Strengthening Southeast Europe’s
cleantech ecosystem
Strengthening
Southeast Europe’s
cleantech ecosystem
South-Eastern Europe has a huge potential to be a game-changer in Europe’s race to innovate and build resilient net-zero technologies across different sectors. It should therefore be heard and understood, both in the challenges that it faces as well as when it comes to its potential to unlock broader European competitiveness.
Clean European Futures aims to strengthen South-Eastern Europe’s clean-tech ecosystem by amplifying the voice of its innovators and investors. We aim to foster regional collaboration and enable the scale-up of sustainable technologies by connecting regional expertise with EU funding mechanisms and supporting the region to position itself as a resilient, competitive, and strategic hub for Europe’s energy and clean technology transition. Our mission is to unlock the region’s potential, driving technological innovation across sectors, enhancing energy security, and contributing to a sustainable economic growth.
There is a strategic imperative for Clean European Futures and its Cleantech for SEE platform, stemming from the recognition of clean energy and cleantech as not just environmental goals but also as geopolitical necessities for reducing dependence on fossil fuels and enhancing regional resilience in light of shifting global power dynamics. We envision a Europe where the SEE region can serve as a cornerstone of the continent’s cleantech innovation, driving sustainable growth, while ensuring that regional talent, infrastructure, and investment are fully leveraged for a just transition to a net-zero future.
Southeast Europe (SEE) is a region full of potential for cleantech innovation, but fragmented ecosystems, limited access to funding, and weak cross-border collaboration are holding back the scale-up of startups in the green transition. While EU funding is increasingly available, many cleantech startups in SEE struggle to access it efficiently or connect with investors, financial institutions, and policy frameworks tailored to their needs.
Clean European Futures will act as a catalyst for cleantech innovation in SEE, mapping and monitoring the promising cleantech startup ecosystem in the region. Through ecosystem mapping, tailored interviews, dedicated reports, and matchmaking events, we aim to foster collaboration among startups, financial actors, policymakers, and EU institutions.
Clean European Futures aims to unlock significant economic and environmental benefits across Southeast Europe. By accelerating cleantech innovation and supporting startup scale-up, the initiative will contribute to job creation in high-growth green sectors, foster emission reductions aligned with EU climate goals, and enhance the region’s overall competitiveness. Strengthening the cleantech ecosystem will also improve energy security and resilience, helping Southeast European countries transition toward a sustainable and prosperous future.
Founded by a group of experts with deep knowledge of EU funding, energy and climate policy, regional development, and communications, the initiative combines policy insight, grassroots startup outreach, and a bold vision. We are uniquely positioned to build bridges across the public and private sectors to accelerate clean innovation in this region, all having worked on energy, climate and innovation related policy in the broader Central and East European region previously. Additionally, we have deep ties to other cleantech regional initiatives having co-founder or previously worked with some of them, which brings the benefit of being able to amplify and include voices of regional innovators in broader European forums.
Clean European Futures will serve as a platform dedicated to promoting the development, deployment, and scaling of clean technologies specifically designed to address the region’s urgent challenges, including air pollution, climate change resilience, clean energy advancement, and increased energy security and competitiveness.
Co-Founder Cleantech for CEE & SEE, CEO Clean European Futures
Suzana is a well known figure of the European cleantech scene, having previously been deputy Executive Director at Cleantech for Europe. In 2025 she Co-Founded Cleantech for Central and Eastern Europe launching in Warsaw and has been inspired by this experience to now take initiative and create Clean European Futures, a platform designed to support innovators and investors from SouthEastern Europe to scale-up their innovations across Europe and beyond.
Director of Strategy & Ecosystem Development, Clean European Futures
Claudia builds bridges across the cleantech ecosystem in Southeastern Europe, with a decade of experience as an editor covering energy and climate policy across the region. Alongside her journalism career, she gained hands-on experience in the startup world, working with a hydrogen storage innovator. This combination of policy insight, regional expertise, and practical cleantech engagement shapes her work at Clean European Futures, where she drives partnerships and strategy to support the scale-up of clean technologies in the region.
Director of EU Research, Clean European Futures
Camille is an energy and climate policy expert with 10 years experience across research, finance, and policy. Her background includes policy research as a Research Fellow and Head of the Energy Centre at the Jacques Delors Institute, working with the French Ministry of Finance on energy development in East Africa, and project finance with private clean energy developers. She holds a M.A. in EU Affairs and a M.S. in Energy Economics.
Senior Economic Advisor
Adam has over 20 years’ experience of climate policy. He has previously held senior positions in consulting and industry, including as Chief Advisor on Energy and Climate Change policy for a large multinational company, and has also worked for leading NGOs. He now works as an independent advisor. He has extensive experience of advising governments and other policy and regulatory bodies. He specialises in bringing an analytically based approach to policy development, especially from an economic perspective.
Senior Cleantech Advisor
Alexandros Charalambides is a Professor of Sustainable Energy at the Cyprus University of Technology. He holds a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Imperial College London, is a Fulbright scholar, has served on the Board of the International Solar Energy Society and, from 2024, serves on the Board of the Electricity Authority of Cyprus. He is the founder of Chrysalis LEAP, the first cleantech accelerator in Cyprus, and has trained over 200 entrepreneurs in transforming research ideas into viable businesses. Currently, he is primarily working on developing forecasting models to predict the intra-day energy output of Photovoltaics and on how innovation and entrepreneurship can assist the decarbonization strategy of Cyprus.
Supporting startups, researchers, and industry disruptors in creating solutions that reduce emissions, provide adaptation solutions, improve air quality, enhance agricultural practices, and modernize transport and connectivity
Leveraging the region’s strong industrial base and skilled workforce to position SEE as a leading European hub for cleantech manufacturing
Attracting both private and public investments, removing regulatory barriers, and aligning with EU policies such as the Net-Zero Industry Act to accelerate the growth and integration of locally developed technologies into European and global markets
Fostering cross-border partnerships, integrating with EU initiatives, and encouraging knowledge exchange to adapt best practices to the unique circumstances of SEE countries
Focusing on technologies with the potential to transform manufacturing processes, strengthen supply chain resilience, reduce carbon footprints, and modernize the energy systems and linked industrial activities across SEE countries
Promoting innovations in clean and efficient transportation, including electric, hydrogen, SAF and related mobility solutions, improved logistics, and integrated connectivity to reduce emissions and enhance regional mobility networks
Powering the green transition through renewables, storage, and smart grids for a cleaner, more secure energy future.
Moving sustainably with electric, connected, and low-carbon transport solutions that cut emissions and boost connectivity.
Reinventing production via clean manufacturing, resource efficiency, and circular economy innovation.
