Working Group Leaders
Representatives of Brussels-based offices leading the work of the Smart Cities Working Group.
Smart Cities
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.
ERRIN Contact
Mission on 100 climate-neutral and smart cities by 2030
The Smart Cities WG has taken an active role in shaping the Mission on 100 climate-neutral and smart cities by 2030 - one of the five mission areas under Horizon Europe - and is closely following the implementation of the mission. Visit our dedicated Cities Mission page to learn more about our work on this.
Future Related ERRIN Working Group Meetings
Cities Mission – focus on sustainable urban mobility
The meeting organised by the Transport and the Smart Cities WGs will focus on the proposed mobility strategies in the Climate Cities Contracts and the measures needed to reduce emissions.
Previous Related ERRIN Working Group Meetings
Artificial Intelligence related strategies at local and regional level – ICT WG Meeting
In December 2023, the Council and the European Parliament reached a political agreement on the AI Act, setting out rules for the development and usage of AI in Europe. With AI's growing importance
Policy & Smart Specialisation WGs meeting: Widening in FP10 and impact on cohesion policy post-2027
The topic of widening gathers high attention in the discussions around the next European Framework Programme for R&I, raising questions with the potential to influence not only the Widening sub-
Policy WG meeting: Role of EU Missions in FP10
ERRIN has been closely involved in the design and implementation of the EU Missions since their inception. Missions remain one of the network's priorities and were one of the four main areas of focus
WG Related Events
Future of the EU Missions in the FP10 & Launch of the Mission Playbook
The TRAMI Project, cordially invites you to join an inspiring discussion on the future of the EU Missions and the launch of the TRAMI Mission Playbook. The event will be held in NCBR Office in Brussels (Rue Belliard 40, Brussels, 5th Floor) on 25 June, 13:00–16:00.
Towards a research agenda for the EU Mission on Climate-neutral and Smart Cities
Researchers who have actively worked with Pilot Cities or Mission Cities within the frame of the EU Mission on 100 Climate-neutral and Smart Cities by 2030 are invited to join a collaborative event geared towards advancing research in the Cities Mission. The event aims to develop and foster a robust network of universities and research institutions actively engaged in this endeavour while allowing participants to learn more about the NetZeroCities project and the Mission Cities and potentially develop shared research outputs. The event will be organised on 25 June in Valencia, Spain.
Cities Mission Conference 2024
The third annual conference for the Mission on Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities will be held in Valencia, Spain, on 25-26 June 2024. The European Commission and NetZeroCities invite political representatives and practitioners from the 112 Mission Cities to celebrate the Mission’s progress and to share valuable insights, experiences, and inspiration.
EuroINNOWorkshop&Aperitif - "Veneto Data Platform"
VENETO DATA PLATFORM - Collection, analysis, and use of data for managing cities and territories to provide better services to citizens. The event will take place in Brussels on 24 June, 16:30-19:00.
ERRIN Spring AGM 2024
ERRIN’s 2024 Spring Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held on 20 June from 15:00 to 17:15 CEST, followed by networking drinks until 19:00. This year, the event will be held in person at Scotland House (Scotland Europa, Rdpt Robert Schuman 6, 1040 Bruxelles).
Training workshop: Making innovation work for society
The REINFORCING project will host a series of training workshops focused on enhancing innovation through co-creation. These workshops will cover identifying societal needs, methods for integrating co-creation into research and innovation, and developing skills for effective uptake and facilitation. The first workshop will be organised online on 18 June between 14:30-16:30 CET.
WG Documents
Proposal for the Driving Urban Transitions Partnership
Attached is the approved concept for the Driving Urban Transitions Partnership.
ERRIN Input to the Driving Urban Transitions Partnership Consultation
ERRIN provided input to the public consultation to shape the European Partnership on Driving Urban Transitions.
ERRIN Contribution to the Mission on Climate Neutral and Smart Cities
Please find attached ERRIN's contribution to the Mission on Climate Neutral and Smart Cities.
ERRIN Draft Contribution to the Mission on Climate Neutral Cities
Please find attached ERRIN's first draft contribution to the Mission on Climate Neutral Cities.
Policy Recommendations - Regional R&I Ecosystems: Contributing to a competitive Europe
Going towards FP9, several reports - including the Lamy report - underlined the necessity to address the challenge of turning research knowledge into innovation and growth.
