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
Co-creation in EU Missions
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 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.
ERRIN Extraordinary General Meeting
The ERRIN Extraordinary General Meeting will take place on 16 November 2023 from 14:00-16:00 CET in the ERRIN premises, with participation possible online. This Meeting is organised to make the necessary changes to the ERRIN Articles of Association following requirements by the new code for Belgian companies and associations. A minimum of 2/3 of the ERRIN members must be represented at the Meeting, and therefore engagement of each member is of crucial importance.
ICT WG Meeting - Digital and cybersecurity skills
The next ICT WG meeting on 15 November will be an opportunity to discuss and exchange good practices regarding digital and cybersecurity skills with representatives from the European Commission and different initiatives implemented in the field.
Living-in.EU: Monitoring and Measuring Subgroup meeting #3 - Presentation of LORDIMAS
The Monitoring and Measuring subgroup of Living-in.EU is organising its third meeting in 2023 on 27 October 2023, from 10:30 to 12:00 (CEST). LORDIMAS, a digital maturity assessment, will be presented to Living-in.EU signatories and other interested cities and regions.
Smart Cities & Bioeconomy WG: Nature Restoration Law - Innovations for the creation of greener cities
The Smart Cities and Bioeconomy Working Groups are organising a meeting on the Nature Restoration Law, taking place on 26 October between 10:00-12:15 CEST in Brussels. The European Commission will present the current state of play of the Nature Restoration Law as well as funding opportunities for cities and regions to create greener cities. Three ERRIN members will present examples of innovative solutions that urban areas can adopt to fulfil the requirements of the law.
Sustainable Economy in Horizon Europe: International matchmaking & networking (INSE)
On October 25-26, 2023, the second edition of Sustainable Economy in Horizon Europe: International matchmaking&networking (INSE) will take place in Warsaw. Sustainable Economy in Horizon Europe is a unique opportunity to establish direct contacts between scientists/researchers and entrepreneurs.
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
Lyon Métropole seeks to join a consortium for Horizon Europe call on Zero Pollution
Lyon Métropole would be interested in joining a consortium as a partner working on the topic of urban pollution and population exposure. The consortium would work to better understand the scope of the problem and contribute to identifying actions that could be promoted to better protect both its population and environment.
13 cities from ERRIN member regions selected as NetZeroCities Twin Cities
The NetZeroCities project, in which ERRIN is a partner, has through its Twinning Programme matched 40 Twin Cities from across Europe with the 53 Pilot Cities that were selected earlier this year. ERRIN is pleased to see that 13 of the selected Twin Cities come from ERRIN member regions.
169 country actions in support of the New European Innovation Agenda
On 19 September 2023, the European Commission published the list of actions that Member States and Associated Countries to Horizon Europe are so far undertaking or planning to undertake in support of one or more of the five flagships of the New European Innovation Agenda, including Flagship 3 closely followed by ERRIN. 20 countries have so far reported 169 actions in total, with their scope ranging from regional, through national to European.
Management Board elections 2023 – call for nominations launched!
Every year ERRIN holds elections for the Management Board. Becoming a member of the Board offers a great opportunity to develop ERRIN further and strategically lead the network’s activities. You can put forward your candidature for this year’s elections until 5 October.
City of Jyväskylä is looking for Transfer Partners for EUI Greening Cities call
Jyväskylä (FI) is looking for 3 Transfer Partners for project preparation for the Second Call for Proposals EUI - Innovative Actions in Topic 1: “Greening cities”. Deadline 24 September.
Regional Innovation Valleys: interest so far & matchmaking map
On 6 September, the European Commission published a matchmaking map showcasing European regions that have so far expressed their interest to become a Regional Innovation Valley (RIV) by applying to the call for Expression of Interest launched in March 2023. The call for EoI is still open for new submissions until 18 September 2023.
Latest Updates
- By Francesca Pozzebon
Energy & Climate Change WG meeting on Sustainable Buildings - call for presentations
On Friday 30 September from 10:30-12:00, the Energy and Climate Change Working Group will host a hybrid event on the topic of Sustainable Buildings. A call for presentations to be presented during the meeting is now open until 25 September.
- By Ewa Chomicz
New members of the EU Missions Boards announced
Yesterday the European Commission announced 75 new top experts who will advise on the five EU Missions through serving on their Boards. ERRIN is thrilled that Françoise Guaspare from Île-de-France Europe, one of the Transport Working Group leaders, will join the Mission Board of the Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities Mission.
- By Gianpiero Petruzziello
City of Vilvoorde (Belgium) is looking for international partners for LIFE-project
City of Vilvoorde (Belgium) is looking for international partners to implement a project answering call LIFE-2022-CET-ENERPOV – ‘Addressing building related interventions in vulnerable districts’
- By Gianpiero Petruzziello
NetZeroCities – Pilots Cities Programme
NetZeroCities is launching a Pilot Cities Programme that will help cities to test out locally tailored actions towards a climate transition. The call opens on September 5 and invites applications from all cities that are committing to the objectives of the EU Cities Mission located in EU Member States and Associated Countries.
- By Ewa Chomicz
ERRIN autumn perspectives: R&I policy outlook
The first half of 2022 offered several key policy developments. To kick off the autumn, we propose a short outlook of what will keep ERRIN busy when it comes to the R&I policy perspective.
- By Julie Delcroix
NetZeroCities Call for Pilot Cities info sessions
NetZeroCities, project in which ERRIN is a partner, is organising a series of webinar to offer guidance on how to apply to the upcoming Call for Pilot Cities.