Finnish EnergyWeek, which took place in Vaasa from 16 to 19 March 2026, has once again established itself as one of the most important international platforms for the energy transition. With 10,000 participants from 52 countries, more than 240 speakers and 41 specialist seminars, the event brought together leading figures from business, research and politics to discuss solutions for a sustainable energy system. The Austrian programme Energie.Frei.Raum was recommended by the European Commission to the ministers present as a model for implementing the directives on establishing regulatory sandboxes in the member states.
On this occasion, AIT expert Klaus Kubeczko was invited to deliver a keynote speech. His presentation focused on the topic: “Setting up the Austrian Energy.Free.Room regulatory experimenting programme: from programme development to R&I projects”.
Kubeczko presented the Austrian model, which aims to create a regulatory framework that fosters innovation for the energy transition. This approach makes it possible to test new technologies and business models under real-world conditions and with the use of exemptions. This allows innovation to take place within anticipated regulatory parameters whilst simultaneously supporting regulatory learning for authorities and legislators. The two approved experimental spaces, “Reallabore am Netz” and “INNOnet”, were also presented, with AIT as a research partner.
“In addition to technological developments – particularly in times of great uncertainty – innovations in the energy sector require suitable regulatory experimental spaces to anticipate alternative frameworks and develop robust transformation pathways,” emphasised Kubeczko. The programme demonstrates how targeted collaboration between research, innovators in the energy sector, industry and regulatory authorities can yield practical solutions that accelerate the transition to a resilient energy system for the coming decades.
Following this, representatives from business, politics and regulatory bodies joined stakeholders from the research and scientific research funding sectors on the panel to discuss the implementation of regulatory experiments in Scandinavia.
The session highlighted the growing importance of regulatory innovation in the context of the energy transition – a topic that featured prominently throughout EnergyWeek. Alongside renewable energy, energy storage and hydrogen technologies, discussions focused in particular on energy security and the necessary investments in clean energy.
EnergyWeek is regarded as one of the most important industry gatherings in the Nordic countries and, in addition to specialist presentations, offers extensive networking opportunities. Numerous international decision-makers, including ministers, ambassadors and representatives of international organisations, used the event to foster exchange and cooperation.