Once a year, the Monitoring Panel (MP) of the SWICE consortium is invited on a site visit.
The MP is a group of experts assembled by the Swiss Federal Office for Energy (SFOE), the main funders of the consortium. Their mission is to evaluate the research and outputs of the SWICE consortium, providing feedback and redirection where needed. Five years after the foundation of SWICE, it has become very clear that the strong relationship of trust that the consortium has built with its MP is an essential pillar for the success of its research and dissemination efforts.
On the morning of June 11th, the MP and selected SWICE researchers gathered in Schönberg, a residential neighborhood of Fribourg where Living Lab O’Frais is located. This Living Lab focuses on co-creating welcoming outdoors spaces where the local community can gather, especially during summer heatwaves.
The MP was guided through various important areas of the neighborhood: a shared urban garden managed by local association REPER, a shaded area with welcoming benches, and the Schönberg central square. Since last summer, SWICE researchers have supported locals through the construction of structures that improve the quality of these spaces. As a nice side-effect of these efforts, a group of local mothers created an association that delivers catering services. They organized the day’s two coffee breaks and lunch, to the delight of participants.
The afternoon program took place at the Halle Bleue, at the opposite end of the city, where the team that manages the Smart Living Lab is located. They walked the MP through the history and challenges of constructing a research and development center where experiments are carried out in real-life conditions. The construction is currently well advanced and expected to be finished in the summer of 2027.
After all work packages had provided updates of their progress, the site visit ended with a workshop that allowed the team to reflect on the next steps for SWICE. As the project enters its final years, this presented an opportunity to begin the process of coalescing a wide range of research into a focused set of policy recommendations.
The SWICE Management team would like to thank the Monitoring Panel for their high-quality inputs, accessibility and willingness to enter frank discussions about the state and future of the consortium.
We’re excited to host you again next year!
