The 17th SET Plan Conference will take place in Viladecans, Barcelona (Spain), 13-14 November 2023. The Conference will be organised under the patronage of the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the European Union in cooperation with the European Commission. 

This year's theme, "Energy Research and Innovation for a Competitive Europe," highlights the need to reinforce the research and innovation landscape, to enhance competitiveness and sovereignty of clean energy technology value chains within the EU. This reinforcement is crucial to collectively overcome the energy crisis and tackle the global climate challenge. The conference will provide a platform for stakeholders to establish connections and expand collaborations aimed at developing and demonstrating innovative clean energy solutions, while accelerating their deployment. Additionally, It will foster the alignment of national and European policies, thereby avoiding the issue of fragmented resources, initiatives and regulations.

Registration and more information are available here.

The MOSAIC project, in which ERRIN is a partner, is organising the event ‘Co-creation in EU Missions’ in Brussels on 21 and 22 November.

The event will bring together European Commission representatives, policy-makers, co-creation experts, as well as cities representatives to discuss the critical role of co-creation and explore its potential in tackling complex challenges, such as the EU Missions.

The two-days event will be an opportunity to learn how to make use of the several citizen engagement tools that MOSAIC makes available to support cities in starting their own co-creation processes, as well as network and exchange with the European Commission and other cities on the challenges around citizen/multi-stakeholder engagement and receive support during the participatory workshop. Please see the full agenda attached.

The event will take place in Cities Northern Netherlands EU Office, Rue de Trèves 59, 1000 Brussels, on Tuesday 21 November and Wednesday 22 November. 

Please register for the event via this link.

For more information please contact gianpiero.petruzziello@errin.eu. 

The event will include a poster session to provide a forum for presenting and discussing work in progress, current and upcoming research on co-creation and stakeholder engagement. Learn more and apply here.

The European Week of Cities and Regions (EWRC) has come to an end. This year’s edition has been particularly rich in ERRIN’s involvement, with the Secretariat co-organising four events, promoting projects, and the Working Group Leaders participating in several panel discussions.

During the sessions and events, ERRIN delivered key messages supporting the implementation of the EU Missions at local and regional levels. As ERRIN advocates for a bottom-up approach, the importance of multi-stakeholder engagement and collaboration, multi-level governance and the creation of synergies between Missions and with various initiatives and projects was highlighted:

• In the framework of the Cities Mission, ERRIN co-organised an interactive event with the MOSAIC project and the European Commission, focusing on the role of the multi-stakeholder engagement in driving progress towards climate neutrality in European cities.
• Drawing from regional experiences of Normandie, Mid-Norway and South Ostrobothnia, ERRIN organised a EWRC side event, addressing the role of regions in designing and implementing regional public policies to adapt to climate risks. This occasion underscored the importance of Mission Adaptation in supporting regions in achieving these objectives.
• The EUREGHA network, in collaboration with ERRIN, advocated for the role of regions in the Cancer Mission project on 'Establishing of Cancer Mission Hubs: Networks and Synergies (ECHoS)', as well as future Cancer Mission calls for proposals and activities.
• The City of Eindhoven represented ERRIN in a high-level discussion concerning the future of the New European Bauhaus.
• Turku-Southwest Finland participated in an event on ‘Securing and restoring our waters at regional and local level’ linking to the Ocean and Waters Mission.

Apart from the focus on the Missions, ERRIN has also joined Ile-de-France Region, Baden-Wurttemberg Land, Centre Val de Loire Region, the European Commission and POLIS network to discuss the challenges of digital transition in the transport sector, particularly focusing on the creation, transformation and loss of jobs as part of the official EWRC programme. Many ERRIN members and colleagues were invited to high-level panel discussions focused on Missions (find above), as well as other important topics such as: ‘Cross-border cooperation for adaptation to climate change’ (here), 'Retaining talents and skills for regional growth' (here)or ‘Regional challenges and good practices on equipping youth with relevant skills’ (here).

As part of the European Week of Regions and Cities, many European projects were present in the exhibition hall, including ERRIN’s RESIST, Living in EU and CCRI, which attracted interest and potential engagement in the projects’ future activities.

