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
Facilitating RePowerEU – Cities as Frontrunners and Facilitators in Sustainable Energy
A hybrid workshop “Facilitating RePowerEU – Cities as Frontrunners and Facilitators in Sustainable Energy” will take place on 12 October from 15.00-16.30 CEST in the frame of the European Week of Regions and Cities 2022. The session is organised in collaboration with the Helsinki EU Office and the Finnish Cities of Helsinki, Espoo and Vantaa.
Regions addressing integrated sustainable urban development through cohesion policy projects
This workshop, hosted online on 12 October in the frame of the European Week of Regions and Cities, will address the various challenges of urban life and present numerous solutions and best practices in sustainable urban development which have been achieved through an integrated approach and with strong partnerships between different stakeholders.
Addressing the European digital skills gap of Regions and Cities on AI and Big Data, now for real
ERRIN's DT4REGIONS project together with the Living-in.EU initiative under the lead of ENoLL, with the support of the Computer Vision Center, are organising a joint international online workshop on 12 October 2022 from 9:30 to 11:00 CEST. The event will take place in the frame of this year's European Week of Regions and Cities.
Driving Urban Transitions Partnership Launch Event
On 4-5 October 2022 in Brussels, the Driving Urban Transitions Partnership will be officially launched with a series of sessions and speakers. The DUT Partnership steps up the game to tackle urban challenges. ERRIN has actively participated in shaping this new partnership and has also been invited to play a role in it.
Energy and Climate Change WG Meeting - People-centric Sustainable Buildings
On 30 September from 10:30-12:00, the Energy and Climate Change Working Group will host an on-site and online event on the topic of Sustainable Buildings.
OURWAY Final Conference “Greenways, a must to sustainable tourism’
Save the date for the OUR WAY Final Conference 'Greenways, a must to sustainable tourism’ that will be held on 28th September 2022, at the European Committee of the Regions, in Brussels.
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
The third Call for Proposals of the European Urban Initiative- Innovative Actions is now open
The third EUI-Innovative Actions (EUI-IA) Call for Proposals is now open and will close on 14 October 2024 at 14.00 CEST, with an allocated indicative budget of EUR 90 million ERDF. The call is targeting innovative projects focusing on two topics: 'energy transition' and 'technology in cities'.
Apply for the European Green Capital & European Green Leaf Awards 2026
European cities committed to sustainability are encouraged to apply for the 2026 edition of the European Green Capital and Green Leaf Awards before the deadline on 30 April 2024. The Awards promote and reward the efforts of European towns and cities that strive to reduce their impact on the local and global environment, improving the quality of life for their inhabitants.
23 new Mission Cities awarded the Mission Label
During a dedicated session at the EU Research & Innovation Days, 23 new cities part of the EU Mission on 100 climate-neutral and smart cities were awarded the Mission Label for their plans to achieve climate neutrality by 2030. ERRIN is pleased to see that 15 cities are located in ERRIN member regions.
Partner Search Interreg Europe – Tuscany Region - Exchange of experiences on affordable housing enhancement
Project Title - Affordable Housing Enhancement and Regional Oversight for European Sustainability (HEROES) The project aims to equip authorities with the necessary tools and knowledge to establish a sustainable housing policy that harmonizes public and private efforts within comprehensive planning.
Express your interest in the 3rd Interreg Europe call via the ERRIN Project Development Tool
Interreg Europe's 3rd call for proposals, launched on 20 March, supports interregional cooperation projects addressing common regional development challenges. Organisations can use the ERRIN Project Development tool to express interest and find partners. The call is open until 7 June 2024.
Horizon Europe strategic plan 2025-2027 is out
On 20 March, the Commission adopted the second Horizon Europe strategic plan. The plan sets out three key strategic orientations for the EU's research and innovation funding for the last three years of the programme (2025-2027). Find out what novelties the new strategic plan brings.
Latest Updates
- By Heidi Johansson
Driving urban transitions to a sustainable future partnership
The Partnership Driving urban transitions to a sustainable future (DUT) is the proposal for an urban partnership under Horizon Europe, which is currently under development led by JPI Urban Europe. ERRIN has been invited to participate and actively shape this new partnership.
- By Agnieszka Wieczorek Jetha
'Evidence informed policymaking' training course by JRC
A 2-day training course is organised on “Evidence informed policymaking” which will aim to introduce participants to useful tools, train them to navigate between different types of evidence and research methods, and reflect on how to deal with the many challenges of evidence-informed policymaking. ERRIN has been invited to nominate up to 3 candidates.
- By Agnieszka Wieczorek Jetha
Collaborating towards a Horizon Europe mission on climate-neutral cities by and for citizens – how do we ensure smartness?
On 4 December, Lärosäten Syd – the network of Universities in South Sweden – together with the other south Swedish Brussels offices co-organised a policy event in Brussels to present the main wishes and expectations of south Swedish actors on the Horizon Europe mission on cities, as well as to discuss with European partners the main recommendations for the implementation of the mission.
- By Anonymous
Searching for project partners participating in EU-call CE-FNR-17-2020
This call requires a project consortium of different cities or clusters of cities considering a geographical spread around Europe. Based on this requirement we are looking for further project partners who are willing to establish a European network of bio-based cities with innovative biowaste/waste water treatment technologies or comparable approaches. During our current research about potential partners and cities we figured out increasing efforts in sustainable handling of human waste matter.
- By Hilary Webb
Lahti, Finland announced as European Green Capital 2021 winner
Lahti, Finland, a partner of the ERRIN member Helsinki EU Office, has been named as European Green Capital 2021.
- By Gaia Ialisa Marotta
Are you interested in a project proposal on climate resilience of European coastal cities and settlements?
ERRIN is looking for partners for the Horizon 2020 call LC-CLA-13-2020 - Climate resilience of European coastal cities and settlements.