March 1, 2025
The O-CEI project has formally kicked off, with the inaugural meeting held in February 2025. The project aims to support more sustainable and energy-efficient digital infrastructures, addressing rising energy demands, operational costs and emissions linked to data-driven systems.
O-CEI will build an open CEI platform focused on interoperability, reliability and security. The work will draw on six key sectors—electricity grids, electromobility, software-defined vehicles, agriculture, logistics and urban environments. Eight pilots will test applications ranging from renewable energy optimisation and sustainable dairy production to smart electric vehicle charging and energy management in ports. In total, 28 real-world scenarios will show how the system adapts to diverse settings.
As the Scientific Leader of O-CEI, NCSR Demokritos plays a central role in shaping the project’s research direction and ensuring scientific excellence. IIT’s FRONT Research Group is setting the groundwork for the project’s technological foundation – identifying relevant technologies, aligning with EUCloudEdgeIoT initiatives, and formalising pilot and platform requirements.
Representing the FRONT Research Group, collaborating researcher Vasilis Pitsilis joined partners from across Europe at the kick-off meeting to begin planning the work ahead, and help deliver impactful research outcomes that will accelerate the uptake and scaling of Cloud-Edge-IoT (CEI) solutions while reducing energy footprints across Europe.
The project will also allocate up to €4 million through two Open Calls from January 2026, supporting external contributions to the CEI ecosystem.
Bringing together 58 partners from 20 countries, including industry, academia, research centres, SMEs and non-profit organisations, O-CEI aims to build a more resilient CEI landscape and support Europe’s move towards more efficient and sustainable digital infrastructures.