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EGRISE 2.0: A new Gateway Connecting the Geothermal Community
The Need: Prior to the launch of EGRISE, the landscape of geothermal research and innovation in Europe was highly fragmented and tedious to navigate. There existed several repositories where geothermal research was shared providing a large variety of products hardly discoverable. While these resources were extremely valuable, there lacked a singular platform where all geothermal actors (e.g., industry, policy makers, academia) could come together and share and discover research.
EGRISE: The EGRISE initiative originated as a response to the need for a centralised hub that could bridge these gaps and describe RD&I in the geothermal sector from a historical perspective along with all the necessary information for highlighting success stories and sector needs. It stemmed from the European Technology & Innovation Platform (ETIP) on Geothermal. This was a forum endorsed by the European Commission under the Strategic Energy Technology Plan (SET-Plan) that comprised different representatives from industry, academia, research centers, and sectorial associations covering the whole geothermal energy exploration, production, and utilisation value chain. ETIP worked to shape strategic documents to coordinate future action in terms of research.
The first version of EGRISE, was manually curated and therefore limited in its capabilities. EGRISE collected about 300 documents stored on a Zenodo dedicated community.Currently, in the framework of the EU funded project Geotherm-FORA, EGRISE has been revamped and empowered in a modern and more robust platform, to facilitate the exchange of knowledge.
EGRISE 2.0: Under the Geotherm-FORA project, EGRISE was to undergo a significant upgrade, which led to the creation of EGRISE 2.0. But, to sustain such major growth, a new infrastructure was needed. It was then that the EGRISE team reached out to OpenAIRE to establish a CONNECT gateway to enhance the platform’s functionality and user interface, and a MONITOR dashboard to allow deep analysis of the community’s behaviour in terms of research and Open Access.
Now plugged into the OpenAIRE Graph (the underlying knowledge graph that substantiates OpenAIRE services with its vast database), the documents hosted in the portal skyrocketed from 300 to more than 8,000. Equipped with a wealth of knowledge, user-friendly interface, and monitoring capabilities, EGRISE 2.0 is ready for the world.
Unveiling EGRISE 2.0: The new EGRISE 2.0 portal was unveiled to an audience of over 100 researchers at the European Geothermal Workshop this past November in a presentation by Eugenio Trumpy, the driving force behind the project. There, he showcased the evolution of the platform, emphasising its transformative role as a Geothermal Gateway. The presentation received overall positive feedback with particular interest in the MONITOR charts showcased, indicating a keen interest in the platform's capabilities. As members of the community expressed their eagerness to access the platform as soon as possible, it became clear that EGRISE 2.0 had successfully captured their enthusiasm and anticipation.
EGRISE 2.0's emergence signifies more than just a technological upgrade; it represents a pivotal step in addressing the intricacies of the geothermal domain. The platform stands as a revolutionary gateway for the community, offering a comprehensive and user-friendly space for collaboration and information dissemination.
The project's journey, from its humble beginnings to the current version, is a testament to the unwavering commitment to propel geothermal research and innovation forward in Europe. The platform not only streamlines access to a wealth of information but also fosters a collaborative environment where researchers, industry professionals, and policymakers can converge to drive advancements in geothermal exploration and utilisation.