Accelerating the Twin Transition in EU Cities and their local economies – The Intelligent Cities Challenge opens new applications phase

The Intelligent Cities Challenge (ICC) - an initiative spearheaded by the European Commission (DG GROW and EISMEA) - opened its Expression of Interest for cities to apply to its esteemed support programme. Specially selected cities in the EU will undertake a two year journey where they will create an impactful strategy and develop innovative solutions that will place them at the forefront of the green and digital twin transition through Local Green Deals.  ICC helps cities harness the power of cutting-edge technologies, while improving their economic competitiveness, social resilience and the European citizens’ quality of life.

Through participating in the programme, ICC cities will receive high quality, tailored guidance, expert support, access to advisory and city peer networks, and capacity building tools, to drive their city closer towards the twin transition. Through its action oriented and collaborative approach, the ICC will offer cities the chance to: identify local strengths and formulate priorities and real needs, engage in long-lasting collaborations to co-create and co-design and learn from and share experiences with local and international peers and mentors.

Dana Eleftheriadou, Head Cities and Proximity Team, DG GROW at the European Commission, says “Cities are the beating heart of Europe’s economy. The new phase of the Intelligent Cities Challenge offers cities with the prime opportunity to put themselves on the map as a European Intelligent City and to turn their sustainability and technological ambitions into action, especially by launching their own Local Green Deals across city departments and with the local businesses. These will put your cities firmly on the path towards making the European Green Deal and the Green Deal Industrial Plan a reality, while scaling-up Europe's net-zero industry.”

Building on the success of the previous ICC programme and Digital Cities Challenge, the ICC has now consolidated its offerings and provides an extensive high-profile network, solid methodology framework and strong support mechanisms. During phase 1 of ICC, between 2020 and 2022, €1.9 billion was earmarked for ICC cities’ actions and €247 million in public funding from EU as national and regional sources was leveraged which helped facilitate 336 actions planned by the 136 Core cities.

Additionally, phase 1 of ICC successfully set up a meaningful EU-level ecosystem that delivered concrete collaborations such as 682 private actors of the ecosystems engaging with the cities’ solutions and 233 collaborations with other cities within and outside the ICC network.

Cities can also follow the programme at different speeds, according to the city’s resources and ambitions. For more information and guidance on applying, visit intelligentcitieschallenge.eu. Applications close on Friday 28 April 2023.