March 2015 Eric van den Heuvel founded studio Gear Up, an independent firm supporting organisations in the transition to a low carbon economy, by providing strategic advice, process and project management services and guiding and facilitating stakeholder involvement processes. Furthermore, the studio develops own concepts in the field of renewable fuels, alternative fuels and the circular economy. Projects he is involved in, include among others the management of the Netherlands Platform Renewable Fuels (Platform Hernieuwbare Brandstoffen), assisting the European Alternative and Renewable Transport Fuels Forum, providing strategic support to various international operating companies active in renewable fuels, and providing strategic advise to Netherlands Ministries and the European Commission.
Eric is an international expert on sustainable energy, low carbon solutions, bio-based society and bio-energy with experience in consultancy, intermediate Netherlands government agency, a technology company, and a downstream oil and gas corporate. Eric has a strong track record of building and maintaining collaborative operations and building strong national and international networks. In his projects he investigates interaction between and solutions for technology, innovation, policy and societal needs. His education at the Eindhoven University of Technology and the post-graduate Diploma Programme on Strategy and Innovation at the University of Oxford Saïd Business School helped him to develop a strategic orientation to business development, helpful for understanding innovation and market deployment strategies.
Since 2017, Eric acts as part-time Director of the knowledge and innovation Netherlands Platform Renewable Fuels / Platform Hernieuwbare Brandstoffen (see more).
As of January 2025, Eric has started (in part-time) to operate as Technical Coordinator of the IEA Bioenergy Technology Collaboration Platform (TCP). The IEA Bioenergy TCP, established in 1978, is the leading global network on research and implementation of bioenergy, with 24 member countries across five continents. The members collaborate with the aim of improving cooperation and information exchange between countries that have national programmes in bioenergy research, development and deployment.
In total around 40 Technology Collaboration Programmes like IEA Bioenergy exists. TCPs are organised under the auspices of the International Energy Agency (IEA). They regularly report updates and progress to the IEA but are legally
autonomous. More information on IEA bioenergy can be found here. More information on all TCPs is found here.
Eric also is independent member of the Advisory Council of Green Gold Label (see more).
