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On 1 January 2025, the O-CEI project—Open Cloud Edge IoT Platform Uptake in Large-Scale Cross-Domain Pilots—officially launched its ambitious mission to accelerate Europe’s shift toward sustainable, interoperable Cloud-Edge-IoT (CEI) solutions.
Spanning 42 months (until 30 June 2028) and backed by a budget of CHF 31 million (approximately €33.1 million), O-CEI brings together 58 partners from 19 countries, including leading industries, academic institutions, SMEs, and one nonprofit organisation. It is co-funded by the Swiss Confederation (via the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation) and the European Union under the Horizon Europe programme.
Among the consortium members is Eko Kvarner, a Croatian environmental NGO based on Krk Island and a member of MIO-ECSDE’s Executive Board, actively contributing to this groundbreaking initiative.
Objectives & Pilots
O-CEI aims to accelerate the adoption and scaling of advanced CEI technologies, reinforcing Europe’s strategic autonomy and global competitiveness. Its focus areas include:
- Enabling real-time cross-sector integration through orchestrated data sharing
- Reducing energy consumption and emissions via smarter, more efficient systems
- Developing multi-sided marketplaces for services, datasets, and AI models
- Promoting open standards to foster interoperability and virtualization
These goals are pursued through eight large-scale pilots in diverse sectors: electricity grids, electromobility, software-defined vehicles, agri-food and agriculture, logistics, and urban environments.
By advancing open technologies, the project enables seamless cross-domain collaboration, empowering industries to make faster, more accurate energy predictions and implement flexible, sustainable solutions.
Eko Kvarner & Pilot 1
Eko Kvarner plays a leading role in Pilot 1: Electric Grid Optimisation with Renewable Energy Sources, which takes place in Krk Island (Croatia), Limerick (Ireland), and Île-de-France (France). This pilot aims to improve grid performance by integrating renewable energy, contributing to a more resilient and sustainable European energy landscape.
Eko Kvarner has long championed Krk’s transformation into the first energy-autonomous and CO₂-neutral Mediterranean island. Through initiatives like “Krk – Energy-independent and CO₂-neutral Island”, the NGO supports the installation of roughly 100 household solar PV systems annually and developed Croatia’s first photovoltaic cadaster.
Open Calls & Opportunities
The project has earmarked up to €4 million for two Open Calls, supporting approximately 32 additional projects beginning in January 2026. Stay connected for detailed information on eligibility criteria and application procedures on LinkedIn, Mastodon, YouTube, and the official project website for updates, insights, and opportunities to engage.
Read in French here