As part of our collaboration with other Europe funded projects, ECLIPSE is pleased to spotlight BEGONIA, a sister initiative working to boost interoperability and cross-border services in the energy and transport domains. We sat down (virtually!) with Niccolò Fattirolli, COO of olivoENERGY from BEGONIA, to learn more about their goals, the value of working together, and what lies ahead.
ECLIPSE meets BEGONIA
1. Let’s start with the basics: what is BEGONIA, and what challenges is it addressing in the energy and transport sectors?
BEGONIA is a European project supporting the EU’s ambition to modernise how digital information is used in energy and transport. As we know, Europe is undergoing a major transformation to make these sectors more efficient, sustainable, and connected. To back up this effort, Europe is keen to develop Operational Digital Platforms (ODPs in short), which are advanced digital systems that cross national borders and use technologies like data sharing, cloud computing, and AI to link together grids, vehicles, and infrastructure.
BEGONIA was created to speed up this digital transformation and the development of ODPs. Its role is to analyse the most promising solutions and provide evidence to the European Commission to guide future large-scale projects. – Niccolò Fattirolli, COO olivoENERGY
2. BEGONIA focuses on building operational digital platforms for the energy and transport sectors. What are some of the key challenges (technical and regulatory) you’re addressing, and what kind of impact are you aiming to create at a European level?
One of BEGONIA’s main challenges is laying the ground to set up data platforms -ODPs- allowing systems and solutions from different countries and sectors work together in a secure and efficient way.
On the technical side, this means dealing with: integrating data from many different actors (grid operators, EVs, charging points, data centres) that all use different standards, ensuring platforms are scalable and can handle large volumes of real-time data, using AI responsibly to forecast renewable production, optimise charging, or balance grids, while keeping systems safe and reliable. On the regulatory side, challenges include ensuring compliance with EU rules on data protection (such as the GDPR), data sharing (Data Act, Data Governance Act), and cybersecurity, besides electricity market participation, in a context that is still very fragmented.
The impact we aim to create is very concrete: prepare the grownd for the deployment of cross-border, cross-sector ODPs, starting with a few selected promising Use Cases that can be picked up by sister initiatives and stakeholders to be brought to deployment.
3. How do you approach stakeholder engagement and end-user involvement in BEGONIA?
Stakeholder engagement has been at the heart of BEGONIA from the very beginning. External stakeholders played a crucial role in shaping the initial set of use cases we analysed and have continued to provide valuable feedback and insights throughout the project. We see great momentum in the European debate around data spaces, and many organisations are eager to collaborate, not only to see these solutions mature, but also to create new opportunities together. To capture this energy, our engagement strategy has combined different approaches: participation in and organisation of sector events, targeted publications, direct exchanges with experts and sister initiatives, and the use of a dedicated Teams platform where our stakeholder community can follow progress and contribute ideas. This mix of outreach and continuous dialogue has ensured that BEGONIA stays relevant, connected, and aligned with the needs of those who will ultimately use and benefit from the platforms.
4. Can you share a bit about the BEGONIA team—who’s involved, and what kinds of expertise are represented in the project?
BEGONIA is a small consortium but with a very diverse set of great experts coming from different countries and backgrounds, which is esseltial for the complex sector that the project focuses on.
The project is coordinated by the Technical University of Denmark (DTU), a top international university with strong expertise in digital energy systems and AI. Alongside DTU, the consortium includes partners such as CEMOSA in Spain, which is active in the transport and construction sectors, and olivoENERGY, a Spanish consultancy specialised in regulatory frameworks, smart grids, new business models in the energy transition and flexibility markets. Blueprint Energy Solutions from Austria adds expertise in digitalisation, smart grids, and cybersecurity, while WINGS ICT Solutions from Greece contributes innovative digital platforms and IoT-based services. Center Denmark brings its experience as a hub for smart energy systems and data-driven innovation, and Open & Agile Smart Cities (OASC) network ensures that the project remains connected with the needs and priorities of European cities.
