CITIES 4.0 - Climate Innovation Through Interactive Ecosystem Summits (CITIES 4.0)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Innovative Europe
Programme: European innovation ecosystems
Theme: Interconnected Innovation Ecosystems
Destination: Interconnected Innovation Ecosystems
Action type: Coordination and support actions
Countries involved: Netherlands,Belgium,Finland,Italy
Call: Preparatory action for setting up joint programmes among innovation ecosystems actors (HORIZON-EIE-2021-CONNECT-01, 2021)
Start date: 2022-09-01
End date: 2024-04-30
Duration (months): 20.0
Total project cost (EUR): 596771.43
EU funding (EUR): 532756.25
Participants: 7
Project status: CLOSED

With the “Climate Innovation Through Interactive Ecosystem Summits” (CITIES 4.0) project the consortium of 4 European innovation ecosystem partners from Brainport Eindhoven, Leuven, Turku and Bologna, aims to contribute to key elements of the European Climate policy as reflected in the EU Green Deal, the ‘Fit for 55’ package (adopted on 14 July 2021) and more in particular in the regional and local translation of this package through the proposed European Union’s Mission 100 Climate Neutral and Smart Cities by 2030 (henceforward EU Mission), introduced in September 2021. The EU Mission will support, promote, and showcase 100 European cities in their systemic transformation towards climate neutrality by 2030 and make these cities into experimentation and innovation hubs for all cities. The key role of cities and of innovation ecosystems in contributing significantly to the EU Climate challenge is well described in the Implementation plan for the EU Mission, which states: „Cities take up only 4% of the EU's land area but are home to 75% of EU citizens. Worldwide, cities account for more than 65% of energy consumption and for more than 70% of CO2 emissions. So cities have the potential - and their Mayors often have the ambition - to be in the vanguard of efforts to deliver on the European Green Deal, helping to enable the EU to reduce climate emissions by 55% by 2030 and to become climate-neutral by 2050.” The innovation ecosystem organisations partnering in this proposal all are situated in and around urban areas that have the ambition to become front runners in the context of the EU Mission and be one of the 100 exemplary European cities to achieve climate neutrality by 2030. In fact, the innovation ecosystems and the partners they bring together are key contributing partners in the urban consortia that are today working to prepare the candidacies as front runner cities under the EU Mission. The individual innovation ecosystems each have a wealth of know how and expertise in areas that potentially contribute to achieving the Climate ambitions of the cities and urban areas they are part of. Brainport Eindhoven has signed up to the Global Sustainable Development Goals, and more than 150 of the partners from within Brainport Eindhoven have themselves signed up to these goals and are actively working to contribute to them. Members of the Brainport ecosystem are also active in European Innovation & Technology Communities on energy technology, smart Urban Mobility and health, all of which offer valuable potential contributions to achieving the climate Mission. Leuven Mindgate has sustainable economy at the centre of its workplan. Leuven Mindgate is a members organization that highlights the leading international role of the Leuven Innovation Region in the fields of health, high tech and creativity. Leuven Mindgate does this, among others, by putting a strong focus on circular economy, and sustainability in general. Initiatives include: ‘Happonomy’- an ecosystem of sustainability driven experts that supports and builds solutions for change makers to drive sustainable economic transformation forward – Studio – D – which inspires, advises and supports companies and organizations towards sustainable entrepreneurship and ‘Werecircle’ a fellowship of circular professionals guiding companies on their journey towards the circular economy. The Fondazione Innovazione Urbana from Bologna, specializes in reinventing the urban space by developing projects related to the care of territory and communities, both from a material and immaterial point of view, to urban planning and regeneration, environmental sustainability, resilient cities, citizen, cooperative, social and solidarity economy and technological innovation. While the environmental sustainability of urban regeneration processes is a central concern in their work, they also put an important focus on the social aspects of urban living and the resilience of com

Keywords: innovation ecosystems,climate neutrality,citizen engagement