On the occasion of the EWRC, ERRIN has also co-organised other events such as a direct exchange between EIC President and regional stakeholders in the frame of the Innovation and Investment Working Group

In this school year, students are invited to share their ideas about how to make Europe an (even) better place to live, with the chance of winning a study trip to Brussels! The competition complements the release of the toolkit “EU Democracy in Action’- Have your say with the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI)” that teachers can use to familiarise students with the areas of action of the European Union and with the tools available to citizens to get involved in the EU.

Secondary school pupils from across the EU are invited to enter the ImagineEU competition by creating and sharing a short video about an innovative idea that would improve their communities and that could be the object of an EU law.

The ImagineEU competition builds on the concept of the ECI, which empowers European Union citizens to take an active role in influencing EU policies and in the democratic processes of the EU. Students entering the competition will be encouraged to learn more about the EU and develop their communication and collaboration skills through the use of the recently released ECI toolkit for schools.

Who can participate?

The competition is open to students in their final two years of secondary education in an EU member state. The videos (not exceeding 3 minutes) should be developed and produced by a group of up to 7 students from the same school, working under the supervision of one or two teachers. Once submitted, eligible videos will be uploaded to the competition's webpage, where viewers will be encouraged to vote for and support their favorites.

After the public vote is completed, the top videos will be judged by the competition jury, and the winning three entries will be announced.

The deadline to share the video is 13 December 2023. Full competition rules, video technical specifications, and application details are available on the competition website.

What’s the prize?

Three winning teams of 7 students and 2 teachers will win a study trip to Brussels. During the trip, students will have the opportunity to meet representatives of the European Institutions dealing with the ECI and learn more about the role of the different EU institutions and EU history.

What is the ECI “EU Democracy in Action” toolkit for schools?

The interactive ECI toolkit for schools is designed to equip high school students with the knowledge and skills that will allow them to become active and engaged EU citizens. The toolkit comprises four thematic units, each with a different focus, moving from general information about the European Union to more specific information and activities related to the European Citizens’ Initiative. The ECI Toolkit is available in all official EU languages.

The Smart Cities Working Group is looking for two new co-leaders to join Turku-Southwest Finland, Cities Northern Netherlands and Stavanger in steering the WG activities and priorities.

The candidates should be knowledgeable and experienced in EU policy on smart cities, including the Mission on 100 climate-neutral and smart cities, and have a good insight into different research and innovation areas related to the smart cities topic. Among other criteria, we will consider the capacity and the portfolio of the candidates and the member organisation, as well as the geographical and gender balance among leaders. The candidates must be Brussels-based.

The new co-leaders will participate in the organisation and moderation of WG meetings, project development activities, and follow policy developments around the topic. In addition, the new co-leaders will represent ERRIN and the group at member and institutional events while closely liaising with the ERRIN Secretariat and the ERRIN Management Board. More information can be found in the Working Group Leaders' Guide.

Please express your interest by sending an email to heidi.johansson@errin.eu stating your professional motivation and what you would like to achieve as a Working Group leader by 16 November 2023 COB.

About the Working Group:

The objective of the Working Group is to act as a platform to offer early information on priorities and funding opportunities linked to smart cities, with a focus on the EU Mission on 100 climate-neutral and smart cities by 2030. The WG aims to facilitate sharing of experiences and support matchmaking to develop new partnerships and projects. The WG targets the smart city topic from an integrated and holistic approach, addressing issues such as citizen engagement, data-driven policy and smart governance models, while exploring synergies between the areas linked to smart cities as addressed by the ERRIN WGs on Energy and Climate Change, Transport and ICT.

The HuMUS Project is organising its first local soil health webinar on Thursday 19 October from 10:00 to 11:30 CEST.

This event will convene representatives of European municipalities and regions, EU policymakers, and soil health advocates to discuss soil health regeneration focusing on participatory methods. For HuMUS, participation means that the stakeholders and citizens take part in decision-making processes and their final products.

The webinar will share preliminary research results from these lines of work. Attendees will have the opportunity to learn about an open call coming up at the end of the year to fund initiatives and organisations across Europe to develop and implement participatory processes that stimulate dialogue on soil and land use and increase awareness of soil health at the regional and municipal levels.

Learn more and register here.

