The CSCP Brings the SETDEPLOY Toolbox to Life at EUBCE 2026 What does it take to build a digital resource that truly serves its users? For the SETDEPLOY project, the answer is simple: ask them. SETDEPLOY is a three-year Horizon Europe project supporting the coordination and implementation of the Strategic Energy Technology (SET) Plan for bioenergy and renewable fuels for sustainable transport. Central to the project is the SETDEPLOY Toolbox, an online platform that brings together essential information on policies, strategies, funding opportunities, relevant ongoing projects, and key stakeholders, helping national authorities, industry, research organisations, and project developers navigate a complex and evolving landscape. Yet, a resource is only as good as its fit to the people who use it, which is why user validation was central in the process of shaping the SETDEPLOY toolbox. Building on strong foundations CSCP’s role within SETDEPLOY draws on our long-standing expertise in participatory strategy development and multi-stakeholder engagement. “From the outset, CSCP drove the participatory dimension of the SETDEPLOY toolbox: designing and facilitating co-creation workshops, conducting in-depth stakeholder interviews with industry actors, and embedding user feedback at every stage of the development cycle. We had one clear goal in mind: to ensure that the Toolbox is not just functional, but genuinely useful.”, explains Joshua Aseto, who manages the project from the CSCP side. Validation in Action At the European Biomass Conference and Exhibition (EUBCE 2026) in The Hague, Netherlands the CSCP led a live validation session with key stakeholders from across the sector. They had the chance to be part of a hands-on session to explore and test three of the Toolbox’s core databases: the Funding and Finance Database, the Stakeholder Map, and the Policy Database. Accessing each database via QR code, participants were guided through the platform, asked to test its features critically, and invited to record their feedback through a short online questionnaire. “The structured feedback, however, was only part of the story. As the session progressed, it opened into a lively discussion, with participants going beyond their written responses to share observations, challenge assumptions, and draw on their own professional experiences. The quality and depth of those exchanges, the kind that no questionnaire alone can capture, was a key outcome of the day.”, highlights Joshua. What the validation confirmed and what comes next Participants confirmed the relevance and functionality of the Toolbox , but also shared concrete suggestions and priorities that will directly shape the next phase of the development. The validation session was a demonstration of what becomes possible when stakeholders are treated not as end-users, but as co-shapers of the final product. “By taking the Toolbox directly to the people who will rely on it, and creating genuine space for dialogue, we ensured that the insights gathered were grounded in real-world experience and immediately applicable.”, concludes Joshua. The project is funded by the Horizon Europe programme and is implemented by a consortium of organisations that include RISE, SINTEF, CIRCE, EUREC, ETA Florence and the CSCP. For additional questions, please contact Joshua Aseto.