Innovation transfer between Germany and Lithuania

A conference in Vilnius presented good practices in the housing sector

Regional development and cross-border cooperation stay at the fore-front of EU regional policy and receive considerable funding through the bloc's Cohesion Fund.

Innovation transfer is widely promoted especially when it comes to one between more developed and less developed countries and regions.

Innovation Transfer at a Conference

One good example of this is the report by Federal Minister Rainer Genilke of Germany presented at a conference in Vilnius on 23 January 2020.

The conference marked the end of a joint project between Lithuanian and German partners for the transformation of housing and building sectors in fields such as energy conservation and efficiency as well as climate change adaptation.

The project developed a network of cities for the exchange of good practices and information in the main areas mentioned above.

According to Genilke 25 cities in Brandenburg have introduced the concept of energy conservation and efficiency in the building sector. In addition, good practices in renovation management have been introduced.

Under this common project, Lithuanian and German partners have discussed topics of mutual interest such as heating, energy consumption and renewable energy installations for housing. The underlying element behind these discussions was to go beyond the individual house and apartment and to instead create strategies for the whole neighbourhood or area.

Additional projects for the creation of green areas and districts through different funding opportunities and the provision of certain subsidies for sustainable housing have also been part of the discussions and innovation transfer.

This is another example of good cross-border cooperation between the two countries. Since Germany has well-developed strategies on sustainability, energy efficiency and housing policies, it has much to offer as technological, and not only, innovation transfer. More such projects can be expected to further deepen such interaction and partnership.