The Joint Research Centre (JRC) has recently published a report on the latest research and innovation related to drones in Europe. The report highlights various projects in the drone industry, including drone technologies, U-space management (traffic management), urban air mobility, and drone logistics. 

The report has been drafted in the context of the European Commission's Drone Strategy 2.0, which aims to create a conducive environment for a vibrant and competitive European drone economy. Through the Transport Research and Innovation Monitoring and Information System (TRIMIS) database, the report identifies several relevant projects that focus on public transport using drones.

You can find the publication here. 

ERRIN, as a partner of the RECIPROCITY project, has produced a position paper on Drones and Air Mobility. This position paper presents a comprehensive set of recommendations aimed at helping local and regional authorities and European institutions support the use of drones for passengers and goods transportation at the local level. You can find the publication of both reports here. 

DG RTD is currently conducting a survey to gather input from relevant stakeholders on the long-term challenges and priorities for Research and Innovation (R&I) in the areas of clean energy and mobility. 

The results of this survey will contribute to the development of a reflection document prepared by independent external experts, which will feed into the broader strategic considerations of the upcoming Commission (expected to be published in the second half of 2024).

The survey is accessible until 21 April 2024. To access the survey, click here.

Mission Stories showcases exemplary, real-life cases of regional and local endeavours and best practices related to planning, funding, implementing, and monitoring climate adaptation solutions. 

While both the Mission Case Studies and the Mission Stories are about sharing experiences, Mission Stories are shorter and more accessible. Mission Case Studies provide a more in-depth and comprehensive analysis of adaptation practices in Europe. 

You can read all the Mission Stories on the Portal and share your region’s climate adaptation solutions to inspire others here.

If you are a representative of a European region or local authority, you can have your say on the support available to prepare and plan for climate resilience. 

MIP4Adapt is gathering responses from regions and local authorities across Europe regarding the general support available to them to monitor the delivery of the Mission on Adaptation to Climate Change by the European Commission. 

The deadline for submitting the survey is Tuesday, 16 April 2024. The survey can be found here. 

Through this position paper, RECIPROCITY presents a comprehensive set of recommendations aimed at aiding local and regional authorities and European institutions in supporting the use of drones for passengers and goods transportation at local level.

RECIPROCITY highlights the importance of regulatory frameworks, sandboxes, and financial support in effectively facilitating the seamless integration of drones into urban airspace.

It also stresses the importance of launching awareness campaigns to educate communities and promote the benefits and safety measures associated with drone operations.

The European Commission's Communities for Climate (C4C) initiative has extended the deadline for submissions to 11:59 pm CEST on Sunday, April 21, 2024. 

The C4C initiative will support 50 community-led projects in 11 European Union countries. These projects will be designed to engage citizens in addressing climate and sustainability issues. The focus areas for these projects are renewable energy, sustainable water management, circular and resource-efficient economy, and biodiversity.

The selected projects will receive a comprehensive support package, including 20 expert-days that offer guidance on thematic advice and community-led development facilitation. The support also includes mentoring, coaching on climate action, technical assistance, financial advice, and potential funding sources. In addition, a lump sum of €1000 will be allocated for tailored study visits to similar projects, facilitating learning exchanges and the adoption of best practices transferrable to participants' own projects. The project will also have access to a robust network of initiatives that foster collaboration and knowledge-sharing among like-minded projects. The project will also receive enhanced visibility through promotion at EU, national, and local levels, enhancing its potential for upscaling or replication.

Find more on the C4C website.

Tech4SmartCities 2024 will be organised on 18 June, back-to-back with the GreenTech Forum Brussels. This B2B event focuses on sustainable and smart digital technologies for cities and invites interested stakeholders to discover business and cooperation opportunities in the fields of urban mobility, energy performance, sustainable construction, circularity, low-carbon economy and digital transformation. 

Main topics covered by the matchmaking event:

• Smart cities and communities, sustainable ICT for cities
• Smart mobility and logistics, MaaS
• Energy efficiency of buildings and districts
• Renewable energies, energy management and recovery, smart grids and energy systems integration
• Circular economy and nature-based solutions for urban districts
• Smart, healthy and secure living

The event will also focus on research and innovation opportunities under the Horizon Europe Programme. NCP Brussels, in cooperation with the GREENET project, will present upcoming Horizon Europe funding opportunities with a focus on smart cities and sustainable IT topics. 

Learn more about the event and register by 14 June.

