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
European Research and Innovation Days 2022
The European Research and Innovation Days (RiDaysEU) is the European Commission’s annual flagship Research and Innovation event. This year’s edition will take place online on 28 – 29 September.
Driving Urban Transitions Call 2022 Info Day 1
On 20 September, the first info day on the first Driving Urban Transitions Call will be organised, before the call's opening on 21 September. The event will take place online.
CEF Digital Matchmaking: 5G for Smart Communities
On 20 September from 10:00-12:00 CEST, the European Commission is organising an online information and matchmaking event dedicated to the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) Digital programme's second call for proposals for ‘5G for Smart Communities’. The call is tentatively planned from mid-October 2022 to mid-February 2023.
Urban Mobility Days
Urban Mobility Days 2022 will be held on 20-22 September in the city of Brno, Czech Republic. During plenary session 2 on 'TEN-T Urban Nodes', (9:30 AM -10:50 AM | 09/22/2022) Françoise Guaspare, Senior Policy Advisor, Île-de-France Europe and co-leader of the Transport WG will intervene by presenting some key points of our ERRIN Polis opinion on the TEN-T regulation.
Czech Presidency Conference on Synergies in the Research and Innovation Funding in Europe
As one of the first events in its programme, the Czech Presidency of the Council of the EU will organise a flagship conference "Synergies in the Research and Innovation Funding in Europe" on 7-8 July 2022 in Prague. The conference shall be held as a physical event, but following web streaming will be available. Pre-registration is obligatory.
ERRIN Spring Annual General Meeting 2022
ERRIN's Spring Annual General Meeting will be held this year on 23 June at 15:00-17:30 CEST followed by a networking cocktail from 18:00 CEST. In addition to discussing formal issues and offering an opportunity to network, the event will feature debates around the new European Innovation Agenda.
WG Documents
ERRIN Year in review 2022
The ERRIN Year in review 2022 is out! Read the report to see the numerous activities ERRIN and its members have been involved in throughout the year.
Letter on Cities' Concerns: Mission on Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities
The Smart Cities WG leaders developed a letter directed towards the Mission Manager and the Mission Secretariat of the Mission on Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities, as a follow-up from the Smart Cities WG meeting on the Cities Mission and the Expression of Interest in November 2021.
Handbook on implementation and adoption barriers of urban living labs developing nature-based solutions
Developing Urban Living Labs is a relatively novel approach in urban areas, and consequently, there are many challenges and barriers that cities face during ULL adoption. This handbook, developed by the UNaLab project, aims to identify and explore some common barriers to the adoption of Urban Living Labs, and provide cities with a tool and an understanding of how to strategically address these barriers.
ERRIN Input to the City Mission Implementation Plan
Please find attached ERRIN's input to the Implementation Plan of the Mission on climate-neutral and smart cities.
ERRIN Contribution to the City Mission Interim Report and the Green Deal Call 1.2
Please find attached ERRIN's contribution to the interim report of the Mission on Climate Neutral and Smart Cities and the Green Deal Call 1.2.
Report by the Mission Board: 100 climate neutral cities by 2030 - by and for the citizens
The latest version of the interim report by the Mission Board on Climate Neutral and Smart Cities.
WG Related Content
EU City Calculator: a learning programme to support public authorities in reaching climate neutrality
From 26 February 2024, all European cities will have the opportunity to enroll in the EUCityCalc project's learning programme to learn how to collect data and use the EU City Calculator tool, which is an open source online platform that allows local councils and other stakeholders to visualise and simulate low-carbon scenarios for their towns and cities, as well as to assess the trade-offs related to available choices.
ERRIN’s agenda for 2024 unveiled
Every year ERRIN defines workstreams to guide its work throughout the year, closely linking to its core missions and priorities, as well as the key initiatives in the EU R&I agenda. Discover what has been planned for 2024 in ERRIN Working Groups and Task Forces.
