ICONIC —Innovative Communities On Neutral Islands for Climate— is a European project aimed at promoting more sustainable, resilient, innovative, participatory and climate-neutral rural and island communities. The initiative addresses the specific challenges faced by these territories, including energy dependency, limited resource availability, geographical isolation, population decline and adaptation to climate change.
The project aims to develop technological solutions and community-based actions that help reduce emissions, strengthen local economies, improve quality of life and increase the autonomy of the participating communities. These solutions are designed to reflect the specific conditions of each territory and involve public authorities, businesses, scientific organisations and local residents.
The main areas of intervention include renewable energy generation and smart energy management, sustainable water and waste management, electric mobility, the circular economy, digitalisation and the development of community-led energy models. ICONIC also promotes social innovation and territorial development strategies based on the characteristics and capabilities of each location.
The initiative is structured around three pilot communities located in different geographical and climatic settings across Europe: Inis Mór in Ireland’s Aran Islands; La Graciosa in the Canary Islands, Spain; and Berchidda on the Italian island of Sardinia.
Community participation is a cross-cutting component of the project. ICONIC creates spaces for dialogue and co-design to encourage collaboration among local stakeholders, improve governance and ensure that the solutions respond to the communities’ actual needs. The exchange of experience among the three pilot communities will also support shared learning and the development of recommendations for policymakers.
The consortium comprises twelve organisations from four European Union countries —Spain, Ireland, Italy and Germany— including research centres, specialist consultancies, technology providers, public authorities, energy communities and organisations involved in local development.
Coordinated by R2M Spain, ICONIC is funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under the Innovation Actions funding scheme.
The Canary Islands Institute of Technology (ITC), a public R&D&I centre attached to the Regional Ministry of Universities, Science, Innovation and Culture of the Government of the Canary Islands, participates in ICONIC as a partner through its Water Department and contributes to the demonstration activities on La Graciosa. As an organisation with expertise in energy-efficient desalination technologies, the ITC provides specialist technical advice on the implementation of a photovoltaic solar-powered desalination system on the island, from the preliminary stage through to construction and commissioning. The ITC also contributes its DESAL+ Living Lab infrastructure, a unique environment for applied research into the water–energy nexus that provides technical and logistical support for testing prototypes under real operating conditions.
- R2M Spain. Spain
- Traza Consultoría. Spain
- University of Galway, through the IRUSE and INSIGHT research groups. Ireland
- Comharchumann Forbartha Arann. Aran Islands, Ireland
- R2M Italy. Italy
- Municipality of Berchidda. Sardinia, Italy
- El Sol de La Graciosa, energy community. Canary Islands, Spain
- Government of the Canary Islands. Canary Islands, Spain
- nOa Climate. Germany
- Boreal Light. Germany
- GeoAl. Spain
- Instituto Tecnológico de Canarias (ITC). Canary Islands, Spain
Total project budget: € 4.906.314,03
Funding (100%) through HORIZON Innovation Actions: € 4.906.314,03
May 2025 - April 2028 (36 months)
General objective:
ICONIC’s general objective is to establish the conditions required to advance towards sustainable, resilient, innovative, participatory and climate-neutral rural and island communities. To achieve this, the project combines renewable energy solutions, circular economy approaches, smart resource management, sustainable mobility and digital tools with social innovation measures and stronger local governance.
Through the activities carried out in Inis Mór, La Graciosa and Berchidda, ICONIC seeks to demonstrate the viability of models adapted to different European island contexts and to generate knowledge that can be transferred to other rural and isolated territories.
Specific objectives:
• Promote energy independence and climate neutrality through local renewable energy generation, smart energy management and the development of energy communities.
• Improve well-being and quality of life by supporting local job creation, strengthening rural economies and helping to prevent population decline.
• Introduce and validate technological, social and organisational innovations in the pilot territories in order to advance climate neutrality, rural empowerment and biodiversity enhancement.
• Analyse the barriers, opportunities and conditions required for the viable implementation of solutions in areas such as energy, water, waste, mobility, agriculture and biodiversity.
• Create permanent spaces for participation and co-design, including mechanisms for community deliberation and collaboration among public authorities, businesses, scientific organisations and local stakeholders.
• Develop a rural and community innovation network that facilitates access to new solutions, knowledge and funding opportunities linked to the green and digital transitions.
• Encourage learning and the exchange of experience among communities, building on the lessons drawn from the three pilot projects.
• Produce replicable models and recommendations for policymakers to facilitate the transfer of solutions to other rural communities, islands and isolated territories across Europe.
The Canary Islands Institute of Technology participates in ICONIC as an applied research and technological innovation organisation, contributing its expertise in energy-efficient desalination technologies to the La Graciosa pilot. Its work focuses on providing specialist technical advice for the implementation of a photovoltaic solar-powered water desalination system. The ITC will support this action from the preliminary stage through to the construction and commissioning of the photovoltaic-powered desalination plant, helping to adapt the solution to the island’s specific conditions and to develop a model with potential for application in other island and isolated territories.
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