From 1st October onwards, the Marketplace of the European Innovation Partnership on Smart Cities and Communities will be called the Smart Cities Marketplace. This new name symbolises the anticipated merger of the EIP-SCC Marketplace with the Smart Cities Information System (SCIS).
Under the umbrella of the Smart Cities Marketplace the European Commission aims to gather all actors in the European Smart City community to help citizens, cities, research institutions and industry delivering more sustainable, resilient and smart urban areas.
The Smart Cities Marketplace is an initiative for those looking for inspiration, knowledge-exchange or investment to deliver Smart City solutions in any of the areas of ICT, Energy or Transport & Mobility. The initiative is supported by the European Commison's DG Energy, DG Move and DG Connect!
Georg Houben, Policy Officer, Directorate-General for Energy at the European Commission, said:
“The recovery from COVID-19 will be a green recovery and cities all over Europe are in a pole position to support the ambitious reduction of greenhouse gas emissions put forward in the European Green Deal. The Smart Cities Marketplace will help cities and towns of all sizes to deliver more sustainable urban energy systems, and offers all the information needed to explore, shape and set up a successful smart city project – in one place.”
Luana Bidasca, Policy Officer, Directorate-General Move at the European Commission, highlighted:
“In these uncertain times where cities across Europe are dealing with consequences of COVID-19, one thing recognized is the importance of efficient – and smart – urban mobility connected to other systems in the city. Developing Smart Cities – embracing clean transport and mobility - is complex, but when done right it makes cities more efficient, more resilient and more sustainable. The Smart Cities Marketplace will continue to help cities doing it right.”
Svetoslav Mihaylov, Project Officer, Directorate-General Connect at the European Commission, stated:
“European Smart Cities have done great work in piloting ICT to lower their carbon footprint and the potential in scaling up the solutions is tremendous. The launch of the Smart Cities Marketplace comes at a crucial moment when Europe is dealing with the impact of COVID-19 and is more committed than ever to fighting climate change. Harvesting and unleashing the power of urban data as well as rolling out data platforms and connectivity will help us build both more sustainable and more resilient cities through cross-sector AI-based services.”
Building on lessons learned (Background)
The Smart Cities Marketplace will remain committed to the large portfolio of tasks inherited from its predecessors. Six Smart City Action Clusters from the EIP-SCC with more than twenty Initiatives underneath will remain, while the platform will remain open for new topics and Initiatives. The latter are stakeholder owned “projects” of the platform, many of which have established their own networks and concrete implementation roadmaps – in partnership between large industrial players, SME’s, researchers and city officials.
The Action Clusters currently cover six areas of interest and serve as centres of knowledge for all stakeholders interested in any of the six areas: Built Environment and Sustainable Districts; Sustainable Urban Mobility; Integrated Infrastructures and Processes; Integrated Planning, Policy and Regulation; Citizen Focus and Business Models and Finance.
In order to get Smart City projects (including above-mentioned Initiatives) to the market the Smart Cities Marketplace features a process called Matchmaking by which project ideas can be realised with financing through the platform’s own Investor Network. Potential project promoters can submit ideas to the Smart Cities Marketplace and/or join one of the dedicated Matchmaking Events, which allows interested parties to:
- EXPLORE - See and learn what’s been done and what is next
- SHAPE - Shape projects and action plans
- DEAL - Create relations and opportunities
The work done by the Smart Cities Information System to collect and disseminate the accumulated learnings from various Smart City initiates will continue under the new initiative.
The Smart Cities Marketplace is a hub for all stakeholders, groups, networks, platforms and initiatives being involved in the Smart City field. Its single purpose is to support the massive upscaling of Smart City solutions across Europe and deliver more sustainable cities.