The Summer Academy RETURN is a regional capacity-building program designed to empower young professionals, researchers, and practitioners from the Central European Initiative (CEI) region with the knowledge, skills, and networks needed to accelerate the clean energy transition and advance climate neutrality. The Academy focuses on the critical nexus between renewable energy, energy efficiency, and urban resilience, equipping participants to address both technical challenges and socio-economic dimensions of the transition.
Through a combination of lectures, interactive workshops, mentoring sessions, and field visits, the program provides participants with hands-on insights into sustainable energy solutions, innovative technologies, and policy frameworks aligned with the European Green Deal and regional climate strategies. Special emphasis is placed on cross-disciplinary learning and peer-to-peer collaboration, enabling participants to co-create ideas, exchange best practices, and develop joint approaches to pressing energy and climate challenges.
Key activities
• Logistical support in event organization
• Organization of lectures of university, international organizations and NGOs lecturers from Western Europe
• Monitoring of development of advocacy papers and clean energy roadmap for Western Balkans countries
• Organization of study visits, participants networking and competitions
Donors/partners
CEI Cooperation Fund
Project duration
March, 2025 – September, 2025
Activities
By the end of the Academy, a strong network of young leaders across the CEI region will be consolidated, fostering long-term collaboration and knowledge transfer. Participants will be equipped not only with technical expertise but also with the capacity to integrate renewable energy and climate resilience into urban development, making them active contributors to the sustainable transformation of their communities and the wider region.
Project topic
energy, climate change
