people’s lives. Throughout the day, speakers and participants explored key themes shaping Africa–Europe cooperation in sustainable energy, including:

• Strengthening research and innovation capacities to tackle renewable energy challenges.
• Accelerating the market introduction and replication of successful innovations.
• Enhancing joint programming efficiency through initiatives like the LEAP-SE project, whose 2026 Joint Call was officially pre-announced during the event.

Lively discussions, project showcases, and networking opportunities reinforced LEAP-RE’s mission, connecting science and implementation for the benefit of communities across both continents.

Day 2: Partnerships in Action at the South African Embassy

The second day began at the South African Embassy in Brussels, where the consortium was warmly welcomed by Ambassador Tokozile Xasa. In her address, the Ambassador emphasised the tangible progress already achieved through Africa–Europe collaboration and the long-term potential of these partnerships.

The morning was dedicated to the Pillar 1 review meeting, where LEAP-RE portfolio projects presented their final results. From innovative solar systems to localised bioenergy solutions, the outcomes showcased the transformative impact of collaborative research on clean energy access in Africa.

In the afternoon, attention turned to LEAP-RE’s Clustering activities, highlighting how projects work together to share knowledge and resources. Discussions focused on two key clusters:

• Grid Modelling – exploring energy planning challenges at rural, industrial, and national levels, and the modelling approaches tested by different projects.
• Water–Energy–Food (WEF) Nexus – addressing how integrated resource management can be scaled up across African contexts, identifying stakeholders and opportunities for real-world implementation.

We were honoured to collaborate with our sister projects, including OpenMod4Africa, EMERGE, SEforALL, RE-INTEGRATE, PRIMA, ONEPlanET, ENERGICA, and EPIC Africa. Together, these initiatives amplify shared tools, data, and capacity-building, ensuring that research leads to policy-relevant, actionable outcomes.

LEAP-RE attended the Africa-Europe Innovation Platform

LEAP-RE attended the kick-off meeting of the Africa-Europe Innovation Initiative (AEIP), an event that brought together a diverse range of stakeholders from research institutions, private sector organisations, policy bodies, and innovation networks across both continents. During the meeting, we had the opportunity to introduce the Long-Term Joint EU-AU Research and Innovation Partnership on Renewable Energy programme, highlighting its objectives, achievements, and ongoing initiatives to promote sustainable energy access and collaborative research between Africa and Europe.

The discussions focused on strengthening partnerships and leveraging shared expertise to drive impactful innovation in renewable energy and related fields. A particular emphasis was placed on the AEIP online platform, designed to facilitate collaboration, knowledge exchange, and matchmaking among stakeholders. This digital space aims to serve as a central hub for connecting innovators, researchers, and policymakers, fostering long-term cooperation and joint project development. Our participation provided a valuable opportunity to showcase LEAP-RE’s contribution to Africa-Europe cooperation and to explore new pathways for aligning efforts within the broader innovation ecosystem (Enrich in Africa, SEADE, EDCTP, Team Europe, AU-EU Youth Voices Lab, etc.).

Day 3: At the Innovation Fair 2025

The final day of the week took us to the Innovation Fair 2025, where LEAP-RE hosted an interactive booth showcasing its projects and results. The Fair provided a unique opportunity to connect with innovators, policymakers, and industry leaders from across Africa, Europe, and the Mediterranean.

Two LEAP-RE portfolio projects, MG-FARM (focused on food nutrition security and sustainable agriculture) and SoCoNexGen (addressing climate change and sustainable energy), took the stage during the pitching sessions to present their achievements.

These sessions demonstrated the diversity and ambition of the LEAP-RE portfolio and its contribution to advancing clean energy research and implementation.

A Week of Connection, Collaboration, and Commitment

As the week drew to a close, one thing was clear: the Africa–Europe partnership for sustainable energy is stronger than ever.

From in-depth project discussions to public engagement at the Innovation Fair, the LEAP-RE Forum 2025 exemplified the spirit of collaboration and innovation driving our shared transition to a greener future.

A heartfelt thank you to all our speakers, project teams, and partners for their dedication and enthusiasm, and to everyone who joined us in Brussels or online!

Relive the event highlights through our photo gallery!

All our presentations

• LEAP-SE Second Call (ANR)
• Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Plan (UEFISCDI)