Energy is a multidimensional sector and lies in the heart of the global economy, security and growth. This is yet more important in the case of the European Union, as there has been strong commitment towards the implementation of the Energy Union across all Member States. Energy has been officially identified as a key element for the future of the region of Southeastern Europe, as energy diversification and security are in the forefront of EU policy and national frameworks.

Energy unions do not however automatically form themselves; it is rather the individuals and teams that lead the process and eventually turn the vision into reality. Therefore, the University of Piraeus and the Greek Energy Forum have joined forces to create an annual "Energy Academy”, with the aspiration to highlight contemporary energy policy challenges and raise commercial awareness amongst university students and young professionals within the SEE region.

In the context of this initiative, entitled "Energy Union Future Leaders", we aspire to identify 30 high-calibre university students and young professionals with proven, genuine interest in Energy and with the potential to stand out in this field in the future. The objective of the Energy Academy is to educate these promising 30 young individuals on the significance of the European Energy Union and its benefits for the Region and highlight the indispensable element of "regionality” in contemporary European energy policy.

We aim to achieve this objective through targeted seminars on the implementation aspects of the Energy Union, as well as workshops with successful professionals, academics and decision makers on the full spectrum of energy topics that are currently critical to the Region.

The Academy is organised under the auspices of the Vice President of the European Commission responsible for the Energy Union, Maroš Šefčovič. This is a 100% non-profit initiative and hence the participants will not be required to pay any registration fees for their attendance. All organisation costs will be covered from sponsorships we have secured. Furthermore, it is within the organisers’ intentions to cover the full travelling and accommodation expenses of all successful applicants.

Therefore, we would like to stress that this is a great opportunity, open to be claimed by the most promising young Europeans in the field of Energy.

If you are determined to become an "Energy Leader of Tomorrow” we look forward to your application.

Scope and Objectives

The Energy Academy will attempt to achieve the following key objectives:

• To identify students, researchers and young professionals with a genuine interest in energy studies and the willingness to excel in this field.
• To become an incubator for the energy leaders of the future in the Region.
• To educate the participants about the goals of the Energy Union and the importance of energy diversification.
• To promote the energy diversification and energy security of the Region of South-Eastern Europe.