Roadshow: Build your Financial Capacity

Scalable Cities Roadshow is a financial capacity-building program is designed to help cities acquire the knowledge needed to scale up energy transition projects, obtain funding to boost climate-neutral strategies, and contribute to fostering a green urban market environment. 

The programme comprises 27 tailored capacity-building activities (8 webinars, 5 trainings, 6 peer-to-peer and 8 mentoring sessions) that are implemented in three phases between January 2024 and Summer 2025.

Calendar of events

The 27 capacity-building activities are delivered in three phases. The first phase comprises 12 sessions between January and September 2024:

WEBINARS:

• 11/01/2024: "Financial language for public administrations within the Smart City context." 
• 07/02/2024: Exploring business models canvas and ESG metrics for sustainable urban development
• 26/03/2024: Empowering Urban Prosperity: Inspiration for City Business Models
• 25/04/2024: Empowering local authorities to drive the energy efficiency market within the Smart City context
• 16/05/2024: Exploring European programmes: Empowering Smart City Projects with financial support

TRAINING SESSIONS: 

• 26 June 2024 Roadshow in Valencia: Face-to-Face Training Session: "How to Build a Viable Energy Community: Business Models & Financial Schemes through Crowdfunding Philosophy" 
• 05 July 2024 FINANCIAL CASE STUDY 1 ONLINE: "Quantifying Multiple Benefits: Exploring How to Improve Decision-Making by Considering Long-Term Impact Investment"  
• 03 October 2024: FINANCIAL CASE STUDY 2 ONLINE: "How to Build a Viable Energy Community: Business Models & Financial Schemes through Crowdfunding Philosophy" Registration link

PEER-TO-PEER SESSIONS:

• 27 and 28 May 2024: District H/C systems in Lund, Sweden
• 26 September 2024: PED/PEN in Kozani, Greece Registration link
• 24 and 25 October 2024: Peer-to-Peer Session in Kladno, Czechia. How to finance ENERGY COMMUNITIES and make them viable. Registration link

MENTORING SESSIONS: 

• A non-competitive call for 8 two-hour mentoring sessions for cities has been launched in September 2024. 
• The mentoring sessions are intended for cities with well-developed project that require specific financial advice. The type of project eligible for mentoring must align with the kinds of projects developed within Smart City communities
• These sessions are individual meetings between city representatives and Scalable Cities Secretariat (GNE Finance experts in finance and investment) and can be scheduled between November 2024 and May 2025.
• To learn more about eligibility criteria and further details, please view the associated document in the document section below. 
• Registration link for mentoring sessions

What does this program offer?

The programme addresses critical questions on financing smart city solutions, such as:

• How can this project be economically viable and how could it be financed? What alternatives are there to grants and own budget?
• What knowledge and data do we, as a public administration, need to acquire in order to design a financial model with coherent and convincing data? How and with whom to initiate discussions with potential financial partners? As an administration, what is the limit for third-party funding? 
• How has this project managed to be implemented in the bureaucratic-administrative ecosystem, while we are struggling so much? 

Who is it for?

The programme is aimed at all persons working in city administrations or bodies on planning, developing or implementing smart city solutions: financial officers, project managers, head departments, policymakers, etc.

Who will you meet in the different activities?

• Other cities and their representatives, including project managers, head departments, and/or policymakers working on climate-neutral proposals and projects at different levels of maturity. 
• Investors and financial actors in the green economy.
• Different experts in climate-neutral and smart city projects. 

How does it work?

Each project is different with a different degree of maturity. Thus Scalable Cities designed four types of events forcities:

• 8 webinars (2h each) where participants learn about basic financial concepts applied to cities. 
• 5 training sessions (3h each) where participants will work on real "case studies" and explore the different elements and steps needed to build a viable financial solution. Each session is supported by experts and investors.
• 6 peer-to-peer sessions (6h each) that bring together different cities, working on similar projects at various stages of maturity. Participants will share details of their projects, and work interactively with experts and investors to expedite project advancement. 
• 8 mentoring sessions (2h each) target cities with relatively advanced projects, who have specific questions and would like an external view from experts and investors to help them move forward with the implementation of their project.

How can I apply and what is the process?

• For upcoming events already scheduled:
  • Create your training journey by registering for each event you wish to attend via the corresponding registration link. 
• Supporting materials from past events:
  • You will find on this page all supporting materials created for the webinars and CASE STUDIES of the training sessions. Please feel free to contact the Scalable Cities Secretariat if you wish to have more materials or information (presentations and recorded videos).
• If you have have specific needs and would like to submit a proposal:
  • We are keen to design the training, peer-to-peer and mentoring sessions of the SECOND and THIRD PHASE to best suit your needs. If you have ideas or suggestions, please contact the Scalable Cities Secretariat. 
  • You can also help us organise upcoming events by filling in this survey.

Contact

In case of any questions or encountered problems, please contact the Scalable Cities Secretariat through the helpdesk.