5. Both ECLIPSE and BEGONIA are working to support Europe’s digital transformation through openness, interoperability, and user-centric design. Where do you see the most promising synergies between our two projects?
I think the biggest synergies between ECLIPSE and BEGONIA come from how they naturally complement each other.
BEGONIA is really about building cross-border digital platforms that connect energy and transport systems, while ECLIPSE is focused on creating a common framework that makes sure all these systems can actually talk to each other and stay open. If you bring those two pieces together, the platforms that BEGONIA is developing could immediately benefit from ECLIPSE’s standards, making them easier to scale and replicate across Europe.
What I also find exciting is the user angle (ECLIPSE is very consumer-driven, with features like personalised energy recommendations and demand response services) and that perspective could really strengthen BEGONIA’s broader use cases. And finally, ECLIPSE is testing things on the ground, while BEGONIA is shaping the bigger policy and governance picture, so the two can feed into each other: one provides the real-world insights, the other builds the framework for scaling them up. Together they can deliver both the digital backbone and the user-facing side of Europe’s digital transformation.
6. What are you hoping to achieve through this specific collaboration with ECLIPSE? Are there particular outcomes or areas of joint work you’re looking forward to?
BEGONIA is a preparatory action, so one of our main goals is to transfer our knowledge and results to sister projects and expert communities. In this sense, collaborating with ECLIPSE is especially valuable. It allows us to connect directly with its experts, exchange insights, and explore how BEGONIA’s outcomes, such as use cases and digital platform concepts, can feed into ECLIPSE activities. We see this collaboration as a way to ensure continuity: BEGONIA lays the groundwork, and projects like ECLIPSE can take it forward through practical pilots and large-scale deployment, partly or completely. Ultimately, this kind of partnership strengthens the whole ecosystem by making sure that good ideas and lessons do not stay isolated, but are carried into real-world applications.
7. Why do you think collaboration between Europe projects is important—not just for our consortia, but for broader impact at the EU level?
Collaboration between European projects is essential because no single initiative can solve the complex challenges of the green and digital transition on its own. Many of the most important advancements, especially in the field of data spaces, are happening within EU-funded projects, which provide concrete guidance and frameworks that others can build upon. For BEGONIA, the insights and outputs of sister initiatives such as the International Data Spaces Association (IDSA), the Common European Energy Data Spaces (CEEDS), and Gaia-X have been very useful. Their recommendations have shaped our use case development and proposed solution to avoid interoperability and scalability issues. In short, linking projects together avoids duplication, accelerates innovation, and ensures that Europe develops digital solutions that are coherent, widely adopted, and impactful at the EU level.
8. What lessons learned so far could be useful for other projects working on digital interoperability in critical sectors like energy and transport?
Understanding what an Operational Digital Platform is, as a starting point. It encompasses many of the data spaces concepts but focuses them and puts them in a broader perspective. Then the fact that digital interoperability is not only a technical challenge, but also a regulatory and organisational one. Building platforms that connect energy and/or transport systems across borders requires much more than shared technical standards. It also demands early engagement with stakeholders, attention to national regulatory differences, and strong governance models to ensure trust and fairness. Finally, another important insight is the value of working with existing frameworks and initiatives instead of reinventing the wheel.
9. And finally, for anyone new to BEGONIA—where can they learn more or get involved?
There are several easy ways to learn more about BEGONIA and get involved. You can start by visiting our website and following us on LinkedIn and X, where we regularly share news, updates, and insights.
Anyone interested can also subscribe to the BEGONIA Digest Newsletter to stay updated on results and events and join our dedicated Teams platform where we share content and foster dialogue with stakeholders.
And for direct contact, our communication team is always happy to hear from you. Niccolò (niccolo@olivoenergy.com) and Helena (helena@olivoenergy.com) can provide more information or answer specific questions.