Direction FP10 – rolling out ERRIN's activities in 2024
With the Commission proposal on the next EU Framework Programme for R&I (FP10) expected in mid-2025, this year will be key for setting the tone for further work on the topic and actively engaging in discussion. Have a look at an overview of ERRIN activities currently in the pipeline and opportunities to engage.
Governance structures to implement the EU Missions: check the new Mission Data Platform
A new Mission Data Platform has recently been launched by TRAMI, the EU-funded project focusing on transnational cooperation on the Mission-approach and effective implementation of the EU Missions. This tool supports and links with ERRIN's work on multi-level governance in the Cities Mission within the NetZeroCities project.
Clean Hydrogen Partnership 2024 calls are now open!
The Clean Hydrogen Partnership has officially launched its calls for proposals for 2024, providing a funding opportunity of €113.5 million to advance projects supporting the development of hydrogen technologies across the entire hydrogen value chain. ERRIN members can join a workshop hosted by Hydrogen Europe Regional Pillar on Wednesday, 7 February, focusing specifically on Hydrogen Valley calls.
26 additional cities selected to join the NetZeroCities Pilot Cities Programme
The NetZeroCities project, in which ERRIN is a partner, has selected 26 additional cities from 16 countries to take part in its Pilot Cities Programme. ERRIN is delighted to note that 12 cities from ERRIN member regions have been chosen, including Riga and Lyon, both supported by ERRIN’s NetZeroCities Climate Neutral Cities Advisors.
Latest Updates
- By Francesca Pozzebon
CALL for selection of partners for thematic partnerships – Urban Agenda for the EU
Cities, Member States, Partner States, Regions, city consortiums, national city umbrella organisations, and other stakeholders which are interested in joining one or both of the two new Thematic Partnerships on Greening Cities and Sustainable Tourism can show their interest by submitting their application(s) by 16 September 2022 at 18:00 (CET).
- By Teresa Vio
ERRIN is looking for a Communications Assistant (traineeship)
ERRIN is looking for a new trainee! The Communications Assistant will have the opportunity to participate in the daily work of the organisation by carrying out communications and member related tasks, as well as supporting daily office activities. The deadline to apply is 10 August.
- By Loes Rutten
Amsterdam UAS & CraFt call for NEB/NetZeroMission cities
The European Mission on Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities is leading the way for urban climate neutrality by 2030, with 112 cities acting as hubs of experimentation and innovation and many more following in their footsteps. The CrAFt (Creating Actionable Futures) platform will help cities to make their climate-neutral transformations beautiful, inclusive and sustainable. Running until 2025, CrAFt supports the implementation of the Cities Mission, the NetZeroCities Mission Platform and the New European Bauhaus (NEB). We are looking for 70 CrAFt Cities that want to test and share models of transformation with us, receive implementation support and become role models for cities across Europe. The deadline for proposals is 9 September 2022. For further details regarding the application process, please refer to the Annex and then fill in and submit the Expression of Interest form.
- By Ewa Chomicz
Guidance on synergies between Horizon Europe and ERDF is out
The guidance on new opportunities to maximise the synergies between Horizon Europe and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) programmes was published by the European Commission on 5 July 2022. The document intends to provide a practical and user-friendly approach.
- By Ewa Chomicz
ERRIN is looking for a Climate Neutral Cities Advisor (deadline: 29 July)
ERRIN is looking for a Climate Neutral Cities Advisor to join its Secretariat! The successful candidate will work to ensure the delivery of the Horizon Europe Mission on Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities by taking part in the activities of the NetZeroCities project. The deadline to apply is 29 July.
- By Ewa Chomicz
The new European Innovation Agenda unveiled
On 5 July, the European Commission adopted the new European Innovation Agenda with the aim of positioning Europe at the forefront of the new wave of deep tech innovation and start-ups. The document, to which ERRIN submitted input in May this year, sets out 25 dedicated actions under five flagships, including on European Innovation Ecosystems.