Introduction to the Project

NetZeroCities is a four-year project that will support the delivery of the Horizon Europe Mission on Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities and its ambition to achieve climate neutrality in Europe by 2050. Cities have been assigned the ambitious task to lead the transition to net zero emissions, and the NetZeroCities project is designed to help cities overcome the structural, institutional and cultural barriers by providing innovative support and solutions that will help them achieve their climate neutrality goals in a socially-inclusive way. The project builds on the expertise of its 33 partners, representing a wide range of actors from 13 countries.

Project Objectives

NetZeroCities recognises the need for cities to develop climate action strategies that are tailored to suit local and regional contexts, and will support them by collecting existing tools, resources and information on the design and implementation of climate actions, while also developing new content to fill the gaps, in a one-stop-shop Mission Platform accessible to all cities. In addition, the project will support up to 30 pilot cities to help drive rapid learning about how to achieve climate neutrality at the city scale. The cities will benefit from an intensive support relationship and dedicated services to achieve their net zero goals.

The project will provide knowledge and services related to systemic change, citizen engagement and democratic governance, capital and financial structuring, and social innovation to ensure that cities have access to the best expertise available anywhere in the world. The Mission Platform will further function as a meeting point for cities where they can exchange knowledge, collaborate together and learn from each other.

ERRIN's Role

ERRIN is supporting and contributing to several key project tasks and activities. One of the first key activities will be the contribution to the development of the Climate City Contract process – both the set-up of the process as well as the launch, co-creation and signing of the climate contracts. Replication and upscaling activities will be imperative to boost peer learning and collaboration between cities, and ERRIN will support these activities, while also contributing to the project’s work on citizen and stakeholder engagement. Additionally, ERRIN will look at finance policy needs of climate neutral cities, as well as contribute to the development of policy recommendations. ERRIN’s main contribution to the NetZeroCities project work will be on the city engagement activities, which includes engaging cities in the design and delivery of the services and activities of the Mission Platform as well as facilitating interaction between them.

  • Heidi Johansson
  • Project Manager
  • Ryan Titley
  • Director of Projects
  • Pirita Lindholm
  • Director

Benefit & Links

ERRIN’s work on the Mission on Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities has over the past years been driven by the Smart Cities Working Group, with the involvement and input from a range of members from other working groups. ERRIN will continue driving its work in the NetZeroCities project through the Smart Cities WG and will look to provide first-hand information to ERRIN members on the opportunities presented by the project. The project will provide an opportunity for ERRIN to work closely with its members and support them in developing and implementing their Climate City Contracts – both the members selected to be included in the group of pilot cities as well as the wider membership.

Latest Updates

Cities Mission: Call for Expressions of Interest now open!
  • By Hilary Webb

Cities Mission: Call for Expressions of Interest now open!

The European Commission has launched its call for Expression on Interest for the Horizon Europe Mission on Climate-neutral and Smart Cities. Applications are open until 31 January 2022.

Info Kit for Cities published ahead of Cities Mission call for EoI
  • By Hilary Webb

Info Kit for Cities published ahead of Cities Mission call for EoI

The European Commission has published its Info Kit for Cities, ahead of the call for Expression of Interest for the Mission on Climate-neutral and Smart Cities.

Introducing NetZeroCities: ERRIN to play a key role in the journey towards climate-neutral cities
  • By Hilary Webb

Introducing NetZeroCities: ERRIN to play a key role in the journey towards climate-neutral cities

As a partner in the NetZeroCities project – the project selected to support cities as they drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions through climate action to achieve climate neutrality – ERRIN will work closely with its members to support them in achieving their climate neutrality goals.