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Since 2014, the European Union’s strategy is clearly formulated: we need to drive a clean, secure and efficient energy transition to face climate and energy challenges. It is reinforced by the strong commitment of the European Union to the 2015 Paris Agreement. Therefore, in November 2016, the Commission proposed an ambitious “Clean Energy for All Europeans” package. Therein, all relevant meetings, summits and measures started from a simple observation: “It is in everyone’s long-term interest to have a rapid and orderly transition towards a cleaner, more sustainable and less carbon intensive energy future.” However, this apparently simple observation requires us to consider numerous challenges: i) Moving towards a low carbon energy sector; ii) Creating a pan European integrated energy system and iii) Mobilizing public and private sectors by iv) Maintaining and extending Europe’s industrial leadership. The European Commission is working on the long-term vision where all these multidimensional challenges would be addressed by a single coherent plan.This paper describes the Vision 2050, as elaborated by the European Technology and Innovation Platform of Smart Networks for Energy Transition (ETIP SNET), which gathered research and industry experts, European and National public authorities, European associations and other relevant actors from the energy sector to tackle the key aspects of this very complex challenge.

In its Research and Innovation Roadmap, targeting a 10-year period from 2017 to 2026, the European Technology and Innovation Platform for Smart Networks for the Energy Transition (ETIP SNET) defines long-term priorities for investment in Research and Innovation (R&I) activities within the European energy sector.Priorities are established having in mind the EU energy strategy and the expected future challenges of different stakeholders in the energy value chain. Complementarily, the ETIP SNET prioritizes the R&I activities with an Implementation Plan (IP), based on the R&I Roadmap, for the short-term, in which a 3-year period, from 2017 to 2020, is considered.