In February 2021, Europe’s Sharing Cities programme – a project with 6 European partner cities – triggered an investment of €250 million in smart technologies from public and private funds. The project brings together 34 partners from across government, industry and academia, with the aim of:
- testing and scaling the use of smart technology and data to address urban challenges
- supporting the shift to low carbon transport and buildings
- providing technology for societal outcomes and
- ensuring scale and longevity through exploring smart city business models and financing options.
The Sharing Cities programme draws on €24.5 million in funding from the EU Horizon 2020 Smart Cities and Communities programme and has to reach a target of €500 million in investment by the end of 2021. Cities involved in the programme are Bordeaux (France), Burgas (Bulgaria), Lisbon (Portugal), London (the United Kingdom), Milan (Italy), and Warsaw (Poland). In the project, London, Lisbon and Milan are considered lighthouse cities as they have implemented several digital solutions. This includes retrofitted buildings, shared electric mobility services, energy management systems, smart lamp posts, and data sharing platforms.
The investment of €250 million came from a mix of public and private funds across all 6 cities. This includes city, regional and national government funds, as well as grants from organisations such as the European Union and public-private partnerships. Most of the investments cover the built environment, such as the building retrofits (around €200 million, ~80%); mobility measures (around €45 million, ~18%); and urban data platforms (around €5 million, ~2%). Of the 6 cities, Burgas received the largest investment with around €175 million. The majority of this is for building retrofits.
For more information, explore the Sharing Cities programme website.
The Advanced Technologies for Industry (ATI) project published a report on Technological trends and policies. The report provides an overview about the performance of the EU27 in advanced and smart technologies and gives a snapshot of the policy landscape supporting the production and uptake of advanced technologies at an EU, national and regional level. For more information, read more about the ATI project.