WG Related Content
ERRIN welcomes new network Chairs
The ERRIN Management Board has appointed three co-chairs to the network. The three postholders will work together as a troika to guide the network in a collaborative manner in the period of 2024-2025.
Exploring Synergies between European Partnerships and EU Missions – Mutual Learning Event
ERRIN and the TRAMI project are organising a Mutual Learning Event aiming to explore synergies between European Partnerships and EU Missions. The event will take place on Wednesday 7 February from 9:00 to 12:00 (CET) at the NCBR Brussels Office, Rue Belliard 40, Brussels.
Third NetZeroCities call for Pilot Cities now open!
NetZeroCities has opened its third and final call for cities to join the two-year Pilot Cities Programme. The call is open only to Mission Cities who are not yet part of the Pilot Cities Programme. The deadline for applications is 18 March 2024.
Innovation Fund calls to drive net-zero technologies open until April 2024
With a budget of €4 billion, the Commission has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting innovative projects that contribute to the EU’s green transition goals. The Innovation Fund 2023 calls covering sectors including decarbonisation, hydrogen, cleantech manufacturing, and maritime and energy-intensive industries are open until 9 April 2024, 17:00 (CET).
Scalable Cities Action Grant: third call for proposals open
The third call for proposals of the Scalable Cities Action Grant is open until the end of January 2024. The grant aims to financially support cities and ad-hoc partnerships that wish to replicate measures that were successfully implemented through Smart Cities and Communities projects to facilitate the transition towards climate neutrality.
The European Heritage Hub project is looking for good practices
The European Heritage Hub is collecting good practices to share throughout Europe and beyond! Administrations of a city or region are asked to submit highlights of their work in heritage in the context of the ‘triple transformation ’ – green, digital and social – of our society. Ten practices will be selected for publication and promotion through the European Heritage Hub. Cities whose good practices are selected also get the opportunity to host a peer learning visit with a delegation of 20 participants funded by the project (3 peer learning visits will take place between Q2 2024 and Q1 2025).
Latest Updates
- By Daniele Ruggiano
The Forward-Looking Survey - European Urban Initiative
The European Urban Initiative (EUI) has launched a forward-looking survey to gather vital insights from urban practitioners and policymakers across Europe. This survey, hosted on Portico, aims to identify key trends, challenges, knowledge gaps and support needs in European sustainable urban development. The survey will be open from 6 June until 12 July.
- By Ewa Chomicz
ERRIN two-pager for European decision-makers
ERRIN is pleased to share a two-pager for the incoming European decision-makers, aiming to present the network and our value to the new MEPs, raising a voice for the importance of place-based R&I in the changing landscape. We encourage all ERRIN members to share the document with their MEPs to introduce ERRIN and the value of place-based R&I.
- By Ewa Chomicz
Over 70 ERRIN member regions announced as Regional Innovation Valleys
On 19 June, the Commission announced the 151 regions identified as Regional Innovation Valleys following the call for EoI and calls for proposals in 2023. 75 successful regions come from ERRIN members. RIVs will aim to strengthen the regional innovation ecosystems, bridge the innovation gap and improve Europe's overall innovation performance. New calls for proposals under Horizon Europe are expected in 2025.
- By Astrid Hannes
EIB's Circular City Centre (C3) initiative continues: support to thrive the circular transition in cities
The European Investment Bank is launching a new support phase of their Circular City Centre (C3) scheme. The C3 targets cities and the public sector promotors on their behalf and offers advice on their circular economy agenda and investment projects. Cities can benefit from guidance documents, resources, circular city advisory and capacity building workshops and project advisory services.
- By Rodolphe Doité
AI for local and regional authorities – Survey for the Committee of the Regions stakeholders’ consultation
The ERRIN ICT WG wishes to collect ERRIN’s members’ needs, challenges and solutions related to Artificial intelligence in order to answer the CoR stakeholders' consultation, expected in September 2024.
- By Heidi Johansson
ERRIN at the Cities Mission Conference and EURESFO 2024
This year, the Cities Mission Conference will take place in Valencia, Spain, on 25-26 June. ERRIN will participate in the conference as a partner in the NetZeroCities project, which manages the Cities Mission Platform. As the event is partly organised in collaboration with the European Urban Resilience Forum this year, ERRIN will also be there to promote its two Mission Adaptation projects: RESIST and Pathways2Resilience.