Net Zero Persikan used innovation procurement to enable emission-free ground works and construction. The project is demonstrating a fully-electric machine pool in ground works at a construction site in Stockholm, Sweden. The project addresses a phase (so-called “fine planning” of the streets and public spaces in an area of around 67,000m2) in the development of Kv. Persikan (the "Peach") on east Södermalm in Stockholm. During spring 2023, a competitive dialogue took place and resulted in procurement of a contractor with works starting in October 2023. The project is demonstrating working practices, methods and techniques which can accelerate the transition to emission-free ground works and reduce noise and environmental pollution will be reduced. The project is a forerunner and provides inspiration to the construction sector and municipalities, as stakeholders gain knowledge and experiences on emission-free ground works and fully-electric operations. The project has already received significant interest from national ministries, municipalities in Scandinavia and Asia, major vehicle and machinery providers, along with other stakeholders. By demonstrating how to execute an innovation procurement and implement its outcome in a complex urban environment, Net Zero Persikan shows how public sector procurers can stimulate emission-free construction and works, thereby accelerating the transition to a Net Zero Europe.

FastTrack will deliver climate-resilient urban, peri-urban and rural areas through the deployment of sustainable mobility innovations across 24 local areas, involving 20 local authority project affiliates, and 4 ambassadorial partners. FastTrack presents a suite of interlinking methods that provide local authorities with opportunities to learn from the best, capturing and presenting the experiences of those who have successfully accelerated transition. FastTrack’s twin-track core learning programme includes five separate FastTrack Capacity Building Weeks over 24 months: 1. Deep learning and exchange within the consortium, across four topic-based clusters guided by interests expressed by our 24 authorities. Each event will be led by an Ambassador (from Antwerp, Bologna, Budapest or Stockholm), supported by technical partners (WP2) 2. Meet the FastTrackers events, where 24 authorities will be introduced to skills and learning on cross-cutting topics (such as data, funding and governance) and will develop innovations with insights and inputs from external stakeholders recruited through a FastTrack database (including innovation networks, projects, funders, and end-users) (WP3) This programme will be informed by a rapid, intense review of innovation and exchange practices (WP1). An internal, competitive programme will fund small-scale “springboard studies”, rewarding outstanding innovation ideas with the most widespread internal interest and greatest potential for applicability and replicability across the EU. In culmination, programme pillars will be gathered in a performance management activity to oversee 24 deployment plans, as authorities rapidly refine, focus and develop innovations (WP4). Exploitable recommendations for process, and new solutions, technologies and approaches, will be supported by a further outreach phase, giving extra opportunity for on-the-ground deployment to be reflected in FastTrack’s final recommendations and results.

The RESCUE project aims to strengthen the resilience, security, and adaptability of critical infrastructure systems through advanced edge computing, AI-driven anomaly detection, and robust communication networks. In an era of increasing cyber threats, environmental challenges, and resource uncertainties, maintaining stable and secure critical infrastructure is vital for societal well-being and economic continuity. RESCUE focuses on real-time data processing at the edge, resilient communication channels, and advanced cybersecurity to enable continuous operation and rapid response to risks. The project will deliver cutting-edge solutions to enhance the reliability of power distribution, urban infrastructure, and communication networks by implementing flexible, autonomous systems that maintain functionality even in the face of unexpected disruptions. By integrating diverse sensor data, strengthening multi-channel connectivity, and employing AI for predictive insights, RESCUE ensures that infrastructure systems can detect, classify, and respond to threats autonomously. The project combines technical innovations with a strong emphasis on data privacy and security, aligning with EU regulations like the Cyber Resilience Act and the AI Act. Through rigorous testing and demonstrative use cases across Europe, RESCUE’s solutions will set new standards for critical infrastructure resilience, paving the way for safer and more dependable smart city and energy systems.

URBAN LEARNING gathers capitals and other large cities across Europe facing the common challenge of considerable population growth while being committed to significantly reduce fossil energy consumption and CO2 emissions. E.g. Stockholm grew by more than 12.000 people / a (1.5%); in the next 10 years Vienna has to build for 200.000 new people. Efficient and effective planning processes will be crucial for climbing this mountain. Vienna, Berlin, Paris, Stockholm, Amsterdam/Zaanstad, Warsaw and Zagreb aim to enhance the capacity of their local authorities on integrative urban energy planning, as response to new challenges from EU EPBD and RES directives as well as to changes of technologies and market conditions and the pressure to provide sufficient, affordable homes. The focus is put on the governance processes related to the (re-)development of concrete sites. While some cities already started ambitious urban development projects, the institutionalisation of these experiences is missing - despite awareness and willingness, due to lack of knowledge, lack of time and the need for collaboration across departments, which is not a common practice in many administrations in Europe. External stimulus is needed to overcome these barriers, and to address these issues collectively with external key stakeholders, such as DNOs and energy suppliers, and across cities. Focus will be on multi-disciplinary learning – concentrating on innovative technological solutions, instruments and tools as well as on innovative governance elements - and to capitalise this learning to institutionalise integrative urban energy planning. Improving the governance processes is expected to have significant energy impacts on homes and workplaces to be built and refurbished for over 3 million more people in the participating cities in the next 20 years: more than 1.700 GWh/a of energy savings and over 2.000 GWh/a renewable energy produced. Special emphasis is put on knowledge transfer to 150 more cities.

Within a context of growing urban population, advances in urban logistics operations and improved local authority planning, especially in the field of the urban freight transport, can alleviate the associated negative environmental and economic impacts occurring in cities. Several types of stakeholders are involved in such urban logistics management processes. Among them, freight carriers and shippers are interested in minimizing freight logistics costs in order to maximize their profits, while maintaining a competitive level of service to their customers. City administrators and residents are oriented towards a decrease in traffic congestion, social costs and environmental nuisances, even though they are often direct beneficiaries of high quality delivery services. This leads to a multitude of differing and possibly conflicting objectives that are involved in urban freight transport planning and decision making, yielding a high level of complexity. This provides a main motivation for the development of tools for helping decision makers to reach higher grades of efficiency. Despite growing academic interest, the extent to which freight transport is acknowledged and formally considered in local authority transport planning varies considerably from country to country, and on a more local level, between towns and cities. As a result, policy development with respect to urban freight and city logistics is characterised by a rather fragmented approach, with many city authorities finding it difficult to address the complex set of differing views of a large variety of stakeholders. The proposed project will be aimed at identifying local authority planning needs with regards to urban/city logistics activities and the necessary pre-requisites for inclusion of stakeholders in the process. Finally, the project will promote the knowledge transfer of methods and models through the conceptual development of a novel decision support tool (thanks to involved software houses).