The 15-minute city concept provides an ambitious vision for increasing opportunities, connections and quality of life in cities. However, more information is needed to understand how the concept can be implemented on the ground.  

This webinar will present the results of a mapping of 100 cities and their 400+ practices connected to the wider realm of 15-minute policies, as well as a deep dive into six case studies from across Europe. The mapping has been conducted as part of the 15-minute City Transition Pathway of the Driving Urban Transitions Partnership, aiming to build an informed perspective on the vast range of international practical definitions, strategies, instruments, experiences of implementation, and needs for research and innovation.

The webinar will take place on 30 April between 14:00-16:00 CEST.

This webinar is directed to any stakeholders interested to learn from and exchange on practices of European cities for the mobility transition, specifically focusing on personal mobility, urban planning and public space, urban logistics and services as well as innovative governance. 

Learn more about the webinar and register here.  

As the EU sets ambitious climate targets for 2040 and aims for climate neutrality by 2050, the demand for a skilled workforce in Europe becomes increasingly urgent. Addressing skills mismatches and shortages is crucial in this journey towards sustainability, and the European Commission has called for collaborative efforts in developing a robust training and re-skilling agenda to meet the evolving skills demands of a green economy. At this event, U!REKA and its partner network will explore the solutions they can offer to support the EU in achieving its climate objectives while addressing skills shortages across the Union. Discussions will dive into the role of research, innovation, and education in driving the green transition and fostering Climate Neutral and Smart Cities. The aim will be to identify potential synergies and areas for enhanced cooperation to propel the EU towards a more sustainable future. 

Following the panel discussion, a networking reception will be held, providing an opportunity to engage with U!REKA partners and stakeholders.

U!REKA European University is an Erasmus+ funded European University alliance. U!REKA collaboration began in 2016, and as an EUI alliance, they have been operational since the beginning of 2024. Their network includes over 30 partners across Europe (6 full partners and 26 associate partners). The alliance consists of urban-focused higher education institutions across Europe: Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences; HOGENT University of Applied Sciences and Arts; Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences; Metropolia University of Applied Sciences in Helsinki; VSB – Technical University of Ostrava; and Politécnico de Lisboa. Associate partners include Edinburgh Napier University, University of Bari Aldo Moldo, Odessa National Economic University, New Bulgarian University, University of Applied Sciences BFI Vienna, ERRIN, EURASHE, Finnish Energy, Helsinki-Uusimaa region, Frankfurt-Rhein-Main Metropolitan Region, City of Amsterdam, City of Ostrava, City of Lisbon, and many others. 

As a European University alliance, U!REKA focuses on contributing to a sustainable, human, inclusive and future-proof transition to Climate Neutral and Smart Cities. Their strategy embeds the goals of the European Green Deal and the EU mission for 100 Climate Neutral and Smart Cities. 

To register for the event, please click here. 

Program:

18:00-18:05 Welcoming words by Janne Leino, Director of the Helsinki EU Office

18:05-18:15 Keynote: U!REKA – A vision for a collaborative path towards a climate neutral Europe by Riitta Konkola, President and CEO of Metropolia University of Applied Sciences (U!REKA coordinator)

18:15-18:50 Panel discussion, followed by audience questions and discussion: Bridging the Gap between the EU's 2040 Climate Goals and the Shortage of Skilled Labour – Towards Climate Neutral and Smart Cities

Moderator: Janne Leino, Director of the Helsinki EU Office

Panellists:

Frank Siebern-Thomas, Head of Unit, Fair and Green Digital Transitions, Research, DG EMPL, European Commission

John Edwards, Secretary-General of EURASHE, European Association of Institutions in Higher Education

Ryan Titley, Director of Projects at ERRIN, European Regions Research and Innovation Network

Geleyn Meijer, Rector of the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (part of U!REKA), Chair of the Universities of Applied Sciences Netherlands

18:50-20:00 Networking reception

This in-person event focuses on what regulatory sandboxes can provide to facilitate the deployment of disruptive technologies in CleanTech and Circularity. Regulatory sandboxes are an experimentation tool allowing innovators to develop and test products, services and business models in a controlled real-world environment supervised by authorities. Join this event hosted by the Horizon2020 project OpenInnoTrain to learn more about experiences gathered within the EU and to discuss future collaboration possibilities across sectors and disciplines.

It will take place in Brussels on Monday, 22 April 2024 - as a side event to the World Circular Economic Forum 2024. 

Find out more details and agenda here.