ERRIN's project, Pathways2Resilience is a flagship project under the EU Mission on Adaptation to Climate Change, working to empower 150 regions in developing transformative adaptation plans. 

On 23 November, in Brussels (at EIT house) and online, the first call for applicants will be presented which will select regions and communities that will receive funding and supporting services from the programme to develop transformative strategies and action plans towards climate resilience.  

Additionally, how regions are successfully implementing the EU Mission and what transformative adaptation looks like in practice, from new finance models to ecosystem engagement to innovative policies will be explored.

Please note that physical places are limited: make sure to indicate your preference to attend in person, and we will confirm your spot closer to the event date.  

Register, and find out more here.

The Smart Specialisation (S3) Forum 2023 is the second in a series of events that the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy is organising for S3 stakeholders from across EU regions. The event is organised with the support of the Generalitat de Catalunya and the S3 Community of Practice Secretariat, where ERRIN is a partner.

This bottom-up region-centric event will gather S3 practitioners, experts, policymakers, and other key stakeholders to discuss S3 policy and implementation issues and exchange information and good practices. Together with speakers from the European Commission, managing authorities and governmental bodies implementing S3, the S3 Forum will present:

• a policy update on the latest S3 policy developments related to the I3 Instrument and the Regional Innovation Valleys Initiative, and the interplay with clusters;
• the latest developments across the S3 CoP, such as working groups, expert groups, support to the Thematic Smart Specialisation Partnerships;
• networking opportunities to engage with and connect with like-minded S3 stakeholders, learn from one another and explore common opportunities;
• dedicated breakout sessions, zooming in on the S3 fulfilment criteria with presentations on the latest related activities within the S3 CoP and regional presentations highlighting their experiences;
• lessons learned and experiences with I3 and EIE with presentations by successful region-led consortia.

The S3 Forum is planned as a physical event in Barcelona, Spain. Plenary sessions will be organised with a live recording and will be broadcast for an online audience: https://s3-forum.regio-events.eu/en/webstreaming 

Break-out sessions will be organised only physically.

Learn more, find the agenda and register by the extended deadline of 13 November here.

While the S3 Forum will be a one-day event on 28 November 2023, there will be a set of side events on the next day: the Steering committee meeting for the S3 Thematic Platforms and the meetings of the working groups on innovation diffusion, interregional collaboration, and industrial transitions. The hosts of the S3 Forum, Generalitat de Catalunya, will also hold a side event in the same venue: “Catalunya's S3 in action: Shared Agendas explained by their main players”. During this event, the regional government and key stakeholders will share in detail the process of creation and implementation of RIS3CAT Shared Agendas, which have been acknowledged as good practices across the EU.

On 12 October, the European Commission awarded the first ten European cities with the Label of ‘EU Mission Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities’ for their plans to achieve climate-neutrality by 2030.  

The EU Mission Label symbolises a crucial milestone, not only recognising the comprehensive plans of these cities to achieve climate neutrality by 2030 but also serves as a catalyst for facilitating access to both public and private funding to support these ambitious goals. 

ERRIN is pleased to see that all ten cities are located in ERRIN member regions. Here the full list:  

• Cluj-Napoca (Romania) 

• Klagenfurt (Austria) 

• Madrid (Spain) 

• Mannheim (Germany) 

• Sønderborg (Denmark) 

• Stockholm (Sweden) 

• Valencia (Spain) 

• Valladolid (Spain) 

• Vitoria Gasteiz (Spain) 

• Zaragoza (Spain) 

These cities are leading the way for others in the EU Cities Mission, showcasing an inclusive approach to local policy-making. The first group of cities presented their Climate City Contracts in April 2023. These contracts were reviewed by the Commission, with the support of experts from institutions such as the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the Joint Research Centre (JRC). Following a positive review, cities receive the EU Mission Label, an acknowledgment that signifies their plans are on the right track. 

The European Commission and the Mission Platform NetZeroCities, will continue to support the implementation of Climate City Contracts and provide funding opportunities. A call for pilot cities with a €20 million budget is open until 6 November 2023.  

All cities that have submitted their Climate City Contracts will receive feedback on their Climate City Contracts for further development, with more contracts expected for review in October 2023. 

Learn more here.